It was an early start for us as we wanted to be at the California Adventure Park by 7.30 in the morning for early entry. The last time we visited a Disney Park – DisneyWorld in Orlando – Bron had used an app called RideMax which scheduled our day to help ensure we got to visit all the attractions. It was such a success that we are using it again for this trip. The first hour was a bit hectic as we raced around different rides and got a sense for the layout of the park.

The day started with the Guardians of the Galaxy ride which was a great combination of actual and virtual interaction. The seats shot up and down and at each stop there was a giant video screen with scenes from the movie.

The Incredi-coaster was the most exhilarating ride and it even went upside down. To say Thomas was a bit freaked would be an understatement. We went back to do it again later in the day and he would not have another bar of it.

The one thing Matthew had been looking forward to the most was to create his own droid. We had prepurchased a ticket and he had been counting down the hours. It was quite an experience and he got to pick parts of his choice and then assemble it on a workbench. There were also options to customize the voice and interactions.

During the day, Bron and I and the little kids went to an Animation course to learn how to draw a Disney character. We learnt to draw Ember from the movie Elementals. An artist talked us through the process and it seemed so simple. We all ended up with a drawing that was very close to the official picture.