Disneyland Day 2

Day 2: Disneyland!!! We began this adventure a little later in the day (about noon) so we could stay later into the evening for the fireworks display. Janna was again pumped up knowing that she was about to see Cinderella's Castle (although we later discovered it actually belongs to Sleeping Beauty)!

Upon entering the park, we took a stroll down Main Street, U.S.A., which "is patterned after a typical Midwest town of the early 20th century." {source} At the end of Main Street, the castle appears, complete with drawbridge and moat as the entrance to Fantasyland. The excitement on Janna's face at seeing the castle was great and I was thrilled to have captured it on film. 

In Fantasyland we took in the King Arthur Carousel, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride (which Janna was not a fan of, we got a bad recommendation from a grandparent who said his granddaughter loved it. I thought it was a bit "dark" and scary for a 3 year old!), and the Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough. Janna loved going in "Cinderella's" Castle!

In Adventureland we climbed through Tarzan's Treehouse and went on the Jungle Cruise, which even Luke got to enjoy. Eddy and his Dad went on the Indiana Jones Adventure and ended up getting stuck on the ride. They had to get out of the car and walk on the track out of the ride. They ended up getting a Fastpass out of it though, good for anytime on any ride.

Later in the day, we went back to Main Street, U.S.A. to purchase Minnie ears for Janna. She picked them out and we had her name embroidered on them. Melissa had gotten her a Disney gift card specifically for this purpose. 

While there we happened to catch a parade full of Disney characters. Janna got to see Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald, loads of princesses, and many others.

Our last stop before heading toward the castle for fireworks was Mickey's Toontown. I sure wish we'd found it earlier (Liss had never really been to it, which makes sense considering it's geared for young children). "Mickey's Toontown is an interactive metropolis full of topsy turvy architectiure and screwy sculptures." {source} Plus, everything is catered to kids and their size. Janna was excited for sure. Here she even got to experience her first roller coaster, Gadget's Go Coaster. It was just the right speed and length for her. She was enjoying herself, and then right as she said, "I want to get off," the ride came to a stop. Then she exclaimed, "That was fun...that was SUPER fun!" She got to run around in some of the other parts of Toontown for a bit. She "rode" in some cars outside of Goofy's Gas Station and blew up some things at the Fireworks Factory with MawMaw and PawPaw. Then we had to leave to go get a spot for the real fireworks.

While we held our spots for the firework show, Eddy took Janna on the Astro Orbitor in Tomorrowland. She got to "go way up high in a rocket!"

At last it was time for the famous Disneyland fireworks at Sleeping Beauty Castle. The show was a 15 minute fabulous display complete with music, flying Dumbo, and Tinkerbell flitting about the castle. Afterwards, we slowly made our way with the massive crowd to the exit and headed for the hotel.

 Here are a couple videos to enjoy as well.