Disneyland Day Five - The Missing Ariel Scarf

Our final day at Disneyland didn't really have much of a plan except to try to hit all the rides that we hadn't hit and to ride the ones we like the most. For our first days at the park the focus is on getting the most rides in with the least amount of line ups. This means we get there early and try to do the big rides first, then we spend the rest of the day riding the small rides that are typically less popular. This leaves some rides that we want to go on but we never quite prioritize high enough. Our last day is meant to rectify that though it started out as our busiest day yet.

Our first ride was Buzz Light Year. It's a very efficient ride from a volume perspective because there is a line of cars picking up pairs of people every few seconds. It's also very popular because you get to interact with the ride with your laser blaster. You can move the car you are in to focus on your targets and the game keeps score so you can compete with your family. I usually do well enough when compared to the family but am nowhere close to the numbers that some people are getting. There must be a trick to get past L-3 and into the higher levels. (Probably involves many trips to the park.)

After some time in Tomorrow Land we went back to Big Thunder which is a roller coaster type ride. It's right at the max of what I like for a roller coaster. I have no problem with the sharp turns or the heights but the drops leave my stomach in my throat. This is of the reasons I left Kerry and the kids to go on Star Tours again while I checked out the Star Wars exhibit. I'm fascinated with the level of detail that has gone into models for Star Wars over the years. (Possibly fascinated enough to attempt to build an item or two. Money and time dependent.)

Our final destination for the morning was Toon Town. To be honest I think we only go there because it is a land on it's own and we feel we have to go to every land. It's not super exciting and doesn't seem to change much from year to year. It does have Minnie and Micky's house which we try to go to every visit. I like Mickey's work shop and I have to get my picture in Pluto's dog bed. We also do the Gadget coaster which as Kerry puts it, has more kick than you would expect for a kids coaster.

For the evening we went back to California Adventure. There are several areas of this park that I could probably just hang out in the whole time. I like the natural forest setting and the rides are all relatively new and well thought out. We went on Soarin Over the World again and Kerry, Corey, Callie, Carter and Kristen went on Grizzly River Run. It's my favorite ride but I'm not very interested in walking around wet in the evening. We also went on Radiator Springs Racers twice. A nice man gave us some Fast Passes that were good for any ride. He left before we even knew what he had given us.

This was the end of the day for Carter and I but Callie and Kerry wanted to close down the park so they headed back to Disneyland. They finished off with Pirates, Big Thunder Mountain, Hyperspace Mountain and a corn dog. Things went well until they were almost home and realized Callie had lost her Ariel scarf that she had bought for her birthday. It was too late to go back to get it so we had to wait till morning. No luck with lost and found and the only place to buy it was in the park and we couldn't get back in anymore. A very kind attendant at the gate was willing to go in and get one for us and surprised Kerry and Callie by simply handing it to Callie and saying Happy Birthday. It left us leaving late on our first drive day back home but was still an excellent memory for a fun vacation.