Disneyland / Universal Studios 2010 - Day 6

We have an announcement to make. Chad and Rachel Niemeyer are officially “old people.” Today, during our last two hours at Disneyland, we actually sat on benches and people-watched while our kids went on all the rides. Oh, for about 4 or 5 hours we were able to hang in there and keep up with them, but riding Big Thunder Mountain 7 times became less and less appealing as the day wore on, and resting our sore feet became much more pleasurable. And finding ibuprofen for our headaches instead of a churro cart became our new agenda. Just two days ago we felt bad that our kids couldn’t keep up with us. Even a bit guilty that we were dragging them around when they were tired and cranky. So we decided we needed to scale back the amount of time we were spending at the parks each day. 12 hours the first day became 9 hours the second, then 7 hours the third and fourth days with mid-day breaks to recoup. Apparently scaling back only energized the children. And it had the exact opposite effect us. When did this happen? When did we become… ahem… old?

There are a few things about Disneyland that only old geezer grown-ups really comprehend. And we noticed a few of them on this trip. These observations don’t take away the magic of Disneyland, but they can sure distract a person from it if they’re not careful.

#1) When in the world did Disney start having sponsors for everything in the park? “Tonight’s fireworks are brought to you by Honda.” “This restroom’s toilet paper has been brought to you by Sparkle.” The first words painted on the wall while entering It’s a Small World: “Making tomorrow brighter – Sylvania.” “Big Thunder Ranch BBQ brought to you by Brawny.” The list goes on.

#2) Why are some cast members so depressed? We understand that not everyone in the world is bubbly and cheerful, but come on, Jessica, you're working at DISNEYLAND for crying out loud. You get paid to come here every day for hours. Is it really that difficult to sell me a $13.00 snack with a smile on your face?

#3) Speaking of $13.00 snacks... Those prices should be illegal, but they’re not. We will happily hand over our money, and the Disney corporation knows this. And no kid in a million years would ever care about how much his ice cream sundae just set his parents back. You see? It’s an old people thing.*

*These observations were simply made by two people who are very sad that they are getting old and who are wishing they could still see everything through the eyes of a child. They also had sore feet and headaches and when that happens they are prone to acting like whiny toddlers.

Back to the good stuff. We stopped by Main Street to pick up our last souvenirs before catching the shuttle home. We stood at the gates listening to the music and smelled the beautiful aromas and sort of absorbed the events of the last 4 days. I think we were trying to stockpile memories to last us a while. It was a sad moment for all of us. Ashley said, “Mommy, wishes don’t really come true in Disneyland because I wished we would never have to leave and we actually DO.” I feel ya, baby girl.

Back at the hotel we quickly changed our clothes and drove to Laguna Hills to have dinner with our dear friends, Steffi and Alex whom we love very much. They drove from San Diego and we met at one of their favorite restaurants called Villa Roma. We sampled all kinds of cuisine from Argentina (where Alex is from.) Chad had the best steak of his entire life. He fell in love with it and I'm pretty sure I caught him caressing it and singing to it when he thought no one was looking. We could’ve stayed for hours with our friends, but eventually had to say our goodbyes.

It’s our last night in Anaheim. Tomorrow we begin the next adventure – Universal Studios. Wonder if they'll rent walkers to the old guys?

Come on everybody!  Here we go!

The Niemeyers