Let's Torture Belle

As our Disneyland vacation trip countdown descends, we find ourselves talking more and more about what we are going to do, what rides we will go on first, what shows we want to see, etc. We are all so excited, that we have to fill up our weekends just pass the time. Of course, when the time comes for our trip, it will fly by in an instant. Doesn’t it always?

The last time I went to Disneyland, Bello and I took Belle for the 45th anniversary. She remembers well all the rides that she went on, especially one in particular. We boarded the Space Mountain Roller Coaster and for those of you who haven’t been to Disneyland, Space Mountain is a coaster in the dark. When Belle and I got on the ride, neither the crew, nor I were thinking about the thigh size difference with the lap bar. As we were riding, Belle started to slip down under the lap bar and I spent the whole 30 second ride holding her up so that she wouldn’t slip down into the coaster train. By the time we stopped, Belle was in a panic and I was just happy that it was over. When I looked down, she had slid down so far that the bar was almost up to her neck. She was hanging on for dear life and I was holding on to her from under her arms. I was never scared that she would fall out of the train, but I was scared that the lap bar would choke her or break her neck. Needless to say, we didn’t ride Space Mountain anytime again while there.

However, that doesn’t mean that we won’t ride it this time. Belle says that she is afraid that it will happen again but I assured her that it wouldn’t because she is much bigger now. In addition, Space Mountain has been remodeled and now they have the over-the-head bar and I feel much safer and secure with that kind of security bar.

There is one other ride that we have to convince her to go on. That’s the Tower of Terror.

About 12 years ago, my grandparents paid for our family to go to Walt Disney World. The Tower of Terror, located at the Walt Disney Studios, was one of the new rides there. We had two little ones with us, Belle being one of them. My Uncle convinced her to go on the ride by telling her that Scooby-Doo was inside. She was all excited and couldn’t wait to go on. The ride takes you up and an elevator opens and closes with different ghostly scenes. The whole time, Belle is asking my Uncle where Scooby was. Finally, as the ride ends with a four story drop in the elevator and springs up and down for four stories back down to one. During the drop, Belle was screaming bloody murder. They take a picture of you while on the drop; Belle’s eyes were closed, mouth wide open and hair standing straight up. I still wish to this day that I had bought the picture but I was so angry that he took her on the ride that I didn’t want a picture to remind me of it. Now, we laugh about it and so does Belle. But still, she says she won’t go on the ride. I don’t blame her but I will convince her somehow.