Thursday, December 18, 2008

Its a Small World After All

Note to self: if the weather has been bad all day and things have turned to tolerable, head to Disneyland.

This week has been filled with rain. We are discovering the leaks in our new home and watching to the gutters turn to streams. It has also been filled with visitors. My best friend Chrissy and her family were in town for a winter vacation at Disneyland. They have since left but now I have another set of friends in town for their family Disney vacation. Needless to say, a season past is must when so many people visit my neck of the woods for a little Disney fun.   Monday the kids and I met up with Chrissy to visit and get that ever important season pass. I was a bit concerned because of all the rain we had been getting all day but lucky for us the water stopped falling from the sky just as we arrived at the park.  Sure things were wet and chilly but the park was relatively empty. We walked on most rides and I think our longest wait was ten minutes. I have been to Disneyland many times but never have I been able to walk on rides.  The kids were in heaven running around the park, meeting the characters (with no line I might add) and hanging out with some of their favorite people. They even got to ride some rides they had never experienced including Peter Pan, the train, and a newly revamped Its A Small World.

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I had been dying to take my kids on Its A Small World. It is such a huge Disney tradition. Sure its campy and the song stays in your head for weeks but what little kid doesn't love that ride? This year they redid the ride with a whole new holiday theme. The animatronic children sang well known holiday songs in different languages while dressed in native costume. Everything was brilliantly decorate. The kid's  eyes were as wide as they could possibly get as they gazed at all the sparkles and lights.  The outside of the ride was covered in lights and decorations. It truly felt like Christmas. 

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Main Street had its tree in the lit up front and center. It was covered in enormous red and green bulbs. Lights were strung from store top to store top. Cinderella's castle was covered in white lights that gave the illusion of snow and more lights blanketed the castle as the night went on. 

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The whole experience made me fall in love with Disneyland all over again. When it isn't 95 degrees outside and wall to wall people, Disneyland truly is a magical place.

5 comments:

Tonya Staab said...

OMG how fun. I'm so glad you got those pics, I've been waiting with baited breath. I can't wait to take the twins to Disneyland next year, although seeing as we are going in summer I daresay there will be no walking onto rides for us :(.

It was great seeing you last night.

Bre said...

Very cool!!!! Cinderella's castle looks so twinkly pretty.

Christy said...

Beautiful pics! I am so green with envy that you got to go to Disneyland! I bet the kids had lots and lots of fun!

debi9kids said...

It looks fantastic Shar!!! The kids (and you) looked like you had such a great time. I just know you are going to get your money's worth with those passes :)

Shannon said...

Looks like so much fun! I love seeing it decorated for Christmas! I can hardly wait until we go next year (we're planning to go for Luke's 6th b-day next December). I've been to Disneyworld in FL but not Disneyland.