Our hats are all pumpkins this week too. From left to right, My Pumpkin and Maize Goofy hat came from Walt Disney World. The Wizard Pumpkin Mickey came from Tokyo Disneyland. Pumpkin Mickey is from Walt Disney World. Theresa's Pumpkin Mickey hat is new in 2018 to the Disneyland Resort. It quickly sold out and I was fortunate enough to get one before it did.
The line for the tram actually didn't look too bad, but we're used to walking in the morning, so off towards Downtown Disney we went. Just as we were walking by, the monorail started to pull up. Ian really wanted to ride it, and there was no line so, why not.
Upon exiting the monorail, our first stop was Fantasyland. Both T and I were surprised when we were smelling popcorn this early in the morning. But sure enough, our favorite popcorn stand near the Matterhorn was putting our extra buttery yellow popcorn. I know these Cauldrons have been sold out recently.
I'm sure it'll be a good enough bucket for handing out candy this year. Ian was finished with all his popcorn before we made it to our first ride.
And it wasn't even that far away. Dumbo was a short 5 minute wait, so me and the rest of the pumpkin kids hopped in line.
A couple weeks ago, Alli was super happy to have a pink Dumbo. Today apparently the Fates have decided it was Ian's turn to fly a blue Dumbo.
All squeezed into one Dumbo and taking turns flying.
Ian really wanted to go on Snow White's Scary Adventure, but was happy with the suggestion of Mr. Toad instead. Alli was already wary, just being in the queue. After the ride I asked Ian if he liked it. "No!" was his quick answer. I'm not surprised. There's nothing all that cute about Mr Toad's. No characters he would recognize. Plus it's dark and noisy. Not a fan.
Mickey's Toontown opens at 9am and we were looking to get a few rounds of Gadget's Go-Coaster in. Just as we were walking up, Pluto was leading the crowd in a count-down and walking everyone in. We joined the masses and shuffled our way back to Gadget's... and it's closed. Aww.
Instead everyone jumped in the short line to visit with Mickey Mouse. Cast Member Brandon complimented the kids for their cool pumpkin hats and asked what they were going to dress up as for Halloween. We'll just have to see.
Time to see Mickey! Even though he couldn't say it, Mickey really liked their hats too.
Say Cheese!
Gadget was still closed so Ian and I walked right onto Roger Rabbit.
All set to leave Toontown, I decided to check my Disneyland app one last time. It's back up!
Because of the earlier down-time, the lines were short and we walked right on for our first trip, exited, walked the queue again and walked right up for our second trip.
Our favorite Mansion. Can't celebrate pumpkins without a visit to the Pumpkin King himself.
In the attic, the ride slowed down enough that Ian's present was obviously visible.
I still need to try to find an Oogie Boogie Santa hat. As near as I can tell, there isn't a retail version anywhere.
I've always wondered if this chance wheel was functional or if it was random. Well I see a "?".
And we got the special! A visit from Oogie's kids.
Lock.
Shock.
And Barrel. I always like seeing them.
The plan was for everyone to ride Splash Mountain since the app was showing a 5 minute wait. There's times you just can't trust the app though. Upon arrival, the standby line backed up 100 feet from the entrance. No way that's just 5 minutes. Instead everyone hopped in line for Pooh and I did some fastpass shuffling. The FP return time is 5 minutes away on Splash, so I cancelled what I was currently holding and snatched up Splash FPs.
Alli wasn't feeling Splash today, so for today it's just me and Ian.
Middle of the log and we didn't get too wet.
After hopping off Splash, Pooh and all his friends were right there waiting for us. Hi Tigger.
Hi Eeyore.
Really excited to see Pooh.
Love you Winnie the Pooh.
On our way out, we posed for a family photo by the giant Mickey Pumpkin. I'm sure some version of this will end up being the October photo for our yearly calendar.
It's only 11am and we've been able to do so much already. Since the Pacific Wharf Cafe just opened, why not stop by while there are no lines. The Bacon Cheddar Ale soup was fantastic, just like it has been for the last 3 weeks. I'm going to miss this when it's gone. Does Disneyland still give out recipes for their food items? I should check.
Again with the pumpkin celebration, I couldn't pass up the Pumpkin Spice Bread pudding. T and I were both happy to try it, but upon tasting it, it wasn't really for us. T thought it was too bitter. I like my desserts a bit sweeter too. I salvaged what I could of the whipped cream and toffee and scooped up what I could of the caramel.
Those kids and their bread crusts. Every week they seem to have more and more for the ducks.
Alli has started throwing it with two hands.
Even though she's tall enough for Guardians, we're going to give it a little while longer before taking Alli. Instead, Alli and T headed over to Toy Story Midway Mania while Ian and I went to the collector's fortress.
I missed out on Monsters After Dark here last year. Since we always leave so early every visit, I'm concerned I'm going to miss it again this year. It doesn't change over until 5pm.
It used to be "Hold me Daddy" during the drop. Now he likes floating off his seat during the big drops. Keep growing buddy. You're going to be my full-time roller coaster buddy soon enough.
After we finished our rides, everyone met up at the Jumping Jellyfish. And now we can go on it as a family.
Alli and I finally getting to ride together.
Hands up for the big drops!
Wait times are starting to go up, which means it's about time for us to consider our exit. Eyeballing the line for Mater, it's still only 10 or so. Alli gets a big kick out of it.
On a whim, as we walked out, we went by the Ghirardelli shop. For the last month they haven't been handing out samples, and I truly thought it was the end of free chocolate here. To my very pleasant surprise the samples are back!
And since there's free chocolate, it's tradition to go right next door and get free bread to make a chocolate and bread sandwich. Yum.
Our last Pumpkin stop was the giant cake pumpkin in the Grand Californian lobby. Impressive, but my question is, where are all those 13 Hidden Mickeys?
A couple weeks ago, during our walk back, we stopped by this gazebo near the Disneyland Hotel. Even before it was in sight, Ian started commenting that it would be really nice to take a break in that gazebo again. His mind is always working.
It was nice to get off our feet for a few minutes. All-in-all, T and I pounded out 11 miles on Saturday.
Sure we can go inside the hotel lobby. Let's check it out!
The Frontierland lobby has a 1/4" to 1' scale model of Big Thunder Mountain. Ian - "Daddy, how do we play with it?"
For now you just get to look at it. Pointing out the dinosaur bones to Alli.
There's the goat.
Every walk back to the parking garage, we see this Floss Silk tree and I wonder why it's here. I never knew it actually flowered.
A closer look at the trunk shows why I'm surprised to find this tree here. Those giant thorns are numerous and super sharp. Don't accidentally lean up against this tree trunk.
The drive home started as our trips home usually do. Asking the kids what their favorite part of the day was. Singing Disney songs. Things like that. But as we got closer and closer to the house, the back seat started getting more and more quiet. And then the passenger's seat got quiet. I guess everyone is a little worn out. I parked and just sat in the driveway for 30 minutes while everyone got some much needed rest. A tiring day, but a fun one.
Really liked that family photo (favorite of the 3) where everyone is "hugging together" in the gazebo. It exudes a warm and loving feeling to me! "Honorable Mentions" go to the two other family photos: Standing with Mickey in Toontown, and Standing in front of the Mickey pumpkin. 11 miles on a short day? Wow....can understand why everyone feels tired, especially the kids!
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