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September 23, 2004
A Walk in the Park
After getting checked in, we went in search of food, then came back to the hotel to take a much needed nap. We set the alarm for 3 pm so we could leave for Disneyland by 3:30 and get to the park by 4. I woke up about 60 minutes later thinking that we had overslept, but was was delighted to see that there was still 45 minutes left. Woo Hoo!
I woke up just a bit before 3 and got ready - my right eye is totally bloodshot, and the left doesn't look much better, I look like some kind of junkie.
So we set off for the park, passing a 7-11 on the way. Just short of the park, both Teri and I decided that we should have stopped for water - too late now though, we forged ahead. There's something about the sun in California that just seems to make it more draining then in MD - perhaps we're further south and that is the cause.
I was worried that there wouldn't be enough time to do what we wanted to since 4 hours at a theme park can seem pretty short. As it turned out, we enjoyed ourselves quite a bit, Kevin, while overwhelmed didn't get overloaded and 4 hours was just right. The park is much smaller than I expected and the majority of rides seemed to be focused on the small children (toddlers, preschoolers, and elementary school). Of course, that's likely why North Point uses a Disney philosophy when it talks about KidStuf and family ministry.
We went to every "land" in the park, and double tracked over some a few times.
My biggest observation - take away - is that the park is quite small. It's also very expensive. While I am used to theme parks getting top dollar for the souvenirs, Disney is a bit over the top. For instance, mouse ears, which is a paper cap, with thin plastic ears stapled on were $7.00 - anything made of cloth seemed to be at least $20. The food prices, were not as bad, just theme park prices. On a positive note, they did sell fruit as well as the traditional candy of most parks.
I don't mean to sound like I didn't enjoy our time there, Kevin had a blast, and so did I. I went hoping that he would have a good time, and his doing so means I did as well. You can read his blog for more on that.
My goal/enjoyment focus of theme parks have really changed, and I think that I would be happy if I were to never go to one again, at least, not alone. I'll be happy to go with Kevin, or other kids, but for me alone, the love seems to have been lost. When we went to King's Dominion last year, and now, with Disneyland, my focus and enjoyment was on those I was with - perhaps that'd be a good thing for many parts of our lives.
Posted by Jesse at September 23, 2004 5:36 PM