The Friday FastPass: Pace Yourself

editor's note: We thought we might try something different on Fridays, and maybe give out some thoughts on "lessons" that we think we've learned in The Park.  Many of them (not all but many) will deal with being Annual Passholders at Disneyland Resort who can visit The Park on a fairly frequent basis.  That said, we hope that they're interesting enough to be read by anyone, and maybe by some who visit those Other Parks down in Florida.

When we were kids, just like you we'd be willing to bet, we grew sick and tired of our parents who, while on vacation, were constantly telling us to "slow down".  When we were lucky enough to actually go somewhere that interested us (my dad was forever dragging us all over the southern states to civil war battlefields), our jubilation was often punctuated with:  "Slow down!  The rides aren't going anywhere!", or "Why are you in such a rush?  You need to take your time and enjoy everything."  And, as I'm sure most kids are wont to do, we completely ignored him and went on about our business of rushing to and fro, and we certainly refused to slow down even the teensiest bit.

And now, being pretty much the exact age that my dad was when he was doing his best to curb my enthusiasm, I've learned a very valuable lesson:  The old man knew what he was talking about.  When I first started going to The Park with my own kids, I would hear those awful words slipping out of my own mouth.  I'd try to stop them, but they'd punch, kick and fight until my mouth was wide open and here they'd come.  It was deplorable, and it brought me such shame.

But, as time has gone on, and we've learned the ropes, we've figured out just what an awesome thing it is (oh, the power!) to have Annual Passes into The Park.  

When we first made the decision to Pass, we were completely foolish about the whole thing.  We'd get to The Park, with our double stroller and two toddlers in tow (now we have 3 boys), and proceed to run around like chickens with our heads cut off for a good 8-10 hours, and then get home and wonder why the heck we were so exhausted.  Foolish, weren't we?

After a year or so of sheer, unadulterated idiocy though, we finally began to learn the ropes.  The old adage that everything doesn't have to be done at once is completely true.  Heck, my wife and I didn't even have to take the kids with us every time.  *faint*  

As we've gone on as Passholders (I think we're in Year 4 now), we've learned our limitations and we stick to them.  We've learned what pacing works best for each situation we find ourselves in while we're out there.  When daddy wants some alone time with the boys, he knows it's best to pop in for 2-4 hours, wait in line and ride a bunch of stuff, and then leave.  In those situations, it's probably apropos to blast in and out like a tornado.  When mommy and daddy need some alone time, that's the time to do something slow like ride King Arthur's Carousel, have a nice dinner at The Blue Bayou, or just sit along Main Street USA with an ice cream cone and enjoy the music at Coke Corner.  When we take our youngest (now three years old), the family knows our time there will probably be shorter and mostly spent in Fantasyland.  If there's an event going on that's going to bring in an extra quadrillion people over the weekend or during the week, it might be best to postpone and avoid the madness for a few days because, as my dad said, The Park isn't going anywhere.  The Park can be an extraordinarily crowded joint.  Putting yourselves (and worse, your kids if you can avoid it) in the middle of that sometimes just isn't worth it.  Everyone gets agitated, it's hot, lines are long... sometimes it's just best to cut your losses and come back another time rather than get into a full-fledged war in New Orleans Square.

That's not to say that we never stay for longer periods of time.  In fact, during the summer, one of our favorite things to do (and it's the only time of the year we do) is grab a hotel room and stay for 2-3 days and keep going back, which offers us the freedom to head back to our rooms and nap and then go back if we need to.  We have a lot more leeway that way, but it's not always feasible to do so.  We've gotten really good at assessing situations and moving on from there.  Whether that means we stay for long periods of times, or a quick "in and out", we've learned with much practice.  And this is certainly not call to try and take away your childrens' enthusiasm, either.  Merely a call not to let it overwhelm you, or them, for that matter.

What we've really learned is that part of the beauty of Disneyland (for us, and it could be for many Passholders) is that it isn't a vacation for us anymore; it's a lifestyle.  It's just become a part of who we are as a family.  And rather than having to fit it all into one day, or two, or three, the memories we make there can now be spread out over the span of a lifetime.  It's an  experience that is ongoing for us as long as it'll let us have it. 

We think it's crucial as Passholders to know your own pace, your children's pace (if you have them) and the pace of The Park if you're truly going to enjoy all that Disneyland Resort has to offer.  As much as it might seem like you have to do it all at once, as a wise man once told me, God willing, it isn't going anywhere.  It'll always be there waiting for you when you're ready to come back.

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