The first day wasn't too bad since it was a week day (Thursday). There were plenty of people and some long lines. We spent that time wandering around trying to decide what to ride, taking in the sights and sounds of the park. There were ample opportunities to see some of the Disney characters scattered around the park.
Food and souvenirs were plentiful, however very pricey. It seemed to be a common practice to buy an autograph book and pen so that the kids can get autographs from the Disney characters. I recommend buying a book and pen before you go. It would be much less expensive. The children might have fun decorating their own books with pictures of their favorite characters in anticipation of the trip.
Our first mistake we made was not following a plan and letting Zac decide what he wanted to ride. We spent entirely too much time ziz-zagging across the park because he didn't want to ride anything with a long line. Everything had a long line. It made all of us tired, especially Zac's 20 month old brother, Rylan.
About 4:00 PM my daughter took the boys back to the hotel for a swim and a nap. My husband and I spent that time riding some rides, and we discovered that Disneyland can be much more fun without the kids. Since I use a cane whenever I have to do much walking, we were able to go to special loading areas and avoid having to stand in line so long. The park employees were supposed to let me know about this when we came in the front gate, but I didn't find out until standing in line for a ride. One of the ride employees pulled me from the line and told me about this option for anyone with a disability. It helped considerably, especially since my knee was starting to hurt from all the walking that day.
We left the park about 9:00 PM and could see the fireworks in the sky over the park as our shuttle left. They were impressive. We decided we wanted to see them the next night at the park.
My daughter had not come back to the park that night because Zac decided he wanted to stay at the hotel and play video games. We thought we would be rested for an early start the next day and take advantage of breakfast with the characters which was included with our package deal.
