disneyland part seven

Shopping:

I think the best advice I can give when it comes to purchasing

 all the cute little souvenirs that are everywhere in the park

is give your children their own money and let them go at it. 

 It will surprise you how smart they are with their choices. 

Last time we went the kids knew we were going for a

 few months before we went. 

They were saving every penny for the trip.

  We told them that anything in the park that they

wanted they would have to buy themselves.

  We wondered how this would work out & were slightly worried that they would

spend all their money & then beg the rest of the trip

 for everything else they wanted. 

 We were pleasantly surprised when they spent the whole trip

asking how much everything was, how much that would leave them with,

 and most of the time putting things back, in case they found something better.

Since they didn't have the luxury of saving for this surprise trip,

we just gave them each they same dollar amount to spend.

They did the same thing as last time,

very conscience of what everything cost.

T spent $4 dollars

(he is saving for a gun & looked at his money as just a big payday! ha ha)

B spent about $60 dollars

M came home with $11 dollars! She wanted to hit every shop in sight!

I think she is slightly like her dear mother!

B found some 'goo' in the gift shop by the Buzz Lightyear ride,

he was having some remorse about not buying it.

On our way back to our hotel on the last night we stopped at the

Disney 'Super" Store in Downtown Disney.

I think you can find anything they sell at the park in that store!

There is a great shop in Frontierland that the kids just loved.

it had a little bit of everything.  Also they had the embroidery machine

to do the names on the hats there.

Characters:

We didn't find a tremendous amount of time looking for characters this trip.

I like going to the locations in the parks that you know that characters

will always be. (Pixie Hollow, Princess Fantasy Faire, Toontown)

We ran into Alice, The Mad Hatter & The White Rabbit by the tea cups.

We were able to get autographs and pictures with the Mad Hatter and Rabbit, but

Alice left before we could get a picture.

Main Street first thing in the morning is a great time to find characters.

And our favorite is one of the different character dining options that they offer.

We have been to Goofy's Kitchen twice & it never disappoints.

M was really into the characters, B wanted his book signed,

but he wanted me to do it & he refused most times to get in the picture with them.

 T came home with an empty book & was in one family

picture with Chip & Dale, only because we forced him to!

I know it's just their age, and the times we have gone before they were

just like M loving every character filled moment.

One last ride:

Saturday we spent the day at the beach.

When we got back to the hotel & cleaned up

we gave the kids the option of going back for a few hours to catch a few last rides.

They were totally up for that.

We took the monorail in and as soon as we got off

M & I rode the Finding Nemo Submarines.

She thought it was great!

We then ran & rode It's a Small World.

Everyone was lining up for a parade,

and as we got off the ride the parade was still going.

We watched from the stairs to the left next to the gift shop

 the ride sends you out into.

It was a perfect spot to watch from.

There was a pillar with a big cement ball that I sat M on

and I just stood behind her. I'm sure if they would have seen us they

would have asked me to take her down, but it was the perfect view for her.

The floats are amazing!!

Lots of fun music & dancing!

The parade route is marked on the maps.

It begins right by It's a Small World & it seems like that's a

less crowded area to watch from.

The boys rode The Matterhorn and Star Tours.

We met up and went on the Snow White ride.

Then headed into Frontier Land.

T & M wanted to ride The Pirates of the Caribbean,

B wanted to go to The Haunted Mansion.

The line for the mansion was huge!

I think it was a 30 minute wait, and by far our longest of the trip.

It's decorated for Halloween & so delightful!

New Orleans Square was packed with people waiting for Fantasmic.

We decided it was time to end our journey.

We made a stop at the candy store on Main Street for a treat,

and walked back to the hotel exhausted & happy.

We ordered room service when we got back

& spent the night dreaming sweet mouse eared dreams.

Everytime we go I'm making plans for the next time.