The kids' surprise day has arrived. I set the alarm so we could be up and on our way in good time. Heather was not impressed with this and was very reluctant to get out of bed, however we managed to get the kids ready and out the door for the walk through the Luxembourg Gardens to the Metro by just after 8am. This was a little early as the surprise opened at 10am and it would take only a little over an hour to get there. I was more excited than the kids as they had no idea what was happening. I thought some of the signs in the Metro might have given it away but with Heather still half asleep she didn't noticed. After train transfers and a short walk we arrived at our destination at about 9.30am - DISNEYLAND.
The kids both looked excited but they still weren't 100% sure, having no real idea what Disneyland actually was. We walked down Main Street full of colourful shops, with cartoon characters all over the facades. Then they saw the large pink fairy castle which is right in the middle of the park, causing a"wow" chorus from Heather and Callum. Our timing wasn't too bad as by the time we got our bearings and collected maps and programmes of the day's activities we didn't have to wait before being let loose on the ride areas.
Our friends Nel, David, Florrie and Seb went to Disneyland late last year and gave us some great advice on where to go and what was best for Heather and Callum's age group so we headed straight for Fantasyland and the carousel was Heather's first choice, then the dumbo elephant ride, then the mad hatter tea cups, Alice's curious Labyrinth before we queued up to meet Mickey Mouse. They had old Mickey and Donald movies showing while we waited so the 20 minutes passed by very quickly.
Callum gave Mickey a huge bear hug then tooted his nose. The kids had their photo taken with Mickey which was very cool. It was about 11.30am by this time and food was needed, so we headed to Hyperion for lunch in Discoveryland. It was basically a huge room with giant TV screen and tables to eat your American fast food. After another couple of short Disney movies, and with food consumed, we headed for Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast (which was highly recommended by Seb). It was crazy and so much fun, sitting in a little spaceship train shooting laser guns at targets.
It was very silly and made funnier whenever I went to get a target Heather would spin our spaceship around. I couldn't stop laughing. Afterwards we rode on some rockets then headed for Autopia where you could drive a 1950's car in a giant slot car route.
Callum drove me and Heather drove Neil (Neil and I had control of the stop/go pedal as the kids couldn't reach).
What a blast! You couldn't wipe the smile off Callum's face and I couldn't stop laughing as we were everywhere but luckily the slot kept us on track. Neil and Heather were on a track beside us so we had a little race. After way too much excitement and everything else in Discoveryland too old for the kids we took the Disneyland train around the edge of the park back to Fantasyland for a relaxing boat trip around 'It's a Small World' then ice creams. By now it was nearly 4pm and one of the highlights of Disneyland started at 5pm - the parade. Heather chose to do the carousel again before we headed back to Main Street for a spot of shopping and to stake our claim to watch the parade. Disneyland works like clockwork and the parade started spot on at 5pm.
It was great fun! It was colourful with lots of singing and dancing to boppy music.
The kids saw all their favourite characters with Tinkerbell hiding on the back of the final float. With most of the crowd heading towards the exit we decided for one last ride on the Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast and it was just as much fun the second time around. It was time for dinner so we headed to the only restaurant open in Disneyland and had our buffet dinner with the rest of Disneyland's patrons. After dinner it was about 7.30pm and I was surprised at how well the kids were holding up. With tummies full, bags full of Disneyland goodies, and a headful of wonderful memories we headed back on the train and Metro for home. It was a truly magical family day out and we all had a ball.
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