Well, something HAS gotta give

Would I be a terrible parent if I confess that visiting Disneyland was hard work? Coz the song that comes instantly to mind when I think of our recent visit to Parc Disneyland Paris is by Queen.

You'd think bringing a child to a world famous theme park would be - oh how should I put it - a walk in the park? But hohohoboy...

Dee was donkey-fied (being the beast of burden as usual)
We were well and truly fried, nicely singed on the edges and all. (Geri mentioned 'chow tah' on FB, that's how bad it was!)

We were amateurs. Greenhorns. Novices to this big and overwhelming world they call Disneyland. It was a stampede even though the summerbreak hasn't quite kicked in yet.

We had 2 whole days but still, we couldn't cover EVERYTHING.

It wasn't a small world after all. They lied. Hmph.

Our 2 days there felt like we were part of a mob.

We had gone in thinking we could flit from one ride to another, see different 'themed lands' - Adventureland, Fantasyland, Frontierland etc - with tra-la-la minimal fuss.

We didn't know how serious people (read: parents) were when it came to the 'meet and greet' sessions with the characters. People, they had targets they had to meet. TARGETS. Mums and Dads were busy striking off rides, ticking off shows they'd completed, and counting what else they had to cover. Kids were well prepared with autograph books and matching pens purchased from the Disney store. These were no novices, no siree, they were trained experts in the field of themeparks!

Dee and I were bewildered but quickly took notes on how to increase our efficiency from the Masters.

It was an Amazing Race (Disneyland edition) from the get-go. We braved the scorching sun, endured snaking queues, tut-tutted at people who CUT queues, dashed from themeland to themeland, witnessed children screaming at their parents, parents screaming their heads off... it was manic.

Yet, despite the rather frazzled experience. We enjoyed Disneyland. I think it was a combination of seeing Cheeks so utterly thrilled, and us working as a team to cover as much as possible that made the trip memorable. Once we got the hang of it, Papa and I split up to queue for rides, the meet and greet sessions. When our pace showed signs of slowing, Papa would remind me of how we'd zip about from one landmark to the next with gusto when we were on a holiday that we wanted. Instantly our engines would rev up again, and we tried best to make sure Cheeks got to see as many shows, take as many rides as possible.

There are many other anecdotes from this trip that I'd love to share - like the time we were left stranded on the 2nd day when Paris' Metro decided to go on strike and we had no means of getting to Disneyland (thank God for Disney staff at major stations who found alternative modes of transportation for Disneyland ticketholders), how we tried to be frugal and BYO-ed lunches (cooked rice! made porridge! packed sandwiches!) on this trip - but there are too many to put up on blog.

Instead I leave you with some photos. Just us. Beaming and grinning from ear to ear. Coz that's what sums up our maiden trip to Disneyland best...

getting cuddly with Sully

apprehended by the CDA (Child Detection Agency)!

with the chipmunks
kisses for Cheeks on her cheeks