Disneyland 2015 - Day 5

Systematic random selction

Guess who was randomly chosen for the metal detector at security this morning? After Chad once again proved he didn’t pose a threat to the safety of Disneyland’s guests, we rode Hyperspace Mountain and spent the morning playing Star Wars. Chad and Jackson had a light saber battle in the Star Trader gift shop where Chad nearly whacked a lady in a wheelchair right in her face before light-sabering Jackson in his boy parts, sending the poor kid to his knees.  

At Launch Bay, we hung out with Darth Vader for a bit; he kept pointing his black-gloved finger in our faces and saying stuff like, “If you betray us, we will find you,” and other things that I can’t remember because he made me nervous. When we posed for a picture, Jackson tried to give Vader bunny ears, and the cast member photographing us reprimanded him, “Do NOT, sir.” Chad and Jackson tried to re-create the scene from Empire Strikes Back where Yoda trains Luke to use the force. As you can see in the picture below, it’s difficult to tell which one is the real scene from the film.

We bought more Star Wars shirts and then said a final goodbye to Tomorrowland. In Downtown Disney, we had lunch at Naples Ristorante e Pizzeria. We stuffed ourselves with pasta, pizza, and salad under bright yellow and blue umbrellas on the patio. We talked about our years in Tacoma when the kids were babies, and when Chad and I got emotional, the kids made fun of us. Our lunch was long and leisurely and nobody was in a rush to go back to the over-crowded parks.

We visited the World of Disney store and kept losing each other among the massive amount of Disney-themed merchandise. Chad bought a Mary Poppins ornament for our tree and Ashley shopped for her friends. Jackson kept trying to convince us to buy him an actual Stormtrooper costume, promising to wear it all the time and he was serious.

I disguised their faces
 since they aren't my kids

We returned to Disneyland for the rest of the afternoon. In Fantasyland, while standing in line for It’s a Small World, two little girls dressed in matching Elsa dresses sang “Let it Go” and acted out scenes from Frozen for the entire 25 minute wait. I photographed them like they were my own kids, but I did it secretly because I didn’t want to look like the creep who takes pictures of other people's kids. Even though I am. The girls were so hilarious and adorable that I couldn’t not take their picture.

We rode Indiana Jones one last time, and as we wound our way through the line, we reminded the kids to soak it all in. The smells, the sounds, the back-breaking, whiplash-inducing jolts of Indy. When there was just an hour before our shuttle came to take us to the airport, we wandered the shops on Main Street. We picked out treats at Candy Palace, I bought the coffee mug I’d been eyeballing all week, and we stopped by Main Street Cinema to see Steamboat Willie. We looked through the art gallery, hoping to find a piece of art for our house, but left empty-handed. 

Goodbye, Disneyland

As we walked back to the hotel, we talked about how we were ready to go home. It’d been an awesome vacation, but our feet hurt, we were exhausted, and Jackson was coming down with a terrible cold. And the kids desperately missed their cat. 

The John Wayne Airport was quiet and felt nearly empty, the exact opposite of Disneyland. The girls changed into their comfy clothes for the flight, I bought Jackson Nyquil, and then Chad and the girls went to get a snack. When he returned, he told me that our flight wasn’t full, the first time that’s happened in about ten years. There were three first class seats available and we offered to upgrade the kids. Jackson and Ali declined, so Chad, Ashley, and I upgraded our seats. Ashley’s reaction to riding first class reminded me of the movie Annie, when Grace Farrell brings Annie to Daddy Warbucks’ mansion and she sings, “I Think I’m Gonna Like it Here.” The flight attendant complimented Ashley on her manners, telling her she could have anything she wanted. We ate gnocchi and then I sat back, listened to Steve Martin’s audiobook Born Standing Up, and enjoyed every second of our flight home. Ali and Jackson had their rows to themselves and slept comfortably. And then, before we knew it we were home.

This morning, Ashley got up early to wrap all the presents she bought, Chad and I sipped our coffee on the couch and we’ll let the older kids sleep a little more before we head back to the theater to watch The Force Awakens just one more time. Thanks for joining us for another Disneyland adventure. If we could, we would bring you with us for real, so you could experience the absolute magic and pure joy of Disney. 

“May the Force be with you.”

- Rachel