Spring Break: Day 3

Disneyland day 3 was filled with all sorts of new excitement, not just for the kids, but me as well.  Pirates of the Caribbean has always been my favorite ride, mostly because I've been told my entire life that my grandpa helped work on and build that ride (among others, but this one still ranks #1).   I'd always wanted to eat at the little restaurant you see off to your right as you begin your pirate voyage, but I never knew where it was or how to get in there.  I found out the name and excitedly made reservations for lunch at the Blue Bayou.  Yay!

Before lunch though, we had to meet Rapunzel and Flynn Rider.  Yet another 90 minute wait.  Yippee.  While Ally and I waited, Dan and H took off for, you'll never guess, Thunder Mountain Railroad.  My little 3 year old who barely reaches the ride height requirement, lives for adventure.  My 6 year old, on the other hand, cried every time we had to go on a ride that had a height requirement.  Kids are so funny.  H would go on crazy rides all day, while Ally would be happy to just walk around looking for characters to sign her autograph book. 

At last it was our turn to enter Rapunzel's tower.  It was darling.  Rapunzel and Flynn Rider were adorable.  I loved it!  Ally asked where Pascal was, and Flynn told her he was lost in Disneyland, so Ally spent the remainder our trip with an eye out for a missing green chameleon. 

We met up with the boys, who also took a ride on the big Jolly Roger pirate ship, found a lizard (not Pascal), and got us fast passes for Splash Mountain.  Sorry Ally.  It was time for our Blue Bayou lunch, home of the famous Monte Cristo sandwich.  I couldn't wait to try my deep fried sandwich, in hopes it was as amazing as the corn dogs.  Sadly, I was stuffed from the appetizers and bread, and hardly even finished a fourth of the gigantic sandwich.  As we ate, we watched the pirate boats pass by, with a (pretend) dark sky overhead and crickets chirping in the background.  Everything I'd imagined. 

After our filling lunch, we paddled the Rivers of America on the Davey Crockett canoes.  Again, another thing I'd always wanted to do in Disneyland, but had never done.  Dan didn't find the canoe adventure quite as exciting as the kids and I did, he was more concerned with Hudson falling out of the boat, or Hudson's paddle hitting the man's behind us.  Relax!  We're in Disneyland!  And the kids were in life jackets.  It was a blast. 

To keep everyone happy, I tried to even out our princess experiences with equal parts boy stuff, so we took a boat to Tom Sawyers Island in search of pirate treasure.  Both my children were beyond thrilled.  They ran around every corner and inside every cove hoping to discover the gold doubloons.  Tom Sawyers Island was every little boys dream, Hudson loved it.

After the island, we ate cotton candy, rode Thunder Mountain Railroad again, then headed to Splash Mountain.  Ally whined and cried throughout our entire wait.  The last time I took her to Disneyland, they put her in the front of the boat, and she got completely soaked.  From that day forward, she told everyone she knew how much she hated Splash Mountain.  Hudson could hardly wait to board the log ride.  He eagerly climbed into the front of the boat and smiled the whole time.  Ally cried "I hate this, I hate this" from the time she got into the boat, until she exited, even during the cute zippidi-do- dah parts.  H and I got soaked, while Ally couldn't get out of that boat fast enough. 

By the time we finished riding Splash, we decided the kids were just about done, our day had been full, so we headed back to the condo.  We grabbed Cheesecake Factory take out on our walk back, took the kids to the hot tub on the roof, and day 3 was complete.