Disneyland for the first time

Sixteen and one half hours in the car, 970 miles driven, 19 miles of walking (2 or 3 miles with kids on our shoulders), three and one half days, and a small fortune later, our whirlwind Disneyland trip has come to a close. We have been planning a trip to Disneyland for several months now, ever since we found out that they opened Cars Land; a portion of the park devoted to the Disney/Pixar animated Cars movies. These are Apollo's all time favorite movies. His 5th birthday was a natural time to want to take him on this new adventure.
  It has been 10 or 11 years since Melanie and I first took Ian and Aden to Disneyland, so it was now time to brave the crowds and take Apollo and Orion for their first time. Let me just say here that growing up 40 minutes from Disneyland afforded us the opportunity to go to Disneyland several times a year while we were growing up. I have always loved Disneyland, but I can tell you that I have a new appreciation and love for this place. As an adult, I see the theme park in a whole new light. I am amazed by the the flora and fauna that has been so meticulously thought out and executed, the attention to detail in every inch of the park, the incredible construction and mechanics that bring the park to life, to the shows and performers. As a father, I am beside myself watching the magic and bewilderment in my sons eyes as they experience the magic of Disneyland for the first time.

  Although we ran out of time to do all the things that we wanted to do, I can not be more pleased with how much fun we had. We arrived at our hotel at 9:30 pm on Friday night, just in time to see the Disney fireworks as we were checking into our room. It took some time to get the boys to unwind and go to sleep. 7 am Saturday morning, Apollo awakes and hops out of bed. He walks across the room and pulls back the curtains to look for the sun. "It's morning time! Let's go to Radiator Springs!" He exclaimed jumping up and down. We drug Melanie and Orion out of bed, got dressed and by 9am, we were walking through the gates of California Adventure.

 Yes, in Apollo's mind, we were going to Radiator Springs from the Cars movie. That was the whole purpose of the trip. He didn't even know what Disneyland was until a week before we left, and honestly, he wasn't interested in going there until we told him that Tinker Bell lived in Disneyland. And yes, he has a crush on Tinker Bell.

I am so amused by Apollo and what he chooses to be afraid of. Upon entering Cars Land, we saw a life size "Mater" tow truck that talked and moved. Apollo had no problem going up to him, standing next to him and having his picture taken. It was the same thing when he saw Lighting McQueen.  Both wished Apollo a happy birthday by the way. But when it came to Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Pluto, or Goofy, he wanted nothing to do with them and would go out of his way to make sure we avoided them. We ended up right in the path of Pinocchio at one point and could not avoid him. Apollo took off running and hid behind a concession display, and circled around it to keep it in between him and Pinocchio. Other four and five-year-olds were hugging and 'high-five'ing him, but not my kid.
 Then came the roller coasters! Apollo has zero fear of roller coasters. The bigger and the faster, the better. It never crossed his mind to be afraid... not even a little bit. At 44 inches tall, Apollo can ride most of the rides at Disney and California Adventure, with a few exceptions. In California Adventures, there is a roller coaster called California Screaming. It is fast and wild. When we came across it, Apollo watched a few cars "launch", and then watched them go all the way around the track, and then go completely upside down in a loop. "I want to go on that ride! Lets go, lets go LETS GO!" He squealed with delight. The reference I made to "launch" is very accurate. The cars are launched with a catapult system reminiscent of an aircraft carrier. Apollo thought that looked fun; Zero to sixty in half a second.
 

We raced over to the line to California Screaming, where I spotted the height marker. It was set to 48 inches. I thought I was disappointed, but when I showed it to Apollo and told him he had to be that tall to ride, he hurried over to it, and as he took his last step towards the sign and realized that he was too short, the spring in his step disappeared, his head dropped and the excitement ran away from his face. Few things are harder for me to swallow than to see that look of disappointment on my sons face.
  All was not lost though. We did ride the Matterhorn, Grizzly River Run white water rapids, Soaring over California (3 times of course), and Radiator Springs Racers. All of which were very exciting for Apollo.


While we road the big kid rides, Melanie took Orion on some of the little kid rides. At one point she terrified Orion by taking him into see "Its Tough to be a Bug" in 3D, in which Orion was pressed tightly against his mom and quivering with fright in certain parts. I guess giant 3D spiders are pretty scary for a 21-month-old. Poor kid is probably scarred for life.
  I would have to say that Orion's favorite rides were "Ariel's Undersea Adventure" and "Its a small World."  Orion was completely fascinated with the animated characters. Orion has the adrenalin gene in him as well and liked the wilder kids rides, too. He took one 40-minute nap all day, and both the boys were very charming the entire time, even the second day that we spent in the parks, Apollo and Orion were exceptionally well behaved.

The highlight for me would have to be the "World of Color" water and light show. I was so impressed by the mechanics of, and technicality of the show. Without going into detail, I will say that it is simply amazing.
  We capped our trip off by spending Sunday evening (in the house I grew up in) with my parents, sister Debbie, nieces Alex and Vanessa, my Uncle Tasso, and a few friends. We had dinner and birthday cake, a short visit, a restless night sleep, and then it was time to head home.
 
  I could write for days just to share story after story of my experiences with Apollo, Orion, and Melanie at Disneyland. I think overall, as amusing and fun (for Melanie and I at least) the stories would be, I think it would be a disservice to the underlying and most important experience of all; spending quality time with my family. There is nothing like a few short days together to bring you closer as a family. Although the boys, especially Orion, may not remember a whole lot about this family adventure, they are sure to feel the affects of it for months to come, and an unseen bond will be strengthened for a lifetime.