Our Disney Adventure

It was a long weekend and we were thinking of places to visit. It was Saturday night when we decided to go to Tokyo Disneyland. After checking the weather and thorough planning on how to get there, we were set to go to Disneyland.

Hubby thought we won't push through with the trip because I woke up with a nasty migraine. We got up earlier than usual, it being Sunday and all. I prepared a heavy breakfast then hubby and I took vitamins, nothing was left to chance.

We left our house at around quarter til' 9. It was estimated that the travel time will be just under an hour. But since it was a Sunday, public transport schedule was not as frequent as usual.

There were long queues at the ticket booths. We heard that sometimes they stop selling them due to over capacity, we were a bit worried. Luckily, thanks to good old Japanese efficiency, we got in without a hitch.

We were welcomed by the loud and joyous sound of Disney themes played by the Disney drum and bugle band. There were literally thousands of people walking about as we went pass through the World Bazaar. It was then that we realized that we were in for a fun time in a land where dreams and magic come true.

The plan was to maximize our limited time and for everyone in the family to enjoy. The day was filled with parades and attractions that we wanted to see and we thought that we may not have enough time to see the whole park. Baby Rein couldn't care less what we do really but I can feel that she was also anticipating to see a world full of color and happiness.

After a few minutes inside, it struck me that I was finally fulfilling a childhood dream. It took me 30 years to fulfill this and I felt that my inner child was getting the better of me when I asked hubby to find Mickey Mouse so I can be in a picture with him. He had a big grin and looked at me as if I was also his daughter.

As we approached Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters attraction, it suddenly occured to me that 1 part of the plan may have to wait. The waiting time was 3 hours and the Fast Pass ticket was scheduled for 6 p.m. already. It was then that we decided to skip the rides and just see the colorful parades plus hunt down my favorite Disney mascots for a photo op :)

The first impression I had was that the castle, which is the centerpiece of all Disneyland theme parks worldwide, was not that big. I was expecting a huge and grand castle, one that is really a jaw dropper. Does this mean that we have to go to Orlando and visit Disney World ;)

The first parade we saw was Disney's Halloween Parade. It was sort of an appetizer for the day, just to get our Disney blood pumping. Rein was asleep during the parade, she was totally unaware of the things that were happening around her. Hubby and I then agreed that we have to go back after a couple of years when Rein can fully appreciate and enjoy Disneyland.

I was lucky enough to have pictures with Goofy and Dale (without Chip) but was a bit disappointed not to have one with Mickey and Winnie the Pooh, guess they were too busy. Winnie the Pooh's Hunny Hunt would have been a good attraction for our family but again we had to wait for more than 3 hours and the Fast Pass was sold out.

Then the main event of the day, Disney's Dream on Parade. This is where we saw ALL of the Disney characters. I was very amused that Rein giggled when she saw the beautiful floats and the Disney characters that she is familiar with from our regular book readings.

We had lunch around 3 p.m. at the Plaza Pavillion. We were again lucky to be seated alfresco since right in front of us was the Super Dupper Jumpin Time show with Mickey, Minnie, Donald Duck and Chip & Dale. Talk about hitting two birds with one stone :)

At dusk, we marveled at the beautiful lights that adored the castle as well as the clear sky the served as a nice back drop. I was imagining that I am Cinderella and that it was my Castle. Rein's laughter and consistent hair pulling quickly brought me back to reality ;)

One more parade to go and it was the magnificent Dreamlights parade. The lights were dimmed as the colorful floats passed by. Making it more magical was the perfectly bright full moon on a clear sky. I guess halloween is really fast approaching.

As the day came to a close, the only thing left was the fireworks display. Thoughout the day, hubby and I were searching for the elusive Hotdog vendor! We've been seeing people eating those juicy american style hotdogs and wondering where they bought it. We finally found that it was at the Refreshment Corner where we got a table with a perfect view of the castle for the fireworks.

We were all set to enjoy the last attraction for the day when suddenly......an announcement. At first it was in Japanese and it didn't sound like it was good news. Some nihhon-jins got up and headed for the exit upon hearing it. Then the english one came and indeed it was bad news. They had to cancel the fireworks display because it was more windy than usual. We were disappointed but we understood that accidents may have happened if they continued.