2016 Disneyland Vacation - Day 4

We started off our last day at Disneyland by having a character breakfast at one of the hotels. This was a "critter" breakfast, so it included characters like Chip and Dale and some characters we weren't really sure who they were, like the bear. The boys enjoyed it but this was probably our least favorite of all the character meals we have ever done just because there weren't that many characters and several we didn't even know.


After breakfast, we headed off to the Disneyland park. Near the entrance, we saw Donald in his very sparkly diamond celebration outfit. There was only a short line, so we stopped to see him since he is Westyn's favorite character and we hadn't met him yet on this trip.

Donald was so very impressed by Westyn's Donald ear hat. He took Westyn over to the rest of the line and pointed out his hat and had them cheer. It was so cute! (We have since found out that the Donald ears and the Goofy ears that the boys have are no longer sold, so you don't see them much in the parks anymore.)  I do love good character interactions!


Of course, after all the special attention for the Donald lover, we had to get a picture with both boys.


Then, Justin went to get some fastpasses and I took the boys to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. We can all three sit in one car, which makes it nice. There was hardly a line at all. So, the boys and I road it three times in a row. The just loved the ride and the short line!


Westyn was making some silly faces while waiting for lunch.


That's a big corn dog!


The Star Tours ride is always a favorite.


The castle looks beautiful during the day as well.


On our way to Hyperspace Mountain, we saw some Storm Troopers.


Hyperspace Mountain was just as fun the 2nd time.


After that, we went to watch the Mickey Sorcerer show. It was all smiles in our seats.


As always, the boys enjoyed finding the penny presses along the way.


This was the first trip that we tried pin trading. The boys enjoyed it but we often forgot to ask at the shops. They did trade a few and the kept a few of their originals and it is a fun extra thing to do.


Garytt and Justin went to ride a bigger ride. In the meantime, Westyn really wanted to do Tower of Terror again. I really don't like that ride. But I couldn't disappoint him, so off we went. I was so excited when we were placed in the front row so we would actually be able to see Westyn's face. Then, as it turns out, I was holding him so tight that our hands covered his face. But you can clearly see how much I am enjoying the ride.


Justin and Garytt met back up with us at the Tower of Terror. The boys wanted to ride again, so I let Justin take them both this time. It's hard to see Westyn yet again, but both the boys really love this ride!


It was getting dark and I wanted to get a few pictures at the front with the 60th Celebration sign at the train station. Unfortunately, Westyn was having a bit of a melt down about something, so he was teary eyed. But Garytt and I had fun getting a quick picture.


Westyn jumped in last minute.


We stayed late at the park that night. So, we rode a few smaller rides. Then we tried Splash Mountain with nearly no line. Apparently the back seat in the log is a double seat, so Westyn and I could ride together, which was perfect. The first ride photo, again, you can't really see Westyn but you sure can see what Garytt is feeling. (I know he is often dramatic in photos but this was real emotion in this one!)

 
They both wanted to ride it again. So, this time Justin leaned out a bit so we would be able to see Westyn. What a perfect final family photo to wrap up our Disneyland fun!


Good-bye Disneyland! It was wonderful celebrating your 60th Anniversary!

2016 Disneyland Vacation - Day 3

The next morning, April 28, we headed to Disney California Adventure park. It was decked out with diamonds, too.


We started our morning by getting a Fast Pass for the Radiator Springs Racers as the line gets really long for that one. Once we had those, we split up. Garytt and Justin went to ride The Tower of Terror while Westyn and I did some smaller rides. Garytt looks excited before the ride starts but the ride photo looks like he is a bit unsure.


We met back up and headed to Cars Land for the morning.


We rode some rides, got a snack, and then we met Lightning McQueen.


Pretty soon it was our time for our Radiator Springs Fastpass. This was our first time to ride this ride as the boys weren't tall enough before. It was definitely a fun ride but I probably wouldn't stand in line for it if we didn't have a Fastpass.


Here are the guys as we are leaving the ride. Disney really did an amazing job recreating the scenery from Radiator Springs.


We had lunch reservations at Ariel's Grotto. So, we headed there next. This is a character dining experience. We met Ariel before we were seated. Suddenly, Westyn became very shy and didn't want to go meet her. So, we only have a picture with Ariel and Garytt.


After meeting Ariel, we were seated. We got a table out on the patio overlooking Paradise Pier. It was really lovely!


Prince Garytt was ready to meet some princesses.


Our food came out and we began eating. Then, just as the princesses were starting to come around, Justin left the table as he said he wasn't feeling well. So, he missed out on the princesses. But the boys enjoyed meeting them and they tried to remember to bow to them as they came around.


Since Justin missed all the princesses, I was getting worried. He came back and asked what was in the sauce on his fish. As it turns out, they had pistachios in the sauce, which he is highly allergic to! Yikes! And, even worse, it was all my fault because I forgot to mention his allergy when we checked in! So, we ended up heading to Mickey's medical building way at the front of the park.

They checked his vitals and gave him some Benadryl. Fortunately, his reaction to pistachios is extreme cotton mouth and fatigue. (His reaction to cashews is much worse.) So, they told him he could stay there and rest for a while. Of course, I forgot my phone at the hotel that morning, so we agreed that I would take the boys around for an hour or so and come back to check on him.

The boys and I went back over to Paradise Pier to ride the Toy Story ride. Of course, I didn't take many pictures in the afternoon since it was harder to manage without Justin. Unfortunately, Disney time isn't so much real time. Once we went through Toy Story, we started heading back towards the front, but then we happened upon The Incredibles doing a little show on the street. So, we stopped to watch that. When we finally made it back to the front, Justin had been out of the medical building for a while. Oops!

We went back towards Cars Land and enjoyed the DJ Street Dance Party.


Justin insisted he was feeling well enough to ride some rides. So, we have a few random ride pictures.
 

We even ran into a Green Army Man driving around.


Garytt really wanted to ride The Tower of Terror again. And Westyn just barely made the height requirement. So, even though I'm completely chicken, they convinced me to ride it. It's a little hard to see Garytt in the picture, but he has his hands up and is clearly enjoying his second ride. I am looking at Justin like I can't believe you convinced me to do this. And Westyn looks totally unsure about the whole thing.


After a long day, with quite a few unexpected twists, we finished off our evening in the sweet shop. Garytt picked an Olaf marshmallow man. Westyn chose a Lightning McQueen cookie. I had a Minnie rice crispy treat. Justin wasn't really feeling quite up to snacking yet.