Our family loves Disneyland! We have been many times. Each year I search through all the hotels and vacation rental options again to find the best accommodations depending on how many are in our group, ages, etc. To save myself time trying to remember all the details about each property and to hopefully help you on your Disney Lodgings search, I've compiled a list of facts about the hotels we've stayed at. Click on the link below to see the information.
Disney Tips:
1. Stay somewhere with a good breakfast included. It it wonderful to wake up to a big breakfast that you don't have to prepare. It gets the kids off to a good start too!
2. Don't sleep in! If you want to get on as many rides as you can as quickly as you can get to the park early. Lines will form long before the park opens just to get in. It may not seem worth it then, but it will be!
3. Plan your play. If you have a favorite ride you just have to do then go there first! Or learn how to use the express passes so you can get those first and then do some other rides in the area while you're waiting for your express pass time. It's much too big a place to walk all over randomly going from one ride to the next! Make a plan to maximize your energy and time there. These trips cost a lot of time, money and effort. Make the most of it!
4. Enjoy a show or parade. In the middle of the day catch the Aladdin play or a Disney Junior Show. It's a great way to get inside where it's cool and give your kids and your feet a rest. Or plan to sit along the parade route with a snack while you wait for your favorite characters. This is also a good time to take a bathroom break. But, if you are a thrill seeker go to the big rides during the parades and fireworks shows!!! You will find shorter lines at those times.
5. Take a picture with your favorite character. We made autograph books one year and the kids never touched them after we got home. They do, however, look at their pictures with Mickey and Buzz Lightyear and they love them! Pictures are great, inexpensive, reminders of a fun trip.
6. Consider the logistics. If you are traveling with an infant undoubtedly you have a stroller, diaper bag, blankets, sunblock, hats, etc etc. If you stay farther from the resort you'll have to pack all that up on to the shuttle and then unpack it and get all situated when you get to Disneyland. If you drive and park at the resort you'll have to pack the stroller and everything up to get on the shuttle from the parking lot to the entrance. Most of the hotels near the entrance are not fancy. But, you can walk out the door and be in the park without waiting on shuttles (which is very important at the end of the day when everyone is tired and all the other people at the park are leaving at the same time). So consider what you'll have with you and how to make getting to and from as easy as possible. Also, if you have a little one, plan some down time. When we've stayed across the street we've been able to take kids back for a nap and easily return to the park for more playing after everyone is rested. Or, one of us has gone back with the younger ones and one has stayed in the park with the older ones. It's easier to do this on your own if you don't have to deal with parking or shuttle and hauling everything on your own. And that afternoon down time is a great idea! You'll have a better second half of the day if you do this.
7. How do I feel about character dining? I have mixed feelings about this. It's fun to see the characters. You don't have to wait in lines. They come to you and you can take lots of pictures. They also lead entertainment like beating on pots to the music. But, ours was a buffet. We were walking back and forth getting food for the kids and for us. We didn't want to miss characters. It wasn't relaxing in any way, let's just put it that way. And it was very expensive. We did it once and don't plan to again. But I have friends who say that was their family's favorite part of the trip. You'll have to see what your budget and tastes are.
8. Enjoy the magic of it! You have to expect the kids are going to get tired and possibly cranky, even at the happiest place on earth. They are kids! I once stood in a line behind a father who said to his crying daughter, "If you don't cheer up we are going to leave." This is me on my soapbox, but really? That father wasn't going anywhere and his daughter knew it. And how many times has someone threatening you made you so happy?! Parent how you will, but don't get uptight if you all get a little tired at some point. It's sensory overload combined with great expectations!
Watch your child's face as he or she comes off a ride. Dance to the music playing on Main Street. Bring costumes for your little prince or princess to wear. When does a little girl get to dress up as a princess and go see a castle?! Just have a great time and enjoy it! If you follow some of the above tips you'll increase your odds of a great trip!
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