Curtis and Max getting wet
This last photo is Grandpa walking all alone on the beach.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Disneyland Day 5
The theme of the Day could be "Everything is broken."
We saved our last day to use our Magic Morning pass. We were allowed in the park one hour before it opened. Only Fantasyland and Tomorrowland would be open. Grandma was going to take Max on the Monorail; I was taking Kendall on Nemo; Claire, Grandpa and Curtis were going on Space Mountain.
Nemo was broken when I arrived so Kendall and I waited there to see if they could get it to work. The Monorail was running for Grandma and Max. She reports he sang the whole time with her too! Claire, Curtis and Grandpa boarded space mountain but the ride broke halfway through so they were escorted out of the ride. Curtis got a picture of it with the lights on!
When we were all going to meet Curt realized he had left his glasses in the ride so he headed back to look for them. I took Max on Astro Blasters and he loved it! Curtis and Grandpa went on Star tours so I took Max on Astro Orbiters. When we finished, Max dragged me back to Astro blasters.
When we met as a group, Max pulled Curtis to Astro blasters again but this time we all went. We liked it so much we went another time. 4 times on a ride makes this one a winner! This ride had delays every time but you get more points this way because the blasters and targets still work when the ride isn't moving.
We celebrated with Pineapple dole whip and Bengal BBQ.
We needed to leave at 1 to get home so we split up. Curtis and Max went to ride cars in Autotopia, Grandma and grandpa wanted to go in a carriage ride on Main Street. Claire, Kendall and I did some shopping.
Finally we all got together to head out. I was so sad to leave! Max really loved it here. We hope to go back someday soon!
We saved our last day to use our Magic Morning pass. We were allowed in the park one hour before it opened. Only Fantasyland and Tomorrowland would be open. Grandma was going to take Max on the Monorail; I was taking Kendall on Nemo; Claire, Grandpa and Curtis were going on Space Mountain.
Nemo was broken when I arrived so Kendall and I waited there to see if they could get it to work. The Monorail was running for Grandma and Max. She reports he sang the whole time with her too! Claire, Curtis and Grandpa boarded space mountain but the ride broke halfway through so they were escorted out of the ride. Curtis got a picture of it with the lights on!
When we were all going to meet Curt realized he had left his glasses in the ride so he headed back to look for them. I took Max on Astro Blasters and he loved it! Curtis and Grandpa went on Star tours so I took Max on Astro Orbiters. When we finished, Max dragged me back to Astro blasters.
When we met as a group, Max pulled Curtis to Astro blasters again but this time we all went. We liked it so much we went another time. 4 times on a ride makes this one a winner! This ride had delays every time but you get more points this way because the blasters and targets still work when the ride isn't moving.
We celebrated with Pineapple dole whip and Bengal BBQ.
We needed to leave at 1 to get home so we split up. Curtis and Max went to ride cars in Autotopia, Grandma and grandpa wanted to go in a carriage ride on Main Street. Claire, Kendall and I did some shopping.
Finally we all got together to head out. I was so sad to leave! Max really loved it here. We hope to go back someday soon!
Disneyland Day 4
We were off to the park again! We went to Disneyland to ride the Monorail. Max had been watching it pass us for the last 3 days and by now he was telling us what one of the three colors were passing. I had heard you can ride in the very front if you ask.
I guess a few others had hear that too cause there was a group in front of us waiting to ride. It only fits 4 so Curtis, Max, Kendall and I rode up front while Grandma, Grandpa and Claire rode in the car behind us. Kendall wanted to climb up the window and Max kept singing, "Lets go! Lets go!" the whole ride.
We did the Dumbo ride again then ate more dole whips and tried out the Disneyland Benyas. Grandma, Grandpa, Max and Curtis all went on the Haunted Mansion While Claire, Kendall and I took a walk.
When we met as a group, Claire, Curtis and I decided we wanted to go on Indiana Jones again, by way of Bengal BBQ. Grandma and Grandpa took Kendall and Max on the train.
At last we left the park for the Beach. Max and Kendall LOVE IT! Max loved running into the waves while Kendall liked to run away from them. Curtis was smart to wear his swim suit, the rest of us rolled up our pants and played along the beach. Max was soaked when we were ready to leave. We did have extra clothes for him so he didn't have to be wet our whole ride back.
That night Claire, Grandma and Grandpa bought subway on our way back into town. Curtis, the boys and I found a cute little Pizza place to eat.
We Made it back into the park so Max could watch the parade one last time. This time, when it ended, we rushed back to Toontown so Max could ride the go coaster and Kendall played in Chip and Dales tree house.
We tried to get Max back on Matterhorn but he declined so Claire, Grandpa, Curtis and I went while Grandma took the kids. We also went on Dumbo and Kind Arthur's Carousel before the park closed.
I guess a few others had hear that too cause there was a group in front of us waiting to ride. It only fits 4 so Curtis, Max, Kendall and I rode up front while Grandma, Grandpa and Claire rode in the car behind us. Kendall wanted to climb up the window and Max kept singing, "Lets go! Lets go!" the whole ride.
We did the Dumbo ride again then ate more dole whips and tried out the Disneyland Benyas. Grandma, Grandpa, Max and Curtis all went on the Haunted Mansion While Claire, Kendall and I took a walk.
When we met as a group, Claire, Curtis and I decided we wanted to go on Indiana Jones again, by way of Bengal BBQ. Grandma and Grandpa took Kendall and Max on the train.
At last we left the park for the Beach. Max and Kendall LOVE IT! Max loved running into the waves while Kendall liked to run away from them. Curtis was smart to wear his swim suit, the rest of us rolled up our pants and played along the beach. Max was soaked when we were ready to leave. We did have extra clothes for him so he didn't have to be wet our whole ride back.
That night Claire, Grandma and Grandpa bought subway on our way back into town. Curtis, the boys and I found a cute little Pizza place to eat.
We Made it back into the park so Max could watch the parade one last time. This time, when it ended, we rushed back to Toontown so Max could ride the go coaster and Kendall played in Chip and Dales tree house.
We tried to get Max back on Matterhorn but he declined so Claire, Grandpa, Curtis and I went while Grandma took the kids. We also went on Dumbo and Kind Arthur's Carousel before the park closed.
Disneyland Day 3
We decided our second full day in the park we would start in California Adventure. We arrived early because we wanted to get in line for the cars fast pass.
We got close to the front of the fast pass line. While we were waiting, Grandpa and Grandma went for a walk. Curtis took Kendall to look for Starbucks and Claire later went to look for them...because Starbucks was just across from us.
When the gates opened it was just Max Grandma and Me. I had all the tickets so Grandma took Max and left the line to help make the line shorter for others. Our fast passes would be good around 11. We headed off to the pier. We went on the Golden Zephyr first. Then Max took Curtis, Grandpa and Claire on Goofy's fly school. Grandma and I stayed with Kendall.
As soon as they got off the ride, Max wanted to go again. This time Grandma and Grandpa stayed with Kendall and I got to go. The line was so short, they let us stay in our seat and ride twice.
I was sick after the double ride.
Curtis, Max, Grandma and Grandpa took a ride on Mickey's Fun Wheel while Claire and I took Kendall for a walk around the pier.
When we met up as a group, it was time to use our fast pass. We headed off to cars land. We had to split into groups again because Kendall did not meet the height requirement. Grandma and Grandpa wanted us to go first. Claire, Curtis, Max and I headed to the track. Max doesn't like the first part of the ride but he did like the race part. When Grandma and Grandpa went for their turn, Claire, Kendall and I walked back to get another Fast Pass for our group. This time our Fast Pass wouldn't work until 4 or 5.
When we got back we were all ready to eat lunch. We found Cocina Cucamonga Mexican Grill. Everything looked really good!
After Lunch we went to Bugs land to ride Heimlich's Chew Chew train. It was a cute ride with a lot of really good smells.
Our next ride was Flicks Flyers. I don't think we will ever go on that ride again. Both Claire and I were really sick.
We walked up to Hollywood and Curtis and Grandpa were daring enough to ride the tower of terror. The rest of of decided to go back to the Chew Chew train. Grandma took Max on Frances' ladybug boogie.
When we met up as a group, Curtis lead us over to Muppet's 3D.
By this time, I was ready for a brake so Claire and I took Kendall with us and went back to the hotel. Claire was really nice and entertained Kendall while I took a nap.
Grandma and Grandpa headed back to Disneyland for a little while.
Curtis and Max made good use of their time. They played on Luigi's flying tiers, silly symphony swings, Goofy's Flight school and Maters Junkyard Jamboree. They even had popcorn and rootbeer floats together.
When we all met together that evening, we still had 6 fast passes for cars racers. Curtis, Claire and I went together while Grandma and Grandpa stayed with the kids. When we finished Grandpa told us to use their tickets and take Max. Max kept telling us, "oh no, oh no!" We took him of Maters Jamboree as a reward for being so brave. Grandpa even went with him!
It was getting close to parade time so we left California adventure and headed to Disneyland. Max loved the parade even more than he had the first two times. When it ended we tried to beat the crowds but ended up stuck on main street with everyone else.
We deiced to take some time on our next day to visit the beach!
We got close to the front of the fast pass line. While we were waiting, Grandpa and Grandma went for a walk. Curtis took Kendall to look for Starbucks and Claire later went to look for them...because Starbucks was just across from us.
When the gates opened it was just Max Grandma and Me. I had all the tickets so Grandma took Max and left the line to help make the line shorter for others. Our fast passes would be good around 11. We headed off to the pier. We went on the Golden Zephyr first. Then Max took Curtis, Grandpa and Claire on Goofy's fly school. Grandma and I stayed with Kendall.
As soon as they got off the ride, Max wanted to go again. This time Grandma and Grandpa stayed with Kendall and I got to go. The line was so short, they let us stay in our seat and ride twice.
I was sick after the double ride.
Curtis, Max, Grandma and Grandpa took a ride on Mickey's Fun Wheel while Claire and I took Kendall for a walk around the pier.
When we met up as a group, it was time to use our fast pass. We headed off to cars land. We had to split into groups again because Kendall did not meet the height requirement. Grandma and Grandpa wanted us to go first. Claire, Curtis, Max and I headed to the track. Max doesn't like the first part of the ride but he did like the race part. When Grandma and Grandpa went for their turn, Claire, Kendall and I walked back to get another Fast Pass for our group. This time our Fast Pass wouldn't work until 4 or 5.
When we got back we were all ready to eat lunch. We found Cocina Cucamonga Mexican Grill. Everything looked really good!
After Lunch we went to Bugs land to ride Heimlich's Chew Chew train. It was a cute ride with a lot of really good smells.
Our next ride was Flicks Flyers. I don't think we will ever go on that ride again. Both Claire and I were really sick.
We walked up to Hollywood and Curtis and Grandpa were daring enough to ride the tower of terror. The rest of of decided to go back to the Chew Chew train. Grandma took Max on Frances' ladybug boogie.
When we met up as a group, Curtis lead us over to Muppet's 3D.
By this time, I was ready for a brake so Claire and I took Kendall with us and went back to the hotel. Claire was really nice and entertained Kendall while I took a nap.
Grandma and Grandpa headed back to Disneyland for a little while.
Curtis and Max made good use of their time. They played on Luigi's flying tiers, silly symphony swings, Goofy's Flight school and Maters Junkyard Jamboree. They even had popcorn and rootbeer floats together.
When we all met together that evening, we still had 6 fast passes for cars racers. Curtis, Claire and I went together while Grandma and Grandpa stayed with the kids. When we finished Grandpa told us to use their tickets and take Max. Max kept telling us, "oh no, oh no!" We took him of Maters Jamboree as a reward for being so brave. Grandpa even went with him!
It was getting close to parade time so we left California adventure and headed to Disneyland. Max loved the parade even more than he had the first two times. When it ended we tried to beat the crowds but ended up stuck on main street with everyone else.
We deiced to take some time on our next day to visit the beach!
Disneyland Day 2
Monday January 28th
The park didn't open until 10 so we ate breakfast before heading to the park. We had decided to run straight for Fantasyland when the gates open because for some reason Peter pan is the longest wait and we wanted to get there before a line started. They open the gates at 9:30 but you must wait on Main Street until 10. We ran/speed walked to Fantasyland. We were one of the first to board the ride. We soon found out that Max does not like dark rides. He covered his eyes most of the time.
We went on Mr toads, Dumbo, King Arthur's Carousel and the Casey Jr Train. We did have a Lunch reservation at the Blue Bayou so we headed that way. 4 of us got the Monte Cristo, Max ate Mac and cheese and Curtis got Shrimp Jambalaya. We noticed the boats for Pirates of the Caribbean were empty and decided that would be our next ride.
We had little to no wait boarding. Max closed his eyes a lot and Kendall was mad that he didn't get a good nap.
We had a fast pass for Indiana Jones but the boys are too short to ride so we split into two groups, Claire Grandpa and Grandma went first while we stayed close with the boys. When they finished Claire, Max and Grandma took Kendall to get a corndog while Curtis and I took our turn on the ride and Grandpa bought a new hat and waited for us.
When we all met up again, Max was pulling Curtis to the Astro Orbiter. As they were in flight, we spotted Mary poppins and Bert rush by. We followed them to a street performance. Max was on his dads shoulders and yelled, "I Love Mary Poppins!" It was so cute!
The people in front of us left so we ended up with front row view. Max got off the shoulders and soon was picked to be part of the show with three little girls. They were all given Chimminy brooms to dance with. After the brooms were gathered, Mary Poppins had all the helpers hold hands. Max got to hold Bert's hand at the end of the line and used his other hand to wave to the crowed and he ran by yelling, "Hi! Hi!" The Adults cried a little at how great of a job Max had done.
After the show Curtis, Max, Grandma and Grandpa took a spin on Autotopia.
We took the long walk from tomorrowland to Critter country. We met Tigger, Eeyor, and pooh Then went on the Winnie the Pooh ride. Max was a little scared when we finished (another ride in the dark).
We decided to take a brake from the rides and go to the tiki room and get a pineapple dole whip. Turns out the tiki room is a little scary but Kendall loved the treat.
The Golden Horseshoe was doing a special program to honor the original show there. This was out only chance to see it so a few of us stood in line to get a seat while Claire and Grandma took Max on a boat ride.
We loved the show! It was so funny, too bad it is only playing for another 2 weeks.
After the show grandma and grandpa were ready to go back to the hotel. They were really nice and took Kendall with them. He was getting really tired.
Curtis, Claire, Max and I went on Alice and Wonderland then the Matterhorn. Matterhorn was a wild single seat ride so i was a little worried about Max being alone so I sat behind him and held his hand the whole way. He said the ride was "funny". I'm not sure what that means but he didn't say scarry; then again he didn't want to go on it again.
The Soundsational parade was starting again so we got churro's and popcorn, then found a spot to watch from. Max was so excited and danced through the whole thing. At the end we followed the parade to Main Street, then headed back to the hotel.
Another great day!
The park didn't open until 10 so we ate breakfast before heading to the park. We had decided to run straight for Fantasyland when the gates open because for some reason Peter pan is the longest wait and we wanted to get there before a line started. They open the gates at 9:30 but you must wait on Main Street until 10. We ran/speed walked to Fantasyland. We were one of the first to board the ride. We soon found out that Max does not like dark rides. He covered his eyes most of the time.
We went on Mr toads, Dumbo, King Arthur's Carousel and the Casey Jr Train. We did have a Lunch reservation at the Blue Bayou so we headed that way. 4 of us got the Monte Cristo, Max ate Mac and cheese and Curtis got Shrimp Jambalaya. We noticed the boats for Pirates of the Caribbean were empty and decided that would be our next ride.
We had little to no wait boarding. Max closed his eyes a lot and Kendall was mad that he didn't get a good nap.
We had a fast pass for Indiana Jones but the boys are too short to ride so we split into two groups, Claire Grandpa and Grandma went first while we stayed close with the boys. When they finished Claire, Max and Grandma took Kendall to get a corndog while Curtis and I took our turn on the ride and Grandpa bought a new hat and waited for us.
When we all met up again, Max was pulling Curtis to the Astro Orbiter. As they were in flight, we spotted Mary poppins and Bert rush by. We followed them to a street performance. Max was on his dads shoulders and yelled, "I Love Mary Poppins!" It was so cute!
The people in front of us left so we ended up with front row view. Max got off the shoulders and soon was picked to be part of the show with three little girls. They were all given Chimminy brooms to dance with. After the brooms were gathered, Mary Poppins had all the helpers hold hands. Max got to hold Bert's hand at the end of the line and used his other hand to wave to the crowed and he ran by yelling, "Hi! Hi!" The Adults cried a little at how great of a job Max had done.
After the show Curtis, Max, Grandma and Grandpa took a spin on Autotopia.
We took the long walk from tomorrowland to Critter country. We met Tigger, Eeyor, and pooh Then went on the Winnie the Pooh ride. Max was a little scared when we finished (another ride in the dark).
We decided to take a brake from the rides and go to the tiki room and get a pineapple dole whip. Turns out the tiki room is a little scary but Kendall loved the treat.
The Golden Horseshoe was doing a special program to honor the original show there. This was out only chance to see it so a few of us stood in line to get a seat while Claire and Grandma took Max on a boat ride.
We loved the show! It was so funny, too bad it is only playing for another 2 weeks.
After the show grandma and grandpa were ready to go back to the hotel. They were really nice and took Kendall with them. He was getting really tired.
Curtis, Claire, Max and I went on Alice and Wonderland then the Matterhorn. Matterhorn was a wild single seat ride so i was a little worried about Max being alone so I sat behind him and held his hand the whole way. He said the ride was "funny". I'm not sure what that means but he didn't say scarry; then again he didn't want to go on it again.
The Soundsational parade was starting again so we got churro's and popcorn, then found a spot to watch from. Max was so excited and danced through the whole thing. At the end we followed the parade to Main Street, then headed back to the hotel.
Another great day!
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Disneyland Day 1
Curtis has been wanting to take Max to Disneyland for a long time now. Max loves Disney! He's not such a big fan of Pixar. I'm not sure why that is. The next few posts will be our 5 days in Disneyland.
Our party of 7 (Curtis, Max, Kendall, Grandpa, Grandma, Claire and Me) arrived in Anaheim around 2 in the afternoon Sunday January 27th. After a check-in at the hotel, we headed over to Disneyland.
As we entered the boys got to see Pinocchio, Pluto and Goofy. Our first stop was the City Hall. They gave us "First Disneyland Visit" pins for the two boys. After that we headed down Main Street.
The first ride we stopped at was the Jungle Cruse. Max loved the ride! The adults were all entertained by our seasoned guide. He was hilarious!
We walked through adventure land and spotted a "Princess and the Frog" street show." Dad found us a great place to watch from. Max got to sit on our shoulders. He was so cute as he sang along and tried to dance from his seat. When the show ended, the cast did a short parade and one of the dancers gave Max some Mardi Gras beads. Max was enamored with Disneyland at this point.
Of course our next stop would only deepen his love for Disneyland; Choo Choo, here comes the train.
We loaded the train at New Orleans Square and headed to Fantasyland. We headed to the restroom but when we came out Claire told us there was a parade coming We ran down the hill to the roped off area to watch as all of Max and Kendall's cartoon friends waved to us. There was Micky, Minnie, Pluto, goofy, The Three Caballeros, Lion King, Peter Pan, Hook, Tinkerbell, Aladdin, the genie The Little Mermaid (Max and Kendall have not seen this movie yet), a whole lot of princesses: Snow White, Aurora, Rapunzel, Belle and Cinderella. The Parade ended with Max's current Favorite character, Mary Poppins!
After the "Soundsational Parade" we went to Toontown to meet Goofy and Mickey Mouse. The whole time Max just wanted to get back on the train so we headed there next. We took the train back to New Orleans Square to pick up the strollers again.
We headed to critter country to eat at the Hungary Bear. After Dinner Grandma was ready to head back to the hotel. We all went back to get dressed warm for the World of Color show. Grandma stayed with Kendall, but the rest of us went to California Adventure. We had an hour before the show started so we went on Soarin over California. Claire and I both got a little motion sick but Max, Curtis and Grandpa liked it.
When we arrived we talked to a cast member and let them know we got here late and there weren't any fast passes left for this show. He was a really nice guy and made us his personal guest. We got to sit in the front in the spot where you get wet. We were ready, we had our rain coats on and you will need them if you sit here. You don't get wet until the second half but you will get really wet during the pirates part. It was a really great show. Max loved the part with Wall-e. Max was really sleepy with the time change we were already and hour past his bed time when the show started.
When we were leaving the park, we could see the fire works in Disneyland. We stopped for a little while to watch but then headed back to the hotel cause Max was falling asleep. We had a great first day in Disneyland!
Our party of 7 (Curtis, Max, Kendall, Grandpa, Grandma, Claire and Me) arrived in Anaheim around 2 in the afternoon Sunday January 27th. After a check-in at the hotel, we headed over to Disneyland.
As we entered the boys got to see Pinocchio, Pluto and Goofy. Our first stop was the City Hall. They gave us "First Disneyland Visit" pins for the two boys. After that we headed down Main Street.
The first ride we stopped at was the Jungle Cruse. Max loved the ride! The adults were all entertained by our seasoned guide. He was hilarious!
We walked through adventure land and spotted a "Princess and the Frog" street show." Dad found us a great place to watch from. Max got to sit on our shoulders. He was so cute as he sang along and tried to dance from his seat. When the show ended, the cast did a short parade and one of the dancers gave Max some Mardi Gras beads. Max was enamored with Disneyland at this point.
Of course our next stop would only deepen his love for Disneyland; Choo Choo, here comes the train.
We loaded the train at New Orleans Square and headed to Fantasyland. We headed to the restroom but when we came out Claire told us there was a parade coming We ran down the hill to the roped off area to watch as all of Max and Kendall's cartoon friends waved to us. There was Micky, Minnie, Pluto, goofy, The Three Caballeros, Lion King, Peter Pan, Hook, Tinkerbell, Aladdin, the genie The Little Mermaid (Max and Kendall have not seen this movie yet), a whole lot of princesses: Snow White, Aurora, Rapunzel, Belle and Cinderella. The Parade ended with Max's current Favorite character, Mary Poppins!
After the "Soundsational Parade" we went to Toontown to meet Goofy and Mickey Mouse. The whole time Max just wanted to get back on the train so we headed there next. We took the train back to New Orleans Square to pick up the strollers again.
We headed to critter country to eat at the Hungary Bear. After Dinner Grandma was ready to head back to the hotel. We all went back to get dressed warm for the World of Color show. Grandma stayed with Kendall, but the rest of us went to California Adventure. We had an hour before the show started so we went on Soarin over California. Claire and I both got a little motion sick but Max, Curtis and Grandpa liked it.
When we arrived we talked to a cast member and let them know we got here late and there weren't any fast passes left for this show. He was a really nice guy and made us his personal guest. We got to sit in the front in the spot where you get wet. We were ready, we had our rain coats on and you will need them if you sit here. You don't get wet until the second half but you will get really wet during the pirates part. It was a really great show. Max loved the part with Wall-e. Max was really sleepy with the time change we were already and hour past his bed time when the show started.
When we were leaving the park, we could see the fire works in Disneyland. We stopped for a little while to watch but then headed back to the hotel cause Max was falling asleep. We had a great first day in Disneyland!
Saturday, January 12, 2013
It is official, We are going to Disneyland! We are really excited and can't wait for all the adventures we'll have with the boys. I have been doing research each day to see how to best handle Max and his needs. So far we know to get the Guest Service Pass for him and to ask for a quiet place when he gets over stimulated.
I think I have read every blog post about Autistic experiences in the park. The best part is each one said they had a great experience and they were all planning on going back. One parent said to take a recent photo of your child just in-case I think we will take a photo every morning before we leave...then we will have the most recent and what they are wearing. For those who don't know, Max is a runner. We don't usually have a problem but you never know what could happen in a big place.
We have 2.5 adults to every kid so I think we'll all have a good time.
Any suggestions for fun things or must do's in Disneyland, please let me know!
I think I have read every blog post about Autistic experiences in the park. The best part is each one said they had a great experience and they were all planning on going back. One parent said to take a recent photo of your child just in-case I think we will take a photo every morning before we leave...then we will have the most recent and what they are wearing. For those who don't know, Max is a runner. We don't usually have a problem but you never know what could happen in a big place.
We have 2.5 adults to every kid so I think we'll all have a good time.
Any suggestions for fun things or must do's in Disneyland, please let me know!
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