California Dreaming Part 2

In early November we again made the pilgrimage west to California, this time with Mum on board, to revisit Disneyland and Legoland. For Mum it was very special to be able to share the magic and excitement of both those parks with her only grandchild. I wasn't sure if I would ever make it to Disneyland once in my lifetime, and now we've been twice in 6 months! In some ways it was much better to visit in November than in June (the height of summer); the crowds were much less and the wait for many of the rides was almost non-existent (except for the Nemo Submarine ride - N's favourite, of course - the wait for which was still extremely long, and no Fast Pass available) plus this November the weather was still warm and sunny so it really was very pleasant.

Disneyland was just as much fun to visit a second time and having been before we knew what we really wanted to see and do, and what to avoid, which helped to save a lot of time. Mum went on some rides that I hadn't really thought she would want to try - but once on the Pirates of the Caribbean was enough for her! Funnily enough, for someone who doesn't like heights or flying, the Soaring Over California ride was her favourite (if you don't know it, it's a simulator-style ride in which you sit in suspended seats in front of an IMAX-type movie screen, and it looks and feels like you really are flying over a whole bunch of California landmarks and scenic areas)!

Legoland was a hit again with our resident Lego fanatic. This time we went for 2 days, by the end of which we had seen absolutely everything at least a few times. The water park and some of the rides were closed for the winter but there was still a lot to keep everyone occupied and entertained. Legoland's new aquarium hadn't opened yet when we last visited so that added some variety and satisfied our junior marine biologist's thirst for all things sharky.

Given the expense and our plans for travel to Australia this year, I think it will be a while before we make it back to Disneyland again. But you should never say never...