We hit Disney Monday and Tues. Geoffrey's best friend from school was meeting us down there with his family. Well, being it was their first time (our second) and both of them Civil Engineers everything was down to a science. They had subscribed to a program called Ridemax. This program will figure out for you where you need to go at what time and who should be getting the fast passes. All to maximize "ride time" during a busy time of year....like now. We weren't sure if it worked or not, but worth the try. So, Monday morning, Greg drops us off at the Guest Drop off and he goes to park the car (7a.m. right now) We find gate 13 or 20 like the program tells us to do. We meet up with Geoffrey's friend, M. We do the whole Disney count down thing and gates open at 8a.m. We get through, M's mom goes to rent a stroller, Greg runs to get fast passes at....don't remember, but somewhere while the kids and I literally are jogging to the Finding Nemo attraction. So far so good because our wait time was maybe 10 minutes and it moved quickly. Then off to other places. By the end of the day (11pm), we got in about 10 rides if not more. Pretty good is what I'm thinking considering the amount of people there. Ridemax did work for us. It can quite a coordinating feat, but when there are that many people and you don't want to wait in line for longer than 20 min. maximum, check out Ridemax. It will even coordinate breaks for you including lunch.
Day 2 is a little more relaxed after Space Mountain and we had a blast! We completed almost all the rides in Day 1. So, it was fun to repeat some rides that the kids wanted to go on again. Greg and I were thoroughly exhausted. We needed all day Wednesday to just chill out. My college roommate let us stay at her house while she was on spring break with her kids so it was so nice to have a kitchen, backyard, and tons of toys for the kids rather than a hotel. This is a great idea for those of you who decide to exchange homes during vacations. It's well worth the research and comfort for a family. There are several sites who offer this and one of them is called HomeExchange. I think if you do your research and ask all the appropriate questions, you can have a very fun vacation without the expenses of a hotel.
Caught up with a dear friend of mine from my dance years in L.A. It was great!!! Francine and I go way back when we used to dance and just hang out. We had our dogs and it was just such a special time. It was great to catch up with her and her 10 year son, A. All of our boys had a wonderful time.
Then to UCLA (go Bruins) and the La Brea Tar Pits (Page Museum) on Friday. Why not brainwash my kids to my alma mater! We start them young even though we know we would support them in whatever and wherever they want to do or go. Go Bruins (had to put that in).
For the last 2 days of our stay, were at the Kyoto Grand in Downtown L.A. as Greg has to continue working the show. The hotel was nice and close to work for my husband. It was a good walk to Chinatown (bring a stroller). If the kids are too big for strollers and can't walk that far yet, I suggest driving. We went for Dim Sum with some friends. It was delicious! The Empress Pavilion had some wonderful Dim Sum. Then back home.Wow, spring break does go by quickly and then back to the grind, eh? Well, it was great to see everyone and to have had such success at Disneyland made the trip well worth it!
