Dude. Hit return and suffered premature posting. That's what jetlag does for ya.
Anyway ... this is the third part of my trip report but since it is all non-Disney related I am being a good girl and posting it in here instead of the
Disneyland trip report section with parts 1 and 2. But here's where you can find those ...
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1649579
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1653386
Okay. On with the rest of the trip report.
Day 11 - The Barfers Do Legoland (Take Two)
Wake early, suffering Post-Disney-Blues already. Sigh. Console myself with the sounds of happy
Lego-obsessed children buzzing downstairs excited about the day ahead.
Head off to Legoland and yay, it's actually open this time (pause to give myself a second albeit smaller kick in the head for being so stupid the first time round). Traffic was excellent so find ourselves waiting for the gate to open. No people around. Could be due to those very ominous black rain clouds overhead. Man it's cold.
Gates open and we head inside. DH's DS10 (is there some shorthand for that? DHDS10?
), the most Lego obsessed of the lot, immediately starts going berserk at the sight of the full-size Lego Darth Vader and R2D2. "Dad! Dad! Take a photo of Darth Vader! Now take a photo of me and Darth Vader! Now take a photo of you and Darth Vader!"
At this rate he's going to be burnt out before lunchtime.
Sign up for a Mindstorms session later in the day (small class instruction on building Lego robotics) then the kids get their first ride of the day - Aquazone Racers. I was a bit worried that they were going to get really wet (not a good idea on such a freezing rain-threatening day) but the ride was harmless. They enjoyed it though.
Next was Bionicle Blaster, which is like Teacups but you sit in a Bionicle rather than, um, a teacup. Kids loved it.
Straight over to Lego Technic Coaster, the "thrill" ride of the park. Basically a wild mouse kind of coaster, much like Mulholland Madness, with a hella doozy of a drop at the start (fun to watch the little kids expressions on this one). Long wait even though the park was empty. Kids love it so they do it a second time.
Walk up the hill to Castle Hill and try Knights Tournament. Interesting ride, two people sit side-by-side in chairs on the end of an arm extended over some water, which then proceeds to turn them sidewards and upside down (the intensity is determined by the riders before the ride starts). Not sure what this has to do with Knights or any kind of Tournament
but DH and his kids enjoyed it. My kids meanwhile enjoyed standing on the sidelines and setting off water bombs timed to wet the people riding
We all enjoy the Dragon coaster (small kiddy coaster but quite smooth and fun) then decide to have BBQ for lunch. It was okay, mostly it was warm and they had outside heaters next to the tables
Kids try out the Hideaways playground before heading down the hill to the Pirates area. Bit too cold and wet today to really appreciate this part of the park, but I could see how it would be fun on a hot day. They try out Splash Battle (sail around in a pirate boat manning large squirt guns) and enjoy trying to get each other wet. They also all enjoy Skipper School ... then the rain comes. Not much, but enough to make it seem even colder than before.
DH and I warm ourselves with hot chocolates while the kids all do the driving school. They think this is hilarious for some reason and immediately go on for another round. It's cute watching all the littlies trying to obey road rules - especially with our kids driving on the wrong side of the road
We do the Lego factory tour, which is a series of mini conveyor belt displays that show how Lego is made and assembled in the factory. It was really interesting actually, and the kids all enjoyed learning about the processes and watching the conveyors belts go around and around and around. Mostly it was warm and indoors
Ooh, and you get a free piece of Lego at the end of the tour (which conveniently empties you into a store, how very Disney). The kids all want to stay and play with the Lego, but our Mindstorms slot is fast approaching so we head down the hill via the helicopter ride and some of the little rides like Safari Trek and Coastersaurus.
DH and his kids go off to do Mindstorms so I take my boys to the Build and Test track. The guy at the front desk checks out some wheels for you
and then you're free to build yourself a racer and test it on a racing slope to see who's is the fastest. Some of the creations were pretty epic and the dads definitely seemed to be having the most fun on this one
Off to get more hot liquids into me. The guy behind me in line asks if I'm from New Zealand. First time that's happened, I usually get England or sometimes Aussie, never a Kiwi. He tells me he's a Crowded House fan, which is weird because I'd just been to their concert the week before (superb outdoor gig under a pristine starry summer sky, with 20000 people all simultaneously singing along ... if you're a fan you'll understand
).
Rest of the day was spent touring Miniland then finished off by watching a 4-D movie (i.e. 3D plus some smoke) of Lego dudes fighting some knight or something to do with a spell ... or something. It was quite fun. Best bit was while waiting in line I saw a hummingbird. So cute! We don't have those over here. And it wasn't even made out of Lego.
Day 12 - Discovery Science Center and Disney Outlet
Supposed to be raining today. It didn't.
Went over to the Discovery Science Center in Anaheim. Kids science museum with hands-on exhibits about space and such. Expensive but they enjoyed it, good way to kill a few hours.
Then we headed up to Fullerton to check out the Disney Character Warehouse. Got some good bargains. See this post
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1656633
Day 13 - Venice Beach and Santa Monica
Walked along Venice Beach, picked up some cheap tees, people watched. Pretty cool so not a lot of people to watch. DH gets his kicks visiting the Dogtown Skate shop.
Stopped at Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica and went for a stroll. Lots of great street performers. DS7 particularly liked the reggae/ska band outside Johnny Rockets where we had lunch. He stood there watching them for a while, having a little groove. He's a funky little one that one. Saw the most realistic silver-statue-guy I've ever seen, he was dressed like a warrior and upon leaving him some money he gladly posed for some great photos in which he playfully threatened to slice off the kids' heads.