27 Rides in 10 Hours

Our very last Disney day before our annual passes expired deserves its own post because if you ask Blake, this was the best day of his life to this point.

We set out early on our traditional birthday date and arrived at the park just before opening. I surprised him with MaxPasses for the day, which meant we could reserve our spots in the FastPass lines from my phone. It was our first time trying it out and it made the day so efficient. Instead of running all over the park to collect FastPasses, we scheduled them with a few clicks while we were riding on rides. The nice cast member that wrote on Blake's birthday pin also gave him a front of the line pass to any ride he wanted. 

With the combination of our MaxPasses, an extra front of the line pass and the park not being too busy, Blake and I hit 27 rides in 10 hours. That has to be some sort of record! He's the only one that can keep up with my pace and his birthday date was the perfect way to cap off our annual pass. 

We could have left after hitting 27 rides, including all of the big rides, but neither of us were ready to call it a night. We stayed to watch World of Color.

We had to go see It's a Small World all lit up as well.

We said Farewell to Main Street all lit up for Christmas.

It always makes us sad when we say goodbye to Disneyland, not knowing when we'll be back again. We clocked 24 days this year and considering weekends and summers are blocked out for us, I'd say we made the most of those passes. The lyrics from the Paint the Night parade sum up how we felt about our last Disney night perfectly:

Put your hands up, ’cause the night is young!
Kick your heels up when you join the fun.
As the magic sets us all aglow,
I gotta know, my friends,
When can we do this again?

Our Disney days have become so much more than fitting in fun rides. They mean uninterrupted time together when school, friends, homework, housework, sports and our crazy busy schedules fade away. They are our escape from reality. I know not everyone loves the crowds and expense of Disneyland, but for us, we life in the present the most when we are there. Is it sacrilegious to say I have a testimony of Disneyland? Ha. 

Thanks for the memories Disney, we'll be back soon!