Since we were experienced Disneyland-goers, we led S&S around to collect Fastpasses for Space Mountain. It had a long wait so we decided to head around and pick up some more which was when we discovered that we could only collect one Fastpass per ticket until the time of the first Fastpass. We thought we would pass the time and head over to the Pirate’s Lair on Tom Sawyer’s Island. We caught the pontoon ferry over and spent a good hour crawling through tunnels and meeting Captain Jack Sparrow and his cronies. We caught the end of a live action Pirates of the Caribbean action spectacle which sounded and looked great!
Back over on the mainland we queued up for Splash Mountain which moved quite fast considering the length of the queue. Again we used Child-Switch - S&S offering to look after William while we went on it together. We were on a type of log seat behind a group of four Japanese girls who screamed and screamed which made it more exciting. While we were taking turns on Splash Mountain, Will met life-size versions of Winnie the Pooh and Tigger, and went down The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh ride.
We headed back to Space Mountain where again we had to Child-Switch. We figured out that there was no point for all of us to get Fastpasses as the Child-Switch card was all we needed to get back on. We could cheat the system and effectively get Fastpasses for two rides at a time. Space Mountain was very thrilling – it was dark with lots of stars and you could never see what direction you were about to be thrown in.
After a mad morning, we decided it would be a good idea to get Will home for a sleep so he could last to see the fireworks at night. We left S&S to scope out California Adventure while we headed back to Irvine. While Will slept, we watched the final episode of series 3 of Doctor Who – and a good one it was too. Just as it finished, Will woke up and it was time to head back to Disneyland.
We met up with S&S and they showed us where they had gone while we were away. The queues seemed to be shorter in California Adventure, but we used the Child-Fastpass method conceived earlier and picked up Fastpass tickets for the Grizzly River Run ride and the Soarin’ over California flight simulator. We headed off to the California Screamin’ rollercoaster as the queues were fast moving. Lou feared that we may both die on it so she suggested that she go with Sarah so Will wouldn’t be left an orphan! Lou had never been on a roller coaster before and the thought of doing so had filled her with terror. After her ride, everything else we did was tame in comparison. Stephen and I went on the ride next It was awesome! I was sure I would hit my head on several close corners!
We went over to Soarin’ over California and S&S looked after Will while we went in. We sat in chairs and when everyone was ready, we were lifted up in front of a giant circular screen which almost completely filled your vision. The chairs moved to match the sweeping nature of the camera footage and a matching array of scents filled the air.
We had some time left before the River Ride so we headed over to Hollywood Pictures Backlot to visit The Twilight Zone: Tower of Terror. Lou wasn’t so keen on the idea so S&S and I went in. There was an old style Twilight Zone video and a bell-boy who tried his hardest to make us feel creeped out. The lift moved back and then up to a series of floors before apparently failing and free-falling. It stopped and then shot up to the top where the doors opened out to a massive view of Disneyland. After a few more freaky falls and rises, the lift ended up back where we started.
It was time to head back to the Grizzly River Run, but S&S suggested that since they had done it before, they would take Will through the Monsters Inc. attraction, “Mike & Sulley to the Rescue!” Lou and I took a very wet ride down a series of rapids and were soaked. Luckily we had taken everything out of our pockets before we started! We met up with S&S and headed over the road to IHOP for dinner. We had buns and salad and almost every meal came with bacon, sausages and eggs. The eggs and sauces were like they were plastic and the cream was very fake. However, the raspberry lemonade was good and Will ate for free.
After dinner we headed back to catch the fireworks but were too slow to get close so we stood outside the entrance to Disneyland and still watched a good show. It had been a long day and Will fell asleep within minutes of getting in the car. We arrived back home again and S&S went to bed early as they had work in the morning. Lou and I packed our bags and went to sleep.
