Yes, Christmas happened forever ago. However, I couldn't pass up blogging about this!
Disneyland is pure magic at Christmastime. The decorations, parades, music...it just feels wonderful. However, every single person thinks that way too, which makes Disneyland practically unbearable with the massive crowds. It gets especially worse the week of Christmas, as we all know.
Disneyland is pure magic at Christmastime. The decorations, parades, music...it just feels wonderful. However, every single person thinks that way too, which makes Disneyland practically unbearable with the massive crowds. It gets especially worse the week of Christmas, as we all know.
And that's when we decided to go, HAHA.
Partly we had no choice. Our winter break started then, and we couldn't take time off, mainly because we have to keep our days in case girl baby gets sick. We mentally prepared ourselves that it was just going to be crazy.
So...how was it? It was actually fun! Of course, we had bumps in the road, but we still had fun!
The ride down:
The first part of our trip was a bit disastrous. While trying to grab lunch on the fly, our car battery died while in Lodi. Thankfully, we were around the corner from Chevy, but it set us back a good hour and a half. I was trying to not freak out (I'm a control freak bahaha) and kept reminding myself this could have happened in the middle of nowhere. I'm so thankful it happened right at the beginning. Once we were all fixed up, we bolted. We stopped in Coalinga for dinner, at Harris Ranch. Literally this place is in the middle of nowhere. It was nice, clean, and the food was decent. It gave a chance for Rowan to stretch her legs, which is huge. While the food was great, it was just a bit pricey for my liking. We ate quickly and got back on the road.
I am pretty lucky Rowan is a decent car baby. She will watch Baby Einstein and she is happy. The drive was looong but we made it safely to our hotel and went straight to bed.
The hotel:
I get lots of questions from people in regards to where we stay. If we can, we try to stay at our timeshare, Worldmark by Wyndham. However, if it's booked, we stay at the Super 8 near Disneyland. I am not a total hotel snob, but I was leery about it the first time we booked our stay. Turns out the rooms are pretty nice, CLEAN and does their job. This was our second time staying and didn't disappoint. For reviews, click here.
Actual Disneyland:
We went to the park Saturday-Monday. Honestly, Saturday and Sunday were GLORIOUS! We made it a point to get to the main gate by 7:45. I personally wanted to leave earlier, which caused bickering among hubby and I. Is it just us, or does everyone bicker with their spouse on vacation?! LMAO! Sadly, the morning is our worst because we have different ideas. Luckily we get over ourselves quickly! Going back to going early... everyone seems to go early, and it can be a little irritating when you see the whole world flooding towards the gate. HOWEVER....don't let that scare you. Once you get in, the crowds disperse and it's empty. Y'all, it's worth getting there early. We did SO MUCH each of the days! We even went on Haunted Mansion 3x in a row because of the low crowds! Of course, it peaks around 4. Saturday and Sunday weren't bad at all, but Monday became psycho with all the Christmas crowds flooding the park. Thankfully we left that afternoon.
What we did:
Okay, the obvious, going on every ride we could! We utilized the rider switch pass as much as we could. The one big thing on this trip, is that Rowan pretty much hates the stroller. Now that she is an accomplished walker, all she wants to do is walk (why, dear Jesus, why did I stress about her walking!?!? LOL). I will admit it sucks being in the stroller, so we really focused on rides that she could do. If you didn't already know this, toddlers can pretty much do any ride, besides Indiana, Star Tours and Space Mountain. Rowan absolutely loved the carousel, Dumbo and especially small world. She had me in tears because her joy was so precious! Since the afternoon was the worst each day, we took it upon ourselves to do a show, or a parade. The Christmas parade is way too precious and Rowan loved it! I started bawling because Mickey caught Rowan's joyful screams, pointed and actually spoke to her from his float! I about died! The next day, we caught a showing of the Disney Junior show in California adventure. While all the kids enjoyed it, I'm pretty sure us parents were singing along just as loud as the kids! I highly recommend that show if your kid loves Disney junior. This was Rowan's face the entire time:
I think Rowan didn't even know what to do, lol! She got especially screamy and shook like a leaf when Mickey and Friends came on!
What we ate:
Disneyland is quite costly with their food, but it is also super good! We were pretty disciplined about bringing our own food for lunch, and eating breakfast in our room. We saved so much doing that! Now, I know everyone knows this, it isn't new. However, if this is your plan, truly stick with it! We saved so much money that way. We of course treated ourselves with hot chocolate, frosted sugar cookies, churros and popcorn. Restaurant wise, we like the Pizza Port right near Space Mountain. It has decent choices and the food isn't half bad. We also tried out Carnation Cafe, which was pretty decent! I LOVED how they fixed Rowan's plate!
We also ate off site once, at California Pizza Kitchen. We also saved money that way, as it seems a litle cheaper than in the park! While in California Adventures, we like eating at the Cocina Cucamonga right next to wharf area. We didn't eat there this trip, but worth a stop if you want Mexican.
A shout out...
While in the park, we stupidly left our backpack on the bench in DCA (in front of the Little Mermaid). While it thankfully didn't have our wallets, it sure did have our Disney pins (which are like gold). I was sad and but MORE annoyed at ourselves. We reported it missing and 2 days later, we get a call from Disneyland! They found and immediately shipped it free. Cheers for Disneyland!
The drive home:
My biggest regret of the whole trip was my constant worry about the weather. Specifically, I was worried if the weather got bad on the drive home, they would shut down the grapevine. For my non-Ca peeps, the grapevine is a MAJOR ROUTE between North/Central California to the South. If it ever gets shutdown, there are alternate routes, but your drive increases by hours (4-5+ hours for us) and basically all hell breaks loose. Back in October, we nearly got caught on a horrific mudslide on the grapevine, so I am a bit traumatized. Anyway, we weren't supposed to leave till Tuesday. Weather reports said Tuesday was supposed to be all day rainy and crazy. So, I begged to leave early. Hubby was actually pretty upset about it, and we lost some money on the hotel. However, I had a feeling that we should leave and I am thankful we ended up leaving early. We left around 5:30 that night, which is insane. The drive home was fine, a bit long, but uneventful. Traffic actually wasn't bad for LA and we got home around 1:00 am. I just wished I didn't worry so much about it. Lessons learned!
Tips that were helpful to remember:
-PACK PACK PACK extra clothes!!!!!!
I can't stress that enough! I planned 2 outfits a day for Rowan, but for some reason, it didn't seem like enough. You never know what can happen.
-Plan for the weather.
We knew there would be a chance for rain, so we stocked up on appropriate jackets and a stroller rain cover for Rowan. It did actually rain while we were there!
Wipes, wipes and more wipes...
enough said. You can't pack too many!! Also, this goes for diapers too!
-Don't forget baggies, plastic baggies (for poopy diapers), and knives (for cutting).
This is big if you buy food and store it in your room. Every night I would pack our lunches. If you are cutting up anything, a knife is useful. I have been on a trip or two where I don't have cutting utensils and I feel helpless! AND DUH don't take it with you to the park and if you are flying in, obviously don't take a knife.
-Sanitizer, all purpose cleaner, santizing wipes-
Now this is only if you are a germaphobe like me. When we get to hotels, I sanitize and wipe down everything. Don't forget the paper towels too! I also carry those wipes and hand sanitizer in the park, Major lifesavers!
Baby wearing is essential
People give me a hard time for still wearing Rowan. I LOVE it though, I'm addicted! I use the Lillebaby carrier in black and gray and it is wonderful! It was a nice break for Rowan and she even slept almost a good two hours in it! She is a chunkette and this carrier gives me tremendous support! Carriers can make life easier and we always have one on hand!
Utilize the baby centers:
I am in love with how amazing they are. They are located in both parks and are a perfect place to go for a break or a diaper change in a clean space.
Plan a medicine kit:
I always have one on me for trips. Ours has neosporin, bandaids, advil, tylenol, motrin, a thermometer, pedialyte packets and hair ties. We also pack the nebulizer with the appropriate treatments. This kit is so useful!
Be advised..
Thanks to the idiots, oops I am mean terrorists that have ruined things for everyone, Disney has upped its security. I am actually quite thankful for that. Due to that, check in at security is now a little longer because they randomly select people to go through metal detectors and now really check bags thoroughly. Honestly, I am thankful!
If you read this, I am high fiving you!! Despite the small bumps, I am so glad we went! And of course, a recap post wouldn't be the same without a photo dump!
-PACK PACK PACK extra clothes!!!!!!
I can't stress that enough! I planned 2 outfits a day for Rowan, but for some reason, it didn't seem like enough. You never know what can happen.
-Plan for the weather.
We knew there would be a chance for rain, so we stocked up on appropriate jackets and a stroller rain cover for Rowan. It did actually rain while we were there!
Wipes, wipes and more wipes...
enough said. You can't pack too many!! Also, this goes for diapers too!
-Don't forget baggies, plastic baggies (for poopy diapers), and knives (for cutting).
This is big if you buy food and store it in your room. Every night I would pack our lunches. If you are cutting up anything, a knife is useful. I have been on a trip or two where I don't have cutting utensils and I feel helpless! AND DUH don't take it with you to the park and if you are flying in, obviously don't take a knife.
-Sanitizer, all purpose cleaner, santizing wipes-
Now this is only if you are a germaphobe like me. When we get to hotels, I sanitize and wipe down everything. Don't forget the paper towels too! I also carry those wipes and hand sanitizer in the park, Major lifesavers!
Baby wearing is essential
People give me a hard time for still wearing Rowan. I LOVE it though, I'm addicted! I use the Lillebaby carrier in black and gray and it is wonderful! It was a nice break for Rowan and she even slept almost a good two hours in it! She is a chunkette and this carrier gives me tremendous support! Carriers can make life easier and we always have one on hand!
Utilize the baby centers:
I am in love with how amazing they are. They are located in both parks and are a perfect place to go for a break or a diaper change in a clean space.
Plan a medicine kit:
I always have one on me for trips. Ours has neosporin, bandaids, advil, tylenol, motrin, a thermometer, pedialyte packets and hair ties. We also pack the nebulizer with the appropriate treatments. This kit is so useful!
Be advised..
Thanks to the idiots, oops I am mean terrorists that have ruined things for everyone, Disney has upped its security. I am actually quite thankful for that. Due to that, check in at security is now a little longer because they randomly select people to go through metal detectors and now really check bags thoroughly. Honestly, I am thankful!
If you read this, I am high fiving you!! Despite the small bumps, I am so glad we went! And of course, a recap post wouldn't be the same without a photo dump!
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