We are HUGE Disneyland fans. We like to get there twice a year but usually get there at least once. It had been 18 months since the last time we went and I was pregnant at that so even longer since I could really enjoy all of the rides. We were MORE than excited to go.
I knew it would be tough with Mason. He is not a good sleeper outside his crib. He doesn't sit still for long and he is all over the place. Nevertheless, I was prepared to have the time of our lives and for the most part we did!
The week started off with a short little plane ride from SLC to John Wayne Airport. We usually do LAX since it is cheaper but we opted for SNA this time. I loved it. The rental car was right at the airport. No shuttle, no hassle. It was wonderful. Mason was wiggly and didn't nap as he should have but still okay. The older boys are pros by now and the whole thing was really not too stressful.
Just a few minutes after leaving the airport we were to our hotel but it was too soon to check in. We found a McDonald's for some cheap lunch and then headed to the Portofino Inn. I do like this hotel. It is within walking distance of the park, there is a 7-11 right across the street and the rooms are equiped with a king size bed for mom and dad and bunkbeds for the boys. There is also a sofa sleeper and we had then send a crib up for Mace. French doors divide the two living quarters and each side has it's own TV. It is a reasonable price for a decent and functional room. And, even more important, you access your room from an inside hallway. I am a BIG fan of the inside hallway, NOT a big fan of the outside doors.
A must when you start any vacation is to stock the room with the food essentials. Snacks, breakfast items, beverages. Douglas accompanied me to the grocery store while Dad and the others stayed behind for a Mason nap. $120.00 later we were set with supplies to last the week...breakfast daily, lunch packed into the park and bedtime snacks. We set a budget of $100 per day for food. Grocery money came off the top of that so that left us with approx. $80 per day. We told the kids of our budget so they could learn:
1) How very expensive it is to take a trip and they really needed to appreciate the opportunity they had to be there.
2) How to budget out the day. If they wanted something fancy for dinner, we would have to refrain from treats in the park. By making smart choices, they were even able to eat dinner at the Cheesecake Factory and have dessert to go. Winchells for breakfast one morning is always a MUST! Russell and I have fond memories of Winchells back in the day.
Later that night we all went to the Athletics/Angels baseball game. It was SO hot but luckily our seats were in the shade. What a fun stadium. The boys loved getting a birds eye view of the players warming up in the bull pen. Mason fell and bonked his head to start the trip with a nice raspberry but we had a lot of fun. It was a high scoring game with fireworks expoding each time the Angels hit a homerun. We left a little early to avoid a traffic jam, the Angels lost but it was a great night. Russell and Douglas even went to another game later in the week, the Rangers/Angels, while I stayed back to swim with the other two.
The next 5 days were filled with Disneyland. We have only spent 5 days there one other time and loved it. There is so much to see and do that we could have spent 6. Some of the highlights include:
*The new Toy Story Ride. LOVED IT! With no fast pass and a 30 minute wait we were only able to ride 4 times but would have done more. It was so fun.
*Watching Mason take everything in. Watching Douglas want to take Mason on rides that were previously LAME. Listening to Mason say "Yide!"
*Halloween decorations. I loved them the most. We also love how the Haunted Mansion is transformed into The Nightmare Before Christmas. The firework show was awesome. We watched one night from Small World and another night from Main Street. AMAZING!
*Toon Town. So many cute places to take pictures. So many things to touch. Such a fun concept. You can go about it leisurely when you have a 5 day pass. Notice the look of terror on Stockton's face. My kids don't love the characters. No worries about long autograph lines in this family!
*ESPN Zone. This is a MUST on our vacation. Who doesn't want to sit and enjoy some good food in front of dozens of TV screens filled with every sport imaginable followed by some arcade fun?
*Watching Stockton go from a pathetic little score to his best ever at the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blaster. He was so discouraged until Russell and I took a few rides showing him all the best spots to hit. He got a record 193,000 points, tried to email his picture to his dad and mom failed to give him the right address. In years past Russell and I drug the kids on this ride over and over and this year the kids drug us! Stockton really was LOVING everything about our trip. He wanted to close the park every night. He was so much fun.
*The water parade in California adventure. The older boys protested but I made them watch and I know they ended up having fun. All of the floats had squirt guns that shot the crowd. I love the Disney parades.
There was a little tear in my eye the day we danced out of Disneyland for the last time. Even though it can be an exhausting vacation it is one our family really enjoys. We've added two new baseballs to our collection, one from the Angel's game and one from Disneyland 2009. I am afraid it will be too long before we make it back. We have decided to wait about 18 more months before we go again. Mason needs to be a little more patient in line and better at sleeping somewhere other than his bed. At least we have a few new things to look forward to, a water/light show starting next spring and a Little Mermaid ride. I can't wait!
Comments
Glad you had fun!!