When we entered Disneyland last Monday afternoon, there were so many people that we hardly knew what to do. The people wranglers got us moving, though, and after a bit of herding we ended up near Space Mountain. The sign estimated the wait at nearly an hour and a half, which seemed kind of long to me. Maybe going to Disneyland in August is like going skiing on New Year’s Day — where the time waiting in line is so long compared to the actual activity that it’s hardly worth it. With that in mind, it was a surprise that one of our coolest experiences was being singled out from among the masses.
After a couple of days in the park, we realized that there are times when things are much less crowded, like early in the morning. We also had honed our crowd navigation techniques (hold hands… ready… break left!).
At one point Ethan and I were on our own, with 15 minutes to kill before our Splash Mountain Fast Pass appointment. We were walking by the steam boat Mark Twain just as it was about to get underway so we thought we’d jump aboard. As we were climbing the stairs to the top of the boat, a Disney cast member asked how many were in our party. I wasn’t sure why that mattered, but when I said two he asked if we’d like to help drive the boat. That sounded pretty awesome, so we climbed up with him to the bridge.
Captain Dan turned over the wheel, whistle and bells to Ethan while we steamed around Tom Sawyer’s Island. Sure, the boat runs on a track, but it was still pretty cool to be at the helm and to blow the steam whistle as we rounded the bends. Dan gave us a personal tour of the areas we saw, pointing out “Hidden Mickeys“, giving some history of the park, and encouraging us to wave to all the people ashore. Ethan tried in vain to suppress his grins.
The experience was, well, magical. We felt like cattle so many times before and after that, but Dan made us feel welcome and special instead of like just another two bodies taking up space in a line somewhere, and it made the waits more bearable.
Here’s a video montage of our trip (click the window to start it playing):
Ahh what great memories this brings back. I think my kids were all about the same age when we first did the Disneyland thing. Once it starts there are multiply returns planned you are hooked. Shannon I thought the lady in the green pixie outfit was you at first glance, I thought you go girl. haha and Eric your beach shot looks like you posing for a modeling shot, way cool. Looks like it was a lot of fun. Love you guys.