Besides the constant threat of rain on our first day there, it was pretty awesome to see the large 'Sleeping Beauty Castle' in the middle of the park and spying all the little shops, the rides, the characters, the crowds of people of all shapes, sizes and looks (!), the accents, and all those parents with strollers.
The first thing on our list was to purchase Monet a pair of Minnie Mouse ears, her favourite character from Disney. It wasn't hard to find such ears, every stand/stall/shop were selling them. And Monet loved them (and wore them not only at Disneyland but also in Munich and Venice!)
Unfortunately it rained during the course of the afternoon which dampened our spirits somewhat but it stopped raining/drizzling bang on Five o'clock, or as known in Disneyland, Grand Parade time. We found ourselves a prime position and made sure that no one could stand in front of us (hey, we had paid too so no, I am not moving out of your way...)
Not only did Monet think the parade was the best thing since sliced bread, but Lyndon and I enjoyed it too...
Back at the resort we got ready for dinner, with the other 1000+ people staying at the Sante Fe Hotel. Costing something like 19 Euro each (Monet was something like 10 Euro) we had the buffet dinner. You have no idea about how long the buffet was, how big the dining room was (like the size of a grand ballroom) and how many people were packed in with plates overflowing with food. The thought now makes me feel ill, at the time it made us groan out loud.
As breakfast was included in our package (and everyone elses) it was back to the grand ballroom for a continental buffet breakfast. With 1000+ people. At least the sun was shining, it was heating up and there wasn't a cloud in the sky.
We spent our second day in Disneyland going on rides...
...and meeting a lot of characters. Monet thought it was fantastic and got very excited and wanted to meet all of the characters we could find. Because Monet was polite, said thank you to the met characters and was Australian (in my opinion), all characters made sure she wasn't pushed out of the way by some bigger European kid (*heehee*) and all of them either kissed her little head or shook her hand, stuff that I didn't see them do to the other kids. Ahh...
So she met some monkey (not sure who he was but Monet was rather smitten with him), I think it was Shelley from Toy Story (someone correct me if I am wrong on that one - the cowgirl), Pocahontas and her Raccoon mate, Pluto, Goofy and finally, FINALLY, Minnie Mouse.
As Monet had missed out on Mickey Mouse (you had to get in line to meet both Mickey and Minnie and there was a cut off point - that's how we missed Mickey and Monet couldn't understand, in fact neither could I!!), she was not going to miss out on Minnie. Uh-uh. No way. Even if my life depended on it, I was going to make sure Monet met Minnie.
As soon as we spotted Minnie I ran with Monet (what a sight!) to the line and got there second. *happy dance* It was worth it.
See that smile?? You should have seen mine behind the camera. Monet did the 'Minnie Mouse' dance for Minnie (if you watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse you'll know what I'm talking about!) which had Lyndon and I laughing out loud. Not sure what Minnie thought.
After spending a good six hours in both Disneyland and Disney Studios on our second day, we had had enough. Enough people. Enough kids. Enough lack of personal space. Just enough.
We decided we'd visit Disney village for dinner for our final night at the hotel. It was a mistake, we should have stuck with the 1000+ Sante Fe Hotel crowd having their buffet dinner.
Instead we headed to 'Annette's' in the village. We should have known when we lined up to get a table, with the 50's decor, the packs of school kids, the music, the waiter and waitress outfits. We were seated, handed our menus and then it started. People on the tables, bar etc., singing and dancing to Grease Lightening or something, with music BLARING. Just what we needed after a day at Disneyland. Lyndon and I gave each other 'the look' and got out of there ASAP.
Instead we wasted our money on an expensive, pathetic and rather boring meal at Planet Hollywood. I think Lyndon would rather forget about this food experience but at least it was served with a well deserved beer! *heehee*
That was our Disney experience. They held onto our ankles and shook us upside down so all our money fell out of our pockets. We left a little poorer but our memories, especially Monet's will be cherished.
Next stop? Paris. Ahh, Paris. *sigh*
Stay tuned...
