10 FOR 10: Trip #11 Disneyland

"Whatever you do, do it well. 

Do it so well that when people see you do it, 

they will want to come back and see you do it again, 

and they will want to bring others and show them 

how well you do what you do."

Walt Disney

TRIP #11: DISNEYLAND

The first time that AC and I went to Disneyland together, it was on New Year's day, and all of the holiday decorations were still up.  It was spectacular to see, and it is something we have wanted to share with SC for as long as we have been taking her to Disney.  Fortunately, AC discovered an extremely cheap rate to LA for a weekend in December, and we ended up squeezing in an eleventh trip this year, rather than just the original goal of ten.

Many of the rides have a new theme for the holidays, so it is a very different experience than going at other times during the year.  AC's favorite ride, the Jungle Cruise, becomes the "Jingle" Cruise, and the premise is that the holiday decorations have been lost and we must be on the look-out for them.  The Haunted Mansion changes its decorations to become the home of Jack Skellington, the main character in The Nightmare Before Christmas, and as good as the original decorations are, these are exceptional.  We went through twice this time.  It's a Small World eschews its normal song for a mix of holiday ones, still sung in multiple languages, and all of the dolls are dressed in various holiday costumes instead of the regular "traditional" ones.  Of course, the park as a whole is full of holiday decorations as well, and there is a holiday-themed parade that happens.  All in all, it was beautiful.

Unexpectedly, there were some new things open in the Tomorrowland area for the seventh Star Wars movie, which we took advantage of while we were there.  Space Mountain became "Hyperspace" Mountain, and images of star destroyers, x-wings and tie fighters were projected inside the dome as the roller coaster whipped through the darkness.  The old Captain E-O theatre showed an extended preview for the new movie, complete with a summary of the first six films.  The Star Tours ride included scenes from the new film, which was exciting.  It definitely made us anxious for the seventh film to premiere the following weekend!

Thankfully, even though it was a very quick trip, we also got to spend a little bit of time with my family members who live in the area, which was an extra special treat!

In case you missed the first post ...

WHAT IS THE 10 FOR 10?

In July 2015, AC and I celebrated our tenth wedding anniversary, and previously had been discussing what sort of big trip to take.  However, it occurred to me that we typically take some pretty big trips every year, sometimes as a tag-along when AC works, and sometimes just using all the points and miles he has amassed from his work travels.  I couldn't help but wonder if another trip would really be that special and different.  So, I came up with the idea that instead of just one more trip, we should take ten trips to celebrate our years together.  I told AC, and told him that it didn't have to be just him and me (because SC is also part of our lives, obviously), but that I wanted to take ten purposeful trips, that are focused on celebrating us (and our family) as much as we can.  I told him that they didn't all have to be long or complicated trips, though we had already talked about a few places that will be, and we can start in our tenth year (July 2014) and run through the end of 2015 so that we don't take too much time away from work.  Hopefully these ten trips make this a celebratory year, one that stands out for us as we look back (in another ten years).

TRIP #1: Universal Studios Florida & Walt Disney World

TRIP #2: New York City

TRIP #3: Panama City, Panama

TRIP #4: Grand Cayman

TRIP #5: London & Paris

TRIP #6: London & Oslo

TRIP #7: Whistler, BC, Canada

TRIP #8: Southern California

TRIP #9: London & Dublin

TRIP #10: Grand Cayman, Again