California Adventure Park and Disneyland - Sunday

The day dawned bright with the promise of a grand American breakfast at Goofy's Kitchen, prebooked for weeks. Oh, so much sugar with lashings of lard and Disney characters! Sienna was in awe of the available number of opportunities for excessive and unnecessary indulgence. Even the bread was sweet. The highlights were the Creme Brulee and French toast (in the same pan) and the Peanut Butter and Jelly Pizza. We knew it would be bad, but this was beyond our worst imaginings.




We got back to our room to find that Sienna had left the maids a note asking them to "please leave some coins for my babies" (her dolls). The maids were sucked in and left chocolate coins for her. They arrived to photograph the note, Sienna and the dolls. We now have more than two dozen chocolate coins in our fridge.

Today was designated a "wet day" where we did all the rides where there was a risk of getting wet. We started with the Grizzly River Run, a white water rafting adventure. Peter and Gina got soaked. Sienna and I were a little bit wet. Stephanie was safe onshore. Then we went to Disneyland for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (dry) followed by a trip on the Mark Twain paddle steamer on the rivers of America. Then we headed for Critter Country and Splash Mountain where we all got wet.

We waited for a Winnie the Pooh photo opportunity, followed by the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh ride. The Haunted Mansion Holiday was next on the list. It was a not-at-all scary promotion for Nightmare before Christmas, the new movie. Then we checked out Mickey's Toontown for an obligatory hot dog, walk around Minnie and Mickey's very separate houses and a ride on Gadget's Go Coaster. We finished off the section with Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin. Pretty lame, really. We were ready for real danger!

We bypassed the four million people waiting to see It's a Small World After All and caught the monorail back to Downtown Disney for a quick hotel pitstop before venturing out to the Vineyard Room at the Golden Vine Winery (a virtual winery in CAP). We had a really good dinner with drinkable Californian red which much improved everyone's spirits after a very long day.

The finale... The adults rode on California Screamin', a ride "designed to look and sound like an old fashioned wooden roller coaster but with thrills as modern as they get. The ride starts at lagoon level where the long car bursts up a track as if catapulted by a crashing wave. The car goes from 0 to 100 km/hr in 4.7 seconds before reaching the first hill. Several long drops combined with an upside down loop around the giant Mickey head that adorns the coaster as well as a blasting soundtrack. The result is the longest and fastest roller coaster in the whole of Disneyland."

Stephanie says: It was amazing. It was the best roller coaster ride ever!

Sienna says: I still don't want to go on it!

Then we came home to watch the fireworks from the hotel balcony. And it's time for bed again. Sienna's highlight of the day is that she is having a sleepover with Peter and Gina down the corridor.