In December we took a family trip to DisneyLand! We had a wonderful time and the kids did great. We wanted to take them to Disney when they were old enough to enjoy it and remember it, but still young enough to experience the *magic* of Disney. Min had said she really wanted to come with us when we took the kids, so she joined us as well.
We flew out of Dallas Love Field to Los Angeles on a Sunday and spent the following week in the parks. Monday and Tuesday we were at Disney, Wednesday the kids and I had a rest day while Keller and Min went to Universal Studios Hollywood, and then Thursday and Friday we were back at the parks. It was a whirlwind, but we were able to see and ride everything that we wanted to!
We rented a house through Airbnb that was 10 minutes from the park. It was perfect — 4 bedrooms, a living room and kitchen and a fenced back yard. It gave us enough space to relax when we were home and it was a short drive to the parks each day.
Monday morning we went to DisneyLand. We misjudged our timing a bit and ended up waiting in line to park, take the tram, and go through security, so there were a lot of people in the park ahead of us.
The kids had already decided that they wanted to ride Peter Pan first (since it wasn’t scary) and we’d work up from there. Of course, Peter Pan is one of the slowest loading rides in the park and the line was already 45 minutes long when we got there. We toughed it out and waited in the line, but that was about the longest we waited for pretty much anything the entire week.
After Peter Pan we rode the King Arthur Carousel — a Must Do for Miss Kamy. We rode Pinocchio’s Daring Journey and walked through Sleeping Beauty’s Castle too.
We gradually worked our way around the west side of the park in Critter Country and Adventureland and rode Winnie the Pooh, Splash Mountain, and the Jungle Cruise. The kids did not really like Splash Mountain, though ironically it was the small drops in the dark that bothered them, not the large drop at the end!
Lunch was at the Carnation Cafe on Main Street. Our timing was perfect — as we were finishing lunch the parade was approaching. We found a spot on the curb and the kids watched the whole parade go by. The kids liked the parade, especially the floats with the princesses.
We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the east side of Tomorrowland and Fantastyland. Caden really liked the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage. Both kids also really liked the Matterhorn Bobsleds.
We managed to get in to see the princesses Monday afternoon too! Our timing was perfect — the parade was going at the time, so most families were watching that instead of standing in line. There is a rotating set of princesses to meet at DisneyLand, so we weren’t sure who they would see. Snow White and Cinderella were on the sign, but there was a mystery third princess too. The cast members asked Kamy who her favorite princess was and she said Aurora. Because Disney does what Disney does, the third princess for Kamy WAS Aurora! Both kids were polite but shy, so we practiced Princess Conversations and small talk before our next meet and greet. =) We even saw Jasmine and Aladdin too!
Early evening, we left the park to head back to home. We tried really hard to pace the kids (and ourselves), so we didn’t spend all day every day at the park. Once the kids were settled with Min, Keller and I went back. We had dinner reservations at the Blue Bayou restaurant inside the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Dinner itself was good but the atmosphere was really neat. Since the park was mostly cleared out by the time we finished dinner, the two of us rode several more rides before heading back, including Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, and Indiana Jones. We needed to scope the bigger rides out to see if we thought Kamy would like them. It was after midnight by the time we got back, but hey — we had fun!
Tuesday morning we learned our lesson and planned to get there early. We were going to California Adventure this time! We parked and were standing at the entry gates 45 minutes before the park opened. This worked much better, though there were still a lot of people there. Our intention was to hurry to the Radiator Springs Racers first, as that is one of the flagship rides and FastPasses run out before noon. However, the Racers were closed when the park opened, so Keller stood in line for FastPasses to use later and the rest of us went to “a bug’s land” to do the little kid rides there. Because we were there early there were almost no lines in this part of the park and we did pretty much all the rides in the area.
Keller met us to go to the Tower of Terror. We’d already prepared Kamy for the ride and told her what to expect, so she said she wanted to do it. She was so brave and thought it was “pretty good.” She did keep her eyes closed almost the entire ride and have a death grip on my hand, but she didn’t scream. Everyone else on the ride was super impressed that a 6 year old (dressed as Belle) was riding it, but she loves to surprise us!
After the Tower of Terror, we went over to Cars Land. One of my favorite rides was Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters — a super cute ride where the cars “dance” with each other!
The kids saw Mater and got to stand with Lightning McQueen too. By now our FastPass for the Racers was available, so we headed there next. This was another favorite — all five of us put it in the top 3 rides! By the end of our trip, we’d done the Racers 6 or 7 times. It was that much fun! We never did get to see Ramone’s House of Body Art during the ride (it splits midway through) but maybe we will next trip.
From there, we split up for Min and Keller to ride California Screamin’ while the kids and I did Mickey’s Fun Wheel ferris wheel and King Triton’s Carousel. Kamy thought about riding California Screamin’ but she decided it was too fast for her. Both kids were a little anxious while we were on the ferris wheel though — it was really tall!
Lunch on Tuesday was at the Carthay Circle restaurant. It was themed after the original theater where Snow White premiered and was very old-Hollywood themed. It was a nice restaurant, but eating there gave us priority viewing for the World of Color show later that night. After lunch we grabbed FastPasses for Soarin’ and then went back to the house for a rest. World of Color started at 9 pm, so if there was any way that the kids would make it happily, we needed nap for everyone. We ALL went to sleep for an hour and a half! Dinner was at Chipotle on the way back to the park.
Once in California Adventure, we opted to skip our Soarin’ FastPasses. One of Kamy’s Must Do’s was to meet Elsa and Anna. She wore her princess dress on purpose so that she could meet them! The meet and greet for Elsa and Anna is pretty popular, so we knew it would take being intentional about it to actually do it. The line was SO SLOW. We finally got in to see them and the kids were not disappointed. The characters do a fabulous job talking to the kids and making them feel so special. When Kamy walked up to Anna, Anna exclaimed, “You look like me!” It was very special for Kamy. Caden wore his red plaid pull over and corduroy pants, so they asked him if he was Kristoff. Caden said, “No, I’m just Caden.” =)
By the time we finished with Elsa and Anna, we just barely had time to ride Soarin’ with our FastPasses. This is such a unique ride, Keller wanted it to be a surprise for Kamy to experience. However, this backfired big time. Kamy worked herself up and was so anxious she did NOT want to ride it. She does fine with big rides and roller coasters as long as she knows what to expect. But going into it “blind” was too much for her. Keller had to stay with her and wait while we rode it. Because of how they load the ride, we weren’t able to do a kid-swap. They offered Keller another FastPass for the line, but we didn’t have time to wait before World of Color. Caden, however, LOVED Soarin’. In the first 15 seconds of the ride, they lift your seats in front of a huge screen to make it seem as if you are hang gliding. As the film began, Caden’s eyes got huge and he said, “WOW!” He was completely awestruck. When the ride was over, Caden hurried to tell Kamy all about it and that she would “love it!” Unfortunately we didn’t have time to ride it again that night.
Our reserved area for World of Color was pretty good — the kids couldn’t see unless we were holding them up, but that is not totally unexpected. I’m not sure we would do the reserved viewing again for the cost of lunch, but it meant that we were able to see Elsa and Anna and didn’t have to stake out a spot to watch World of Color 90 minutes early. The kids liked the show — especially the color projections on the spraying water. They know most of the Disney songs too, so the music was familiar.
We told the kids that if they were still listening and in a good mood, we would go over to DisneyLand after World of Color for a while. We’d purchased Park Hopper tickets which allowed us to switch between parks any time. California Adventure closed at 10pm Tuesday, but DisneyLand was open until midnight. After their naps, they were still going strong and excited about the chance to stay up “extra extra late!” Most people were leaving the park as we were walking in, so they thought that was fun. Kamy, Caden, and Daddy rode The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (FOUR TIMES in a row) while Min and I did Indiana Jones. Then Min, Keller, and Kamy did Haunted Mansion. She was so brave and wasn’t scared — the only really creepy thing is the elevator shaft. Then Keller talked Kamy into riding Splash Mountain. Splash Mountain became Daddy and Kamy’s ride — they did it several times, just the two of them. The kids made it all the way until midnight! We were all tired when we got back to the house and promptly went to sleep.
Wednesday morning, Min and Keller got up early to drive to Universal Studios. They had tickets to the VIP Experience tour, which gave them a back lot tour of real sets, plus fast lane access to all the rides for the entire day. It also included valet parking and lunch, so they had a fun time. Their favorite was Hogsmeade from Harry Potter — they said the atmosphere was incredible and felt so immersive.
Meanwhile, the kids and I slept in, relaxed, colored, ordered pizza for lunch, watch Planet Earth, and rested. It was a much needed day for the kids — as a break from the constant input and movement, as well as not having to hold hands constantly.
Thursday was another long day. We’d mastered getting to the park early, so we were in line for California Adventure an hour before the park opened. It was early, but completely worth the time!
Because we were at the park early, we were able to purchase four DisneyLand Candy Canes! (We ate one, we saved one, Min bought one, and we gave one to Jess for Christmas.) What is so special about these? Each day during the holidays, they create handmade candy canes at the park. 120. Total. The first 120 people to stand in line get a wrist band which allows you to buy ONE candy cane. Once the gates opened, Min, the kids and I half ran to the line for candy canes. We each got a wrist band and we could pick them up after 10 am. Since the last thing we wanted to do was break the candy cane, we planned to buy them on our way out of California Adventure.
Keller hustled to get FastPasses for the Racers while we stood in line for the candy canes. Then we met up at Soarin’. This time Kamy was ready to go and knew what to expect. It was a hit!
We hiked to Cars Land to ride the Rollickin’ Roadsters and the Racers again. Then Min and Keller got in the single rider line for the Racers while the kids and I did Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree.
Since our lunch reservations were in DisneyLand, we stopped by the candy store, bought the candy canes, and headed over to DisneyLand. Keller took the candy canes to the car and then met us in Tomorrowland. He grabbed us FastPasses for Hyperspace Mountain and did it as a single rider. Meanwhile, we rode the submarines again for Caden, the kids did Autotopia, and then we all did Hyperspace Mountain before heading to lunch at Cafe Orleans. While waiting for our table, Keller next got three FastPasses for Haunted Mansion.
After lunch, Min, Keller, and Kamy did Haunted Mansion while Caden and I explored the DisneyLand Railroad. The train isn’t currently running around the park due to construction, but they had the train available for climbing on and engineers who would answer your questions. As Mr. Caden loves trains, it was perfect.
The other princess that Kamy really really wanted to meet was Belle. We’d been watching for her all week, but she finally showed up Thursday afternoon. We got in line just before she arrived and had only a short wait before getting to see her. Kamy was dressed for the occasion too — though Belle was wearing her “everyday” clothes and not her gold ball gown.
After meeting Belle, there was only one person in line for the princesses meet and greet. So we went again! This time we saw Cinderella, Ariel, and Snow White. Ariel was the sweetest and did such a great job with the kids, especially Caden. And they asked him if he was Kristoff too. =P
Now we headed home to rest a while. Caden wasn’t able to fall asleep, but the rest of us did! We had leftover pizza for dinner and then went back to the park for fireworks. We struggled to find the perfect place to watch, but we ended up near Aurora’s castle. After fireworks, we once again told the kids we’d stay out as long as they had good listeners and were having fun. We rode a couple of new ones — Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Pirates of the Caribbean. Caden was rapidly fading, so he was carried around a lot. Poor boy, he was out of gas. Keller and Kamy finished off with Splash Mountain before we went home.
Friday was our last day at Disney! We had already seen most of the parks, but this was our chance to do our favorites one last time and see any that we missed. We started at DisneyLand while Keller went, where? Yes, to California Adventure to get FastPasses for the Racers again. Min, the kids, and I started with the Astro Orbiter — an iconic and slow loading ride that otherwise wouldn’t have happened. Keller met us there and we scooted into a very short line for Star Tours. It was a little more intense than we were expecting for the kids, but they handled it like troopers. Then we did Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters and Hyperspace Mountain (less Min and Caden who were not interested). Next we did the submarines for Caden and then walked across to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Getting to the park early is definitely worth it — we rode 5 rides in the first hour alone! Caden was out of gas all day long … he was trying and he was in a good mood, but his legs were tired and I ended up carrying him most of the day.
From there we took the Monorail from Tomorrowland to Downtown Disney for lunch. We poked around the LEGO store and marveled at the giant characters made from LEGOs. Lunch was sandwiches and soup from Earl of Sandwich. Then we walked over to California Adventure. We used our FastPasses for the Racers, walked over to Ariel’s Undersea Adventure, and then got in line for the Frozen show. I’m glad we got there when we did — they closed the line not too long after us! We were way up high in the theater, but the kids could see pretty well and they enjoyed the show. It was a great way to end the kids’ experience!
We went back to the house and the kids called it a day. Min stayed at the house with the kids while Keller and I had one last night out. We ate dinner at a fancy restaurant called Napa Rose in the Grand Californian Resort. Then we changed clothes in the parking garage bathrooms and went back into the park for a few hours. What did we ride? Definitely the Racers, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and Pirates of the Caribbean.
Saturday morning we packed up and flew back to Dallas! It was a whirlwind trip and we did a ton in just 5 days. We had a wonderful time and the kids still talk about it. I know they’re looking forward to the photo book when I put it together.
The kids had been looking forward to our trip for months and it didn’t disappoint! Both kids saved some of their lemonade stand money to use on souvenirs. Kamy and Caden both bought a “unicorn horn” candy stick. Kamy bought an Elsa ornament and Caden picked out a red and black mickey mouse ornament. Caden also bought a Christmas light necklace that he wore all week long.
The other souvenirs the kids brought home were princess signatures. We packed 4×6 index cards and colorful sharpies for the princesses to use. Both kids look through their books to remember our trip and Kamy has several of the signatures in frames in her room.
We’re thinking about taking the kids to Disney World in a few more years. There’s even more to see and more walking to do in Florida, so we’ll be back for more Disney magic at some point!
