Matt woke up with his recurring eye pain today. We were smart enough to pack his drops so we started him on the most basic one hoping it would help. We had breakfast and headed to Disneyland just in time for opening.
Our strategy was to start in Tomorrowland and then ride the train to New Orleans Square. We picked up fast passes for Space Mountain and rode AstroBlasters, loving the interactive video game style and the awesome attention to detail.
Space Mountain is my favorite, so I was eager to ride it but as we returned with fastpass in hand, we found it temporarily closed. So disappointing! No use standing around though - there were pirates and ghosts awaiting us after all, so we jumped on the train and headed to New Orleans Square. I had no idea there was so much to see along the railroad - I loved it!
First off, we thought an eye patch might help Matt, and I knew there was a pirate store, so we bought the patch, skull/crossbones and all, knowing we were at the only place in the world where he could wear it without attracting any attention.
Our plan was to see Pirates next, but Matt's pain was increasing by the minute. I was devastated as months of expectations and excitement melted before my eyes, and my husband suffered while I was powerless to help. We finally decided to head back to the hotel, having been at the park for less than 2 hours.
Among our stash of eye drops, I found a topical pain killer, so a strictly scheduled dosing of that, and a nap had Matt feeling like he could tolerate some fun. We were back to the park by 4pm - and we were determined.
What could we squeeze into just 4 more hours? I'm glad you asked. They say the average visitor hits 10 rides in one day, so I think we did pretty well hitting 6 in 4 measly hours.
Pirates was the highest priority, and we loved every second from the front row in our boat!
Haunted Mansion was next, and I was amazed by how changed it is for the holidays. Like a totally different ride!
We hopped the train to Tomorrowland, so we could see the rest of the railroad. It was dark and the Christmas lights were on so the view of the park was spectacular, particularly as we drove behind Small World. (And yes, I'm counting the train as a ride.)
Then, the Matterhorn. Is there any ride in Disney capable of making you feel more like an old giant? So lurchy, and rickety! I'd be ok not doing that one ever again I think. Matt loved it though!
Since we were in Fantasyland, I insisted on Small World. I hadn't ridden it in at least 13 years and I knew things had changed. Matt agreed to go only for my sake, and I was pleased to see it decked out inside and out for the holidays. Beautiful. Different. Gorgeous. Worth it. (Also, they work in a Christmas medley, so it's not just the one sound track that makes you want to stick forks in your ears.)
We came out just in time to see the fireworks starting - perfect since we'd heard them from our hotel the night before. What a beautiful show. And then they made it snow in Disneyland.
What a beautiful, memorable, romantic evening. It made the dark shadow of our day fade away and we felt like a rough day had been redeemed.
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