Disneyland

Wow! I just got back from a great Disneyland holiday with Emily. I forgot to mention it before we left. We had basically no net access, so I couldn't update this blog. Oops. :)

I have to say, it was an awesome way to spend a week. It's two whole parks really, Disneyland and California Adventure, sitting right next to each other. There's no 'extreme' rides - the biggest rollercoaster does just one loop - but there's a lot of very fun rides, parades, stageshows, water rides, a nightly fireworks show, Disney characters walking about...

They also have a cool "fastpass" system that allows you to bypass long queues that normally plague these places. You insert your park entrance ticket into a machine near one of the popular rides, and you'll be allocated a time. If you come back to the ride at that time, then you get to use an express "fastpass" line! This lets you run off and try less popular rides (like the Winnie the Pooh ride) rather than waiting in line. Sweet!

I mention the Winnie the Pooh ride because it was the key to our second day at Disneyland. In the morning, just after riding Splash Mountain, we needed a warm place to be. Winnie the Pooh is one of those cute little indoor story-telling rides that kids would love. But mainly, it was warm. On exiting the ride, we're approached by two staff members saying "Congratulations! You're winners as part of our Year of a Million Dreams!" and gives both of us "Dream Fastpass" tickets! These let us use all of the express lines for each of the rides, just once, at any time we choose during the day. A Dream Fastpass overcomes the main limitation of regular fastpasses (that you can only hold one fastpass ticket at any one time). On that day, we did every major ride in every park. :)

I've uploaded a bunch of photos from both of our cameras:

• Parades and Fireworks
• Characters and Scenery

We also have this awesome photo of us in the Buzz Lightyear Astroblasters ride. We both have such incredibly serious faces as we shoot the little aliens stuck on the walls. You can see why we play Unreal Tournament together. :)