This is the third in a series of posts about how to actually enjoy yourself at Disneyland and Disneyland California Adventure.
Tip 3: Manage your finances carefully
The happiest place on Earth should also been called the most carefully engineered money-sucking machine on Earth. You will never see so many opportunities to buy and spend as you do in the park, each carefully arranged and timed throughout the day to fill your needs as they come. At 10:00, drink vendors start showing up. At noon, ice cream. At 6:00 PM, it's the churros. At 9:00 PM, the energy drink stands start popping up (seriously!).
You should expect Disneyland to cost you money. If you think you'll get by without spending $20-$30 per person per day in the park, you're either fooling yourself or VERY self controlled. However, the more often your wallet opens, the less you'll be able to enjoy yourself. As a result, spending money in some places will result in more happiness per dollar than others.
First, parking is $15 per day per car. If you are going for more than one day, get yourself a shuttle pass for the ART (Anaheim Resort Transit) for the length of your stay. The ART costs per-person, but it is relatively inexpensive compared to parking every day, and it is a lot more convenient. In fact, the ART shuttle drops you off about 100 yards from the front entrance to the park. If you go in a car, you have to park far away, then walk to a tram, then take it to the park, then walk through downtown Disney to get to the park. You save a lot of time with ART even including the time you spend waiting for the bus.
Second, rent a stroller if you have a child under 3. Strollers become a necessity very quickly as kids become tired out, and doing it first thing means you don't have to go back to the park entrance to get one during the middle of the day. Also, keep your receipt! If you have a receipt, you can ditch your stroller at any time in the park if you need to and just get another one later that day without paying again.
Third, save souvenir shopping for the last day. Kids are constantly bombarded with "extra super cool" toys in the park, and if you buy one the first day, they'll see something they like more the next day, and they'll beg your ears off until you give in. If you set the expectation early that they have to wait, they'll usually be okay with it, and when they beg you can say "if that's what you want at the end of your trip, it's yours."
Lastly, don't eat in the park if you can help it. There's a Subway and an IHOP within 5 minutes walking distance from the entrance to the park. Go there and eat instead, and save yourself about $6 a person. For something nicer, I recommend the restaurant Fire and Ice inside of the Gardenwalk, an open-air mall about 1/4 mile from Disneyland.
If you are staying in the park only for a day or two, get subway the night before, but don't get any liquids added to it (like oil, mayo, etc). Get those on the side and put them on right before eating in the park.
If you do end up wanting to eat in the park, I recommend the places at California Adventure better, as the food quality is much higher, and leaves you full longer. The bakery has excellent soups.
Oh, and this tip applies to water too. A bottle of water is $3 in the park, and that's for a small one. You'll go through at least 3 bottles, so if you don't take your own you're talking $10 a person per day.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Monday, May 9, 2011
Stress-Free Disneyland Vacations - Tip 2
This is the second in a series of posts about how to actually enjoy yourself at Disneyland and Disneyland California Adventure.
Tip 2: Enjoy the Moment, Even if it kills you
It's very easy to get caught up in all of the lines, vendors, crowds, and screaming children at Disneyland and turn an otherwise great trip into a disaster. There are some ways, however, to reduce the stress on yourself and your kids, and end the trip happier than when you started it.
First, plan on going for multiple days. If you buy a 3-day pass, you can use those in non-sequential days. This allows you to go one day, then take a day off, then go one day, then take a day off. This will allow your feet to heal and your body to rehydrate. It also allows for some fun time to go swimming and relax.
It has the added benefit of spreading your weekend-vs-weekday experience around. You see, the park is a different beast Monday-Thursday than it is Friday-Sunday. On M-T, the park closes early and has less shows, but generally has much shorter queue times for rides. On F-S, the park is open until midnight and has all the shows running (including fireworks and the Aladdin musical), but ride queues are terrible!
If you leave a day in between, you can hit at least one day of each type, focusing on rides Monday through Thursday and shows Friday through Sunday.
Second, put on sunblock. I can't tell you how many people I see in Disneyland wearing tank tops without the tell-tale shimmer of sunscreen. Oh, I'm sure it's nice and cool, but you see those same people at sundown and they're red and dehydrated. If you plan on going more than one day, hats are also a must. Nothing stings the same way combing your hair does on a sunburned scalp.
Lastly, take a break every day from about 1:00 to 4:00. If you are smart and use the ART (Anaheim Resort Transit) Shuttles, just hop on one and head back to your hotel. Then, make everyone take a nap or watch TV, get some lunch, or soak in the pool. On really warm days, hit up Splash Mountain or the rapids ride in California Adventure to cool off before heading back to the hotel.
If you only have one or two days in the park, go to shows during this time. You won't be as recharged, but you'll be doing better than you would have.
When you head back to the park at 3:30 or 4, you'll notice that your group is raring to go, alive and voracious for some Disney fun. You'll also be keenly aware of everyone else in the park. They're all moving slowly, tired from the sun, and grumpy as a dwarf of the same name.
You'll never go back to staying in the park during the hot hours of the day again.
Tip 2: Enjoy the Moment, Even if it kills you
It's very easy to get caught up in all of the lines, vendors, crowds, and screaming children at Disneyland and turn an otherwise great trip into a disaster. There are some ways, however, to reduce the stress on yourself and your kids, and end the trip happier than when you started it.
First, plan on going for multiple days. If you buy a 3-day pass, you can use those in non-sequential days. This allows you to go one day, then take a day off, then go one day, then take a day off. This will allow your feet to heal and your body to rehydrate. It also allows for some fun time to go swimming and relax.
It has the added benefit of spreading your weekend-vs-weekday experience around. You see, the park is a different beast Monday-Thursday than it is Friday-Sunday. On M-T, the park closes early and has less shows, but generally has much shorter queue times for rides. On F-S, the park is open until midnight and has all the shows running (including fireworks and the Aladdin musical), but ride queues are terrible!
If you leave a day in between, you can hit at least one day of each type, focusing on rides Monday through Thursday and shows Friday through Sunday.
Second, put on sunblock. I can't tell you how many people I see in Disneyland wearing tank tops without the tell-tale shimmer of sunscreen. Oh, I'm sure it's nice and cool, but you see those same people at sundown and they're red and dehydrated. If you plan on going more than one day, hats are also a must. Nothing stings the same way combing your hair does on a sunburned scalp.
Lastly, take a break every day from about 1:00 to 4:00. If you are smart and use the ART (Anaheim Resort Transit) Shuttles, just hop on one and head back to your hotel. Then, make everyone take a nap or watch TV, get some lunch, or soak in the pool. On really warm days, hit up Splash Mountain or the rapids ride in California Adventure to cool off before heading back to the hotel.
If you only have one or two days in the park, go to shows during this time. You won't be as recharged, but you'll be doing better than you would have.
When you head back to the park at 3:30 or 4, you'll notice that your group is raring to go, alive and voracious for some Disney fun. You'll also be keenly aware of everyone else in the park. They're all moving slowly, tired from the sun, and grumpy as a dwarf of the same name.
You'll never go back to staying in the park during the hot hours of the day again.
Friday, May 6, 2011
Stress-Free Disneyland Vacations - Tip 1
Last week we spent a wonderful vacation in Anaheim, California. As you can tell by the topic of this post, the primary destination was Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure. Over the years we've been there several times, and have compiled quite the list of tricks and tips for your viewing pleasure.
This series of posts is about the best ways to reduce the "magic meltdown moments" that kids and parents tend to have during the park. While we feel that these are the keys to success, your results may vary.
Tip 1: Mornings really are magic
No matter what day of the week it is, your smallest wait times for rides are going to be first thing in the morning. Many people sleep in, miss their shuttle, or come after school, and the results are an ever-increasing multitude of park residents throughout the day. It really doesn't start to clear out until around 8:00 at night. The first 3 hours are critical for rides.
First, BE ON TIME. And when I say be on time, that means be there 15 minutes early. 20 if you need to get a stroller (and you will). Also, grab a map.
Second, your multi-day pass likely came with a "magic morning" that lets you enter the park an hour before it opens. This lets you get on rides with very little wait time, but you can only enter early once during your stay. Also, they only open up Tomorrowland and Fantasyland during magic mornings, so your best bets are to do the following rides, which get queued up quick once the park opens:
Lastly, and this is THE MOST IMPORTANT, be smart about your walking patterns. The majority of visitors enter the park and spend roughly 20 minutes walking down main street. They then turn right (because that's what Americans do) and head to Tomorrowland. As a result, for the first hour, Frontierland and Adventureland are completely vacant.
Take advantage of this by doing the following at least one day during your stay. When you get into the park, immediately hop on the train at the entrance to the park. It will be waiting there for the first 5 minutes or so. Everyone in your party will be grumbling that you are all "wasting your time" on the train while everyone else is running to rides. Your patience will be rewarded, however!
The train will move on, and the first stop is New Orleans' square. Hop off the train, and move out into the main part of Frontierland. "Wow," you'll say to yourself, "this place is a GHOST TOWN." And it will be, for about 45 minutes. So grab your children by the straps of their backpacks, and go hit the following rides:
This series of posts is about the best ways to reduce the "magic meltdown moments" that kids and parents tend to have during the park. While we feel that these are the keys to success, your results may vary.
Tip 1: Mornings really are magic
No matter what day of the week it is, your smallest wait times for rides are going to be first thing in the morning. Many people sleep in, miss their shuttle, or come after school, and the results are an ever-increasing multitude of park residents throughout the day. It really doesn't start to clear out until around 8:00 at night. The first 3 hours are critical for rides.
First, BE ON TIME. And when I say be on time, that means be there 15 minutes early. 20 if you need to get a stroller (and you will). Also, grab a map.
Second, your multi-day pass likely came with a "magic morning" that lets you enter the park an hour before it opens. This lets you get on rides with very little wait time, but you can only enter early once during your stay. Also, they only open up Tomorrowland and Fantasyland during magic mornings, so your best bets are to do the following rides, which get queued up quick once the park opens:
- Space mountain (my favorite)
- Matterhorn bobsleds
- Buzz Lightyear (if you have small children, they'll love it)
- Star Wars (once it opens back up later this year)
Also, for some reason some rides in Fantasyland always have long lines. Run over there and do some if you have small kids or have a hankering for mad tea parties.
If you use your magic morning on a Monday-Thursday, it will seem to last longer, since the park fills up more slowly. Your one hour of park time will seem like an hour and a half.
Lastly, and this is THE MOST IMPORTANT, be smart about your walking patterns. The majority of visitors enter the park and spend roughly 20 minutes walking down main street. They then turn right (because that's what Americans do) and head to Tomorrowland. As a result, for the first hour, Frontierland and Adventureland are completely vacant.
Take advantage of this by doing the following at least one day during your stay. When you get into the park, immediately hop on the train at the entrance to the park. It will be waiting there for the first 5 minutes or so. Everyone in your party will be grumbling that you are all "wasting your time" on the train while everyone else is running to rides. Your patience will be rewarded, however!
The train will move on, and the first stop is New Orleans' square. Hop off the train, and move out into the main part of Frontierland. "Wow," you'll say to yourself, "this place is a GHOST TOWN." And it will be, for about 45 minutes. So grab your children by the straps of their backpacks, and go hit the following rides:
- Pirate's of the Caribbean
- Haunted House
- Indiana Jones
- Thunder Mountain
Once you need to catch a breath, go enjoy the Jungle Cruise.
The Pirates and Indiana Jones rides can typically be 45-60 minute waits after the first hour in the park has elapsed. Thanks to this trick, you'll practically run through the queue and get on the ride in under 5 minutes.
Enjoy the smiles on everyone's faces.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Our New Addition
Lacey has joined our family! Arizona Cocker Rescue found her at the pound a day before she was to be put down and couldn't leave her there, so they took her in about a week ago. We adopted her last night.
She's about as friendly a dog as you could ever find. She follows Rachelle around like a little duckling.
The boys have never been happier and Rachelle's giddy about it.
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She's about as friendly a dog as you could ever find. She follows Rachelle around like a little duckling.
The boys have never been happier and Rachelle's giddy about it.
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Sunday, September 26, 2010
Hey I am finally writing
As you can tell this blog does not get updated very often. I must admit it is not in my schedule. The backyard got finished the first week of December. I am very grateful not to have dirt dragged in my house on a daily basis. Our kids are definitely keeping us busy. Daniel is a Weblos in cub scouts, in Chorus, band, the gifted program in school, and taking tennis lessons. Jeffrey is taking tennis. He is doing better in school this year and is easier to get going in the morning. Nathan is also taking tennis and enjoying Kindergarten. He has sort of a rivalry going on with his friend Levi as to who gets on the bus first other than that he is enjoying himself. Anthony would love to take tennis but is still a little young however Coach Mike said he would get him a badminton racket for when he is watching lessons. The boys keep us busy and on the move.
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