We left our hotel at 6:45 to make it to the gates by 8. I once again had hubby drop us off at the Guest Drop Off on Harbor drive and grabbed us a place in the center of the gates to wait for the park to open.
When we entered the park, Emily and Jason went to ride the Matterhorn while Jacob and I rode Astro Orbiter. I’ve not ridden Astro Orbiter at Walt Disney World so I can’t compare them, but let’s just say that I was praying during this ride that God would let me get out of the spaceship without falling on my face. It was definitely not an easy ride to get in and out of for grown ups.
While we waited for Emily and Jason, we grabbed a fastpass to Autopia and then we all jumped in line for Star Tours. This was our first time on Star Tours and we had so much fun! We don’t know why we never rode it before, but even if you haven’t seen Star Wars movies, it is still a fun ride.
Finally we were able to ride the Nemo Submarines. We had tried to ride this one a couple times but it kept having mechanical issues. It was a wonderful ride, but it lacked the real aquatic life that we see on the Finding Nemo ride in Epcot. But it was a different experience (although claustrophobic) and we had a great time on this one.
Next we rode Buzz Lightyear which was very different from Disney World’s. I couldn’t manage to get the high score that I usually get and the guns were quite different.
We went to use the Fastpass for Autopia but they weren’t running the Fastpass line unfortunately. We ended up waiting almost 25 minutes to ride it but Jacob was so excited that the wait was worth it. He loves race cars and if he can drive his own, that is his cup of tea. The Autopia course is nice and long, so he was able to drive the car for a good bit.
We grabbed a Fastpass to Space Mountain before heading to our reservation at Plaza Inn. We found Plaza Inn to be interesting, it is set up like a buffet but you do not have a waiter. You pay before you eat and you can eat as much as you want and the drinks are self service.
We sat down and got our autograph books ready. The first character to our table was Chip (remember you can tell him apart from his brother because Chip has a black nose like a chocolate chip). He was a real character and started dancing with Jacob which he really enjoyed and decided from that moment on that all characters would dance with him.
Dale followed his brother and started dancing and having a good time with the kids. Max joined in on the fun and he really got down.
The Fairy Godmother even busted a move or two and quiet Eeyore was willing to sway with the kids.
Pooh came by for a couple moves and then he absolutely cracked us up. There was a teenage boy outside the restaurant and Pooh started making faces at him through the glass. The boy made faces back and Pooh even went outside on the porch to wave at the boy to make sure that all his friends saw Pooh waving at him. It was very funny and everyone in the restaurant got a big kick out of it.
Rafiki came by next and danced a jig with the kids followed by Tigger who bounced along. He even danced a little with Minnie Mouse who stopped by for a group picture.
But the best moment was when Captain Hook came to our table. Jacob started making a Crocodile motion at him which caused Hook to run in fear. Once he realized that Jacob was not a Crocodile, he came over and wiped his plaque from his teeth on Jacob’s shirt! Jacob thought this was the funniest thing and he just laughed and laughed.
After the wonderful meal was over (it was truly one of the best we have ever had), Emily and Jason headed over to ride Space Mountain while Jacob and I explored Innoventions. They have a dream home inside which was Jacob’s favorite. He spent a good 30 minutes pretending it was his house and showing me around. It was a wonderful moment that the two of us got to share.
Jason grabbed us a Fastpass to Star Tours on his way back from Space Mountain (which he said is better at Disneyland) and we all enjoyed some time in Innoventions before heading over to the Fantasyland Theater to see Mickey’s Magical Map.
This show was absolutely amazing and the kids were captivated. Jacob loves maps and has quite the collection so to have a whole show about a map starring his pal Mickey Mouse, well let’s just say that all his dreams came true in that moment. It was such a wonderful show.
We made our way over to the other side of the park and rode Mark Twain which was a treat for the kids.
Finally it was time to ride Star Tours again. I told Jason to stare at the seat belt sign to try to get selected to be the Rebel Spy. The ride started and we all squealed with delight when Jason was chosen! So the trick definitely worked for us and hopefully it will work for you!
We went to Zorro’s for lunch which was really good. We had a nice table outside where we were able to people watch while we ate.
Jason took the kids shopping on Main Street for my birthday present while I took pictures around Frontierland. We met up at Aladdin’s Oasis where they met Aladdin who looked so lonesome because Jasmine was powdering his nose and nobody wanted to meet him without Jasmine. We did though and that excited him.
The kids did a great job picking out my presents and my husband bought me a jacket (which at the time I thought was an odd gift since it was June but later when we went to San Francisco, it came in handy!).
Next we climbed all through Tarzan’s Treehouse and played in his playground for a bit. When it is busy at Disneyland (or any park), it’s a great time to enjoy the less popular attractions and we definitely took advantage of that.
We headed back to New Orleans Square where we enjoyed browsing and noticing all the special touches that Disney is known for.
We rode Pooh again (always a fun one) and then we got some delicious treats from Pooh’s Corner for my birthday. We found a quite corner to enjoy our snacks and had a wonderful moment together as a family.
We then explored Big Thunder Ranch where the kids each colored me a beautiful picture. The ranch was a nice break from the hustle and bustle of Disneyland.
Then the kids spotted Casey Junior and we had to wait for 20 minutes for that ride. They love Dumbo so they were so excited to see the train and of course all the miniatures. I loved the Bonsai Trees.
We then walked through Sleeping Beauty’s Castle. We walked through and read all the excerpts from her story and even got spooked a couple times by her exhibits. It was so much fun that we had to do it twice.
Next we spent some time exploring Fantasy Faire. The area is so beautiful and they did such a great job putting it all together. We didn’t visit any of the attractions, but we made plans to come back the next day to see both the shows.
Finally we saw the parade again (Disneyland does such a great job with the parades) before calling it a day and heading back to our resort. It was a wonderful day and a great 30th birthday.
To recap, here’s everything we did on Wednesday:
- Emily and Jason Matterhorn
- Kristin and Jacob ride Astro
- Fast pass Autopia
- Star tours
- Nemo
- Buzz
- Use Autopia fp
- Fast pass Space mountain
- Plaza Inn 9:45-11:15
- Ride space mountain
- Fast pass star tours
- Innoventions
- Mickeys magical map
- Mark twain
- Use fast pass at star tours
- Lunch at zorros
- Shopping on Main St
- Meet Aladdin
- Tarzans
- Browse New Orleans sq
- Ride pooh
- Snacks from poohs corner
- Explore thunder ranch
- Casey junior
- Castle walk thru
- Explore Fantasy Faire
- Parade
Catch up on all of my Disneyland Trip Reports.