Yeah. This was a grim day in US history. I really wanted to march but given this rare chance to be with the kids and do something they really wanted to do, we were at Disneyland! And it was pouring down rain.
Again, Tom was at his work meeting, so we planned to meet him in Anaheim later in the day. It took about an hour to drive from Chino to Anaheim–all in the pouring down rain. Dylan sat up in front with me and we chatted about all sorts of things — I love talking to him — all while hoping the rain would at least let up.
Big kids and I talked a lot about Alexander Hamilton since we were listening to parts of the soundtrack! And, I’ll admit, most of what I know about him is from the songs!
Anyway, as mentioned, rain did not let up, not even a little. But, we were determined. We headed to CVS and bought some rain ponchos and extra umbrellas. I was really, really, really, really reluctant to follow through with this Disneyland plan and I was super annoyed with myself for not having seized the opportunity to go the day before when it was clear outside! But, the kids looked so sad and crestfallen whenever I suggested maybe it wasn’t a good idea to go.
So, with ponchos and umbrellas, we walked 20 minutes from hotel to Disneyland entrance. During packing time back at home, I advised the big kids to pack their rainboots (I packed mine and Chloe’s), but I did not follow-up (due, in part, to the fact that my manager had assigned a bug to me that he asked me to resolve/update that night — via text message sent after I had already left the office — so I was irritated and distracted!)…so, poor Dylan and Cameron had soaking wet feet by the time we got to the entrance….And, it was still pouring down rain like you wouldn’t believe! And, there was a high wind advisory.
By this time, I was really reluctant. What would be open? What could we ride? Were the kids’ feet going to freeze off? Would they suffer from hypothermia?? Would we just be sitting in the Tiki Room?? And, too wet for the stroller, how many hours would Chloe last if she had to walk the entire time?? AND (so many “ands”), it was “premium pricing” due to opening night of Electrical parade so it would set us back ~$100/person to get in!
I suggested to the kids that we get some hot cocoa first (I was hoping rain would die down). We looked for rain boots in the Disney store and asked about finding rain boots elsewhere. No rain boots to be found anywhere!!! It’s sunny southern CA, after all!
Now, everyone was glum. Wet and cold feet, the highly-anticipated Disneyland trip in question…nothing but french fries to eat at the cafe and no sign of the end to the rain. While we sat there, we saw a mass exodus of people leaving the park! And, I thought and thought and thought while poor kids frowned and tried to enjoy hot cocoa.
I looked up “Things to do in Disneyland in the rain,” sent the kids across to the Disney store to look for flip flops (suggested as an alternative to enduring soggy shoes all day) and continued to wonder (while they were away–store was within eye sight of our table) if their toes would freeze even in flip flops!
Then, finally, I asked a nice couple sitting next to us what the status of the parks was. They hadn’t gone in but were planning on it. But as season pass holders, they weren’t that concerned about not getting much done. However, they did recommend an app which I did download–it showed wait times and which attractions were closed, etc…
I restarted cost-benefit analysis: no wait times for everything, Small World open but Haunted House (a big-kid fave) closed, Pirates, Big Thunder Mountain, Hyperspace Mountain, Monorail open but Autopia closed, Jungle Cruise closed, but Indiana Jones open….Dumbo OPEN! Storybookland closed. Casey Jr. closed, Alice in Wonderland closed, Carousel open.
I decided, aw heck. There were enough open rides to make it worth their smiles. And, it was.
Thing 3 in poncho at the cafe waiting for the rain to subside…
Vegan hot cocoa made with almond milk:
Thing 1, trying to be a trooper:
After umbrellas inverted on way into the park, once in, it stopped raining!!!
Waiting for big kids at Big Thundermountain:
The big kids were super nice about accommodating Chloe since Universal Studios was kind of a bust for her:
And, yes, it started coming down again when we were on the carousel, but miraculously, it stopped once we got off! Throughout the day, it would rain, but we never had to put our ponchos back on…used the umbrella a few times, but we generally got lucky with the weather!
More Chloe love from the big kids–we all rode Dumbo:
Li’l cup o’ tea:
You can’t tell from that picture, but there was about a foot of water in the bottom of that cup!
Matterhorn!
Astro Orbit:
I think the castle was redone…:
Tom arrived in Anaheim in the evening and we discovered the hotel gave our room away so we were upgraded to a suite! Sweet! We decided he should join us at Disneyland as it was no longer raining and kids wanted to eat Gumbo for dinner and Cameron needed to ride Hyperspace Mountain with someone (Dylan did not want to ride).
After Gumbo dinner, Tom took Chloe and Dylan to find a spot for the parade and Cameron and I rode Space Mountain twice!! Only 10 minutes wait! Cameron and I got to the parade just in time.
Parade time:
Mom’s eye view:
Overall, it was well worth it and I’m glad Dylan persuaded me to head on in!
