"Hey, LOOK!!! I see Disneyland!!!" Followed by... "But I want to go there NOW, I don't want to wait until tomorrow!" I totally agreed with my young child, but it seemed pointless to spend money on tickets when it was already 4 in the afternoon, so opposed to popular vote we waited and went to Disney first thing the next morning. I've got to take a moment to say just how awesome our young traveler is during car trips, I truly cannot express how happy we are with how content she is no matter how long we spend in the car. Maybe it's because her car seat is as plushy and comfy as a thrown? Or because she can watch any movie and as many times as she wants? Or she gets countless snacks and treats that she would typically have to earn by eating real food first? Whatever the reason, Hannah is the BEST passenger and we are so lucky she's so easy going.
The day of Disney, the little princess waited ever so patiently while the adults took their time getting ready and then proceeded to go to Denny's before the park, even though they had already opened their golden gates.
On our way to the shuttle bus that would take us to the park- I think she was more excited to ride on a Toy Story bus than anything else. We could've saved our money and just rode on that thing ALL day long! It was so cute, every Disney employee we passed called Hannah a princess and wished her a happy day at their kingdom, she could not have been more thrilled!
It just so happened as soon as we entered and made our first purchase (autograph book and matching princess pen), we ran into the line waiting to meet Mickey himself, so we just had to make that pit stop and shake hands with the one and only!
We met quite a few characters during the day and got many hugs and autographs including...Pluto, Goofy, Fairy Godmother, and some princesses!
Since we've been to a couple fair-type places in our time and realized Hannah just loved rides I knew we would have a blast on each and every ride! What I didn't expect was that most Disney rides were inside, with LOUD noises, and LOTS of "scary, bad guys" that our wee-one was not so into! It was during our first ride, the Buzz Lightyear Ride, that I realized Han has only been on rides that were out in the open and did not have LOUD music or talking playing, which made her about wet her pants! So, we quickly ushered her off the ride, wiped her tears, and stuck to rides that were out in the open, fresh air, that lacked all those scary bad guys! Her favorite ride was the Dumbo ride- next to the shuttle bus, she could have gone on the Dumbo ride the entire day.
Besides not wanting to meet Buzz after the ride we had gone on, she LOVED meeting all the characters and ran to give them big hugs!
The absolute best thing we did while at Disney had to be meeting the princesses. After *patiently* waiting about an hour, once Hannah turned that corner and saw who she was about to rub elbows with the time in line was instantly worth it! Her face LIT up and nothing was going to wipe that smile off her face. She got to spend a few minutes with each princess, they talked quietly to only her, had her make wishes, told her how Cinderella looked just like her when she was a little girl, got lots of hugs and a twirl or two!
Once Hannah got to Belle and gave her a hug she happen to look to her right and see Cinderella- so her time with Belle was short, she kept trying to engage with Hannah, but all Han was saying was "Cinderella's over there!" hahaha We got our picture and Han was off to see Cinderella.
I absolutely LOVE this picture, Hannah is so enthralled with everything Cinderella was saying, it was such a magical time for her!
Next we went on a couple more rides and had some lunch.
Even though the Jungle Cruise ride was out in the open, I guess the animal noises and the tour guide talking on the loud speaker was still a little too loud for her precious ears! :)
I could not wait to get to Disneyland and spoil my little girl, I was going to buy her anything she asked for that day. The problem came when... she didn't ask for anything! Every souvenir stand we passed, I would pause and wait for her to ask for something, each food cart I asked she wanted a treat, and she not ONCE asked to get Minnie Mouse ears- because I didn't give her a chance, I asking if she wanted to go pick some out now? Or now? Is this a sign we give her too much, she doesn't even have to ask? Whatever the case, we bought her the ice cream, the autograph book, and went to the Mad Hatter store to buy her princess Minnie ears- that she picked out! Then, finally, the time came, she asked for "that pink stuff", as in cotton candy. Ok, lets go find you some, we walked up and down and of course each stand was "fresh out", when we finally got our hands on it and gave her a big piece to have melt in her mouth, she said "I don't really like it, it tastes hairy". Oh kids, how I love the things they say. So, she finally asks for something and it turns out to taste like hair to her, what can you do?
Towards the end of the day we went to Toon Town and checked out everyone's house, which she was totally into.
Then, found a spot to sit and watch the parade, which was due to start in about 30 minutes, just enough time for mom and dad to sneak off and ride Space mountain. So, we had our fun and raced back to my parents and Han to watch the parade, when Hannah reaches out to me, lays her head on my shoulder, and asks for her blankie... It had been such a long day and for a kiddo that is still used to her 2-3 hour nap every day, she was ready for a rest. Then over the loud speaker, they announced the parade won't be coming our way for another 15 minutes- we decided to call it a day. However, walking through Main Street to the parking lot, Han was still able to see all the characters that are in the parade, but poor girl got so excited and exclaimed "I need my signen book!!", she was ready to jump out beyond the crowd to get her hugs and autographs! Daddy and grandpa bought dinner so we could eat in the hotel room, which by the expression below, Hannah thought was really cool that she was able to eat mac n' cheese in bed while watching Caillou!
Unfortunately, our little girl slept funky in the hotel pull out couch and woke up screaming that she couldn't move her neck at 5 am the next morning- which was supposed to be the day we go to California Adventure. We quickly realized we better hurry outa there or we would have to wait out LA traffic and it would be a few more hours before we could make our drive home. So, we packed up and were on the road back home by 6:30 am. Once Han was snug in her car seat with her head fully supported, she was slightly comfortable and by late afternoon her neck was a little less stiff and did not hurt so bad. Since we missed an entire day of fun at the parks, I think we should start planning for our next trip to the Magic Kingdom!
Since we've been to a couple fair-type places in our time and realized Hannah just loved rides I knew we would have a blast on each and every ride! What I didn't expect was that most Disney rides were inside, with LOUD noises, and LOTS of "scary, bad guys" that our wee-one was not so into! It was during our first ride, the Buzz Lightyear Ride, that I realized Han has only been on rides that were out in the open and did not have LOUD music or talking playing, which made her about wet her pants! So, we quickly ushered her off the ride, wiped her tears, and stuck to rides that were out in the open, fresh air, that lacked all those scary bad guys! Her favorite ride was the Dumbo ride- next to the shuttle bus, she could have gone on the Dumbo ride the entire day.
Besides not wanting to meet Buzz after the ride we had gone on, she LOVED meeting all the characters and ran to give them big hugs!
The absolute best thing we did while at Disney had to be meeting the princesses. After *patiently* waiting about an hour, once Hannah turned that corner and saw who she was about to rub elbows with the time in line was instantly worth it! Her face LIT up and nothing was going to wipe that smile off her face. She got to spend a few minutes with each princess, they talked quietly to only her, had her make wishes, told her how Cinderella looked just like her when she was a little girl, got lots of hugs and a twirl or two!
Once Hannah got to Belle and gave her a hug she happen to look to her right and see Cinderella- so her time with Belle was short, she kept trying to engage with Hannah, but all Han was saying was "Cinderella's over there!" hahaha We got our picture and Han was off to see Cinderella.
I absolutely LOVE this picture, Hannah is so enthralled with everything Cinderella was saying, it was such a magical time for her!
Next we went on a couple more rides and had some lunch.
Even though the Jungle Cruise ride was out in the open, I guess the animal noises and the tour guide talking on the loud speaker was still a little too loud for her precious ears! :)
I could not wait to get to Disneyland and spoil my little girl, I was going to buy her anything she asked for that day. The problem came when... she didn't ask for anything! Every souvenir stand we passed, I would pause and wait for her to ask for something, each food cart I asked she wanted a treat, and she not ONCE asked to get Minnie Mouse ears- because I didn't give her a chance, I asking if she wanted to go pick some out now? Or now? Is this a sign we give her too much, she doesn't even have to ask? Whatever the case, we bought her the ice cream, the autograph book, and went to the Mad Hatter store to buy her princess Minnie ears- that she picked out! Then, finally, the time came, she asked for "that pink stuff", as in cotton candy. Ok, lets go find you some, we walked up and down and of course each stand was "fresh out", when we finally got our hands on it and gave her a big piece to have melt in her mouth, she said "I don't really like it, it tastes hairy". Oh kids, how I love the things they say. So, she finally asks for something and it turns out to taste like hair to her, what can you do?
Towards the end of the day we went to Toon Town and checked out everyone's house, which she was totally into.
Then, found a spot to sit and watch the parade, which was due to start in about 30 minutes, just enough time for mom and dad to sneak off and ride Space mountain. So, we had our fun and raced back to my parents and Han to watch the parade, when Hannah reaches out to me, lays her head on my shoulder, and asks for her blankie... It had been such a long day and for a kiddo that is still used to her 2-3 hour nap every day, she was ready for a rest. Then over the loud speaker, they announced the parade won't be coming our way for another 15 minutes- we decided to call it a day. However, walking through Main Street to the parking lot, Han was still able to see all the characters that are in the parade, but poor girl got so excited and exclaimed "I need my signen book!!", she was ready to jump out beyond the crowd to get her hugs and autographs! Daddy and grandpa bought dinner so we could eat in the hotel room, which by the expression below, Hannah thought was really cool that she was able to eat mac n' cheese in bed while watching Caillou!
Unfortunately, our little girl slept funky in the hotel pull out couch and woke up screaming that she couldn't move her neck at 5 am the next morning- which was supposed to be the day we go to California Adventure. We quickly realized we better hurry outa there or we would have to wait out LA traffic and it would be a few more hours before we could make our drive home. So, we packed up and were on the road back home by 6:30 am. Once Han was snug in her car seat with her head fully supported, she was slightly comfortable and by late afternoon her neck was a little less stiff and did not hurt so bad. Since we missed an entire day of fun at the parks, I think we should start planning for our next trip to the Magic Kingdom!
Looks like you guys had so much fun! Makes me want to book our trip to Disneyland now!
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