Sunday, January 16, 2011

Hong Kong Disneyland! Yeah!

We told Chase that when she could read and write any three-letter-word, and read/write a sentence of three-letter-words, we would take her to Disneyland.

Having never been to a single Disney park myself (Chase thinks this is because I didn't learn to read/write until last year), I'm not sure who was more excited to go.

Hong Kong Disneyland is located an hour from our house - so close enough to go whenever we want, but far enough to keep us from being regular visitors.












































It was right about this point where Chase totally lost it. Her tongue just went crazy and she started making happy puppy sounds. Notice Mezzebelle in her arms.















Hubs trying to look cool (keep his tongue in) ...















First stop ... pictures with Mickey and Minnie ... (Mads loved them)

































And then a marching band caught our attention...















Walking down Main Street, Chase said, "the air is delicious! Because it smells like buns!"














Hubs wrote his number on Chase's arm... just in case...














I have to say the castle was much smaller then I thought it would be. We are not that far in front of it...














Hubs and Chase took a good look at the map and planned out our day...














First stop - Princess Aurora! She was so lovely. I want to be like her when I grow up.











































She gave Chase a kiss on her cheek. Chase wore it like a medal of honor for the rest of the day.



















We rode the carousel..













We also went to the Winnie The Pooh house, which sounds innocent enough - and started out happy and jolly, but it quickly turned really weird, dark and, I must say creepy. Madoc was terrified and we couldn't get out of Pooh's Honey pot, so we rode through it. I will NEVER take her on that ride again. Ever. It is terrifying. I was scared. I am actually going to write to Disney about it, because it SUCKS to be stuck in a honey pot with a very scared two-year-old, while Tigger jumps out at you in a completely dark room and the woozles are actually nightmarish creatures.

But the tea cups were awesome!



















While I tried to keep my cup from spinning too much (for Mads' sake), Hubs and Chase spun and spun... He looked green when he got off the ride. Maybe this is why...




























And then it was time for a snack. Oh what to eat? The offerings at the closest snack stand included fish balls (pre-packaged, on a stick, original flavor - what could that mean?, Korean dried squid, corn on a stick, some kind of seasoned chicken on a bone and some other less identifiable treats).















And then there was the hot food menu ... (click to enlarge)



















From the snack stand, we could see Tarzan's tree house. We were tempted to go, but the lines and the fact I had been carrying Mads all day made us re-think it.

We also went to the Lion King show and while Chase enjoyed it, Mads and I had to leave early as it was just too much for her.















Instead, we decided to take a boat trip around the island. The driver was hilarious. There were definitely scary parts (Mads clung on tight). And there was this really weird part where you pass by a camp site that is supposed to be inhabited by a scientist, but there are monkeys instead - two of three are holding guns. Seriously. What the? One is looking down the barrel of a shotgun and the other is holding a pistol pointing at the boat. SERIOUSLY. I am SO writing to Disney. How could that possibly be appropriate?














This was another strange one - a Rhino scaring men up a tree - his horn just touches the lowest man's bum, and all move. It's just weird. There was also a head-hunter section (freaky for kids, right?) and there was a big fire section - also terrifying! (poor Mads!)




















But there were a lot of really funny people that kept us laughing throughout. One is below. And she really left the house dressed like this.




















Chase had seen a number of people eating cotton candy, so it became a topic of conversation. And we decided we needed to get some cotton candy. Oh, Chase was SO happy.... (can you even believe that it is four times her head size?).










































She ate as much as she could and eventually became covered in cotton candy strands. Mads didn't care for it. She has always enjoyed spicy, savory things.















Our last ride ...














And on the way out, Chase wanted a picture in the space suit, but couldn't get up high enough for her head to appear ...















So Hubs helped her...















And then we went on the train, that goes around the outside of the park, and doesn't really show you anything except trees, because you are behind the exhibits. Weird. At this point the girls were totally spent, hungry and just needed to sit for a while. So sitting back and watching the trees go by actually worked well for us.






































Lessons learned...
A) Never take a 2-year-old on a ride where you can't see the ENTIRE ride - it's bad news every time.

B) Bring lots of snacks

C) Be sure the camera is charged (our battery light started flashing early on so pics are limited)

D) Bring stroller and Ergo carrier. Mads ended up wanting to be carried most of the day, but it was sure nice to sit her in the stroller.

E) If you have two kids of two different ages, be sure there are two adults so you can split up.

F) Space Mountain is a crazy ride. I reminded me of a taxi ride I had not too long ago that I never wanted to have again. Ever.