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Next week we're going to Disneyland!
This will be the kids' first time to Disneyland and it's been a long time since I've visited (about 15 years...even longer for Eric). We're all SO excited! We're staying in a suite about 10 minutes away and will be taking the hotel shuttle into Disneyland each day. We have a 3-day park hopper pass, so we can visit both Disneyland and California Adventures.
So, now it's time for you to give me all of your tips, tricks, and insider advice. What rides will the kids love? Hate? What shows should we see? Should we go back to the hotel for naptime or let the little ones nap in the stroller? Where's the best food? (Always on my mind!) What are the best souvenirs? (How much do those Mickey Mouse ear hats cost, anyway? I already told the kids they're getting those!) Any tips for long car rides with little ones? This will be the longest car ride we've ever taken with them.
Thank you!
hah...i posted about this last week because we're planning a trip to disney world. it's kind of overwhelming because there is SO much information out there! :)
ReplyDeleteI have never been to Disneyland so I can't help you with any advice but I did take my two girls to Disney World last winter and the only advice I can give you is to cherish every single minute of it. I had been as an adult but seeing it through the eyes of a child really is the most magical thing ever! Have so much fun!
ReplyDeleteAh! Super lucky! I do not go until November! To me the best place to get some food is in Fantsasyland. The Village Haus. It has decent burgers and the price is fair. Do NOT go to the Pizza Port! I don't enjoy it even though everything looks amazing. (it's not). The kids will love all Fantasyland rides. But my favorite one to finally have a sit down relaxing time is the Jungle Cruise or Pirates of the Carribean. Hope you have a great time!!! And dont forget to get some gumbo from New Orleans Square :)
ReplyDeleteyay! just like you said you wanted to do! :)
ReplyDeleteSo excited for you guys!! I love disney, and my favorite site for fantasizing about a trip is allears.net. They have updated copies of the menus for every single restaurant, so you can plan ahead. The Disneyland blog on that site is also amazing, it will get you so pumped. I cannot wait to hear all about it!
ReplyDeleteHow fun!!! Lily loves "it's a small world" and so do we. Also, you have to see the parade around 6 or 7. Finley will love the Cinderella castle and your boys will love the pirate ship. Have a great time :)
ReplyDeleteOh Morgan, I'm so excited for you! You and your family are going to have a BLAST. Really, so much fun ahead! Here is a summary of our 'fav's'!!!
ReplyDeleteAidan's fav's: (so Silas would probably like these the most?) Dumbo, It's a Small World, Jungle Cruise, Buzz Lightyear lazer ride (can't remember what it's called), the Carousel, and Winnie the Poo
Georgia's fav's: (so Finley might fit into this category!) Teacups (I get nauseous thinking about them! lol For us it was a daddy/daughter ride!), Jungle Cruise, the Carousel, and Fairytale cruise ride (right next to the Teacups)
Are you familiar with Fast Pass's? They are the BEST. Seriously saved us hours of time. If you aren't familiar, message me or go to the Disneyland website to check em' out!
Naps. They were necessary for us. We were staying right at the park though, so it was easy. But you have some bigger kids AND little ones, so I'm not sure what I would recommend! If your little ones are good at napping in the stroller, I might lean that direction. My kids won't nap unless they're in their beds, so we're stuck there.
Food. After we discovered Jamba Juice in Downtown Disney (it's attached to both parks), we ate breakfast there everyday. $3 Oatmeals and Breakfast wraps! Cheaper than any other restaurant by FAR. Plus you could eat on the run if you wanted! For lunches we brought peanut butter and honey, fruit, etc. That was a huge savings for us, plus, we got a little tired of chicken nuggets and hamburgers, so it was nice to switch it up a bit! And dinner, our favorite place was right next to Splash Mountain. It's a tiny little walkup place (with a few outdoor tables). They serve Cream of Broccoli soup, Clam Chowder, and Veggie Chili (my fav), all in bread bowls. This tasted SOOOO good after eating "Carnival" food all week! Wish we had found it sooner!
Oh! And I forgot to mention it at Bunko, but we realized that the best time to buy small (toy) souvenirs is when you FIRST arrive! We made Aidan wait until the afternoon of the 2nd day, and quickly realized our mistake! He picked out a Buzz Lightyear spinning light toy (you'll TOTALLY know what I'm talking about when you get there, because they are all.over.the.place.). Anyway, it was heaven sent, because it gave him something fun to play with while we waited in the sometimes [long] lines. Definitely recommend this toy! ha! He still loves it. Now it's a car toy :-)
And the car ride. Oh dear. Do you have a DVD player? This saved us ;-) We watched a bunch of disney movies, and then I had bought some cheap little toys at the Wise Owl (here in Chico) which were awesome. Some of the things I bought for the kids: a book that you can draw on with a dry erase marker, a white board (I think it was $1.50?), a few little rubber figures (I have no idea what these are called, but they're SUPER popular right now. My kids like them because they're tiny little parts are interchangeable!), a deck of 'go fish', a magnet stick with some magnetic marbles (these were super cheap too, and they loved them!!). I love putting together little 'car kits', it really helps a lot!
Okay, I just wrote a novel! hehe! Again, so excited for you guys!!!
Disneyland is the best. I am sure you guys are going to have a great time. If you want to save money bring a big zip lock baggie fill it up with ice and put in the bottom of a bag. Pack snacks like carrots, string cheese, crackers, nuts, fruit anything you guys like to munch on. When your standing in line is a perfect time to pull it out. I brought bread, deli meat, chips etc and made a full lunch for my family every day. It was so expensive to eat so we just always ate dinner either at the park or in downtown Disney.
ReplyDeleteBring your kleen Kanteens. Filtered water is available at the Mexican restaurant and in the baby changing center on main. We refilled all the time. Ice was also free so we had cold filtered water every day.
The above post is right, do not bother eating at
Pizza port, overpriced food and not very good.
If you want to see world of color at night....first thing the day you want to see it go straight to California adventure and get your fast pass for it. Its first come first serve. They close that part of the park down for the show, so its the only way to see it.
Hidden secret....if your boys are into conductor hats, they do not sell them anywhere. But if sometimes they have extra. Ask the train conductor at Main street port and maybe your boys can get a free hat.
We made the mistake of letting our five year old talk us into haunted mansion....biggest mistake ever. Dumbo bit hit, plan on going lots. At night is a blast. Autopia is a hit, Buzz light year, and even though the line is long Toy story Mania in California adventure is worth it. Bugs land is fun for the kiddos too. Its tough to be a bug 3D experience both kids cried. You get poked in the back, they spray stuff on you, and the kids were not having it. Toontown is a great place to climb, ride and run around.
My suggestion for the car ride is leave as early as you can. If they can sleep for part of the drive then stop for breakfast it makes the drive go better. We watched DVD's, listened to music. We also play the alphabet game, they draw on their Etch A Sketch. I got special snacks that they don't normally get and would pull them out every once in a while, they thought that was cool. Play the game "I am thinking of something and it starts with (letter) and is (color).
Honestly the car ride down is harder than home. My kids were so exhausted from D-land that they slept a lot coming home.
Have fun hope some of my suggestions help!
The one restaurant that I would recommend in Disneyland is Big Thunder Mountain BBQ. It is kind of pricey, but it is all you can eat and you can take your leftovers with you. Go for Lunch and save your leftover ribs and chicken for snack/dinner. The packing a bag of ice, and refilling it in the park will keep it cold enough to stay fresh. We also took Kids Clif bars as snacks because they help you feel full longer. We packed juice boxes and Clif Bars, and water bottles. We used formula still with Clara at the time, but if we went now, I would bring PediaSure or equivilant to use as a non refridgerated milk for the little ones.
ReplyDeleteThe kids will get worn out and probably sleep fine in the stroller, but if you find them getting unbearable, you can always go back to your room and nap. Make sure you get a fast pass for Soarin' in California Adventure! It is really neat! If you want to do the meet the princesses, head straight there as soon as the park opens and get in line. That is the shortest line of the day and you will still have to wait about 45 min! Clara and Josiah loved it though! We also bought souvenior signature books the first day for each child and they got them signed every time we met a character and then we took a picture with each character and it went in the book right next to where each character signed! It was great for memories of the trip. Make sure and take advantage of the rider swap before you get into any line! It makes it so that you can both go on rides without having to wait in line twice!
Have the best time!! You should be reading my friend Darcy's blog- http://blog.suchthespot.com/
ReplyDeleteSteph
Have a fab trip!!! I love following your blog!
ReplyDeleteOMG! that's awesome!! i live about 15 minutes away from disneyland and have been thinking about getting a pass so we can take the kids.. I haven't been there since i was a baby, I'm excited for your kiddos to have so much FUN!
ReplyDeleteWe were just there in the spring with our kids (3 and 1) and are going with all the cousins next month! So exciting for you! One tip we got was to buy some things ahead of time as souvenirs and then just let them pick something small at the park. We bought an Alice in Wonderland doll from the Disney Store on clearance for $4 and have that tucked away for our little girl to get on the trip. So fun for you all!
ReplyDeleteFUN! A happy week to you!!!
ReplyDeleteWe're annual pass holders, so I just sent you a very long message on your FB page...hope you have a WONDERFUL time!
ReplyDeleteLeft hand sides of lines are shorter on average :) Read that in a Disney book before we went.
ReplyDeleteI went six years ago with my family and my brother was just a bit older than Judah. We picked up this Mickey Mouse doll in one of their shops.(Pretty sure it was in Magic Kingdom)It was the neatest thing, whenever you were in one of the Disney parks you could push it's stomach and it would tell you all the different events (the Parade, different shows) at all the different times in whichever park you're in. I can't remember the price but it was no more than $50 and it was WELL worth it. When you're not in the parks it tells jokes and gives you interesting facts about Disney World. :)
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