Basically the software allows you to pick the rides you want to do and it prints out a schedule with the order that best maximizes your wait time. The people who created it figured out exactly what order and where to go to not wait in the super long lines. However, it warns that you have to keep to your schedule or else your whole plan is shot. Our first ride was Peter Pan which they say if you are even 5 minutes late for will put your entire schedule off.
With our new Joovy Caboose doulble stroller loaded with drinks and snacks and our tickets and RideMax schedule in hand we waited at the bag check. That finally opened at 7:20 and we rushed to the actual entrance. We were the very first in our line. At 7:45am they let us in those gates and we rushed down Main Street and were in the front to wait behind the big rope draped across the road. It was all so exciting when we did the countdown and then speedwalked to beat all the other stroller pushing parents to our first ride.
At one point I just started laughing because James saw the carousel and wanted to ride it but we kept saying no and dragging him to the rides we had on our schedule in order to keep on track. Isn't this magical experience supposed to be about him? Well, it turns out that the crowd for the first 2 hours were basically non-existent so we were an hour ahead of what our RideMax schedule said. We were able to slow down and let James ride some of his choosing like the tea cups. James was fearless and Jeff took him on all the big rides like the Matterhorn and Splash Mountain. He kept talking about seeing 2 Yetis on the Matterhorn, not how fast or scary it was.
We decided to do Pirates of the Caribbean early since there was no line. I held Harrison in my lap and thought he was enjoying it since I hadn't heard him fuss. We went to get off and I realized he had fallen asleep! We just carried him and got in line for the Haunted Mansion which he slept the entire ride. James had skinned his knee on the walk there so he was crying in the line. I think people probably thought he was scared to go on the ride but he ended up loving it too. Jeff even took James on Space Mountain and James was again not phased by the intensity. He just kept saying how fast it went and making circular motions while showing me how the ride zoomed.
We decided to slow down a bit in the afternoon and take the monorail which James begged to ride since we got here. We got sidetracked by the attraction "Innoventions" which is basically a hands-on display of innovative technology. One section was a futuristic house and even had a kids bedroom to play in. The bed was shaped like a pirate ship and had a big sail for the headboard and mounted to the end was a big cannon. The windows all looked like you were in a ship and the shelves like you were in the hull of the ship. While we were there a Disney employee came in and did a presentation on the room by reading a bedtime story. He had us all sit along the wall and then asked for a volunteer to steer the ship. James was the lucky one chosen to go sit on the bed. The lights dimmed and a video of Peter Pan was projected on the said of the ship and the bedroom wall. As he told of Peter's adventure different things in the room were interactive. I was chosen to open the dresser drawer to let out Peter Pan's shadow and it rattled around when I touched it and then snapped closed. The funnest part was when the pirates attacked and James got to shoot the cannon. He pulled the rope on the cannon and it shot holes in the clouds on the screen and real smoke came out! Moments like these are what make Disneyland special and magical. James and Harrison were also chosen as "Honorary Sweepers" by the custodial crew and given sticker badges to wear.
I brought Harrison back to the hotel for a nap and updated our blog. Then we headed back to meet up with James and Jeff. We basically did everything we wanted to do in the morning since the lines were so short that we just spent the afternoon riding things again. It ended up being pretty late so we decided to make tonight our late night and stay to watch Fantasmic and the fireworks. We really lucked out because we only got to the waterfront for the night show 20 minutes early (most people camped out there for 3 hours!) and a family scooted over so we got a side seat on the ledge so we were above the crowd. It was really amazing! I kept thinking how fun this day was and how much our kids must be loving the show with the special effects and pyrotechnics and I looked down and James was totally asleep! Harrison was drooping too so we cut out a few minutes early to beat the crowds out but half way there the show ended and it was like mass exodus and we were moving at a snails pace.
We made it back to our room at 10:00 and we were beat! We stayed up making our RideMax plan for the next day and then crashed.
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