57 Years – And Counting

 On September 4, 1965, Larry and I said, “I do.” How can it be that long ago?

Last year, to celebrate my August 24 birthday and our 56^th anniversary, we spent wo nights and three days at the Grand Californian Hotel at the Disneyland Resort. We LOVED it!

Because we had enjoyed our time back at the parks so much, we decided to get annual passes again. We had them for years, but when the prices went crazy, we gave them up. Going back made us realize how much we had missed spending time there.

Because the passes are SO outrageously expensive, we decided to go at least every two weeks to make them worthwhile. We call it “theme park aerobics,” and we put in 10,000-18,000 steps each time.

With the horrible heat wave this year, we decided to go again for our anniversary.

We arrived on the 4^th, our actual anniversary. We did not have park reservations for the day, and it was the actual Labor Day Monday, so we just checked into the hotel, enjoyed the cool air, and rested in the afternoon.

Last year, Larry decided to add the concierge service on to the cost of the hotel. (It’s only money…) We decided to do it again this time. We figured we actually saved money because this includes food service most of the day and night in the Veranda Room. We ate all our meals there during our stay and avoided the insane prices at the resort restaurants.

Our first night, we went to the Veranda and sat outside. From there, we could see the nighttime fireworks from Disneyland. They also piped in the accompaniment music. We met several other Disney fanatics and had a great time.

A perk of staying at one for the resort hotels is early entry to Disneyland. It used to be an hour, but now it is only half an hour. Still… They also limit early entry to about a dozen rides in Fantasyland and Tomorrowland, but heck, we love avoiding the crowds.

First day in Disneyland

We went in early on Tuesday morning-before the heat set in. We rode on about seven rides, and got back to the hotel before 10:00 a.m. We rode the monorail back to Downtown Disney. The hotel entrance isn’t far from the monorail station.

We had gotten coffee before we left, but when we came back, we ate breakfast in the Veranda Room. Then we went back to our room, cooled off, and worked a bit on the computer.

Late in the afternoon, we went into California Adventure and rode Soarin’ Over the World (our favorite ride in this park). We had never gone on Grizzly River Run—the river raft ride—because I have never wanted to spend the rest of the day in wet clothing. However, this was the perfect time to do it!

While we waited in line, we met a couple of young men from San Diego. One was a surfer, so he and Larry talked surfing. They also love theme parks, so we entertained them with stories about building Universal Studios Japan. What a nice way to pass the time!

We took the ride—and got soaked―but it was so hot, the cold water felt good. Then we went back to the hotel and showered. I washed my hair and changed clothes. Later, we went back to the Veranda for their afternoon hot hors d’oeuvres. Just perfect!

The next morning, we again took advantage of the early entry. The Haunted Mansion had just been changed to the Nightmare Before Christmas theming. While in line, a young man spotted Larry’s surfing Mickey Hawaiian shirt. He offered $100 for it. However, it is one of Larry’s favorites, so no sale. So much fun.

Before we left, we took a selfie in front of the castle. Fortunately, a nice family volunteered to take our picture. This one was better.

We ate lunch (tea) and then packed and checked out.

The three days and two nights away from the unbearable heat at home really helped!

Not a bad way to celebrate!