The Sun Rises Over the Hills As We Make Our Way to DisneyLand…
A snapshot from my cell phone Sunday morning, 7:07 Am, en route from the San Fernando Valley to Anaheim.
During the second half of 2012 my wife April and I fell away from our Spring habit of regular (twice a month, ideally) DisneyLand visits. This last fall the competing burdens of a full load of graduate-level courses, her first teaching assignment, and enduring the pains and fatigues of her Lupus meant that most Sundays we did not make it to the Happiest Place on Earth. So this last month before our passes expire we’ll get in our final trips for awhile. We’ve decided that when my parents start inquiring about our birthday present we won’t ask for another renewal.
As much as we cherish our DisneyLand Sabbaths until we can both get healthier (New Year’s Resolution #6) and April through the rest of her Masters of Fine Arts program we should find other, less strenuous weekend hobbies (New Year’s Resolution #4.)
In the meantime, I’m going to use these Monday, family-oriented blog posts to share some of the Disney and DisneyLand-oriented tips, suggestions, and opinions accumulated in our two years of loyal, proud membership in the Cult of Mickey Mouse.
One aspect of the DisneyLand visit that April and I have now perfected to a science: prioritizing one’s ride selections in order to maximize happiness generated. As April’s Lupus has gradually cut down the amount of time we can spend each visit we’ve learned how to make good use of the time we do have. We time our visits, get in, hit up the best rides quickly, and escape before both the heavy crowds and her Lupus fatigue begin their assaults. We’ve gotten it down so that in 2 hours we can comfortably enjoy the 5 Do-Them-Every-Time Rides:
5. The Haunted Mansion
4. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
3. Indiana Jones Adventure
2. Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride
1. Pirates of the Caribbean
In next Monday’s family blog post I’ll discuss why we try and do each of these five rides every time we go to DisneyLand and how you can do them all in just 2 hours as we did yesterday…
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Related at PJ Lifestyle:
You just missed the Disney Cruise Line sailing out of Los Angeles 12/9/12 it headed through the Panama Canal.
– as designed by SRI is at the Camelot carousel. Go there and be reborn!
At least you still go to ‘LAND. I went last Friday and didn’t feel thug-threatened. Giants fans were numerous though. If you and your kids can resist the urge to seek out characters for photo ops, you can maximize the time for raided.
Oops …more time for rides.
My dad has circulation issues. He recommends those ” as seen on tv” heatable booties, for his feet, at the end of the day. Your wife might like them, after a day of walking around.
She might want to look into the Victorian habit of bed-socks and bed-bricks, as well. Bed socks were usually loose socks of a very soft wool. Wool absorbs moisture. It’s a real chemical reaction that liberates heat from the wool. Bricks, well, you know, bricks heated, and then wrapped in flannel or something like that, put in the bed to warm your foot area.
Sometimes wearing sunscreen, a hat and clothes with built in sunscreen — which are a good idea for lupus patients anyhow — can stave off fatigue a little longer.
Best day I ever had at Disneyland was in 2009 in the depths of “Oh my God it’s the end of the world news” Disney was doing their get in free on your birthday, my husband still had his job so we pulled the children out of school and went to the park. It so empty we could get on Pirates of the Caribbean ride three times in a row with no wait. Plus almost everyone there was having their birthday (with buttons to identify them) so it was like a giant birthday party.
I look forward to hearing your Disney stories, being a big fan myself.