The Magic of Disney

There's a reason that Disneyland is called the Happiest Place on Earth. When done right, it just might be. The weekend before Thanksgiving we headed up to Disneyland and California Adventure and we had a great time. We stayed at the Grand Californian Hotel on the Disneyland Resort (this year I'm thankful for Disney's military deals). Our hotel was stunning; it was like a huge Craftsman lodge. And of course, being Disney, everything was decorated perfectly and impeccably clean. We got in on the holiday fun; they had put out the Christmas decorations the week prior so we got to see all of the finery...and at Disney, there's a lot of it. I purposely wanted to go during the holiday season because I think it's so magical. I mean, they make it snow inside the park after the fireworks each night! Of course, I'm pretty sure Disney could make Taco Tuesday seem magical too.

We spent a day and a half at Disneyland and rode almost all of the rides we were tall enough to ride. Some highlights were (for Will) Star Tours in Tomorrowland (based on Star Wars, of course), Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, and Pirates of the Caribbean. We all enjoyed It's a Small World, especially because we have the book at home. Archer didn't seem to have a favorite ride in particular; he enjoyed them all. He was a little unsure of meeting the characters at first but finally perked up on the second day when we met Handy Manny. We also met Goofy and had breakfast with Chip 'n Dale and their woodland friends.

The big highlight at California Adventure is the new Cars Land, based on the movie Cars. Wow...it was impressive. Walking down the main drag was just like being on set in the movie. We met Lightning McQueen and saw Mater from a distance. It was pretty cool. The line to ride the Radiator Springs Racers (the top ride apparently) was too long so we skipped that one but will try to hit it when we return some day down the line.

There are too many highlights to name here but the moral of this story is that we had a great time. Every night before bed Archer tells Keith "I had fun at Dinneyland." There's no better advertisement than that!