day two : disneyland and dole whips!

We scored a pretty banging deal on a Disneyland package, so Marcus and I were psyched to spend a day at Disneyland together. The hotel we got had a really nice free breakfast, so we enjoyed a little bit and then headed off to the Magic Kingdom!

The first hour or so, Marcus wasn't in the best mood. For the most part, he isn't actually a huge Disneyland fan because he feels like there's a lot of pressure to enjoy everything to the point of sensory overload due to the expensive prices. I totally get that concern--I've felt it myself--but I tried to reassure him that we didn't have to do anything if it wasn't fun for him, because what the hell is the point in that? He was sort of sullen for a few minutes, but once we got on Space Mountain, it was like night and day. He loves to laugh on roller coasters!

We both thought this picture was hilarious. He was pretty insistent that I should take off my glasses (since apparently on Space Mountain they're prone to flying off and being lost forever), so the entire thing looked especially crazy. I'm pretty blind, and without my glasses I can only see vague shapes and colors. If you've ever ridden Space Mountain, you see how this could be horrifying. (Well...mostly fun, but still fairly trippy.)

After that, we figured out the best system for him: avoid the heaviest crowds, take semi-frequent breaks to sit away from the masses of people, and occasionally find a snack. It was nice, because we got to do a lot of people-watching and enjoy our favorite rides anyway.

Trips with Marcus mean trying the food--it's one of our favorite things to do together! We ended up sampling both kinds of Dole Whip (plain and float version), some Disney Starbucks thanks to my gift cards, a Mickey Mouse pretzel, and some really delicious sourdough bread at the Pacific Wharf area of California Adventure. We didn't actually eat those candy apples, because they were $10. We wanted to, though! And I thought they were the cutest decorative apples I'd ever seen. We spent a good while browsing the candy shops--I'm always fascinated with what people can do with food!

(Marcus says his favorite was the bread bowl, but he wishes he'd tried tomato bisque soup instead of the Asian salad. I argue that had he tried the soup, he'd have wanted the salad instead.)

As I said before, we went to Disneyland over a holiday weekend, so the crowds were immense. While it's possible to navigate them okay, after a while it can get sort of tiring because everyone wants to go enjoy the same things you're trying to do. One of the things we did to sort of step away was ride my favorite attraction--the Mark Twain riverboat!

By the way, if you ask really nicely, they'll take you up to a private room and let you steer the boat.

I was essentially on cloud nine. Marcus really enjoyed watching the view from all the way up there, and I decided to share and let him ring the bell and blow the horn once or twice. ;)

We ended the day with our delicious sourdough dinner at the wharf and browsed around California Adventure for a little while. Marcus was nice enough to go on the new Little Mermaid ride with me, because last time I came it was only in the design stages and I was curious about it. We agreed that it was cute, but we both felt like some of the characters were a little too lifelike. At one point we got stuck in front of a dancing Ariel that sort of started to border on creepy. We contemplated staying for World of Color, but it seemed like the park was already getting very crowded even a few hours before the show and we opted not to this time.

Even though he said it still wasn't his top choice for a vacation, Marcus ended up having a way better time than he thought--he even said he'd go again if certain conditions were met. Mainly, we would go off-season, budget more to be able to try some of the more exciting (but pricier) park foods, and we'd stay at a closer hotel so we didn't have to drive through the city to get there. Those all sounded great to me, so I considered this a huge success.

I love Disneyland, but I feel like as an adult it's different to me than when I was younger. I still very much enjoy the colorful decor and the characters--and the food is actually a big deal to me--but I can definitely see how it's stressful for some people who feel overwhelmed by all the crowds and noise. We were talking over dinner about how, even though it's neat that they incorporate elements from all over the world into their parks, we'd still rather go to the actual places. However, the cute novelties have their own charm, and we were glad to get to experience them together! I didn't end up buying my ear hat this time, because I couldn't justify the price, but I did have a blast wearing my special pink pirate dress! :)

Next to last: our third day through more California and our stay in the tiny town of Red Bluff! :)