Caroline kept asking to ride Nemo on Day 1, but we did not want to waste 3 hours in line so Matt decided to wake up early on the 2nd day and get to the park before it opened while Nana and I slept in a bit. They arrived around 7:40 and got in line. As soon as they got in the park they headed for the Nemo ride, but the wait was already 2-3 hours long. Instead they went to ride other rides. They rode the Matterhorn, Pinocchio’s Daring Adventure, and It’s a Small World. Then they headed over to Toontown where they saw Goofy, Pluto, and Minnie, rode on the Go Gadget Coaster and played in Donald’s Boathouse and in the Fire station. By that time Nana, Poppy and I had gotten to the park. We all got on the Big Thunder Mountain Roller Coaster which we all really enjoyed. We wanted to ride the Pirate Ship Colombia, but it wasn’t sailing anytime soon so we headed to Tomorrowland. In Tomorrowland we rode Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters which was like a Video Game and a ride all in one. Then we did the Star Wars Star Tours then headed back over to California Adventures for lunch.
While deciding where to eat lunch Nana saw a place called Ariel’s Grotto on the map near the pier so we headed over there. When we arrived we found out it was a priority seating character restaurant where you get to meet Ariel and then other princesses come to your table to visit and take pictures. The hostess asked us if we had reservations and when we said no she said they were taking some walk-ins. We lucked out and got in fairly quickly. After an expensive and disappointing lunch the day before it was a relief to get some good food in the park. During dinner we were visited by Cinderella, Snow White, Belle and Sleeping Beauty so we got pictures and autographs with each of them. It did take a large chunk of our day, but I felt it was worth it to see the excitement in Caroline’s eyes.
After lunch Caroline wanted to ride the Sun Wheel on a swinging car. The line was fairly long for a swinging car and while the view of the parks was nice the ride itself was just like any other Ferris wheel. While on that side of the park we went to see if Caroline was tall enough to ride the Mulholland Madness roller coaster. She measured at 42” so we hopped in line. This opened up a few more rides for her in both parks. I think she liked this ride more than I did. Next we headed to Nana’s favorite ride The Hollywood Tower of Terror which goes up and down in a free fall drop. After about a 30 minute wait we were almost to the front of the line Caroline says “I have to go potty.” We told her she had to hold it since we were next in line. We both had death grips on the handles and I tried to warn her as much as possible on what to expect. When I looked over she wasn’t smiling, but she wasn’t crying either. When we got off I asked if she was ready to go again and she said “Not now, but maybe later.” We went on and on about how brave she was and how most 3 yr olds have never ridden the ride. She was so proud of herself. She kept saying she got a little scared and I assured her that almost everyone else there did too since that was part of the fun.
For a nice change of pace we headed over to the Soarin’ Over California. Unfortunately Poppy had to leave for the airport before riding, but he stayed in line with us for a while to talk and say our goodbyes. This ride was spectacular and took us on a ride through the diverse landscapes in California from the Redwoods to the beach to skiing in the mountains to orange groves. It really did a great job of showing the cities and country side all in a 5-10 minute ride. After riding that we were done in California Adventure for the day and headed back to Disney.
Matt and Caroline decided to split off and go ride Splash Mountain while Nana and I rode the Indiana Jones ride which Caroline couldn’t ride due to height. We waited in line 30-45 minutes then when we were all loaded in the car and next in line to go the ride broke down. We sat there for about 15 minutes not knowing if it would be fixed or not, but they did finally fix it so we went through the ride. While not one of my favorites it was fun looking at the scenery and the detail in the sets. When we got back they asked us if we wanted to go again and after an hour wait for a 5 minute ride we of course said sure. I wouldn’t have waited to go a second time, but it was worth seeing it again and getting some of the details I missed the first time around. Then Nana and I walked through Tarzan’s Treehouse, which Nana remembered when it was the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse, while waiting for Matt and Caroline to return from Splash Mountain. When they got back Caroline wanted to see Tarzan’s Treehouse so I took her up there just in time for sunset. The sunset was beautiful from up there! We had dinner then Caroline insisted that we watch Fantasmic again. This time Nana found us a wonderful place to stand even though people started lining up as early as 6:30 for the 8:30 show and it was already 7:30. It was nice to see the whole show and Matt was glad he didn’t have to keep Caroline on his shoulders the whole time to see it. It was just as amazing the 2nd time around and Caroline enjoyed it so much.
We braved the crowds after the show and tried to head to Space Mountain before heading home. The line was LONG and we were all tired. None more so than Caroline though. After about 10 minutes in line she asked daddy to pick her up and fell asleep on his shoulder. We ended up leaving once she fell asleep which was easier said than done since the fireworks had just ended. The crowds were horrible trying to get out of the park and we were switching off who had to carry the sleeping Caroline. When we finally made it to the bus stop the line to get back on the bus was even long. Luckily we made it on the 2nd bus which came just minutes after the 1st one. We got back to the room around 11pm and all fell into bed. Nana, Caroline and I were excited to have a lazy day after spending two solid days on the run. Matt’s conference started the next day so this was his last day of actual vacation for a few days. It was such a wonderful day we all decided we had to go back Friday.
http://picasaweb.google.com/MandyDuncan/Day6DisneyDay2?authkey=_1TBqVubgy0
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Day 5 - Disney Day 1
Matt and I woke up around 6:45 and neither of us could go back to sleep because of the anticipation so we woke Caroline up and started to get ready for the longest and one of the most exciting days of her life. Around 8 we went to have breakfast then caught the shuttle around 8:45. She was so excited while waiting for the shuttle and during the ride over. After a short ride we arrived and once inside the magic had begun.
First, we hopped on the Disneyland Railroad to get a brief tour of some of the lands and to get to Fantasyland where most of the child geared rides were. Once we arrived in Fantasyland we got in line for the Alice in Wonderland ride. It was a car ride that took us through the Alice in Wonderland story. After that daddy and Poppy took her on the Tea Cups while Nana and I took pictures and video. She liked them, but was quickly ready to go on to the next ride.
Next was Mr Toad’s Wild Ride which was a little too loud which was unnerving for her. As we were leaving Mr. Toad’s we saw King Arthur’s Sword in the Stone Ceremony so we stopped to watch for a bit. On the way to the Storybook adventure ride she saw the whale’s mouth the boat travels through and changed her mind about going. Once we showed her the other side of the tunnel she was fine and we hopped in line. This was a nice, peaceful ride through miniature scenes of some of her favorite character’s houses and scenes. The detail was amazing and it was all so beautiful.
After that she wanted to go on the Carousel. Luckily the line wasn’t too long since we have carousel’s at home to ride. We stopped in a gift shop afterwards and while we were there Nana came running in saying there were some characters outside. Once we got outside they were gone, but the Disney Band was heading out to do their show on the steps of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle. Mickey and the gang danced and sang some of the traditional Disney songs and talked about the magic of Disney. I think this was just as exciting for me as it was for her and it really brought the magic alive in us all.
After lunch Caroline and I went on Dumbo the Flying Elephant ride which was one of the few rides I remember from my trip to Disney World when I was 3. It was wonderful to share that experience with her and I hope she enjoyed it as much as I did as a child. Then we went to my all time favorite ride of my trip to Disney, It’s a Small World. Since then she’s been asked by people what her favorite part of Disney has been and she has said It’s a Small World on more than one occasion. I’ve sung that song to her since she was a newborn so finally seeing the ride I hope made it that much more special.
Next it was on to visit with the Princesses. She was so excited to see Sleeping Beauty, but unfortunately she had to leave before we made it through the line. We got to meet Minnie Mouse, Snow White, Jasmine, Cinderella and Minnie Mouse. We got pictures and autographs from each of them. Then we got her face painted like a butterfly that matched her outfit. This was the first time she had her face painted and she really enjoyed it. I knew I was waiting for a special time to have it painted for the first time. It was well worth the wait to make it here at Disney. So many people commented on it and she felt so special.
Matt had to split off to get some work stuff done so he wouldn’t have to do it on Monday so Nana, Poppy and I took her to the coronation ceremony. She was officially named a Princess at this Royal Celebration. We headed back towards the gate to watch the parade.
Before the parade started three dancing chefs and the rats from Ratatouille came by. Then the Parade of Dreams started with Tinkerbell riding on the main float and Merlin and other characters dancing in front. The whole parade was amazing and she kept waving and yelling Hi to all the characters. The floats were beautiful and the music and dancing was great too. She really enjoyed the parade and I’m glad we took the time to watch it.
After the parade we met back up with Matt and headed to California Adventure to get in line for the Aladdin Musical show. On our way there we walked by the Block Party Bash with all the Pixar characters. Matt stopped to watch with Caroline while Nana, Poppy and I went to get in line. The show was incredible and Caroline cracked up at some of the current pop culture references like when Genie broke into the High School Musical song “Get Your Head in the Game.” She loved seeing Jasmine and Aladdin soar through the air on the magic carpet.
By the time it was all over we headed to the House of Blues for dinner then back to Disney’s Frontierland for the “Fantasmic” show. It was true to its name and was absolutely FANTASMIC!!!! The music was amazing and it was so cool how they showed video clips on mist that sprayed from the river. The show added fireworks and other special lighting effects to really make it fabulous. Then when all was relatively calm there was a loud blast from the cannon on the Sailing Ship Colombia where Peter Pan and Captain Hook had a spectacular battle. Then the Mark Twain Riverboat came by with all the characters on board. It was a wonderful end to an amazing show.
As soon as it was over we headed towards the Castle to watch the fireworks, but decided to go to the Matterhorn roller coaster instead. We did get to see quite a bit of the show on the way there and came to an opening in time to watch Tinkerbell fly above the castle among the fireworks. The line for the Matterhorn was fairly short and while it scared Caroline a little bit she said she might go on it again. She said the ride made her ‘tummy laugh.’
Then we went to Space Mountain to round out the evening since she did so well on the first roller coaster. The line for Space Mountain was LONG and seemed to take forever. We were all tired and cranky, but we stuck it out. The ride was a ton of fun and Caroline enjoyed it too. She said “I didn’t get scared” as soon as we got off. The few times it was light in the ride I looked back to see her big beautiful smile and not a look of sheer terror like I think I would have had at that age. We walked back to the bus stop and as soon as Caroline sat down she leaned against daddy and fell fast asleep. We got to the hotel around 11:30pm and all fell into bed in preparation for another grand adventure the next day.
http://picasaweb.google.com/MandyDuncan/Day4DisneylandDay1?authkey=uQUqMhPDoHs
First, we hopped on the Disneyland Railroad to get a brief tour of some of the lands and to get to Fantasyland where most of the child geared rides were. Once we arrived in Fantasyland we got in line for the Alice in Wonderland ride. It was a car ride that took us through the Alice in Wonderland story. After that daddy and Poppy took her on the Tea Cups while Nana and I took pictures and video. She liked them, but was quickly ready to go on to the next ride.
Next was Mr Toad’s Wild Ride which was a little too loud which was unnerving for her. As we were leaving Mr. Toad’s we saw King Arthur’s Sword in the Stone Ceremony so we stopped to watch for a bit. On the way to the Storybook adventure ride she saw the whale’s mouth the boat travels through and changed her mind about going. Once we showed her the other side of the tunnel she was fine and we hopped in line. This was a nice, peaceful ride through miniature scenes of some of her favorite character’s houses and scenes. The detail was amazing and it was all so beautiful.
After that she wanted to go on the Carousel. Luckily the line wasn’t too long since we have carousel’s at home to ride. We stopped in a gift shop afterwards and while we were there Nana came running in saying there were some characters outside. Once we got outside they were gone, but the Disney Band was heading out to do their show on the steps of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle. Mickey and the gang danced and sang some of the traditional Disney songs and talked about the magic of Disney. I think this was just as exciting for me as it was for her and it really brought the magic alive in us all.
After lunch Caroline and I went on Dumbo the Flying Elephant ride which was one of the few rides I remember from my trip to Disney World when I was 3. It was wonderful to share that experience with her and I hope she enjoyed it as much as I did as a child. Then we went to my all time favorite ride of my trip to Disney, It’s a Small World. Since then she’s been asked by people what her favorite part of Disney has been and she has said It’s a Small World on more than one occasion. I’ve sung that song to her since she was a newborn so finally seeing the ride I hope made it that much more special.
Next it was on to visit with the Princesses. She was so excited to see Sleeping Beauty, but unfortunately she had to leave before we made it through the line. We got to meet Minnie Mouse, Snow White, Jasmine, Cinderella and Minnie Mouse. We got pictures and autographs from each of them. Then we got her face painted like a butterfly that matched her outfit. This was the first time she had her face painted and she really enjoyed it. I knew I was waiting for a special time to have it painted for the first time. It was well worth the wait to make it here at Disney. So many people commented on it and she felt so special.
Matt had to split off to get some work stuff done so he wouldn’t have to do it on Monday so Nana, Poppy and I took her to the coronation ceremony. She was officially named a Princess at this Royal Celebration. We headed back towards the gate to watch the parade.
Before the parade started three dancing chefs and the rats from Ratatouille came by. Then the Parade of Dreams started with Tinkerbell riding on the main float and Merlin and other characters dancing in front. The whole parade was amazing and she kept waving and yelling Hi to all the characters. The floats were beautiful and the music and dancing was great too. She really enjoyed the parade and I’m glad we took the time to watch it.
After the parade we met back up with Matt and headed to California Adventure to get in line for the Aladdin Musical show. On our way there we walked by the Block Party Bash with all the Pixar characters. Matt stopped to watch with Caroline while Nana, Poppy and I went to get in line. The show was incredible and Caroline cracked up at some of the current pop culture references like when Genie broke into the High School Musical song “Get Your Head in the Game.” She loved seeing Jasmine and Aladdin soar through the air on the magic carpet.
By the time it was all over we headed to the House of Blues for dinner then back to Disney’s Frontierland for the “Fantasmic” show. It was true to its name and was absolutely FANTASMIC!!!! The music was amazing and it was so cool how they showed video clips on mist that sprayed from the river. The show added fireworks and other special lighting effects to really make it fabulous. Then when all was relatively calm there was a loud blast from the cannon on the Sailing Ship Colombia where Peter Pan and Captain Hook had a spectacular battle. Then the Mark Twain Riverboat came by with all the characters on board. It was a wonderful end to an amazing show.
As soon as it was over we headed towards the Castle to watch the fireworks, but decided to go to the Matterhorn roller coaster instead. We did get to see quite a bit of the show on the way there and came to an opening in time to watch Tinkerbell fly above the castle among the fireworks. The line for the Matterhorn was fairly short and while it scared Caroline a little bit she said she might go on it again. She said the ride made her ‘tummy laugh.’
Then we went to Space Mountain to round out the evening since she did so well on the first roller coaster. The line for Space Mountain was LONG and seemed to take forever. We were all tired and cranky, but we stuck it out. The ride was a ton of fun and Caroline enjoyed it too. She said “I didn’t get scared” as soon as we got off. The few times it was light in the ride I looked back to see her big beautiful smile and not a look of sheer terror like I think I would have had at that age. We walked back to the bus stop and as soon as Caroline sat down she leaned against daddy and fell fast asleep. We got to the hotel around 11:30pm and all fell into bed in preparation for another grand adventure the next day.
http://picasaweb.google.com/MandyDuncan/Day4DisneylandDay1?authkey=uQUqMhPDoHs
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Duncan Vacation - Day 4
We woke up at 5 am this morning to get ready to leave. We had breakfast at Cracker Barrel which seems like the start of every good road trip. After breakfast we were off. The whole trip took around 7 hours and was an uneventful drive. Once we got to Anaheim we checked into the hotel which is just about a mile from Disneyland and got stuff ready to go to Newport Beach. After sitting in traffic getting to the beach we finally arrived. After looking for a parking spot for a while Poppy dropped the rest of us off and went to find a spot.
Caroline LOVED LOVED LOVED the beach. Of course we had a small mix up and forgot her swimsuit so she just went in her clothes since we had a change for her. She loved picking up seashells and playing in the sand. We didn't stay too long since it was dinner time, but I did get some pictures of the fun. Matt and Caroline changed out of their sandy clothes and we walked to a restaurant for dinner. It was a pretty slow restaurant, but it was good when we finally got food. Caroline was POOPED when we got in the car and fell asleep almost as soon as we got in the car.
We're planning our day at Disneyland and California Adventure for tomorrow so that's all for today. Tomorrow is the BIG DAY for Disney!!!! Here are the pictures from Caroline's first day at the beach. I think our week is pretty much planned and we will be back at the beach for portrait type pictures on Friday. Hope everyone is well at home!
Today's images: http://picasaweb.google.com/MandyDuncan/Day3Beach?authkey=GqcMVVjygKU
Caroline LOVED LOVED LOVED the beach. Of course we had a small mix up and forgot her swimsuit so she just went in her clothes since we had a change for her. She loved picking up seashells and playing in the sand. We didn't stay too long since it was dinner time, but I did get some pictures of the fun. Matt and Caroline changed out of their sandy clothes and we walked to a restaurant for dinner. It was a pretty slow restaurant, but it was good when we finally got food. Caroline was POOPED when we got in the car and fell asleep almost as soon as we got in the car.
We're planning our day at Disneyland and California Adventure for tomorrow so that's all for today. Tomorrow is the BIG DAY for Disney!!!! Here are the pictures from Caroline's first day at the beach. I think our week is pretty much planned and we will be back at the beach for portrait type pictures on Friday. Hope everyone is well at home!
Today's images: http://picasaweb.google.com/MandyDuncan/Day3Beach?authkey=GqcMVVjygKU
Friday, July 20, 2007
Duncan Vacation - Day 3
This morning we woke up and Matt cooked us breakfast then we headed off to the Train Park. We stopped at an estate sale on the way then got to the train park around noon, just in time for the next train ride. Caroline had a blast on the train ride which lasted 10-15 mins and took us around the whole park. After that Matt and Caroline rode the carousel then we went to play at the play area. We didn't stay long at the play area because it was hot hot hot (go figure! it's Phoenix). We went to lunch then headed back home to relax. Nana, Poppy, Caroline and I got in the pool for a few hours while Matt snoozed on the couch. I'm not near as fun as daddy in the pool, but Caroline didn't mind TOO much. We're packing up now so we will be ready to leave EARLY in the morning. I think we are planning on getting up around 5am and hopefully heading out before rush hour. Next time I post it will be from California! Caroline keeps asking if we're still in Arizona and tomorrow we will be able to say "no" finally!
Today's pictures can be found here: http://picasaweb.google.com/MandyDuncan/DuncanVacationDay3?authkey=B__5cqru9I0
Today's pictures can be found here: http://picasaweb.google.com/MandyDuncan/DuncanVacationDay3?authkey=B__5cqru9I0
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Duncan Vacation - Day 2
Today Caroline woke up around 5:30am and the first words out of her mouth were "can we go swimming?" We made her stay in the bedroom until 7:30 then she and I went into the other room and colored until the rest of the house was awake. Once Matt woke up he took her in the pool. They were having SOOO much fun. Matt was throwing her through the air and she would come up and say "Do it again daddy!" I kept waiting for her to get scared, but the girl is fearless, which is not necessarily a good thing. I ended up getting in for a little while before we had to get ready to head out.
We went to lunch then to the outdoor mall. We went shopping for a little bit then to the spray grounds in the middle of the mall for Caroline to run through. She wasn't as impressed with the spray grounds and we ended up not staying too long. She was so tired from waking up early and swimming that we made her sit down and watch a movie before swimming again. She wasn't having anything to do with a nap and Matt ended up getting in the pool with her again. This time she learned to do a flip off the side of the pool and off of Matt's shoulders. She also learned the art of the belly flop.
I have added a link to an online gallery of images from today. I hope you enjoy them! I'm sure we will be swimming more tomorrow. I don't know if we have any big plans or not, but we will have plenty of "go go go" once we get to LA so I'm savoring the relaxation. I hope to update every few days at least.
http://picasaweb.google.com/MandyDuncan/DuncanVacationDay2?authkey=Wq2Neziqhxc
We went to lunch then to the outdoor mall. We went shopping for a little bit then to the spray grounds in the middle of the mall for Caroline to run through. She wasn't as impressed with the spray grounds and we ended up not staying too long. She was so tired from waking up early and swimming that we made her sit down and watch a movie before swimming again. She wasn't having anything to do with a nap and Matt ended up getting in the pool with her again. This time she learned to do a flip off the side of the pool and off of Matt's shoulders. She also learned the art of the belly flop.
I have added a link to an online gallery of images from today. I hope you enjoy them! I'm sure we will be swimming more tomorrow. I don't know if we have any big plans or not, but we will have plenty of "go go go" once we get to LA so I'm savoring the relaxation. I hope to update every few days at least.
http://picasaweb.google.com/MandyDuncan/DuncanVacationDay2?authkey=Wq2Neziqhxc
Duncan Vacation - Day One
Our flight was uneventful and we arrived in Phoenix around 3:30 in the afternoon. I'm sure you're shocked, but it was sunny and HOT! Once we got to Nancy and Chuck's house Caroline was ready for a swim. I think she was a mermaid in a previous life because she was swimming with little to no instruction from us. We stayed in the pool a while then Nancy cooked us a wonderful Salmon dinner. We watched Ice Age 2 and put Caroline to bed. I didn't pull the camera out today so no pictures, but check back tomorrow.
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