Disney magic

The sun was shining once again and everyone was ready for a new day, in this case a Disney day. We skipped our way merrily towards the park entrance singing Peter Pan’s “We’re following the leader” where we bought a pair of Minnie Mouse ears for myself and our daughter- unfortunately they were a little bit big for her and kept sliding off her head but stood a better chance if they were on back to front. We could hear music up ahead and headed towards what we thought might be the parade- this season was The Lion King/Jungle parade. Well what happened next was so unexpected…we were walking towards the music when all of a sudden the iconic Disney castle loomed up before us and I actually cried behind my sunglasses! Yes me, a grown adult actually cried at the sight of a theme park attraction! My husband thought it was hilarious and I was so shocked at my reaction…BUT…I shouldn’t have been really as I grew up with Disney so it was a massive part of my childhood. Anyway, we walked around the huge crowd that had gathered to watch the parade in order to find a good spot for our little girl to see, but it was proving to be difficult, so I lifted her onto my shoulders so she could see. I did feel sorry for the dancers and the entertainers in their huge costumes as I stood there with sweat dripping down my back thinking how much worse it must be for them but still they did it with a smile on their faces, so you gotta hand it to them.

Once it was over, we walked though the castle to the first ride that our little girl had set her eyes on- the carousel! Of all rides it’s one of my least favourites but in the queue I got anyway because our little lady was so excited to ride it so I could hardly be a grump and say no could I. We were left hungry after our ride and ate in an expensive restaurant (for what it was) before realising we had lost our map so we had to make our way back to the entrance again because it seemed to be the only place to pick them up. Back where we left off- we went on this cute little boat ride that represented different parts of the world- it was actually really good and our little boy was delighted at all there was to see with his head turning this way and that way. It was wonderful to be able to enjoy rides as a whole family with our youngest being able to enjoy it too. We only had to take it in turns to go on with our little girl on two rides whilst the other stayed and looked after our youngest….the latter ride being the best for our little girl who happens to be an adrenaline junky and found it absolutely exhilarating! It was a runaway train that was fast and in the dark quite a lot too. I loved it but was worried she’d find it too fast and scary. However, when I looked over to see her reaction all I saw was a face like the Cheshire Cat! “I want to go on it again and again” she squealed as she bounced and skipped towards the exit full of adrenaline. We’d done most of the park at this point and we didn’t realise how knackered she was until we boarded the boat in Frontierland armed with candy floss and crisps where she sat cross legged on the top deck absolutely exhausted from all the excitement. That’s when we decided to make our way back towards the entrance and see what other rides we could do along the way depending on their queue length. Luckily the Hyper Space Mountain queue for single riders was 5mins!! Perfect for us seeing as our little girl was too small to go on it so off I ran straight onto the ride which has to be hands downs the fastest ride I have ever been on! Now there may be other rides that are faster but I haven’t been on it yet and this was a new high for me. I came running back full of adrenaline to relieve my husband so he could take his turn. Meanwhile, our little girl was having a whale of a time waving her bubble machine around with another little French girl who had the same expensive device. It was nice to see she could occupy herself whilst mummy and daddy took some time out to have a small moment of enjoyment individually.

We had one last thing we wanted to do so we made our way back to the castle where lots of people now sat around in small groups in designated areas, so we found a spot and joined in with the rest of them. It was just before 10pm and we had an hour to kill but we stayed put not wanting to lose our spot knowing how quickly it filled up last time and how crowded it becomes. We realised quite early on that we didn’t have enough milk so my devoted husband roamed around trying to find somewhere to purchase some. A lovely restaurant near the entrance gave him a carton which was much appreciated but he felt we needed more ‘just in case’- our little boy drinks and eats a lot so I could understand this thought process. It was nearly time for the illuminations and my husband still wasn’t back and I was getting worried- my head turning in all directions hoping to catch a glimpse of him through the huge crowds that we had predictably gathered. I was worried he might not be able to push his way through or not find where we were when I saw him appear clutching a paper bag full of supplies. He not only came back with lots of milk but also drinks for the rest of us. It turns out he wasn’t the only one in search for milk either! Well he made it just in time because it began within minutes of him sitting down and I have to say WOW!! What a performance! I was blown away. At first I started filming it on my phone but two things happened in a short space of time- the person in front of me was also filming on his Samsung and his video looked much clearer than mine! Serious video envy!! Don’t you think Samsungs camera/video quality is so much better than i phones?? Most importantly though I just found myself enchanted by the whole spectacle that I just wanted to sit and enjoy the show and give my whole self to it and just be in the moment, you know. And it was wonderful, all eyes were transfixed- our little girl starring with her tongue out which is what she does when she’s concentrating, our little boy absorbing everything he can and even my husband who looked so relaxed as he sat there taking it all in, smiling at our little family’s reactions to this magical experience. It was truly amazing and I encourage everyone who ever goes to Disneyland to wait until 11pm and watch the illuminations as they are utterly worth it in my opinion.

The day was coming to an end as we made our way back to our motorhome with our little boy fast asleep in the carrier and our little girl the opposite who was still skipping around with sheer glee, still pumped full of adrenaline. She managed to persuade us to buy her one of the slingshot helicopter light things that the street sellers sell- well we didn’t need much persuasion to be honest as she’d been such a good little girl all day and besides, we can always haggle the price down; which we did. I think it’s safe to say that everyone was drunk from all the Disney magic and it had knocked us out for the night. So goodnight from us and may all your dreams come true.