Jedi Training Academy @ Disneyland

 

The Jedi Training Academy at Disneyland randomly selects children to train with a Jedi Training Master. Dressed in brown robes with 'real' Lightsabors learn the Jedi oath, ancient Jedi skills and when there is a disturbance in the force, they need to battle either Darth Vader or Darth Maul in one-to-one combat.

Check out the video of Alex fighting Darth Maul:

Merry Christmas 2012 from Disneyland

Merry Christmas from Disneyland 2012!  If you can handle the crowds, Disneyland and Disney California Adventures are magical at Christmas time. The parks go crazy with decorations. Everything sparkles! Alex learned about playing hooky for the first time, skipped school, grabbed a friend and headed to meet the Mouse!

Six year old boys are still not ready to stand in endless lines, but between fast pass & good ole fashioned luck, we never waited more than 20 minutes. We are not Disneyland fanatics. The simulated rides, Star Tours and Soarin', were the biggest hits for us. The monorail and submarines were also pretty fun. Alex was still scared of the pirates, unimpressed by the mermaids, but did love Tarzan's Treehouse and Mark Twain's Riverboat. (Mostly, when he and his friend weren't on a ride, they just wanted to go home and play Legos.). Luckily, Downtown Disney is home to the Lego Store. Alex's Happiest Place on Earth seems to be outside those expensive gates.

Miska Mouska, Mickey Mouse!

The old days of the Mickey Mouse Club may be over, but Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Daisy, Donald and the gang can still dance the night away. Actually, it took Alex a little while to get into the swing of things during his first trip to Disneyland. The train and monorail tours were instant hits, and we went round-and-round the carousel. But, standing in line to fly with Dumbo took all the patience that a kid could muster.

The highlight of the day was giving a ‘high-5’ to “the Mouse” as Alex calls him. Mickey took the time to greet the whole family, and we took home the traditional mouse ears as a souvenir of Alex’s first trip to Toon Town. The park is now known as the Disneyland Resort, which includes California Adventure, Downtown Disney and numerous hotels. A simple one day pass will cost $69, but there are endless park-hopper, multi-day, and annual passes. For rides, Disneyland still offers the traditional favorites like Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted House, but the new favorites are the re-designed submarine, the upgraded Space Mountain and Indiana Jones. (“It’s a Small World” is closed). If you’ve only got a day, then come at 8am when it opens and stay until after the fireworks at 10pm. The Fast Pass will get you on more of the rides. Or, even if you are a local to SoCal, plan a family vacation and see all the treats of Anaheim.

Alex’s next trip to the happiest place on earth will probably be longer than the half day we lasted, and it definitely will not be in the hot month of July while flooded with tourists, but now that he is expert at standing in line, we’ll be ready for many more rides.