My Dearest Belle,
Papa and I… well, it’s mostly me, but both papa and I have been imagining and looking forward to your first trip to Disneyland for a while. Even before you were a thought, we would think about what it would be like to take our child to Disneyland - what age he or she would need to be, what we would do, how we would prepare…
We definitely believed that you should be between 5-7 years old to really enjoy and REMEMBER everything, but since Disneyland is free to children under 3 years old…
Off we went.
We decided to go on papa’s birthday - May 26th. We would get a “First Visit” badge for you and a “Birthday” badge for papa. We didn’t know what the day would be like, so I tried to get as many tips and tricks before as possible: where to park, what rides to avoid, etc. In addition, you made it very clear that you wanted to meet the princesses, so that was a mission for papa and me all on its own. I actually tried to book a character brunch for us, but they were booked solid. I also tried to get a time slot at the Royal Hall for a meet and greet, but they were booked full throughout the day as well.
We arrived early, and we were one of the first ones in the park. We headed off to the Winnie the Pooh ride, and on the way, we hopped on the Jungle Cruise. Everything would have been okay, but some of the animal sounds were really loud, so that scared you. You cried, buried your face in my arms, and I held you tight throughout the remainder of the ride.
We then headed off to Winnie the Pooh. I didn’t realize that there would be a dark sequence in there where the Heffalumps came out in Pooh’s dream. The darkness, plus all the psychedelic sounds and colors made you cry again.
2 of 2.
I was bracing myself for a LONG day… And it had only been about 20 minutes or so since we got into the park.
We then saw the Dumbo ride… and I honestly didn’t know how you would do with the spinning or height, but you ended up loving it! You liked using the lever to move the elephant up and down (even though our Dumbo didn’t work), and things seemed to be looking up. We then moved on to King Arthur’s Carousel, which was nice and calm for all of us - you even thanked the horse for the ride when we were getting off.
We then walked around and found ourselves in front of the Royal Hall. We saw the little girls who get their makeover completed at Cinderella’s Boutique, and I was internally kicking myself for not booking any of the experiences for your first trip to Disneyland. But the line was barely forming at the Royal Hall, and papa did what he does best: ASK.
He was told that while they ARE fully booked all the time, we can get in line, and it shouldn’t be a problem!
So we stood in line, and we were one of the first group to be let in. We weren’t sure which princesses would greet us - we just knew that there were three ready and waiting for the crowd. You were so excited, and you kept saying that you wanted to meet Cinderella (your favorite) and Ariel. I was hoping that we would meet at least one of them at the Royal Hall, and maybe, MAYBE, we can strike it lucky with the others throughout the day.
The first princess to greet us: Cinderella.
And honestly, I don’t know who was more excited: you or papa and me.
You did the usual thing - you couldn’t take your eyes off Cinderella, but you didn’t say a word - not even your name. We took some photos, and we were off to meet the next princess. We rounded the corner, and there she was: Ariel.
Same thing: you couldn’t take your eyes off her… you wanted a photo with her… but you didn’t say a word.
The last princess was Jasmine, but as far as papa and I were concerned, this was a win.
We exited the Royal Hall, and we saw that Aurora was doing a meet and greet right outside. So of course, we stood in line and met her. You started asking about Belle, and we just weren’t sure if you’d be able to meet her. There is a short musical show that takes place at the Royal Theater, but all shows were cancelled for that day, so we had to hope that the princesses would be out and about. We were able to meet Rapunzel and Flynn Rider, and we were able to meet Cinderella for a second time - this time, outdoors, but still no Belle.
We convinced you to walk away from Fantasyland for a bit by telling you that you can ride a rocket. We saw Astro Orbiter in the distance, and that was enough to get you excited for the next ride! Personally, the ride was a bit too fast and a bit too high for me. I found myself feeling a bit nauseous and a little uneasy about being spun so fast that I was crammed into the side of the ride, but it was worth it just to see you enjoying yourself so much!
We walked around, grabbed lunch, and rested a bit. We then got on the Mad Tea Party, and again, I was pleasantly surprised at how much you enjoyed the ride. We started walking toward It’s a Small World, and stopped to rest on a bench. We then found out that this was the starting point of the parade, and even though it wasn’t set to start for another 1.5 hours, the bench was in such a primo spot, and it was a good excuse for us to attempt a nap.
So you and I left papa to man the bench, and I took the carrier and went off to a quiet corner (or as quiet as it CAN get a Disneyland). It took some time, and I thought my back was going to give out, but you finally fell asleep. With all the hoopla going on, your nap only lasted about 30 minutes or so, but it was still better than nothing. We joined papa again, and settled in to watch the parade.
The parade was filled with all the characters you recognized and liked, but it was still missing a crucial one: Belle. You recognized and waved at Mickey and Minnie, Cinderella, Aurora, Tiana, Moana, Elsa, Anna, Olaf, Christoff, Aladdin, Genie, The Fairy Godmother (or as you call her: “Bibidi Bobidi”), and so many dancers and secondary characters, but Beauty and the Beast was just not part of the line up. So once the parade was over, we packed up our stuff, and we were off. When we started walking, you gave us some additional tasks: Find Belle and ride the rocket again.
We rode It’s a Small World (which was a nice little break for papa and me), and we went off to Toon Town. It was getting quite chilly, and you seemed to be getting a bit fussier, so we went off to search for the ever elusive Belle.
We went back to the Royal Theater, and I was told that IF Belle is going to make an appearance, it would be in about an hour at the Royal Theater. So, I told papa to take you for a walk around the area while I waited in line. I sat on the cold concrete, not sure if this was going to be worth it.
But the time came, and there she was: Belle.
And while you still froze and stared wide-eyed, you managed to tell her your name. The day was a win for papa and me.
You still wanted to ride the rocket again, and so we got your promise that this would be the last one, and rode it one last time.
I didn’t enjoy it.
We then ate dinner at the Plaza Inn, and while you were determined to stay, it was close to 7 PM at that time, and we knew that it was time to go. We stopped by the Crystal Arcade on our way out to buy a souvenir. You picked (what else?) a Cinderella Barbie and a Minnie plush (which has now replaced Monkey as your current favorite).
We brushed your teeth, changed you into your PJs in the car (the shuttle ride to and from the park is a whole other story of papa’s dedication to your fun and enjoyment"), strapped you into your car seat, and we were off. It took you all of 5 minutes to fall asleep. You were so worn out from the day that you didn’t even stir when we took you out of the car when we got home!
It was a long day for papa and me, but it was such a rewarding and memorable trip for us. We made some notes for our next trip - one that most likely won’t happen for a FEW more years - and I’m sure we’ll reminisce about this trip forever…
Love always,
Mama
