Disneyland

I'm not going to lie...I had to check out this blog before I wrote anything.  I kind of forgot what it looks like.  That being said, I've been super duper busy...and out of the country...which is an awesome excuse, right?

So, Disneyland....is Awesome!!!  We had so, so much fun.  I told Q that was our only goal...and we totally succeeded.  There was no stress.  There was no getting lost.  There was no fighting or misbehaving.  There was only fun. 

Disneyland is incredible.  Every single ride is like being in the middle of a movie.  I'm not so crazy about crazy rides (something about an irrational fear of dying on a roller coaster when it unexpectedly becomes disconnected from the rest of the cars and you plummet to your....well, you get the idea)  But I figure that no one ever dies at Disneyland, so we might as well throw caution to the wind, fear out the door and go on all the crazy rides.  We did Space Mountain (Q cried the whole ride...), we did California Screamin', we did the Haunted House and Pirates of the Caribbean (amazing!) and Indiana Jones (fabulous getting rescued by Harrison Ford, I must say!)  We saw Goofy, and Mickey, and Pluto, and Mr. Incredible and Chip (Dale was late for work....)  It was like walking through the door into a magical world...which I get is the whole idea.  But forget living there, I want to work there!

Every single employee at Disneyland knows what's going on.  Not one employee says "That's not my job" (ala Home Depot tonight) or "Well, it should be right there (as an Air Canada agent did the other day - to which I replied, "If it were right there, I wouldn't be asking, now would I?)  You ask any employee where the nearest washroom is, and they all know!  You need to know where Splash Mountain is, ask any employee and they will tell you.  No question is met with rolling eyes or ummmms and ahhhhhhs. 

They have thought of everything.  In addition to educating their employees (Shocking!  Revolutionary!) they have strategically placed water fountains exactly where you feel thirsty.  You need a restroom?  There is one within 25 feet.  There are big trees for shade and umbrellas while you're waiting in line for the coolest ride ever.  There are employees who just stand there waiting for you to ask a question.  There are employees just waiting to lead you in the right direction.

Disneyland should be a business model for companies around the world.  Disneyland does not scrimp on anything.  They don't say, "Oh, we're gonna cut costs by not having fireworks tonight."  No...they do fireworks to the nines....and everyone comes out to see them.  Everything Disney does, it does 150%.  My only complaint?  Not a decent cuppa coffee anywhere in Disneyland.  Those dudes need to sign an agreement with Starbucks and then all I can say is 'Heaven on Earth!!!'

I want to be a brain stormer for Disneyland.  They're called Imaginateurs (my employee is reading a book about Walt Disney).  I want to be one!  Take, for instance, The Little Mermaid....they have shells placed in the cement that you're standing on for 20 minutes while you're in line.  Every employee has a different uniform based on their ride...and the Captain's uniform for Finding Nemo in the Submarine is totally different from the Captain's uniform for Star Tours.  It was phenomenal!

So, before bed the first night, Q says to me....

"Mommy, we have to make sure we go to the castle where all the characters live."

Me:  Which characters?

Q:  The ones that live at Disneyland.  I want to see their bedrooms.

Me:  Oh honey, they're not real.  They're just pretend.

Q:  No.  Daddy told me that they live in a castle at Disneyland.

Me:  Honey, I'm sorry.....

He was quiet for about 5 minutes.

Q:  Then what's the point?

Not one to shatter a child's innocence while at the happiest place on earth...I admitted defeat and pointed out a castle I'd never seen before, which I was sure the characters from Disneyland laid their pretty heads every single night.

Q will have memories of this that will last a lifetime.  Happy memories.  I kept telling Q that I was so happy to be able to share this with him. 

Two of the greatest things about my trip to Disneyland...Walking past couples bickering back and forth - 'Well, you said this...' 'No, you said...' Blah, blah, blah.  Me and Q...we don't bicker.  Second?  Walking past parents with toddlers in the middle of a temper tantrum.  We'd just look at each other and smile, decide which ride to go on next, and I would practically skip to the next ride. 

And of course, the greatest thing about our trip....

just bein' goofy (and pluto!)

best catch ever! can you see his little hat?

goofy's gas station

we rode that.  oh yes. we. did.

one tired goofy