Family Vacation 2010 Survival
Well, it looks like we have made it through the first three days. Sometimes I wonder what is more challenging; going to Disneyland with young children who have built-in energizer batteries that just keep going until the batteries, light bulb, or voice boxes die or going with teenagers who have re-chargeable batteries are each plugged in at different times for different lengths of time. Maybe it just being a Dad, whose energy supply needs to be wound up or cranked each hour.
I am sitting here in the dark. It is just after 8. I have been going in and out of sleep for several hours now. The Queen has walked until she can practically walk no more. I figure that after this vacation a 5K will be like walking the boardwalk. Our Princess is semi-awake, but does not want to be awake so she is doing her best to convince herself she is really a sleep. Tall Man is out. He can sleep like no other. For this vacation, I think he would be happy with a bed and a hot tub. Tenor Man has made it very clear that he does not like sleeping with Horn Man. I am glad we had foresight to bring inflatable air mattresses.
Anyway, Tenor Man and Horn Man shared the first night. I am told Horn man was all over the place, yet I am looking at Horn Man, whose mattress is deflated, curled up on fetal position, trying to stay in bed. He has been the first one up the past several days. In the hide-a-bed, Tenor Man has the length of his body stretch from the Northwest corner to Southeast corner. I have not idea where Horn Man would have found place on this bed, even in the fetal position.
I think we all came to Disneyland with different expectations. We had a family council on Sunday evening to see what time everyone wanted to be at the park. We decided to use the hotel shuttle and leave around 8, so we could be to the park around 8:30. It was closer to 9 when we finally got into the park. We had reserved the 11 p.m. shuttle home. At 10, the question started being asked, "What are we doing to do until 11?"
No, I was not asking the question.
We had an incredibly long day. It was fun. We hit most of the big rides and even met up with one of our co-workers from the airport. Even though we hated traffic, we realized that driving was a better idea. He was only traveling with a party of three and they got stuck in Phoenix on the way. We would have been scattered all over the place with 6.
The park is as big as I remember it, but the rides are smaller. We walked across the park about 6 times, but got in a majority of the experience. By 6 p.m., we knew we were not going to make it until 11. I called to see if we could switch to the 8 p.m. shuttle, but it was full. Some of us were not looking too good. The walking, the heat, the excitement of being at Disneyland, and over priced food drained all of our batteries. We decided to leave the park and find some place normal to get food. We ended up at the Golden Arches.
Even after re-charging our batteries, some of us were not doing so well. I hitched a ride on the 8 p.m. shuttle, picked up the vehicle and headed back to the park to get the family. Amazingly enough, this little adventure seemed to re-charge batteries for some. Those that were not feeling well, went to bed. Others wanted to hit the pool or the mall. When all was said and done, they had gone well past 11.
We decided to do California Adventures the following day. The park did not open until later so we all got to sleep in. We drove ourselves. We planned on staying late. It was fun. It was hot. The park was crazy full. We did not even get to all of the rides.
Hindsight taught us to bring frozen water bottles and use them more frequently. We did go shopping and purchased some granola bars. We paced ourselves on the rides. We left the park around 6 and went to dinner again. We returned to the park at 8 and started looking for a good place to watch Fantasmic. It was OK. We then jumped in to human river and flowed out of the park. We grabbed a branch and headed to the California Adventures to watch World of Color at 11:15. It was much better than Fantasmic. When the show ended, some one pulled the plug on the park and we all found ourselves in that human flowing river again. I felt like I was Hercules, trying to rescue Meg. We all made it out alive.
One the way home, we had decided to get up early and take advantage of the "Hour Early" pass they had given us. Right, like that happened. I don't think we got up before 9. We were not back at the parks until almost Noon. We hit most the rides we missed, shopped for a while for souvenirs and then went out for dinner, imagine that.
The surprise for the day, for me anyway, was running it to the Bowlers. I thought it was ironic how we live about an hour away from each other, but can never make our schedules match up to get together. Then we end up in California, at Disneyland on the same day. It was good to see them. It appears that they make the trip much more frequently than we do. They will never travel south on Sunday and they will never travel North on Friday afternoons or Saturdays. We are going to get up early on Friday.
We were all back in the hotel by 8. We relaxed in the hot tub for an hour or so and then crashed. We are completely wiped out. The question of the day is what do we do now. There is discussion of hitting Knott's Berry Farm. Some are still in bed. Tenor Man and Horn Man have now found their way to the pool. I should probably get into the shower and rally the rest of the troops. We will keep you updated. Until then, Chill Out Dudes.
I am sitting here in the dark. It is just after 8. I have been going in and out of sleep for several hours now. The Queen has walked until she can practically walk no more. I figure that after this vacation a 5K will be like walking the boardwalk. Our Princess is semi-awake, but does not want to be awake so she is doing her best to convince herself she is really a sleep. Tall Man is out. He can sleep like no other. For this vacation, I think he would be happy with a bed and a hot tub. Tenor Man has made it very clear that he does not like sleeping with Horn Man. I am glad we had foresight to bring inflatable air mattresses.
Anyway, Tenor Man and Horn Man shared the first night. I am told Horn man was all over the place, yet I am looking at Horn Man, whose mattress is deflated, curled up on fetal position, trying to stay in bed. He has been the first one up the past several days. In the hide-a-bed, Tenor Man has the length of his body stretch from the Northwest corner to Southeast corner. I have not idea where Horn Man would have found place on this bed, even in the fetal position.
I think we all came to Disneyland with different expectations. We had a family council on Sunday evening to see what time everyone wanted to be at the park. We decided to use the hotel shuttle and leave around 8, so we could be to the park around 8:30. It was closer to 9 when we finally got into the park. We had reserved the 11 p.m. shuttle home. At 10, the question started being asked, "What are we doing to do until 11?"
No, I was not asking the question.
We had an incredibly long day. It was fun. We hit most of the big rides and even met up with one of our co-workers from the airport. Even though we hated traffic, we realized that driving was a better idea. He was only traveling with a party of three and they got stuck in Phoenix on the way. We would have been scattered all over the place with 6.
The park is as big as I remember it, but the rides are smaller. We walked across the park about 6 times, but got in a majority of the experience. By 6 p.m., we knew we were not going to make it until 11. I called to see if we could switch to the 8 p.m. shuttle, but it was full. Some of us were not looking too good. The walking, the heat, the excitement of being at Disneyland, and over priced food drained all of our batteries. We decided to leave the park and find some place normal to get food. We ended up at the Golden Arches.
Even after re-charging our batteries, some of us were not doing so well. I hitched a ride on the 8 p.m. shuttle, picked up the vehicle and headed back to the park to get the family. Amazingly enough, this little adventure seemed to re-charge batteries for some. Those that were not feeling well, went to bed. Others wanted to hit the pool or the mall. When all was said and done, they had gone well past 11.
We decided to do California Adventures the following day. The park did not open until later so we all got to sleep in. We drove ourselves. We planned on staying late. It was fun. It was hot. The park was crazy full. We did not even get to all of the rides.
Hindsight taught us to bring frozen water bottles and use them more frequently. We did go shopping and purchased some granola bars. We paced ourselves on the rides. We left the park around 6 and went to dinner again. We returned to the park at 8 and started looking for a good place to watch Fantasmic. It was OK. We then jumped in to human river and flowed out of the park. We grabbed a branch and headed to the California Adventures to watch World of Color at 11:15. It was much better than Fantasmic. When the show ended, some one pulled the plug on the park and we all found ourselves in that human flowing river again. I felt like I was Hercules, trying to rescue Meg. We all made it out alive.
One the way home, we had decided to get up early and take advantage of the "Hour Early" pass they had given us. Right, like that happened. I don't think we got up before 9. We were not back at the parks until almost Noon. We hit most the rides we missed, shopped for a while for souvenirs and then went out for dinner, imagine that.
The surprise for the day, for me anyway, was running it to the Bowlers. I thought it was ironic how we live about an hour away from each other, but can never make our schedules match up to get together. Then we end up in California, at Disneyland on the same day. It was good to see them. It appears that they make the trip much more frequently than we do. They will never travel south on Sunday and they will never travel North on Friday afternoons or Saturdays. We are going to get up early on Friday.
We were all back in the hotel by 8. We relaxed in the hot tub for an hour or so and then crashed. We are completely wiped out. The question of the day is what do we do now. There is discussion of hitting Knott's Berry Farm. Some are still in bed. Tenor Man and Horn Man have now found their way to the pool. I should probably get into the shower and rally the rest of the troops. We will keep you updated. Until then, Chill Out Dudes.
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