Disneyland in June

Went to Disneyland yesterday. Of the five other times I've been there, this was the most crowded: many school field trips and grandparents with grandchildren. Naturally the little one didn't want to ride in the rented stroller we obtained to help his stamina for the day. The older one rode in it to show him a stroller is cool. He didn't buy it. He wouldn't meet any of the characters after the Main Street Parade. Instead he stood to the side with his arms folded over his chest, pouting. The older one was slapping high five's with the characters.

After riding the Matterhorn, the oldest told me, "That's not much of a roller coaster, Mom." I thought the younger one would pass out after riding the swirling tea-cups. We lunched at Pizza Port, just missing Buzz Lightyear. Captain Nemo's submarine adventure has been updated to include scenes from the movie "Finding Nemo." The kids enjoyed driving at Autotopia. The younger one, however, informed me that the "NASCAR track at Legoland is better."

We spent a lot of time in Toon-town. The boys patiently waited in line to meet Mickey Mouse. I was amazed some of the parents' rudeness. Disney allows line-cutting for handicapped people. I think that is a wonderful practice. Since Mickey Mouse's house is handicapped accessible, line-cutting is not allowed here. At least two families left angrily saying, "This is not worth our time." Would it really hurt them to stay in line for a little bit. Please note there were other wheel-chair bound people in line who thought it worth the wait.

We wandered around the park on our way to our favorite ride, Pirates of the Caribbean. It, too, has changed a little - adding more movie characters and voices.

We were trying to decide what to do next when we arrived at the Indiana Jones ride. Since the younger one was too short to ride, the operator gave us a switch pass, even though there wasn't a long line (ahh, Disney, master of line trickery - Dad and older son waited 20 minutes - but it could have been 60 minutes without the pass).

While we waited, the Indiana Jones actor finished his outside exhibit. As he was running toward his stage for his next show, I told the youngest, "Ian, turn around and look." The actor stopped and patted Ian's head, saying, "Hi Ian. Are you having fun?"

Talk about missed camera shots! They were too close to my lens for a proper photo! However, it totally changed Ian's demeanor. Like a chameleon, he went from moody, pouty, tired toddler to star-struck fan. "Mom, Indiana patted my head!" he said dreamily. The rest of the day was heavenly thanks to that pat from Ian's new hero.

After we arrived home, when people asked Ian who he saw at Disneyland, he would say, "I saw Indiana Jones...oh and Mickey, too."