Disney 2013 Day #2 California Adventure

Before breakfast we had stopped by California Adventure to pick up FastPasses for Radiator Springs Racers.  It was pretty perfect timing that our window opened just as we were getting back to the park after breakfast.  Jackson was barely tall enough to ride (like they measured him three different times), so he rode for the first time, while the rest of us had ridden during our last trip.  He did pretty well, but could not be convinced to go again later in the trip.  No way, no how.

During the planning of our trip, I pre-purchased PhotoPass+ for us to use while we were there.  PhotoPass is a card that you are given that the professional photographers will load their photos onto for you to view and possibly purchase later.  We had done it on other trips, but this new PhotoPass+ was, I think, an even better deal.  You can do all of the regular shots with photographers:

 

Including "Magic Shots" like this one:

And you can edit them, and add borders:

You also get your ride photos loaded onto it for free:

(Here we are on California Screamin')

But possibly the best part was that at any Character Meals, you get your Character photo loaded to the card and you get the hard copy photo package in a cute folder.

Plus, if there was a Disney photographer, I didn't have to worry about getting my camera out (score!)

and I found that I was actually *in* a lot more of the pictures of this vacation, because I wasn't always the one taking the picture!

Highly recommend that PhotoPass+.  And FastPass.  And Rider Switch, which we used for rides that Jackson was too short to go on, or even some that he just didn't want to go on.  It made it kind of nice actually, because it meant that I did a lot of hanging out with Jackson while everyone else went on the ride, and then someone else (usually lucky Hayley) got to ride a second time with me.  During one of the times we waited, Jackson and I saw Jake from Jake and the Neverland Pirates.  No line behind us, so they played for quite a bit.  Even if he wasn't totally into rides, this boy made up for it with how much he loved the characters.

In the evening we went to the Pixar Play Parade.  My mom was very nice to sit for a while and save us a prime seat on a bench along the parade route.  We love watching the parades at Disney, and this one had some fun new additions for the new Monsters University movie!

 

The last thing we did was stop by the Mad T Party concert.  This is a fun band based on the Alice in Wonderland characters.  They sing current and 80's and 90's hits and they are actually pretty good and very fun to listen to.  It was fun to watch the kids sing and dance along, as my mom, Whitney, and I watched and I'm pretty sure all thought the same thing: "How do you still have so much energy?!"  It's a never-ending mystery I tell you.