Monday marked the last day we spent at the Magic Kingdom, and most everyone was overjoyed to spend the day there. As you can see from the picture below, the word "most" is quite appropriate...
Yes, our littlest Malia was a bit tired of her perpetual state of being freaked out. It started out with the Pirates of the Caribbean first thing on Sunday, and it pretty much degraded from there.
Unfortunately, just getting near a ride began to upset the little girl, even when they were rides designed for kids.
Here she is on Snow White's ride...
And here she is desperately trying to get off her visit to Neverland with Peter Pan...
The funny part is that yesterday, October 31st, was Malia's birthday!
Bretty had lots of fun, though. Like Madonna, he decided to strike a pose...
That's Bretty and Aladdin, of course.
Disneyland is a remarkable place, I must say. On the way out of town last night, we stopped at a McDonald's for a quick dinner -- saving some $35 over what we would have paid for a similar meal at Disneyland.
The difference?
Well, at Disneyland, we never saw a single piece of trash on the ground. At Disneyland, we never sat at a sticky table. At Disneyland, there were always napkins in the dispensers. At Disneyland, there was no ketchup stains on the counter. At Disneyland, everyone behind the counter was remarkably friendly. At Disneyland, 50 times as many people were being served a meal and it took less than half the time for our food to be ready.
I must say that after a few days at the wonderfully idealistic world of Disneyland, the real world seems rather, well, dirty.
It's amazing how a clean and friendly place tends to encourage trust among people. Consider this scene...
Everywhere you go, folks just leave their strollers as they go into the rides. They leave bags of souvenirs and lots of personal belongings right there in the open, and not once did we ever notice anyone having a problem. Folks just trusted one another and people lived up to that trust.
It really was quite heartening. It made you believe in the best in people.
Of course, it also could make you sick to your stomach. At least a few of the rides did...
A spinning teacup. Ugh.
But the kids loved it.
Maybe my stomach was just upset after lunch. Disneyland tries to cater to all sorts of diverse cultures reflecting the dietary habits of their visitors.
It appears that Disneyland is frequently visited by Mexican Vikings...
Turkey legs and chimichangas.
What more could you possibly ask for?
Of course, your stomach can get upset when you try out radical skateboarding moves like me...
We spent the final hours in Disneyland at their new theme park, Disneyland's California Adventure.
Mostly the California Adventure consists of rides inappropriate for little kids. But there are some nice attractions including the best part of all -- the nightly block party!
Every evening in the original Disneyland park a parade goes down its famous Main Street. It's nice, but really, it's just a parade.
At the California Adventure, however, the parade becomes an interactive party in which the characters and dancers interact directlywith the crowds...
Or in our case, my lovely wife Cari and Bretty jumped into the middle of the action...
And of course Buzz Lightyear looks over the festivities from his spaceship above the crowds...
Which reminds me of one of the boy's most favorite rides. Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters sends you out in a spaceship in which you must conquer the evil Emporer Zurg with your blaster. It's amazing how automated everything becomes as your picture is taken during the ride and emailed to you with your score!
Here are Bretty and Alyssa...
Cari, Nalani and David...
And Kekoa, Malia and me...
Disneyland truly is a wonderful place. As David proclaimed on the way out of the park, "We have to do this again!"
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