If there were t-shirts that read I Survived 5 Days of Disneyland with My Children, Devon and I would buy them.
This is us at the end of day 5, and we survived!
Not only did we survive, but we ROCKED Disneyland! We did it all! We left no stone unturned, no parade unwatched, no ride unrode!
This was my very first attempt at assembling a family vacation (my mom is a vacation-planning extraordinaire), and while everything worked out in the end, here are a few mistakes I made/things I'll do differently next time/lessons learned:
There are 3 hotels on the Disneyland property, and there are several "Good Neighbor" hotels surrounding the park. We were 1.5 miles away, so while thousands of other tourists had the leisure of starting their day on foot, we had to wait for a public transit shuttle to pick us up before we finally arrived at the threshold of Disneyland. Also, the afternoons are warm, the children are tired, and the lines are long. It would have been so nice to take a break, go back to the hotel and swim or sleep, and then return to the park refreshed after dinner- all without the wait-time of the shuttle. Lesson #1- stay as close to Disneyland as possible.
My parents and my sister joined us for a few days, and they stayed at a hotel even further away than ours, yet their hotel had a free shuttle to Disneyland. For our family, a daily shuttle pass was $13. Lesson #2- if a shuttle ride is mandatory, find a hotel with a free shuttle to Disneyland.
My parents' hotel offered a complimentary breakfast, but our hotel did not. A free breakfast would have saved us $20+/day. Lesson #3- free breakfast is a must.
I chose not to travel with my double stroller because it is huge and I'd hate for it to be damaged on the flight. So, I thought I was brilliant to have looked on Craigslist for a used double stroller. I found one for FREE! Stroller rentals at Disneyland are $15/day for a single and $25/day for two singles. Finding a free stroller ahead of time was brilliant!! See this beauty below?? Free! The problem with this stroller is that it doesn't steer very well. My dad, Devon and I all worked our triceps and biceps while pushing this stroller, and I unfortunately ran over some toes, clipped some heels, bumps some shins, and I even ran over a lady's purse. Lesson #4- have a good stroller.
Bottled water is $2.75 at Disneyland. A kids meal is $5.99. Everything else costs even more. Lesson #5- suck it up. Disneyland is expensive.
I hit up a Disney store before we left Washington, and I stocked up on clearance souvenirs (that were an additional 20% off the clearance price!), and the kids were "wowed!" each day as I pulled out their "Disney prizes". Lesson #6- pre-buy as many Disney souvenirs as possible.
Disneyland is very accommodating for families. While Lucy could ride most rides (and loved the roller coasters!), Max obviously could not ride the big rides. A Switch Pass allows one parent to stay behind with baby while the other parent waits in line and goes on the ride with the other kids. Once Devon, Joe and Lucy exited Space Mountain, I was able to take my Switch Pass and skip to the front of the line, bringing one guest (usually Joe). Joe loved the Switch Pass because he was able to ride most rides twice. Lesson #7- Switch Pass rocks!
For someone like me who loves a celebrity sighting, the Disney characters were fun to spot and meet. The ones who can talk are super friendly and visit a bit with the kids. The ones who can't talk (because the costumes cover their heads) give hugs and high-fives and are just as personable. And don't miss Bert from Mary Poppins- he's a fan favorite :) Oh, and we filled the autograph book! Lesson #8- meet the characters.
Although it has been so nice to be with Devon every day during the trip, I miss him dearly! We've been so busy with the kids that we haven't been able to visit with each other much. Lesson #9- plan a date after returning home. Grandma Donna, are you available to babysit ASAP?
Max's nap schedule was, um, well, there was no nap schedule. When he was exhausted, he fell asleep. We are paying the price for the absence of bedtimes (our kids get hyper when they are tired, and then they completely lose control and it gets ugly), but, well, I don't really have anything else to add. We are paying the price :) Lesson #10- go with the flow.
The rides at Disneyland are legendary and magical. And there is something for everyone, young and old. Lesson #11- ride the rides!
These memories will last a lifetime. Lesson #12- take a bazillion pictures!
Lesson #13- have a great time! We did!!
7 comments:
What a great post! Kinda feel like I got to be there too! Of course, I loved all the pics and I'll take note of all the lessons as well.
Sounds like you guys had such a blast...and I wouldn't knock your planning skills too much...you bought (at discounted prices nonetheless!)and brought Disneyland souvenirs! I think you rock!
I bet it's good to be home though...now go plan that hot date of yours! :)
P.S. Just thought I'd let you know your time spent on this post is much appreciated!
P.P.S All the kiddies look so stinkin' cute and happy!
A+++ for your efforts and fabulous tips!!
I think my favorite is your pre-souvenir shopping...that one is impressive! And I big smile crossed my face as you advised to 'get over it' and 'go with the flow' - sometimes you just don't get to choose :o)
Your pictures really are awesome and you did such a great job keeping us up-to-date! Thank you!!
The picture of Max and Devon with Max asleep on his shoulders in his Mickey PJ's is super sweet; and your birthday tiara rocks!!
Can we come with the Rantz's next time?!
(I'm not even kidding one tiny bit!)
GREAT blog!!! great advice too! go big or go home!!! I am so glad you and your family had a such a great vacation! We had a blast also, thanks for inviting us :)
So love your blogs while you were away, keeping me up to date on what you guys were doing. Love your birthday Tiara and the lessons learned were priceless. I missed you all so much! Can't wait to see you all tonight.
I am ready for being with the kids while you guys go out. I am not even calling it babysitting. I just miss them so much.
Great POST!!!! I love all of the tips and the pics! You guys did AWESOME!!! You are now old pros at the Disneyland game!!!
I have ALWAYS wanted to stay on the property and have heard there is no comparison. But gosh the extra 2 or 3 hundo a night just never seems worth it. But someday I hope to splurge! :)
You make me want to go...NOW! So happy that you had such a great time! Enjoy your date night! Make it magical :)))))!
Excellent tips, Annie! And I love all the photos! Birthday tiara for sure! And all the ones of the kids sleeping. Ha! You are so lucky they sleep in the stroller and on the go. Free stroller seems pretty smart to me. Too bad it was so hard to steer. I still think that was probably a better move than risking the Bob getting trashed by the baggage handlers, don't you think? Or no?
You are definitely much braver than I am - I think we'll make our first trip to Disneyland in a couple years when I don't have to worry so much about diapers, naps, and Switch Passes (though that one is really good to know about!!).
I bet Lucy will remember this trip for the rest of her life! What an awesome adventure. Welcome home! Hope you and Devon get a nice, quite, relaxing date night out very soon.
Post a Comment