Titans USA Tour 2023

“Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world. “ Walt Disney

The day was finally here – it’s what we’d been waiting for. We were headed for Disneyland, the happiest place on earth and it truly is the happiest place on earth – even at that early hour of the morning (even our grumpy risers were moderately chirpy). We met downstairs of the lobby at 7.30am and made our way to the park. It was the quickest we have moved as a group as the excitement was clearly noticeable’- and can I say, the boys have transitioned from being at the back of the pack to now being front runners…literally. After a quick team meeting, it was straight down Main Street and over to Space Mountain for what has become tradition to start each day at theme parks, our team ride. Space Mountain is a fast paced roller coaster……. in the dark! There was a lot of screaming and laughing on this little beauty – you should have seen the ride photographs, they really tell the story (a very, very funny story).

Once we all recovered and shared a laugh over the finish line photographs it was off to explore the park. It was huge, enormous, gigantic – and we loved it. We had til 1.00pm to enjoy all of the attractions and rides of Disneyland so it was go, go, go. There was lots of running around and then lots of standing around as we patiently (?) waited in line. Rides that were particular favourites included Star Wars, Space Mountain, Matterhorn Bobsleds, Indiana Jones and Pirates of the Caribbean - and the shops.

At 1.00pm we gathered in the square and then headed over to California Adventure Park – now that got the kids going. This was ride city (adrenalin pumping rides). There was no time for a team ride at this one, as our intrepid park goers just wanted to head straight in and hit the ground running. This time it was Incredicoaster, Guardians of the Galaxy and Cars that were the rides of choice. We barely saw the poppets at this one, apart from seeing a glimpse of them scuttling from one ride to another. I can speak from experience when I say the Incredicoaster was a real heart starter. I’m not sure if upside down was necessary but man, did it give us some laughs (and naturally, more screams). After Guardians of the Galaxy, where I think I left my stomach somewhere around the 160 foot mark (and after Sharon, in a panic, held my hand (twice) I called it a day on the rides…..

As evening approached, the die hard ride enthusiasts kept up their frenetic pace at California Adventure Park, while the rest went to watch the parade at Disneyland. What a spectacle – and that was just the girls waving at everyone that past by. You wouldn’t credit the excitement when Elsa, Bella and Santa blew them a kiss. It’s the little things.

At 9.00pm we reunited to watch the fireworks, now that was an impressive sight – and then it snowed. Snowed I say, maybe not real snow, but it snowed. Aaah Disneyland, you’ve done it again.

After 14 hours, half the crew decided they could walk no more and headed back to the hotel, the rest stayed for another two hours!! Finally, after 16 hours at the happiest place on earth, our weary travellers called it quits (that’s because it shut) – I’m sure they will remember their time in Disneyland for years to come.

Now it’s time for a quick sleep, before we do it all again at Universal Studios tomorrow. Bring it on!

Disneyland….you don’t say!

• The plants in Tomorrowland are all edible
• Disneyland originally opened with only 18 attractions – and 14 of them are still around
• The Matterhorn has a basketball court – rumour has it a half court basketball structure sits at the top of the mountain where employees go to shoot during breaks
• Disneyland was built in just one year
• Over 2.8 million churros are sold there every year
• A flight restriction has been placed over the park – no aircrafts are allowed to fly within a three mile radius

California Adventure Park….you don’t say!

• California Adventure was built in Disneyland’s old parking lot
• Guardians of the Galaxy is 183 feet tall and the tallest ride at the Disneyland Resort
• Incredicoaster reaches a top speed of 55 miles per hour – it is also the eighth longest roller coaster in the world.
• Radiator Springs Racers is the most expensive ride built by a theme park – it is estimated to have cost $200 million.

The Flag!

We had quite a few nominees today, but strangely enough there was no flag awarded. What’s that you say? Well, you see, flags of any denomination are not allowed in Disneyland (which we learnt in 2019 after it was confiscated from Oscar). So while we more than happily relayed the tales this morning we didn’t award a winner, that comes tomorrow.

Here’s a snapshot today’s nominees (you can choose your own winner):

• How about the girls in the room next to myself and Sharon who might have been waving from their window to some random Aussie boys in the pool last night. The boys wanted to know their room number, and so they obliged. Unfortunately, they thought it would be funny to give them our room number. So, at 11.00pm last night (the only night we’ve gotten to bed before 1.00am) we got a knock at the door. Let’s just say they weren’t expecting Sharon to answer, and ran….never to be heard from again.
• What about good ole Johnny, who struggled making some payments the other day. He was spending up a storm and couldn’t work out why his card wouldn’t work. In a panic, it wasn’t til one of his travelling buddies made the connection that Johnny was trying to swipe his room key instead of his cash card. I’ve heard of charging things to your room but that’s taking it a little far.
• What about Poppy, who was involved in a deep discussion about the Blue Lake and the legalities of what would happen if you were caught swimming in it. Apart from the financial worries, Poppy was deeply concerned that people would also have to battle the sharks. (sharks swimming in a crater lake filled by underwater springs….riiiiiight).