Tokyo Disneyland

October 3rd--Just write "suckers" all over our foreheads because we caved in and went to Disneyland today. This morning while eating breakfast, we talked it over and decided it was such a waste to be staying right here on Disney property and not go to Disneyland. It was off-and-on showers during the morning so we waited until 2:00 to make our final decision about whether or not to go to Disneyland. About this time was when the rain began letting up, so we purchased the discounted Starlight ticket that allowed us to enter the park at 3:00 and off we went. We entered the park at 3:00 with thousands of other people. We were immediately greeted by Pooh, Pinocchio, and the 7 dwarfs so it was instant entertainment. From the entrance, we made our way through Cinderella’s Castle to Fantasyland. I stood in line at the Peter Pan ride while Mike headed off to get a Fastpass. When he returned, there were no more Fastpasses to be given out today and the main rides were at 100 minute long waits. We didn’t let the crowd or the wait times ruin our day. We just patiently waited in line for Peter Pan, Dumbo and then Pinocchio all while enjoying chocolate popcorn and a parade that went right by us. At about 5:00, we headed into Toontown where we rode the Gadget's Go Coaster, visited Chip & Dale’s tree house, Donald’s boat, and Minnie’s house. From Toontown, we went to Autopia. Austin had seen the cars from the top of the roller coaster and really wanted to go drive a car. Luckily, the line was pretty short for this one. We never really stopped for dinner. We all just snacked along the way with lots of popcorn, pizza spring rolls, and donuts too. By this time, it was 7:30 and time for the Electrical Parade. The Japanese have it going on with the whole parade process. They require you to sit down and to fold down your strollers. So, we were a good 5 rows back from the curb, but had no problem seeing the parade. All I can remember from past Disney parades is you are just fighting to get to the front to see. Anyway, the Electrical Parade was so good and exactly how I remember the “true” Electrical Parade to be. It was over about 8:00 and we made a mad dash for the Snow White ride and found ourselves in a short line. After the ride, the kids really wanted to do the Pooh ride. This ride was top on our list and the kids kept begging to ride it. We kept checking the wait time all day and it ranged anywhere from 60-100 minutes. At this point in the day though, we weren’t sure what else we were going to do so we all went and stood in line. The line went by fairly quickly especially since we got to enjoy the fireworks from the line. Pooh’s Hunny Hunt was well worth the wait. It was different than anything we had ridden and very cute. We also got out of the ride just in time to see the last parade of the day, Bansai Villain. By the time the parade was over it was after 9:30 and the park closed at 10:00. So, we just made our way toward the exit, going into a few shops and exited at 10:00. It was a great decision to go to Disneyland. Even with the crowds, we had a great time. Also, after today, we can describe the Japanese as clean and efficient. We had already noticed this, but it was proven very true at Disneyland with the way the lines and rides functioned.