Day 2 - Afternoon

Overview

This afternoon, we went over to Disney’s California Adventure (DCA), the newest theme park in the Disneyland Resort, and went to Downtown Disney for lunch at the Rainforest Café. Downtown Disney is the Resort’s shopping and dining district, and the Rainforest Café was quite an experience. Complete with waterfalls, lush vegetation, thunder and lightning, the restaurant was very enjoyable. I can't remember ever taking pictures of the inside of a restaurant, but this one was certainly worthy of some space on our digital camera. The problem, however, was that it was such an experience, the kids were too distracted to eat their lunch.

We were really impressed with the layout of DCA, perhaps because we didn't know what to expect. One area looked just like a Hollywood filming lot. Another was made to look like a scenic Sierra river setting. The Bug's Life section of the park made everything look gigantic, to give the visitor the perspective of an insect.

Afternoon Attractions

Jumping Jellyfish

• Mommy: “Great for young kids and very colorful.”
• Daddy: “A nice kiddie ride. I was glad that Amelia and Raymond enjoyed it.”
• Raymond: “I went up and down, up and down, up and down, faster. But it went slower.”
• Amelia: “I went up and down in a jellyfish bench. I went high into the sky. It was fun.”

Sun Wheel

• Amelia: “I went really high, so high I could see a ride we can’t ride, which is called California Screamin’. Again, it was scary fun… a little bit scary.”
• Mommy: “Thank heavens we were on the non-swing gondolas. The others look pretty scary!”
• Daddy: “This is one tall ferris wheel with some great views.”
• Raymond: “I went up and down, up and down, up and down around, and it’s kind of fun.”

King Triton’s Carousel

• Mommy: “It was so colorful and fun with the sea creatures to ride on.”
• Daddy: “I liked how they made the organ look real.”
• Raymond: “It rode slower.”
• Amelia: “I went on the fish I wanted. It had lavender lipstick. It was fun.”

Mulholland Madness

• Raymond: “It went faster and faster and faster.”
• Amelia: “It went down really fast. It was scary fun.”
• Mommy: “You really fly on this ride.”
• Daddy: “The tight curves really freaked me out… I thought we’d fly right off the track!”

Grizzly River Run

• Raymond: “It kind of scared. It went faster and faster and faster.”
• Amelia: “It was fun. There was another family of four with us. We wanted them to go down backwards. It was cold fun.”
• Mommy: “We got soaked and it felt great!”
• Daddy: “I always love the wet rides… especially on a warm afternoon.”

Muppet Vision 3-D

• Daddy: “I was impressed with how the walls of the theater would change their appearance, and how they integrated live muppets with the movie.
• Raymond: “It was kind of fun. It popped out at me, and it can’t scare me.”
• Amelia: “It was like Honey, I Shrunk the Audience, just funnier.”
• Mommy: “Raymond was cracking up through the whole show. Very well done.”

Heimlich’s Chew Chew Train

• Raymond: “It’s kind of fun.”
• Amelia: “When I was waiting, there were big clovers. It felt like I was a small bug. I went in a bug train. It was fun.”
• Mommy: “It is fun that they make everything oversized so that you look the size of a bug.”
• Daddy: “Cast member Hannah was a bit too perky.”

Francis’ Ladybug Boogie

• Mommy: “Barforama”
• Daddy: “Did they really need another spinning ride?”
• Raymond: “I spin around fast.”
• Amelia: “It was like the Mad Tea Party, just with ladybugs. It was fun.”

Tuck ‘n Rolls Drive ‘em Buggies

• Amelia: “I went in bumper bugs. It was fun.”
• Mommy: “Amelia is quite the crazy driver and loved bumping into people.”
• Daddy: “Fun to watch the kids drive around and bump into everything.”
• Raymond: “It went bump, bump, bump, boom, crash. It went into the other bugs.”

Flik’s Flyers

• Daddy: “Not cast member Hannah again!? Didn’t she star as Tour Guide Barbie in Toy Story 2?”
• Raymond: “I picked the apple sauce box. It went round and round, high into the sky.”
• Amelia: “I went in boxes. I flew around. It was fun.”
• Mommy: “Cute ride, with cute details.”

Highlight of the afternoon

• Raymond: Muppet Vision 3-D
• Amelia: Grizzly River Run
• Mommy: Muppet Vision 3-D
• Daddy: Grizzly River Run