Disney 2012

We added something different to our biennial trek to the land of lines ... Disneyland. This year's touring company included my sister Georgia, Matt, Carl, Ter and Andrew. Georgia and I had decided to take the two little boys and invited whoever else wanted to go. Turns out that most of the family have new jobs or other vacation plans so it was just the 6 of us.
We rented a van and left during the wee hours of the morning driving straight through to Anaheim. To break up the monotony of the journey I had been collecting "treasures' for several months. Every hour on the hour the little boys got to unwrap a surprise. The prizes were things like a coloring book and crayons, treats, and Cars cars of course. I have used this trick before and it really helps children endure a long car ride without whining.
Our trip plans were to check into the hotel, spend the rest of the day at the parks the first day and all day the second day. We had bought a two day park hopper and a ticket for Mickey's Halloween Party. This was a surprise for the little boys and we weren't going to tell them about it until right before going. We planned to spend the morning and early afternoon of the third day swimming and relaxing. Our tickets let us into the park at 3pm. 
Monday morning quarterback thoughts: This plan looked great on paper. However, we did decide that we could make some improvements. Next time, I think we would forgo heading to the park when we arrive. Instead, we will spend the time settling into the hotel and then swimming and relaxing after the drive. That gives everyone time to decompress after the drive before dealing with crowds and lines.
This was our first time going to the Halloween Party. I relied on advise of friends for their tips and I thought I'd return the favor by sharing what I learned on this trip over the next few blog posts.
This trip we spent most of our two day park hopper in California Disney.  Andrew's one thought was Radiator Springs in Cars Land. We had heard that the lines there were at times a two hour wait. We just wanted to scout it at and figure out our plan of attack for the next day. The three taller boys realized that they could just zip onto the single rider line and so off they went. Andrew and I walked around looking at all of the cool Cars Land stuff. Here is my tips to help make your trip down Route 66 happier.
First, the single rider line option is great if you are okay with riding with strangers and if everyone in your party is tall enough to ride alone. The concept of single rider is that if a party of 4 gets on the ride they fill the rest of the ride with people from the single rider line. This cut a 90 minute wait down to 20.
We had a plan for our second day to get there early and send Carl to get our fast passes while the rest of us got in line. That's not exactly how it works. They let you in the park early and you should definitely hand your entry ticket off to someone to get in the fast pass line. That was me! Everyone else lined up at the rope and waited the thirty minutes there. The cast members then walk you back parade style to the ride entry. While in the fast pass line I met a great family from Minnesota and learned all about them. This is one of the pluses of lines... getting to know the folks around you. I was able to get our fast passes for Radiator Springs easily. But you do need to do this first thing. I was near the front of the line, but the line quickly wrapped all the way back to forever!
Another thing was the character meet and greets. Lightning and Tow Mater trade off every 20 minutes. So if you're in line to see one or the other know that there could be a switch. This line went rather quickly even though there is no rush in taking your pictures. In fact, the official Disney photographer is happy to take a picture with your personal camera for you so don't feel shy about asking. Also, be sure to ask the cast members if they have any pins, not the trading kind but the big round button type. These are free for the asking and a fun souvenier. Andrew really wanted to meet Red (the fire truck). He is found between Cars and Bugs Land if you're looking for him.
We didn't ride on Luigi's Flying Tires ... the lines there were much too long. But we did take a spin on Mater's Junkyard Jamboree. This was fun but not a gentle ride. You get whipped around pretty good as you sit in the back of the little tractor.
Our review of the new Cars Land was 8 Hubcaps. Disney left out no details and it was truly the movie brought to life.