Disneyland and more...

Matt has been doing a fantastic job choosing hotels for the trip.  He really could start his own travel company, I think.  He has a way of finding great hotels (nice, clean, spacious, modern, etc.) for really good prices, and he is a professional expert at getting us upgrades for no extra charge.   Disneyland was no exception to the rule.  He managed to get us a great room, which they upgraded to a family suite for no additional charge... it was a large room with dividing doors to allow us to have private sleeping quarters - the kids in bunk beds and the parents with a king, each room with its own tv to boot!  Very fun. The kids loved being back in bunk beds.  I think they have missed having their own space.  They tend to fight a bit in the same bed, especially when it's a double.  Nine times out of ten, though, we have found them snuggled up together halfway through the night, which is too cute.  Em usually finds a way to put her arm around her little brother.  :)

So, the hotel had a free shuttle to Disneyland.  We got up early and had breakfast at the greasy spoon across the street, instead of paying $6 for a boiled egg at the hotel.  Not after the ticket price for Disneyland.  My goodness!  We didn't realize it would cost more than the hotel!  It took us both a bit aback, to be honest... but it was money well spent in the end.  We managed to get on one of the first shuttles.  Our thought that the park would be less crowded after spring break was obviously a thought that thousands of other people had as well.  The line-ups were still quite long.  The first day we spent our time at Disneyland.  The kids were overwhelmed and overjoyed, of course.  The highlight of the day, however, was taking in the Alladin show at California Adventure.  This made me feel much better about the cost of the tickets.  It was like seeing a mini Broadway production.  Really well done.  The kids loved it too.  Matt stayed awake for most of it.  :)

The second day at California Adventure was, in our opinions, even better than Disneyland.  The rides were all more kid-friendly, and the line-ups were a lot shorter.  The way that they have designed it to feel like a fairground is really smart, including the traditional rides such as ferris wheels and swings that fly.  These were the kids’ favourite rides of the day.  Mine was the roller coaster, although I almost lost my lunch with the upside down section.  Matt’s back was still really bugging him, so he stayed firmly on the ground.  Emily and I took in lunch at Ariel’s Grotto, where we were visited by nearly all the Disney princesses while eating our lunch on the outdoor patio.  She was in heaven!  The glass of wine at lunch helped me get through it. :) 

Matt took Zachary back to Autopia so he could drive his own car again.  Then we all met up to finish things off with an underwater Nemo ride.  Two very full days, if I do say so, but fun. 

From Disneyland, we went south to visit and stay with Bob and Peg, our old neighbours from Pender Harbour.  It was so amazing to see them both, and to spend some quality time in their beautiful coastal town.  It’s almost as nice as Lee Bay!  The neighbours aren’t as nice, though, if I do say so myself. :)  We had such amazing food, of course, with Peg as our hostess.  Bob made us breakfast one morning too.  We were truly pampered.  We attempted to return some pampering with dinner at one of their favourite spots on the water a bit further south.  A great spot, with really nice food. We got to spend a day on the beach with Peg as well, which was a nice treat.  These moments were a nice surprise, as Bob and Peg were originally not going to be in San Diego when we came... and we were grateful for the chance to spend time with them again.  Just like old times. 

The San Diego Zoo and Legoland added to our fun adventures in California.  The zoo was not all that we thought it would be, but maybe this is because of our feelings about zoos... I don’t think that Matt or I have really ever been to more than a handful of zoos in our lives, but we both come away with a very sad feeling.  The animals all seem so mournful and sad outside of their natural habitats.  It feels wrong to be staring at them from the other side of the fence.  I have a hard time with the statements from people passing by, telling the animals to get up and do something, or telling them to get up off their “fat ass” and give them a show.  It feels more like a circus than anything.  We cut our trip to the zoo short for this reason.  We figure the kids will be seeing lots of animals in the wild when we get to Africa later this year.  I know we’ll both prefer that too. 

Legoland was quite fun, although the ticket price once again made us gasp.  It is amazing how much money these places are taking in!  And the line-ups are incredible.  We went on a school day, thinking again that the lines would be short.  They were nothing compared to Disneyland, of course, but we still stood in line for almost 40 minutes for a roller coaster ride at one point.  The park itself is very well done, though.  The kids’ favourite part was the miniature world, where everything is made of lego, and they have automated cars and boats and trams running.  They have models of major cities in the area - they have New York, for example, and the subway running under Grand Central Station, through downtown.  They show the subway as a cross section under certain parts of the town.  The Golden Gate Bridge, with the cable cars in San Francisco were also on display.  The kids spent at least an hour here, and were sad to leave.  All in all, I would say that it was fun for the kids... not as fun for the adults, though, and definitely overpriced. 

Thus concluded our time in California, and we turned our path to the east and on to the Grand Canyon... with a stop in Vegas, of course. :)   

We are actually already in Zion, so I will get another post up tonight about the amazing Grand Canyon.  What a great spot!  Truly majestic.