Disneyland

Ahhhhh! Just got back from Disneyland and I haven't been on a computer for 8 days! That is a super long time for me. But, the vacation was badly needed and well-deserved for everyone. The vacation was for my graduation and Mother's Day. I love, love, love all things Disney, so I knew that's how I wanted to celebrate. I was two-years-old the first time my parents took me to Disneyland and I really wanted to do the same for Eleanor. Some people argue that 2-years-old is too young for Disneyland, because 1. They won't remember it and 2. It can be overstimulating or scary. I disagree, it was totally worth it. Eleanor loved every minute of it and kids under 3 are free anyways.

I thought that going during the off season would be a great way to avoid crowds, but now I am thinking off-season isn't so great. There are some pluses:

1. The weather was really nice. It was around 70 degrees F with a slight cool wind.

2. Some rides had wait times of 10 minutes or less.

But, I think the list ends there. Some of the cons were:

1. The park hours are way limited. During peak season the park is open from 8am-Midnight. Off-season hours are 10am-8pm. BIG difference. We talked to some locals who go all the time and they said that they usually come from 8am-noon and leave after that, because it gets too crowded. We didn't have that option and showing up at opening didn't help us escape the crowds, because 10am isn't that early for most people.

2. The parades and show times are limited. They only show fireworks and Fantasmic on the weekends during the off-season. There wasn't any parades at the Magic Kingdom and World of Color only had one showing each night. The Princess Fantasy Faire only offered princess meet and greets. During peak season, they also have Princess storytelling and Princess and Knighthood training.

3. We still had wait times of up to 45 minutes on lot of rides. We also missed out on some rides that were closed during off-season, like Splash Mountain. And if we would have waited just 3 weeks until June, we could have enjoyed the grand-opening and re-opening of multiple rides, like Star Tours and Ariel's Undersea Adventure.

I still did get to experience some of Disneyland's newer attractions.

Princess Fantasy Faire

When I was a kid, I swear we never once saw any princesses at Disneyland. It wasn't until 6th grade when my parents took us to Disney World and we ate at Cinderella's Castle that we saw our first princesses, Snow White and Cinderella. Now that princesses are so popular they have more of a presence at Disney resorts. Last time I went to Disneyland about 5 years ago, you could meet one princess at a time at random times in front of Sleeping Beauty's Castle. Since then, they have built the Fantasy Faire in Fantasyland by It's a Small World. Now they have a huge stage for special events and a pretty area where you wait in one line to meet up to three different princesses in a more personal setting. The only catch is...The wait is over ONE HOUR long (and that's off-season). We attempted the Fantasy Faire on day 2. We got there around 10:45am (it opened at 10:30) and the wait was 90 minutes. We heard it was less busy in the afternoon, so we decided to come back. After hitting Toon Town, we came back at 1pm. The wait had decreased to 75 minutes. We decided not to wait and came back again at 4pm. The wait was back up to 90 minutes. We decided we had to get to the park early the next day and race to the Faire asap. So the next morning, I had my first experience of the countdown. We got through security and there was already a line to get into the park which didn't open for another 45 minutes. Thirty minutes before opening, you are allowed into Main Street. After counting down and making our way into the park we got coffee and waited in line on Main Street. At 9:59am an announcement came over park and we counted down until the opening of the gates. The race was on. The hundreds and hundreds of people in front of us rushed off to their desired location. We sprinted for the Faire and by the time we got there at 10:05 there was already at least 10 groups in front of us. By 11am, we finally got in to see the princesses. So, even though we got there first thing in the morning we still ended up waiting 90 minutes. The one nice thing is I was able to take Eleanor and her cousin on Dumbo (another long-wait ride) while my husband waited in the princess line. I will say that the wait is worth it. You get to meet each princess individually (luckily, my fav Aurora was there) and you are not rushed as you take pictures and get autographs. This is why the wait is so long. They also have a Tangled meet and greet and a Pixie meet and greet area. The wait for Tangled was just as long as Fantasy Faire and I never saw Pixie Hollow, so we didn't get to check out those ones.

Toy Story Mania
This ride is fairly new, so I had never been on it. It was super fun. The wait was long (about 45 minutes), but well worth it. The ride is 3D and you also get a controller, so as you go through the ride you play 5 different carnival-type games. It tallies your score, so you can compete with the rest of your group.

World of Color
We saw the World of Color show at California Adventure on the last day of our stay and it was the perfect way to end our Disney vacation. World of Color is a water, light, fire and movie show that is truly amazing. Eleanor was seriously freaking out. She was squealing with delight, dancing on my shoulders and smacking the top of my head. We opted for the picnic deal and it was worth it. For $15/person, we got a picnic lunch that could be pick up any time prior to the show and "reserved" seating for the show. The area is standing room only, but the picnic tickets let you into the best areas and you don't have to wait in line. You also get a reusable bag to put your lunches in and the kids meal comes with a light-up bracelet. I got the European antipasto (it was a little skimpy compared to the other meals, so I don't recommend it). My husband got the Mediterranean vegetarian meal and liked it a lot. My daughter got the all-American kids meals. There are two other adult options and one other child option, as well. I don't want to spoil it for anyone, so I just made a short video with a clip from the show and my daughter's reaction. It's a little dark, but you can still see her bouncing all over the place.


Here are a few tips if you are headed to Disneyland soon:

1. Get a fanny pack! I know they are not as cool as they were in the 90s but, I got a sweet Mickey "hip" pack from Disney Movie Rewards and it was so nice to have our camera, tickets, Photo Pass, maps, gum, etc. easily accessible without having to wear a backpack all day.

2. Bring your own food and water. Some people say you can't do this, but you can. We brought in a lunch bag full of snacks and even saw some people bring in small coolers. We saved a ton of money the first day by snacking on nuts and Luna bars instead of Disneyland treats. By the second day, we caved in and were buying ice cream bars and churros every few hours. There are some delicious treats at Disneyland that you just don't find anywhere else and are worth the splurge. We tried the pineapple juice float from the Tiki Bar.

3. Buy a cup of delicious drip coffee (no specialty/espresso drinks) at the Market House on Main Street and get free refills all day. At Rancho del Zocalo in Frontierland you can do the same thing for soft drinks.

4. Stop by the City Hall on Main Street and get a free button for any special occasion. I got a 1st Visit button for Eleanor. I also saw Just Married, I'm Celebrating and Birthday buttons. Don't go first thing in the morning though, because City Hall is also guest information and there is a line to get in. We went in the afternoon and walked right in.

5. Make sure you check Disneyland's calendar on their website before you go. That way you can plan your days better. I missed out on the Aladdin show and the Pixar Parade in California Adventure, because I didn't know they didn't have either of those shows on Wednesdays (the day we were in California Adventure) or Thursdays.

6. Buy autograph books and pens outside of the park or make your own. There are a ton of souvenir shops in Anaheim that sell Disney items, from pens to t-shirts, for much cheaper. You can get a book and pen for around $5 compared to the $20 you'd spend at the Park. We made and decorated our own with scrapbook materials for a few dollars each.

We were at Disneyland for 3 days and it was definitely enough time to see both parks, but next time I am going for five days for sure! I even have my husband talked into it. He isn't a huge Disney fan, but after the great time Eleanor had he is a lot more fond of it.