Of course you do.
Mary and I started our day off with a ride on Winnie the Pooh while waiting to meet up with the Bachos, who got there a little ahead of us and were already on another ride. One nice feature of Pooh is that the line is never very long.
After meeting up with the Bachos, we went on Thunder Mountain Railroad, Pirates, Indiana Jones, and the Haunted Mansion (which is still set up for the Nightmare Before Christmas, funny rather than scary.)
In New Orleans Square, there is a concert stage called the Golden Horseshoe or something like that. We talked the kids into seeing the Bill Hill and the Hillbilliesbluegrass/rock and roll/comedy show. All us adults like the shows, and I in particular think Disneyland has great musicians, having all the in- and out-of-work musicians in the LA area at their disposal. Anyway, these guys made very good music, even if the jokes were a little lame. The kids fell asleep and I'm still not sure if they've forgiven us.
Later, we made another musical side trip to California Adventure to see the Aladdin musical. It is dazzling, with numerous sets, parades through the auditorium aisles, and an overhead flying carpet. The actors were all hams, and the genie, in particular, had some great lines. ("Been locked in that lamp for 10,000 years; missed Tom and Katie's wedding!") The kids even stayed awake. Because Jerry booked the trip through AAA, he got a special "preferred seating" option and we sat in the second row, very front of the orchestra section. It's actually easier to see some effects like carpets flying through the middle of the auditorium from the middle or back of the auditorium, but they've seen the show several times before, and now they had the opportunity for a different POV.
Then we went directly from California Adventure into the Grand Californian Hotel for dinner at our favorite restaurant, the Storyteller Cafe. One of the chefs there spearheaded a move several years ago to accommodate celiacs in his restaurant, so we know we can ask for gluten-free food there and all the chefs will work with us. This time, we did not need to speak to a chef in person because we ordered the same food we'd eaten the night before in that same restaurant. Margaret was really happy to be off her feet and resting for a while; Jerry and Chelsea seemed anxious to get back on the ride treadmill. Jordan and Melanie were just going with the flow. And Mary and I will take any opportunity to eat gluten-free food over the chance to go on a a ride. They brought wonderful glutenous rolls for the others, and when we asked whether gluten-free rolls were available (we did get some in Disneyland), we got warm slices of Kennikinnick bread, which was better than nothing and way more than we were expecting. The only drawback of the whole meal is that it took so long we missed the Main Street Electrical Parade, scheduled for that night in CA Adventure.
After dinner, back on the Disneyland side, the kids wanted to do a lot of shopping, which was disappointing because we'd already lost so much time seeing shows and eating dinner, and this would be their last hours in the park. The latest thing is pins on a lanyard; you buy a set then trade with employees until you have a collection with all the pieces you like. It looks like a lot of fun, provides more interaction between customers and employees, and definitely provides a revenue stream for the company.
Anyway, eventually we found our way to Buzz Lightyear, where I blew Mary out of the water; Star Tours, where the most adorable little squeaky-delight girl sat behind us; and then back to Indiana Jones where we'd grabbed a fast pass earlier that finally came up around 11 pm. At the end of the evening, we got in the line for Space Mountain at 11:45. Supposedly a 45-minute wait, we knew they wouldn't close the ride while there were still people in line, even if we didn't finish up until after the midnight closing time. The new Space Mountain uses music from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, which everyone seems to like. But they also put spotlights along the tracks, which light it up and let you see what's ahead, while simultaneously blinding you. It's a very different experience, and I liked the old darkness ride better, even if the music is now better. But I seem to be in the minority among our group, who liked being able to see the curves ahead.
At 12:30 when we got out, we found Main Street still open, and the kids still willing to shop. It had been pretty breezy and chilly ever since the sun set, and by this time it was pretty darn cold. We all had to walk to our hotels, about half a mile away in opposite directions.
On Saturday morning we met at Denny's for breakfast, where the service was everything we never experienced before in this restaurant. Long wait, no coffee, no silverware, and at the end, no bill. And later, the after-effects. TMI.
Mary and I made a quick stop at Scrapin' in the Hills, a neat store in Anaheim Hills just a few minutes from Disneyland. We decided to pack it up and head out, even though we could have gone back in the park to pick up one of the rides we'd missed: Roger Rabbit, Mr. Toad, Peter Pan. But overall we got to do and see a lot and the kids added an energy we haven't experienced there for a long time.
Our annual passes don't expire until January 23. Should we try to get back there before then? Let me know what you think. If I made a reservation now it might be affordable to fly rather than drive.
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