Bryan’s Disneyland Birthday - Day 14

June 25, 2025 

I woke up this morning with the music from the Sinbad ride going through my head. I guess I am ready to “follow the compass of [my] heart” today. 😅

We were planning to rope drop today, but last night as I was texting out the plan Bethie and Erik mentioned they would be taking a slower start, and that sounded heavenly, so we did as well. We went to breakfast at 9AM instead of 7AM, and that enabled Dylan and Desmond to sleep significantly longer. 

Bryan wanted to make a phone call to the airline to start the process of getting reimbursed for the expenses we incurred buying clothes when my baggage was delayed. (There is a strict deadline for when you need to file a complaint and it falls within our travels, so we can’t wait until we get home, and there is no online form to fill out.) Unfortunately the office didn’t open until 9:30, so he chose to step away from breakfast, send us on ahead to Disneyland, and make the call. (He didn’t want us waiting for him.)

We met up with Bethie and Erik and rode the monorail the three stops over to the park. 

We entered the park easily, with no waiting in big lines. The 7 of us walked in through the World Market, and turned toward the left to go to Pirates of the Caribbean. There was about a 5 minute wait for this classic ride. Very few parts are in Japanese, and it has original recordings from the ride in English - including those related to auctioning off the women. I found it quite nostalgic to hear the pirate saying “Show ‘em your larbor side.”

Bryan was waiting for us right outside the ride when it was over. I was pleased to see that he didn’t miss much this morning, as it is his birthday, after all!  

Sadly, Dad is having another rough morning physically. He thinks he may have tweaked his back somehow when he was elevating his feet on his rest day. So he and mom decided to do Disney at their own pace today. 

Next up we went to the Jungle Boat Cruise. Right as we got there it started pouring down rain, which really added to the jungle ambience. This attraction is so amusing in frantic Japanese. Highly recommend. 

Disney Duck

Next, since we were already wet, we decided that Splash Mountain sounded fun. Desmond and Erik weren’t feeling it, so they held onto our bags. As the four of us went to enter the ride, a cast member at the entrance stopped us and pointed to the height restriction (we were all clearly tall enough, so this was a bit confusing) and then below that to a statement that said due to the nature of the ride, people with certain physical body types may not be able to ride. They indicated Dylan, the tallest of our group. We asked “Oh, is he too tall?” The grabbed onto that word and confirmed that “tall” seemed to be the problem. Bryan pointed to the entrance and asked “Con we try?” They agreed “Ah. Yes, try. Try!” And then a cheerful little cast member in a Disney poncho led us on the most epic height check parade, up the exit of the ride. It was dark and she was lifting her hands above her head (maybe so guests coming the other way would see her?) but we were laughing and playing follow the leader, and when she turned and saw us doing it too, she became even more animated. She practically danced us up the exit, making a walk that could have been awkward and embarrassing, hilarious and fun. It was quite a ways. When we got to the exit of the ride, she had Bethie and I sit off to the side (leaving us to wonder if we got to ride too?), and had both men sit in the log to see if their knees fit. It was a near thing, but Dylan fit, and she led us in a cheer. Next she had them get out of the log. We were all thoroughly confused at this point. Would she send us back out to wait in line? What would happen next?  She led us on. Laughing, I told Bethie “I understand very little of what is going on right now.” She took us to what would be the loading area for those with mobility difficulties, had us stand aside while she spoke to the cast members there, and soon we were boarding a log for our ride. They cheered and waved as we started off. This woman completely made our day. I wish we could have seen her name tag under the poncho, we would have loved to leave her a compliment card. 

The ride was good (original Splash Mountain except mostly in Japanese). But the height check was among the highlights of the entire day. 😅

Next we rejoined Desmond and Erik for another classic: the Haunted Mansion. Practically no wait on this ride, as well. Desmond had not done the original (only the Nightmare Before Christmas version). Bryan taught him how to make fun of the creepy stuff. At this point, I really like the Nightmare Before Christmas version better. 

After that we Cinderella Castle tour (5 minute wait) where you go up into the castle and see the story presented in a museum-like manner. As we waited, Desmond attempted to push my buttons by saying “Which one is Cinderella?” I gave a quick real answer to jog his memory. Then he continued to tease me saying “Oh that’s right. She’s the one with the ten dwarfs, right?”  He went on to make more and more creative (wrong) declarations of who this princess was. That boy! We snapped a couple photos in the throne, and joined the line for the elevator to exit. That wait was slightly longer, but not terrible. 

Overall the park has been sparsely populated. It is the middle of the week (Wednesday) and we figure that Fantasy Springs in the other park may be drawing the crowds and leaving this park less crowded. We will take it!  Well, that combined with the rain, of course, which was just intermittently pouring. 

At this point we were hungry. I opted for a Baymax burger in Tomorrow Land. I did not declare my allergy, and took a Lactaid pill just in case. I didn’t notice any sore throat, so we were good. It was good to have something a bit more normal for lunch. Desmond really enjoyed the special strawberry drink. It had some sort of chewy gelatin in it which I didn’t really like the texture of. But the flavor was good. 

Once we were done with lunch, we headed across the way to the Happy Times With Baymax ride. We waited probably about half an hour for this ride, making it the longest wait of the day. However, there are quite a few songs in the rotation (about 8, I think we figured out) and the cast members are waving their hands and doing hand motions, so it felt a bit like a peppy concert before the ride. We were enjoying the signs about how “wild rides make humans happy, and that makes them healthy.”  Bryan had picked out his favorite song, and that was the one that played while we ride the ride, so that was fun. We waved our hands and did our best to do the hand motions while riding. It is essentially the same ride (mechanically) as the Junkyard Jamboree, but it was a very different ride. We lived the vibe. There were even onlookers doing the motions. Dylan commented after getting off the ride that doing the motions actually made it a lot more fun. You’re not wrong, Dylan. It’s fun to have fun, but you have to know how. 

We went into a Baymax shop, and Dylan pointed out a hair clip Baymax to me. It was about half the cost of the clip on shoulder strap Baymax plushies I’d been looking at, so I bought it. As I was purchasing it, Bryan walked up smiling and asked “You’re getting a Baymax.” I grinned “I am!” “Does it make you happy?” I replied, “I am already happy.” The cast member seemed to think we were cute, and she reached down and got each of us a balloon sticker. 

Up next was Star Tours. We essentially walked on during the parade. That ride is always fun. 

Then we did the Monsters Inc. Ride and Go Seek. I love this ride. It is a storybook ride, and you have a flashlight that activates hard hats all throughout the ride. They do something when you shine on them (similar to what happens when you shoot a target in a penny arcade shooting gallery.)  It even has that same bell sound when it activates. Very fun. 

The birthday boy expressed that it was time for him birthday waffle.  While everyone was eating Mickey-shaped waffles, I went over to the Main Street House and got Bryan a birthday sticker. The cast member carefully wrote his name on it, and was so excited to hear that his birthday was actually today. She wrote the date on it, and drew little stars on it. 

We decided to split up at this point. I went to the Tiki Room with Bethie and Erik while Desmond did Tom Sawyer’s Island with Bryan and Dylan. The tiki tiki room was rethemed with Stitch as a central character. The birds sang, but they did not sing the tiki tiki song. It was a clever way to update the classic ride with a more contemporary character. 

Bethie and Erik went to go ride Peter Pan (it was only a 25 minute wait or less, which is unheard of in California). I rejoined my family. Bryan told me that a cast member had saw his sticker and said “Happy Birthday, American person!” as she walked past.  The last part was said in Japanese, but I’ve been telling Bryan all about it as I study words and phrases, and this is one that we know. It made Bryan laugh, so he told Dylan and Desmond and they all cracked up, at which point the cast member  started laughing also. I don’t think she expected him to understand what she was saying. 

We really enjoy the people here in the parks. Cast members and guests alike are friendly, having fun, and “into it.”  Bryan mentioned that he hasn’t seen anyone with a “Most Expensive Day Ever” shirt, or that kind of attitude. Everyone seems ready to buy in and have fun together. 

Next, Dylan did a shooting range there in Frontier Land with Desmond. Then he let us know he was done with Disney for the day and said goodbye. He isn’t a big Disney fan, so the fact that he was there with us for more than six hours was impressive. 

Having enjoyed the re-theming on the tiki room, I wanted to ride It’s a Small World with Groot. Throughout the ride Bryan sang “I am Groot, I am Groot.” to the classic melody playing. Groot was in each scene, and usually accompanied by another Marvel character. I joked that it was It’s a Small Multiverse After All, but really I think we arrived on It’s a Marvel World After All. We had a lot of fun spotting all the characters. 

Next Desmond and I did Teacups for Aunt Lannie. We went so fast! I got really dizzy. Good times. 

From there we joined up with Bethie and Erik again for Toon Town. We got cold drinks and had a sit down while Desmond explored Toon Town one house at a time. We were centrally located, so he would point at which house he wanted to explore, then he would go take a look and come right back. 

I wanted to do the Roger Rabbit Car Toon Spin, so we did that next. About a 15 minute wait, but lots to see in line. This ride is k ust like at home, except in Japanese. 

The evening lighting was beautiful when we exited the ride, so next we took pictures with the castle. 

We did Star Tours again, got first visit stickers for Desmond, Erik and Bethie, and then had some pizza for dinner. I had salad in a cup (the pizza smelled SO good!) and some nuts and dried mango from Bethie’s bag. Thanks, Bethie! I also mentioned that at some point I’d like to get some popcorn, and was promised I could have a whole box of caramel corn all to myself. 

The wait had come down to about half an hour for Beauty and the Beast, so we decided to give this ride a try. Bryan and I had not done it. It is new to the park since our last visit. Bethie had heard it was good. That would be an understatement. This was an excellent ride! 

As you approach, there is a beautiful castle. You go through various staging rooms, one of which tells the story (in Japanese) with an animated stained glass window up above. 

The music from the start of the movie played as the story was told. Then you continue on into the the castle. You get to spot Lumiere, Cogsworth, and other characters as you wait. You board giant teacups in the kitchen and the ride starts with the Be Our Guest scene. The movement of the cup vehicles makes it a fun ride, and the scenes from the movie are well chosen and the settings feel very open and grand. 

As we left Desmond started in again with something along the lines of “Oh, I remember now, Beauty and the Beast is the one where the hobbit has to take the glass slipper up the mountain, but the giant eye…” When he finished his lengthy mash up I told him “Dead on as usual. You really know your storybook fantasy stories.” He is teasing me because I have had some concern over the years that he doesn’t know these stories and tried to introduce them to him (though he didn’t like to watch movies st the time.) Funny boy. 

The group made good on their promise to find me some popcorn, and I happily munched on my non-dairy, caramel treat as we walked along, enjoying the atmosphere of the park at night. There were even some fireworks. 

We opted to wait the 8 minutes for Pooh’s Honey Hunt rather than coming back for our timed entry at 8:30. This trackless ride is colorful and even Desmond felt nostalgic about the stories from when he was younger. I explained to him that is his I felt about the Beauty and the Beast ride we were just on. 

We were on our way to a 15 minute line for the happy Baymax ride, but the firework show finished and a bunch of people got in line all at once. So we changed plans and went on the Jungle Cruise. It definitely felt different in the dark. 

Finally, we ended the day with Pirates of the Caribbean (this time with Bryan). 

As we walked out of the park, with moving music swelling around us and the twinkle lights on the beautiful buildings ahead of us, Desmond began to effusively thank us for bringing him, and to exclaim over how amazing Disneyland is, and on and on… little guy is adorable in his loopy Disney afterglow. 

But he’s not wrong. We love each other, and had a wonderful day. 

Want to keep Traveling with the Schmidts? Read Day 15