Disneyland, Part 1

Disneyland is quite literally the happiest place I have been to. All the staff were happy and helpful and the place itself was huge! S&S decided they would come with us tomorrow so we borrowed their GPS unit to navigate our way around since our googlemap had failed us earlier (completely a user error, nothing to do with google). Since we were a little late (arriving at 11am after a slow and tired start), we parked towards the back of a HUGE parking lot. A tram service was available to take car-parkers from the Timon lot to the front gate and then we started our adventure.


We decided that we would spend the day in Disneyland and save California Adventure for tomorrow when S&S join us. The sheer volume of people in Disneyland was mind blowing, but it never felt as though it was going to burst or that we had to push through people – the place was just so large! Lou had a great time “people-watching” – the size and dress sense of some Americans was entertainment in itself. We thought we’d spend the day doing things that William could enjoy with us so we decided to get a Fastpass for the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters ride while we explore the rest of the park.


The first ride we went on was “It’s a small world” which was a boat trip through a plethora of cultures represented by moving dolls singing variations of the “It’s a small world after all” theme. We found a little Maori doll flanked by a pair of kiwi and a Scotsman playing the song on his bagpipes which we were happy about. Then we headed back to the Buzz Lightyear ride. The Fastpass helped us skip about 15 minutes of queue which was great. William sat between us with the steering stick while we had to shoot targets with laser blasters.


Across from Buzz Lightyear, I was drawn to the sound of the Star Wars theme where a simulator ride called Star Tours was operating. William was too short to go on the ride but Disneyland has a Child-Switch system which allows parents to go individually. Lou went first while I waited at the exit and then I went right in. I was sitting in the front row which made the experience that much better for me!

After the ride, we found a really cool Star Wars face substitution service where they take an iconic Star Wars photo and substitute people’s faces on them. The technique was fast and seamless and the final result looked fantastic! I also bought William a mini lightsaber which he swings like a pro.


We picked up Fastpass tickets for the Indiana Jones Adventure ride en route to the Pirates of the Caribbean ride which took us on a boat tour of several familiar looking animatronic scenes. Will loved it but found it a little scary when we came across the skeletons. We took a trip around the park on the old train to make up time before the Indiana Jones ride.

The queues were massive and we were glad for the Fastpass system which saved us a massive 45 minutes waiting in queues. We used the Child-Switch option again and went in to the ride individually. This was by far the best ride of the day which involved getting in to a 1930s style truck and going to a bumpy, wobbly ride though a Raiders of the Lost Ark style labyrinth complete with air tubes firing at us and a large rolling rock which we only just managed to avoid before it sealed the exit behind us.


It was amazing how the time just disappeared and there was a lot of walking involved so we were glad we had brought some good shoes. Will hadn’t been able to get to sleep (sensory overload?) so we headed home around 5:30 where Will passed out within 5 minutes of leaving. We arrived back in Irvine thanks to the trusty GPS where we had a large barbeque and a swim in the large communal pool and spa within the complex which was relatively empty considering the heat and the number of units it serviced. We retired feeling well and truly exhausted.

Bon Voyage

Annabel, Chris and Libby took Lou, Will and me to Dunedin International Airport (!) where we met my Mum, Cathy. We had meticulously planned everything – packing, passports, licences etc so nothing could go wrong… right? Not quite… we checked our baggage right through to LAX before discovering that the address of the place we are staying was required before we could depart. After initially thinking that this hiccup wouldn’t be a problem, it eventually turned into a kind of gastro-enteritis that almost chopped the trip short before it had started. We planned to stay with Stephen Nees, a good friend of mine from high school, and his wife Sarah in Irvine, CA. However, the address did not come to light quickly and, after exhausting multiple avenues (thanks Cathy and Hao), we eventually were able to get underway.

We left from Dunedin with stops at Wellington and Auckland before landing at Los Angeles. The flight was largely uneventful with William getting a decent amount of sleep while Lou and I struggled to string a few consecutive hours together. We had found out before the flights that a bassinette service could be requested for parents of young children and we were lucky enough to get a cot for Will to sleep in – the bonus being the extra leg room for us as well! The cot itself was made for a baby no more than 11.8 kg but we have field tested the cot and can claim that it will survive a toddler of 13 kg… although the length may not be adequate!

The trip took a total of about 17 hours including the connecting flights and although it seemed like a long day at the time, it wasn’t all that bad. We arrived at LAX (three hours before we left – messes with your mind a bit) expecting to be fully strip-searched for failing to declare a piece of poo on our shoes only to discover that the arrival process was swift and pain free. We found a bus to take us to our rental car and we were off. Coming from a cool, snowy/icy Otago to a very hot, sweaty California was quite taxing at first – lots of water consumed.

I was initially worried that driving on the wrong side of the road was going to be a problem, but it turned out that all my hours spent playing Need for Speed: Most Wanted™ were not needless after all. After compensating for the controls on the wrong side and the positioning of the car within the lane, it was plain sailing. That was until we reached Irvine and found that my maps stopped short of telling us how to get to the Nees’ house after we reached Irvine! Fortunately, I managed to get hold of them as they were on their way home and Sarah led us back to their home convoy-style.


Irvine is a beautiful city about an hour southeast of Los Angeles and their apartment complex was as beautiful. That night we had Thai from their local Thai shop which was great. Lou and Will passed out early so Stephen, Sarah and I had a game of Carcassonne before retiring ourselves.