HELP!
I need your advice on all things Disney... DISNEYLAND to be specific!
I'm an East Coast girl... I've got East Coast connections and plenty of folks who could offer me tons of advice about DisneyWORLD. But DisneyLAND in California is different story!
So to all my California gals... Ashley, Keri, Francesca... and to ANYONE else who has been to the West Coast Mouse House...
I NEED YOUR ADVICE!
We are planning to go for Reagan's birthday in April, and I've been looking at packages online as well as I have spoken with a travel agent. I think I know what we are doing, but I would welcome any information that you may have about the best hotels (I'm really considering the Anabella), the best restaurants, which kid activities are a must do, which should be avoided... I'm pretty sure we are going to buy a package that include "park hopper" passes to the Disneyland Park, the California Adventure Park, and Sea World.
I'll take whatever you can give me because we would like to book as soon as possible!
THANK YOU!!!
Friday, January 15, 2010
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10 comments:
well one of things you MUST do is meet me! haha just kidding. :)
its hard for me to help with hotels because i grew up there and only about 15 minutes away so we never stayed in a hotel.
my new favorite ride is the toy story ride which is actually at california adventure but they do have a buzz lightyear one that is almost as good in disneyland.
have you and your husband ever been to disneyland?
on main street (in disneyland), there is a place that sells ice cream and it is seriously the best ice cream ever!! you really can't pass that up even though it is pricey.
the new monsters inc ride was seriously boring we thought. we really didn't get the point of it and it just ended up being a long wait for not much of anything. and there is hardly anything about it that is really "monsters, inc."
love love love autopia! also, they have this cool thing called innovations now that is like a big round building that you go inside and you can play with all these cool things that are sort of in the future type toys and inventions. i've only been in it once but I loved it... great place to go for some down time because it isn't really a ride although you do have to wait in a line because they only let so many people in at a time and it is very fun and i think would be entertaining for reagan.
also, you can now take the monorail in and out of the park so you can get on it by the monsters inc ride and it can let you out at the far end of downtown disney so if you want to eat dinner in downtown disney and then go back in the park, that might be a fun way to do it.
please please feel free to email me with any other specific questions! i would love to do my best to answer them! and who knows, maybe i'll be in town when you're there :)!
We went to DisneyLAND this past fall and it was fantastic. However, since we have properties in California we didn't stay on site. I can't offer you any advice on your stay, but I can offer you a little bit of wisdom about navigating your way into the park...
1. Have your tickets in hand before you arrive. Buy them online or go the night before your first day in the park to the ticket booths to buy. We spent over an hour in line for tickets, not because of long lines, but because the sweet little ladies and men working the ticket booths have long detailed conversations with every single family in line! It put a damper on our day when we had to just keep walking in circles while my hubby stood in line!
2. Purchase a $15-$20 princess costume and some accessories before you go for Reagan to wear instead of spending $80-$100 (no exaggeration here!) on the costumes and accessories in the park. You could even stick the dress you pre-buy in your purse and pull it out like voila, look what Mommy just bought you in that overpriced souvenir shop!
3. Plan your day so that you're able to get a good front row seat for the last parade of the day. If I did it all over again, I'd do a late afternoon snack, and then park my family in a spot for the parade while running to the nearest food vendor to get dinner. Then I'd feed my kiddos dinner while waiting for the parade. Front row seats are taken so quickly and you don't want to miss out on being able to dance right with the characters during the parade!
4. Buy an autograph book immediately when you get to the park and let Reagan have fun getting every character's autograph. Her favorite spot might be the princess promenade where at any given time 3 princesses are available for photos and autographs so be sure to stop there!
5. HAVE FUN!! (Beware that Pinocchio and Mr. Toad's Wild Ride are both a bit scary and may interfere with the having fun if you choose to ride them!)
1) Bring me
2) Bring me
3) Bring me.
smooches...
sara
Well, I've grown up less than an hour away so I've been there probably close to a hundred times :D
Bethany had some GREAT advice. Don't do Toads Wild Ride. I'm an adult and it freaks me out.
DEFINITELY buy a princess dress beforehand, but sign up to do the "princess makeover" and get there early. We stayed at the Disneyland Hotel in November (just as a treat) and we loved that we could just take the monorail to our hotel. So much easier with tired kids. And we were able to watch the fireworks from our balcony (bonus!).
Also, make reservations to eat in Goofys Kitchen for breakfast if you stay at the Disneyland hotel. It's breakfast with the characters and actually REALLY good food.
The Disneyland Hotel has an awesome scavenger hunt in the afternoons for kids if you need a break from rides at the park.
Be prepared to empty your entire bank account. Everything is expensive :D Have fun!!!
I went to Disney World while I was preggo w/ Ironman. The BEST part of the whole day for me was the fireworks afterwards. Try and stick around for that, they're amazing!
How exciting! Disneyland is definitely one of my happy places. :)
I *love* staying at the Disneyland hotels, they really are convenient and fun and cater to whatever you need. They also offer easy access to the monorail and early entry to the park on certain days of the week. However, if they're booked (and they do book up quickly) or too pricey we've also stayed at the Anaheim Sheraton and like it as well. The shuttle is easy and convenient and they're very close to the park. I'm not familiar with the Anabella....
I also love Goofy's Kitchen (make reservations now!) and the parades are fantastic. The autograph book was also a great suggestion. And we cannot go to Disneyland without having breakfast at the Carnation Cafe!
No matter what you decide to do, Reagan is going to have a blast!! Enjoy!
~Keri
I was born in Anaheim! However, I haven't been to the park in years. I will follow your lead on this one!
Ok I've only been there once and that was about 18 years ago, I'm no help!
Hey there! Gosh it's been a while on the blogging front. I guess that's what holidays and vacations can do to you. :) I think you guys will have a great time at Disneyland! So exciting. I lived in Bakersfield,CA for a while and I went, but I really am no help. I can't wait to find out all the details of your trip! I want to take my kiddos badly, so after you go give me some tips, k?
Just saw your blog.. I've lived about 20min. from Disneyland most of my life. My suggestions...
Try to go during a weekday and get there early! Disney Walk... the boardwalk in front of Disneyland. Is just as exciting to kids. So if one of the days you don't feel like doing Disneyland save some time and walk around the outside shops. Eat before you go in. I think bottle water costs $100 dollars! Do Small World as soon as you get in!! By the Afternoon the line is ridiculous. If the line is still manageable after the ride... do it immediately again. Sea World is okay but its pretty far from Disneyland so try Knotts Berry Farm instead. If you must do something further do Universal Studios. They have a Universal Walk (boardwalk) and a lot of exciting shops and street performers.
MOST IMPORTANT ADVICE EVER.......
Get a note from your doctor regarding your husbands back surgery (i saw it in your about me section) and when you go to the Ticket Window show it to them and tell them he has problems standing in long lines and you need a Disabilities Pass. This pass will get you in the express line of all attractions!
If your baby is still in a stroller, take your daughters paper work regarding her RSV and burns on her feet when she was young and get a pass for all access strollers. Disneyland does not allow strollers in line unless its for medical reasons.. you do not want to be stuck carrying her if she's tired.
Don't drive aimlessly around Disneyland Neighborhoods... I dont know if its still the same but in the 80's and 90's it was the Crack and Speed Capitol. The tweekers are basically harmless but I'm sure you don't want your kids to site see drug addicts!
HAVE FUN!
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