Sunday, December 18 continued,

When we went back to Disneyland the place was packed.  There was no way to get down main street, as the parade had just finished and it was like an LA freeway.  No Go!  We put Max in front and he bulldozed a path through the stroller pushing parents and we made our way to the newest ride in the park…..the revamped Star Tours.  We were too early for our fast pass so we killed time watching Captain EO.   Re-living the mid 80’s with Michael Jackson was hilarious.  Emily and I laughed so hard we almost fell out of our seats.  You just couldn’t take Michael seriously as a space captain.  After that flashback, Max, Ru and I tried out Star Tours.  The original was the only ride that ever really made me sick.  So I bravely decided to try the new 3D version.  It was truly amazing, but had the same effect as the old one……I had to close my eyes halfway through and pray that I didn’t toss my cookies. 

Our goal for the evening was to find a good seat in order to view both the fireworks and Fantasmic.  We headed for New Orleans Square and rode Pirates of the Caribbean, then found a spot between two blanket saving teens right in front of the Fantasmic main display.  It got pretty cold sitting there on the concrete for 40 minutes waiting for the show to begin, but we were glad we made the sacrifice.  The fireworks, followed by the snow softly falling to the gentle strains of White Christmas brought tear to my eyes.  (What is that fake snow made of anyway—it isn’t water or soap—who knows). 

Fantasmic was even better than I remembered.  Emily and Ru hadn’t seen it the last time we went, so they were first time viewers.  It is a spectacle impossible to describe, but totally amazing.  Ruben especially enjoyed the fight between Peter Pan and Capt. Hook and all those pirates swinging around the Columbia ship.  The story really doesn’t make much sense, but it sure fun to watch.

Then we went where only the brave venture…..Splash Mt at 10pm.  It was cold, and not many people want to get wet at that time of night, but we were going home afterward anyway so we figured “What the heck”.  We went around twice and got a boat of our own each time.  That makes for the best pictures.  The first one has been posted here already, but the second was pretty impressive too…..we gave them the Oregon O.  And amazingly, we didn’t even get very wet because we were careful to balance our boat.  After that we went home and Ruben practically fell asleep face down in his bowl of cereal.  We weren’t far behind.