Taking your kid to Disneyland/world is one of the core expectations for a good childhood in American culture. From the moment Finn was born it was clear he was going to go one day, the only question was when. My parents took me when I was three and reminded me the rest of my childhood that it was a bad experience, and I was looking to not replicate that.
It was something we did build up to. Back in April of 2022 we took Finn to Seaworld for his first experience in the park and it went well. He enjoyed seeing a whale, I enjoyed the food/drink, and Lindsey enjoyed being able to get close to a whale. But my strongest memory of this trip was Finn sitting under a rollercoaster wishing he could be big enough to ride it. Overall he did well being pushed in a stroller, and we had real fun as a family. The trip was a success.
Last year we went back in November and took his grandparents, and this time he was tall enough to ride the log ride (but not quite tall enough for the rollercoaster). He made me ride it with him again and again until I was too cold and wet to continue. But overall he did really well at the park and I count that trip among my favorite memories. He enjoyed seeing Sesame street characters in person, and had a blast playing on their large playground. For the most part we didn't do any crazy rides, but it proved that Finn could handle a theme park on his own two legs.
This year in April we went to the other park in San Antonio- Fiesta Texas. Finn didn't go quite as well trekking all over that park, and I was pretty distressed with the disarray it was in (so many rides were broken). It made me yearn for a place that would be in better shape, aka Disneyland. But that meant going further than what we could drive to in a day.
This October it was time for the major childhood experience- three days at California Disneyland. He did a great job flying in on the long nonstop flight. At this point he is pretty used to traveling by plane. the hotel we stayed as was right next to the park, which was both very convenient and not very convenient. It was great to be close and not deal with parking, but when we got to the end of the day and everyone was tired you had to get through a 25 minute walk to actually get back. One day Lindsey ended up carrying Finn for a chunk of that walk when he felt like he couldn't make it.
Day one we spent in the older part of Disneyland, starting right at Space Mountain. That wasn't a good experience for Finn, but a different rollercoaster that was outside a fake mountain was a blast for him. He also enjoyed a Dumbo ride the first day and getting to play in an awesome classic Disney themed playground. I enjoyed a Who Framed Roger Rabbit ride and the pleasant people in the line for a Dumbo ride. Overall though the first day was a bit much, between learning the crazy fast pass system and trying to find amenities (like decent coffee or a shaded place to sit) in a park that surprisingly has less than Seaworld.
Day two was in the Adventure Park and was easily the best day. Off the bat we hit a Spiderman ride everyone liked right into a Spiderman show that Finn really enjoyed. We had a good lunch, and really enjoyed the Cars area- especially the main ride that was an extra fee. It wasn't all smooth sailing, Finn had a little meltdown near the pier area that got me off course, my stomach started hurting and I almost got sick on a Ferris wheel. But Lindsey and me got to ride the big coaster and everyone loved that side of Disneyland. A highlight for me was a small Mater ride I only rode with Finn that was way more fun than it deserved to be.
Day three started with doing the big Cars ride again, and then a log ride. At this point the grandparents were pretty much done, so me and Lindsey took the afternoon to visit the Star Wars part of the park that was too far the first day to drag Finn to, and an Indiana Jones ride that I had heard was a lot of fun. Overall the last day went smooth, as at that point we had most things figured out.
For the last day of the trip we drove to Finn's grandparent's house where he got to swim and we got to rest. The ride was in a rental minivan that I asked Tommy to rent a week earlier because Finn had gotten obsessed with Minivans. It worked out: when he got back to school when his teachers asked him his favorite ride he said "the minivan!"
I am sure one day we will go with him to the Florida Disneyworld which is kind of like the end game of theme parks, but I think his first trip to Disney was at the perfect age. It is certainly a memory I will enjoy for a long time.
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