Domingo and I always talked about taking the girls to Disneyland before elementary school. We were both in agreement that we didn’t want to take the kids out of school for vacations, and we prefer not to visit Disneyland in the summer when temperatures can easily climb past 100. Our plan was to go during the school year, when attendance was low and the temperature was mild.

Somehow it didn’t occur to me that our ideal time window was closing when I registered Nicole for Kindergarten. In fact, it wasn’t until early May, when someone on facebook posted pictures of their Disney trip, that I realized we hadn’t done any planning of our own! It was too late to avoid the summer attendance high, but at least we could still try and avoid the peek heat.

Ah well. Live and learn.

The girls enjoyed the trip immensely. We did a lot of preemtive research on where we’d like to eat, downloaded the app which gave wait times, and decided to wing the rest. That ended up being a very good thing. The first ride we went on, Finding Nemo, ended up being a little two intense for the kids. Alexis also struggled with the lines. The girls were content with just meeting princesses, which we did over and over and over! So many princesses. They both loved the King James Carousel which seemed to be the only ride with a consistently short line. Win! We were also able to attend the character breakfasts by simply showing up at the right time, which is great since making reservations with young kids is often tricky.

Some of the decisions that worked out well:

We booked an off site “Good neighbor” hotel within walking distance to the park. The monorail was down for repairs during our entire stay and the official Disneyland hotels were technically further! Our hotel ended up being close enough that we could watch fireworks and see Cinderella’s castle from the balcony. It was also right next to an IHOP and McDonalds, so we had some cheap, easy food options.

We rented a double stroller (City Mini double) through a third party, which was handy for the park, but man am I glad we decided not to purchase it when I was pregnant with Alexis. The stroller came in handy for all the Disney walking, but it was a beast to maneuver. I doubt we’d ever use it at home.

We opted for Photo Pass. I can be picky with my photos, but we did so many trips to see the princesses that the staff was able to get some Sarah-approved photos. I’ve also been really tired and not feeling well of late, so it was nice to take the pressure off and not feel like I needed to be on top of my photography game.

What we plan to do differently next time:

Attend during the school year, maybe during Spring break or on one of the three day weekends. We’re close enough that it’s feasible. Even though the temperature wasn’t that bad, all things considered, it felt hot and that was draining. Bad whether in Anaheim is clouds, which makes for better photos anyway.

Posted in Family Life, Travel