Los Angeles and Disneyland with a toddler! - February 2018

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Welcome to my trip report! I wrote this up LAST YEAR and forgot/lost interest in posting it until now. (Now we just returned from ANOTHER Disney trip!) Our little family of three went to Los Angeles to visit relatives and enjoyed three and a half days at Disneyland as a part of the trip. We went in early February 2018, arriving in LA on Saturday and going to Disneyland on Monday-Thursday.

My plan now is to post everything (as soon as I sort through the pictures) this week so that I can get to our more recent trip. So I hope to have two trip reports up shortly! To begin, here's a bit of pre-trip background:

I started planning this trip almost as soon as we returned from Hawaii in October 2017. It got a big boost in November when I bought discounted tickets from getawaytoday during their Black Friday sale. I got four-day park hoppers thinking we could go to LA for a week and spend some time with DH's relatives and then go to Disneyland. A big problem with this plan is that DH didn't want to take a long vacation. He thought the trip to Hawaii was too hard and wanted to keep this trip short. I finally got him to agree to six days and five nights.

I booked one-way flights from Seattle to Burbank with Alaska Airlines. And then used miles for a return flight from Orange County on Delta. I thought avoiding LAX would reduce driving and overall stress. It worked out well, though I doubt we saved any money.

For hotels, I reserved two nights at the Courtyard Sherman Oaks, and in a nod to DH's delicate sensibilities, I thought we would try a one bedroom suite. I originally thought of just staying one night, but it was the same price as a studio at the Best Western Park Place and this way, we could drive down to Anaheim on Monday morning (after rush hour) instead of Sunday evening. Having the extra space was nice, but really wasn't necessary in the end.

At Disneyland, we stayed at the Best Western Park Place, which was the closest we could get to the park without staying at a Disney hotel. It was perfect location-wise, and may even be closer than the Disneyland Hotel and Paradise Pier. Since we had to return to the hotel for DD's nap time, we were walking back and forth several times each day and it was nice to not be dependent on a shuttle.

Parts of Disneyland were under construction during our visit. Most of it didn't bother us, except for the big construction fences on Main Street. Monday was crowded and having the fences there really made it feel claustrophobic. It also meant that we didn't see any parades during our visit, which was okay with me, but I wonder if DD would have liked it. The Dumbo ride was also down, and given how much DD loved Astro Orbiter, I wish we could've tried Dumbo too.

Overall, it was a great trip for all of us! DH remarked that he slept more during our vacation than he did in a month. We had a great time seeing family and friends and enjoyed everything at Disneyland.

NEXT: Short and sweet travel day

 

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We had a nice relaxing morning since our flight didn't leave until 1:50p. It was made even easier when my mom came to watch DD so we could focus on last-minute packing. We even had time for a leisurely walk to the park.

We left home around 10:50a, stopping at my parent's house to pick up my dad and drop off mom. Our neighbor was outside as we pulled out of the garage and he mocked us for going to California on the first sunny day in months. It was an easy drive to the airport, but we had a minor panic attack when we arrived and realized we didn't bring DD's passport! My dad said he would wait in the cell phone lot just in case.

We were flying with Alaska and used the kiosk to get boarding passes and check two bags: one big luggage and a car seat. We decided to just pay a fee for the large luggage so we would have one rolling carry-on instead of our usual two. We asked the woman checking in our luggage if we needed a passport for DD, and she said we'd be fine. And she was right; no one asked for DD's id at all! We let my dad know everything was ok.

Security was relatively easy, but the wait to check liquids took longer than usual because there was a wait for the machine. After we got through, we took the airport tram to our terminal and got some lunch. DH and DD went to Burger King and I got a bagel sandwich.

Then we found a sunny seat at the gate and let DD look out the window, which happened to be right above the spot where the baggage handlers put all the oversized luggage. We saw a lot of ski and snowboard bags. DH and I took turns visiting the restroom and DD got a fresh diaper.

We boarded early when they called for "passengers travelling with young kids and need extra time." Now that DD is 2, she got her own seat. We played with a few toys as everyone else boarded, even though she was asking for the iPad. I arbitrarily decided that she had to wait until we got to cruising altitude.

DD got headphones for Christmas, so she tried them out here. She ended up pulling them off after a few minutes and they didn't get used again for the rest of the trip. DH zonked out and DD was zombified by her iPad, so I got some time to myself and listened to an audiobook while watching DD play.

They came through with drinks and handed out Biscoff cookies. I got tea and DD got water. DH woke up for some juice. DD played with some more toys and soon we were in Burbank! I love short flights! They set up exits at the front and the rear of the plane. We were sitting close to the back, but had to use the front exit because we gate-checked our stroller. So we waited for everyone to deplane first. DD waved and blew kisses to everyone as they filed past.

Our stroller was waiting for us as we descended the stairs from the plane. We got it out of the protective bag and unfolded it for DD. We picked up our luggage at baggage claim and exited the airport. Upon exiting, I realized another benefit to flying to Burbank. No car rental shuttle! We had to go up to an elevated walkway, and it was a bit of a trek, but so worth it. The weather was just right and there was a pleasant breeze as we strolled along.

We rented the car through Costco and after some paper work, we went to find our new Toyota Corolla. I entertained DD while DH got the car seat set up and loaded our luggage.


NEXT: Checking in and dinner

 

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We decided to head to the hotel first, and DD fell asleep during the short drive. Since DD was sleeping, I went in to check in at the Courtyard Sherman Oaks. At the front desk, they said we they had a bag for us and went to retrieve it. DH's cousin created a goodie bag for us! She gave us bottled water and a HUGE variety of snacks.

After getting keys, I swapped places with DH so he could bring all our things up to the room while I waited in the car with DD, who was still asleep. We were on the seventh floor, overlooking the freeway, which was actually a blessing in disguise. We forgot DD's white noise machine, but the freeway noise was a good substitute. When DH returned, we headed to his aunt's house.

DD woke up just as we pulled into the driveway. We went in for some quick hellos and we all headed out for dinner. We decided on Carnival, a Middle-Eastern restaurant and favorite of DH's. It was delicious. We got a falafel plate to share and after the first one disappeared, we ordered another. We also had a huge plate of creamy hummus and tahini. Our entrees each came with huge salads and since I never eat enough vegetables when I'm on vacation, I made a good effort to finish it (failed though). I got grilled shrimp and surprised myself when I ate it all! DH got a shwarma plate. DD ate a little bit of everything, but mostly fries. She ate so many that part of me worried that she would get sick later. (She was fine.)

During dinner, I discovered that I forgot my phone at DH's aunt's house so we made a quick detour after dinner to pick it up then went to the hotel. We did some quick unpacking and got DD ready for bed. There was no tub, so DH took a quick shower with her before handing her off to me. I didn't take many pictures of dinner, but here are a couple of the room.


We set up DD's crib in the living room, and it seemed to work out well. I took a shower and went to bed soon after. Inexplicably, I woke up at 3a and couldn't sleep until 6a. Just as I was drifting off, DD woke up and cried. DH laid down on the sofa next to her crib and she went back to sleep. We all slept until 8:30a.

NEXT: Catching up with family and friends

 

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Today we were visiting family and friends. We got dressed and walked to a bakery we noticed yesterday. It was a very nice place called Le Pain Quotidian.

DH and I each got a half dozen assorted pastries. His were for his aunt and cousins, and I would bring mine to a friend's house. Then we got the car and went to DH's aunt's house.
They have a cat, and DD was fascinated by him. She even liked the cat's toys. But it was a new place, so she was a bit nervous and clingy.

Soon, it was time for me to leave. I tried to order an Uber and got error after error. So frustrating! So I tried Lyft and got a ride immediately. We went outside to wait for my ride and DH's cousin, K, and her daughter, G, pulled up. I said a quick hello before I had to go. DD sobbed as I pulled away. DH told me later he was worried he wouldn't be able to get her to stop crying. But G shared her toys with DD which got her to calm down. Later, they went to the park.

I was on my way to visit a dear friend from school. He lives in a beautiful home in the Hollywood Hills that he renovated a few years ago. I got a tour of his home and saw his cat. The last time I saw the cat, he was still a kitten, so I had a good laugh at how big and fat he grew! We sat on the patio with a view of the Hollywood sign and had a delicious brunch prepared by his boyfriend. It was just perfect.



Around 2 we finally said goodbye. I tried to order another Uber, but got a bunch of error messages again so used Lyft instead. Now I know why I keep getting promotional offers for free Uber rides. The app doesn't work!

Back at the hotel, DH and DD were both napping. I snuck in as quietly as I could and went straight to bed. After the super-strong bloody Mary I had at brunch, a nap was heavenly.

NEXT: A long shopping trip and delicious dinner

 

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We all woke up at 3:30p. The Olympics were on, so we watched a little. Then we decided to go to Target for a few things. We needed baby shampoo and lotion for DD, dry shampoo for me and I wanted to get some lollipops for the flight home. We ended up buying this and more. We spent a long time at Target, which was a big two-story version. We were there so long I think it might have been a personal record! But we didn't have anywhere to be so we just wandered around and took our time.

We began the trip with a visit to the in-store Starbucks. DH bought a cake pop for DD, which was a fun toy that got a few nibbles.

We let DD look at all the stuffed animals they had for Valentine's Day. We browsed through all the travel-sized toiletries. We had a detailed examination of the dollar area. And then we did it all again. DD loved the escalator in the middle of the store, especially the special lane for the carts.
After Target, we went straight to our next destination: Bear Pit BBQ.

We met up with DH's relatives at the restaurant. DD was happy to see G and they sat together and watched videos. DH's aunt surprised us with a bottle of the restaurant's barbecue sauce, which is now sitting in our pantry.

I ordered the Bear Pit Cubbies: three mini sandwiches on a bun, mix and match beef, pork, ham or turkey. DH got the Ribs and Ribs: winning combo of pork spare ribs and beef back ribs. The whole table shared sides of garlic toast, mac and cheese, cole slaw, barbecue beans, and taters. We all ate a lot, including DD, who stole fry after fry from G's plate. G very sweetly shared her food with DD. Even though the girls are four years apart and DD is hard to understand sometimes (she mixes Chinese and English a lot), they seemed to enjoy each other's company. When G went to the restroom, DD was very concerned she wouldn't come back. And when we left, they held hands and danced and jumped to the car.

Back at the hotel, we watched some ice dancing as we got ready for bed. We heard DD singing to her teddy bear as she drifted off to sleep.

NEXT: First day at Disneyland!

 

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Today we were going to Disneyland! We woke up at 9 and finished packing and left the hotel around 10. We stopped at DH's aunt's house to say goodbye since we wouldn’t see her again on this trip. After visiting for a while we left around 11 to drive to Disneyland. There wasn’t much traffic in the middle of the day and we got there in an hour.

We checked into the Best Western Park Place and got a room on the third floor, facing Disneyland. It was nice, but the street noise could be loud at times. Luckily, the air conditioner was old and drowned out any outside noise. We had another built-in white noise machine.

We dropped off our stuff and were eager to go to the park! On the way out, we stopped at the front desk to request a crib.

We went through bag check and headed into Disneyland. They took our picture and we had to sign the tickets since it was our first time using them. As soon as we entered, I bought a Maxpass and looked at the fastpass selection. Roger Rabbit's Toon Town Spin was the only fastpass attraction that DD could ride so I picked that.

I had a vague idea of heading toward It's a Small World, but when we passed Astro Oribters, DD got very excited and pointed. "Airplane! Airplane!" We stopped to take a look and DH thought that it would be too small for all three of us so he said he would wait as we rode. DD and I got in line. As we were waiting, I saw a family of three get into one rocket so I told DH and convinced him to join us. It took about 20 minutes until we got to the front and a CM handed us a boarding pass. We asked him if we would all fit in one rocket and he suggested we take two. So when it was our turn, DH sat by himself and DD and I sat behind him. It worked out well because DH could take pictures. When the rockets took off, DD gasped in delight and loved it! I showed her the lever that would move us up and down, but she didn't care and we just went up high and around and around. She asked for more as soon as it ended.

By then, it was time for us to use the Fastpass for Toon Town Spin. We made our way over and showed our fastpasses. As we were waiting, we stood under a speaker that sounded really LOUD, which was a preview of the ride. DD was a bit overwhelmed by the loud noises and spinning and scenes. DH tried to make it easier on her by holding the wheel to keep the car from spinning. And he VERY ENTHUSIASTICALLY told her to wave bye bye to each thing as we passed it. I guess he thought she was on the verge of being scared? Dunno, but we were all relieved to exit.




We decided to get something to eat and somehow ended up at Rancho del Zocalo Restaurante. DH and I shared enchiladas and chips and salsa and DD got chicken and rice from the children's menu, which was a TINY little dish of chicken and rice. Didn't really matter in the end, though, because DD barely ate anything.

After lunch, we headed back to the hotel for nap time. Just as we got to Main Street, I realized I forgot my hat at the restaurant! It was crowded that day and navigating the crowds with a stroller was hard, so I told DH I'd meet them on Main Street. I speed-walked back and found my hat under the table. Back at Main Street, I found DH in a mood because he wanted to take DD to meet Chip and Dale but the CM told him the line was closed. This happened several times during the trip, and it was always kind of annoying because we would see the characters, get our hopes up, and then be disappointed.

Back at the hotel, the crib had been delivered so we put DD in and hoped for the best. I was still excited to be at Disneyland and reviewed our fastpass options. I chose Indiana Jones since we never tried that ride before. Unfortunately, it had a height requirement so I thought maybe DH and I could take turns.

NEXT: More Disneyland!

 

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When it became apparent DD was not going to nap today, we went back to Disneyland. Waiting in line at bag check, we heard the people behind us complain that we were in the slowest line. Looking around, I saw that they were right. Every other line was just zipping by compared to ours. When we got to the front, it became apparent why. The woman there was checking EVERYTHING. We opened every zipper, snap, pocket, anything that looked like a pocket and more, including all the slots of our wallets! I was annoyed and holding up our stroller blanket for detailed inspection when I noticed that DH was strangely amused by all of it. Later, he told me he was trying not to laugh because she saw her confiscate an uninflated balloon from the people in front of us. (It seemed ridiculous at the time, but I read later that balloons can be a choking hazard. BUT they sell balloons inside the park that could pop and also be a choking hazard!)

Finally inside Disneyland, I was determined to maximize our maxpass value and I made us get in line for a photopass picture in front of the train station. As we were waiting, a man strolled up and laid down in the picture area. The photopass photographers asked him to move and he shushed them and said he was taking a picture. They didn't move and eventually he got up when he couldn't get a clear shot. THEN he got angry and yelled at them for not stopping everything so that he could take his picture and that HE wasn't going to WAIT. It was bizarre but entertaining, so I really can't complain.

We got our pictures and headed to Cafe Orleans for our dining reservation. We checked in and they told us there would be a wait and they would text us when it was our turn. I thought about using our fastpasses to Indiana Jones, but it seemed risky to go so far when we had reservations. Also, it would mean we had to split up. So we went to Tarzan's tree house instead. It was the perfect pre-dinner activity. The fastpasses never got used in the end.



DD was strangely delighted by the boats, so we watched the boats after finishing the tree house. Soon after, we got the text from the restaurant.

As I was planning the trip, a Monte Cristo sandwich was at the top of my list. Now we would finally get to try it! I told DH what it was, and he thought it sounded good too, so we got one of each option: ham and cheese and three cheese. We also got some pomme frites to start. Everything came out quickly and it was DELICIOUS! We loved the Monte Cristo sandwiches, trading between us so we could try them both. We couldn't finish everything and ended up taking some with us. Alas, we were too full to try the beignets. I told DH that we could get them at the walk-up window another day but never made it back. Lesson learned! If we ever have the chance to eat beignets, do it!


After dinner, we parked the stroller and got in line for the train. It took a while before we could get on, about 20 minutes wait? I might have felt longer because we were unprepared for the cold weather. Thankfully DH and DD had jackets, but I just had a thin sweater. As we were waiting, I resolved to get a sweatshirt during this trip.

Once on the train, we just went one stop to get off at Fantasyland and headed to the theater to see Mickey and the Magical Map. There was a short wait until we were let into the theater. I thought we were in prime position to get good seats, but when we got to the benches, everyone around us started claiming whole rows! We eventually got settled between two families that each claimed half the row, leaving us three (well, two and a half) seats in the middle. We were happy, but people that came later were turned away all around us. Incidentally, many of the saved seats were never filled.


DD was so excited when she saw Mickey come out, and was enraptured for the whole show. She waved at the characters and clapped with delight. I had to agree! It was really well done, and I was so impressed by the singers and dancers! DD still talks about it now. We found a video of the show on YouTube and still enjoy watching it at home.
After the show we got back in line for the train. It started to drizzle and then rain. I made a comment to DH about how cold it was and the woman in front of us gave me a hand warmer! It was such a nice gesture and I was impressed with her foresight. We chatted a bit until the train came.

Our plan was to ride the train back to New Orleans and get the stroller. However, the train ride would bring us past a dinosaur scene that our neighbor warned us traumatized her own toddler. As it approached, we nervously pointed and waved at the dinosaurs cheerfully. DD was completely unfazed! She loved the train ride and thought it was great fun.
Crisis averted, we got back to the stroller to find that it was slightly damp from the rain. DH held DD and we admired the window displays on Main Street on our way out. The rain stopped as we walked back to the hotel.

At the hotel, DD got a quick bath and went to bed very late! DH and I followed soon after.

NEXT: Goofy's kitchen

 

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This morning we had a date with Goofy! We all got up at 8 and got ready. We found Mickey's Clubhouse on tv, so DD had a special treat as we got ready. Bag check felt really slow again, and we eventually got through around 9:30. Then we SPEED WALKED past the parks, through Downtown Disney, past the bag check station on the other side, all the way to the Disneyland Hotel. It was SO LONG! We were a bit late for our reservation, but it didn't matter.

We were flustered rushing to check in, and I left a bunch of stuff in the stroller, which was parked outside. So when we just about to meet Goofy, DH reminded me of the Junior Encyclopedia of Characters that we got especially for character autographs. I ran outside to retrieve it. DH and DD played with Goofy as they waited. There was no line for Goofy so we managed to get some pictures and an autograph when I came back. DH said it was nice not feeling pressured to move along. DD was scared of Goofy's whiskers! She pointed to her face and said "boing, boing," and then shook her head saying, "pa." ('Scared' in Chinese)

We got settled and went for food. Everything was good. Not as good as the Monte Cristos we had yesterday, but good for a buffet. I saw the famous peanut butter and jelly pizza and made a mental note to try it, but ultimately forgot. We met several characters and collected more autographs. The character book was a great idea. DH was very into it and would scope out the next character to visit and get that page ready. We brought a click-it Sharpie as a pen and it worked out great too. One note for the next trip is that I will bring post-it tags too.
There was a bit of a dance party, but we couldn't really see since we were sitting off to the side.

Our trip was just a few days after DH's birthday, which we mentioned during check-in. So they brought out a cupcake for him. In true parent fashion, DH told them to give it to DD and they sang to her instead. She was thrilled and sometimes asks for this clapping rendition of Happy Birthday now.

After breakfast, we used the restrooms at the hotel. They had a car (from Autopia?) in front of the restroom that DD played with as we took turns. DD, who was saying "poo poo" at the end of breakfast, got a diaper check (clean!). We browsed through the gift shop, but decided to wait until we met up with K to buy things since we could take advantage of her annual pass discount.

We entered Disneyland and I immediately bought maxpasses for the day. We stopped at the photo center to link the pictures from breakfast. The CM there saw DH's Seahawks hat and asked if we were from Seattle. Turns out, he used to live in Seattle!

Next we went to It's a Small World. I was sure DD would love this ride, but she sat stoically the whole time, in spite of DH's encouragement to wave at the dolls. So no need to try that again.


From there, we went to Toon Town. I thought DD would enjoy Gaget's Go Coaster, but she was too short. We looked around and saw Mickey's house, so we went there instead. It was pretty empty and we breezed through most of the rooms until we got to a screening room, where we watched a cartoon as we waited to meet Mickey.

We got to the front of the line and were told to wait so we were the first family of the next group. DD was happy to meet Mickey and shyly gave him a high five. It was a bit rushed, brief hello, snap a picture and we were done. We forgot the character book, so we didn't get an autograph either. But it's always fun to meet characters and especially see how DD reacts.

We wandered around Toon Town and took pictures in a cartoon car and toured Donald's boat and Goofy's house. We were in the little playground next to Goofy's house when we got a text from K that they were entering the park! We arranged to meet at the carousel.

On the way there, DH was very excited to bring DD on the teacups, so we stopped there. He started the ride with a lot of spinning until I felt queasy and made him stop. I was very relieved when it was over (without incident). Then we went to the carousel and found K and G, along with K's husband D. Happy reunion!

We chatted a little before I suggested riding the carousel. DD really liked it, especially because her adored G was next to her. Exiting the carousel, we saw the sword in the stone was right there so we got a quick picture.

I mentioned that I made fastpass reservations for Indiana Jones, so we headed over. K insisted on watching DD so DH and I could ride together. She said they would take the girls on Jungle Cruise and promptly took DD from my arms and left. DH and I were a bit worried that K would be dealing with a crying toddler soon, but went anyway.

Even though we had fastpasses, we still had to wait about 10-15 minutes. I kept checking my phone, but there were no texts from K so we assumed they were okay. The Indiana Jones ride was a lot of fun! We rushed out and found K and DD waiting for us at the exit. DD was fine and liked the jungle cruise. D and G were at the gift shop and soon joined us with a bubble wand for DD. DD was so excited and LOVED the bubble wand.

It turned out to be the perfect device for getting her to sit in the stroller. ("You can play with bubbles if you sit in the stroller.") And it was perfect timing because it was naptime. K, D and G also needed to check into their hotel so we agreed we'd meet in the afternoon.

NEXT: California Adventures!

 

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After the nap, we headed to California Adventure. Walking in, we saw Minnie Mouse and didn't get rejected when we got in line! As we were waiting, DH saw the people in front of us had a cake pop and asked where they got it. The store was just across the street, so DH ran over and bought a cake pop and rice krispie treat while I held our place in line. We made the mistake of giving the cake pop to DD while we were waiting and she was instantly a sticky mess. I pulled out the wipes before we met Minnie, but her face was still stained red.


After Minnie, we saw Donald Duck walk out! DH followed him to his meeting spot. But then a trolley pulled up an the newsboys came out to sing and dance. (So many things happening! It was hard to stay focused.) So we watched that for a bit. DH then took DD back to Donald since she didn't really care about the newsboys. We got in line and I took DD back into the candy store just to browse. DD was eating her cake pop again and got even messier than before. Again, wipes were used. When we saw Donald, he was ready to dance! DD danced with him a bit and it was adorable. Of course, DH had the book ready to go and we also got an autograph.

Around this time, I got a text from K that G had a fever! They were going to stay at the hotel and hopefully meet us tomorrow. That was a bummer. DD loves G, and K is such a Disney expert that everything felt easier with her around.

I looked at our options and thought It's a Bug's Life might be fun. But when the show started, I got nervous. DD has an irrational fear of all bugs, but I wasn't sure if it applied to cartoon bugs too. The beginning of the show seemed okay. She held it together until the grasshopper, Hopper, (spoiler alert!) came out and sprayed the audience with bug spray and sent black widows after us! Thankfully, she was sitting on DH's lap and didn't feel the pokes of the hornets and DH had the foresight to cover her eyes when the black widows came out. But she was still declaring, "Pa! Pa!" ('scared' in Chinese) when we walked out.

After traumatizing our toddler, we wanted to make it up to her with a fun ride. We saw Mater's Junkyard Jamboree and decided to try that. She loved it! The seat was wide enough that we could all sit together and DH and I liked it too. After our first ride, we immediately got in line for another turn.

It was getting close to dinner time so we looked for a restaurant. Flo's V8 Cafe was right there, so we decided on that. I can't remember what we got other than a sweet tea in an oil can, which was frankly overpriced but now serves as a toy for DD. She uses it to put 'gas' in her little car. Dinner was fine. One note, though, we were there a bit early, maybe 5:45? and there was no wait at all. When we left, it was packed! All the registers had long lines.

I had made fastpass reservations for Soarin' which we could use now. So we headed over there. We decided I would ride first and I showed DH where the trolley ride picked up in case they wanted to do that while I was riding. My heart sank when I saw the fastpass line was LONG. I texted back and forth with DH debating if I should just bail and if we should do something together instead. In the end, he encouraged me to wait it out. He had put the bubble wand on the ground and DD was having fun dancing around it. Some other kids joined in too. (Side note: when we told K about this the next day, her first comment was, "Oh, like Lord of the Flies.")

Meanwhile, in line, a CM came out and said they were having problems with one of the theaters so only one was working. Later, they said the second theater was fixed and the line moved faster for a while. UNTIL the second theater broke again. I was on the ramp leading down to the theaters when they called out for single riders. I quickly raised my hand and they waved me down. Hurrah! Someone clapped for me as I climbed over the barrier and I raised my arms in a victory lap as I ran down.

Soarin' was great! It was my first time seeing the Around the World version, and I can't remember enough of the California version to have a favorite between the two, but the ride was just thrilling. I texted DH upon exiting and he said they were back at Mater's Junkyard Jamboree.

I got over there just in time to see them get in a car and tried to make a video. When they got out, I insisted DH should try Soarin' too. I took DD on Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters, which was a hit. After that, I convinced her to get back in the stroller. The bubble juice had run out during DH's bubble 'bonfire' and getting her into the stroller was hard.


I headed to the Flying Zephyrs. As we walked along, I saw there were several roped off areas for World of Color. They all had different signs, so I assume they were for different add-on packages? The line for the Flying Zephyrs looked short, but it actually took a while because they only filled every other zephyr. I thought that maybe it was because they didn't have enough people for all of them, but they continued to operate the ride half full even when the line was long. Anyway, DD liked it a lot. I loved hearing her gasp of delight as we went around.

DH had finished Soarin' just as we boarded the zephyr, so I texted him where we were and even saw him for a second from the ride. But when we got down, he was nowhere to be seen. Eventually we were reunited. I wanted to find a spot where we could see World of Color. I asked a CM that was manning one of the roped off areas where we could stand, and he directed us further down the pier. DH said he passed a good spot on the bridge so we went there. There were a few people in front of us, but DH put DD on his shoulders and he's tall so they had a good view. I'm short, though, so I really couldn't see anything at the water level. There was a special Chinese New Year show in the beginning that was very pretty. And I enjoyed World of Color, but it felt really long, especially when I was straining and peeking around heads to see.

DD was so tired by the end. It was WAY past her bedtime. DH continued to hold her on his shoulders on the walk back to the hotel because there was no way we could get her back in the stroller without a major tantrum. We gave her a bath and put her in the crib. It was 10p!

As I was tidying up, I heard music turning on and off in the room. It sounded like a phone alarm so I checked our phones. I checked the ipads. I checked the hotel clock. I couldn't find the source and figured it might be a neighbor. A few minutes later, DH came out of the bathroom and reported on the bubble wand situation. Turns out, he was trying to make his own bubble juice with shampoo and water and had been turning the bubble wand on and off testing it. And naturally, there's no option to use the bubble wand without music. Mystery solved! (The shampoo and water solution didn't work very well and we bought more refills the next day.)

NEXT: Morning in Disneyland

 

[disgeek009]

This morning we got up at 7:45a. We got a text from K that G's fever was gone and they could meet us for breakfast, but they were heading back home afterwards. We got ready and headed to the Plaza Inn. Bag check was faster today and we got to the restaurant before K and her family. DH saw the line for Astro Orbiter was short and wanted to take DD right away so we went there first.

By the time we got off, K, G and D were already in the restaurant. We took a quick picture with Minnie and joined them. The table they chose was a covered patio table, which turned out to be reserved. We were moved to the umbrella-covered tables outside. We got situated and took turns getting food. It takes longer to get food here because the hot foods weren't self-serve like at Goofy's Kitchen.

The mix of characters here is eclectic. DH had a hard time finding all of them in the Junior Encyclopedia. When Rafiki came, we were sad that he didn't have his own page. But he motioned for us to flip through the book. He showed us Mufasa's page, and there was a picture of Rafiki! For a non-main character that isn't very cuddly, he had a lot of personality and I really enjoyed meeting him.

During breakfast, K told us that they were all sick and wouldn't be able to stay with us for the day. Of course we understood, but I felt bad for them because they had booked a hotel room for a mini vacation and now it was kind of wasted. K assured us that G loves hotels so last night was a treat in itself.

DD was so excited to see Pooh, pointing at him when he was still several tables away. This surprised me because I wasn't sure she would even know who he is, but she loves teddy bears and that might have been enough for her. When we met him, she was eager to give him a hug and admired his red shirt. It was so cute.

We saw several characters, sometimes more than once since it wasn't very busy outside. Toward the end, we saw a character that none of us recognized. K, the Disney expert, recognized him right away and told us it was Max, Goofy's son. He was so obscure that he didn't have a page in the Encyclopedia so we just had him sign Goofy's page. He drew a little mustache on Goofy's picture, which amused all of us.


After breakfast, DD needed a new diaper. K directed us to the baby care center, which was really nice! It was mostly empty and I put DD down on a changing table next to the sink. As I was diapering her, other people came in and I realized there were big sheets of paper under the changing table. Oops. I hope that it was early enough that the table I chose wasn't used much that morning. I also pulled out the last wipe from our diaper kit. So it was lucky that I was right next to the sink because I had to use damp paper towels to finish cleaning DD. (Sorry, TMI?)

We talked about what to do next and decided on Astro Blasters. K told us to use the app to get a fastpass now because the fastpass window is usually just five minutes in the future. It worked out perfectly. By the time we walked over, we were able to scan our fastpasses and basically walked on. The standby line wasn't very long but it still saved us 10-15 minutes. We all had fun on the ride. DD pushed the spin knob back and forth and made shooting much more difficult!

On the way out, we saw bubble refills in the gift shop and bought a couple. We used K's annual pass discount and saved a few cents.

We had two more tasks before K left us. I wanted to get a picture in front of the castle with all of us together. But G, who doesn't like photos even when she's healthy, refused. So we just got a picture of us and K.

Then we went to World of Disney for some SHOPPING. The store was under construction, though, and K told us it's usually much bigger. But it had everything we wanted. I wanted to get a sweatshirt, a toy for G and maybe a souvenir for DD. DH looked at the mugs but didn't find anything he liked. DD randomly picked a toy that was at eye level and insisted that was what she wanted. She refused to let go of the box even for us to purchase it. So that is how we ended up with a Little Mermaid mini doll play set. The best thing I can say about it now is that we haven't lost any pieces.


After that, we said goodbye to K and her family and returned to the hotel. DD settled down for a nap. I caught up online and made a fastpass reservation for Guardians of the Galaxy that would be good in the afternoon.

NEXT: Afternoon in California Adventures

 

[disgeek009]

DD woke up five minutes before our fastpass window started so I tried to hurry us along into the park. DH took DD to Bug's land while I tried Guardians of the Galaxy. I was mostly curious about the themeing and story, which were both really well done. But when we took our seats, I realized I was on a ride that was going to drop me too! It was thrilling even though I wasn't prepared at all. DH had a fastpass as well, but didn't want to ride.



After the ride, I found DH and DD just as they were boarding Francis' Ladybug Boogie. DH told me they rode Flik's Flyers too. The only drawback was that DD isn't allowed to sit on DH's lap on these rides, and she was too short to really see anything. We looked around and decided to try Heimlick's Chew Chew Train. What a SLOW ride! DD was unimpressed as well.

We headed to Cars land again. I wanted to show DH Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters, but it had a 30 minute wait, so we went back to Mater's Junkyard Jamboree. Walking back and forth, we saw Lighting McQueen out, but he had a huge line. When we finished Mater's, we saw that Mater was meeting people now so we got in line. DD was a bit scared and not that interested in meeting him.


We went back to check on the wait for Luigi's, but it was still long so we decided to go to the pier. We walked along the path that ran next to the Radiator Springs Racers, which was so pretty and uncrowded. DD wanted to get out of the stroller, and we let her run along this path.

At the pier, we happened to see a drum show that was special for Chinese New Year. We all enjoyed it. Our fastpass for Toy Story Mania was ready to be used so we walked down there. DD enjoyed the ride, even though the glasses were too big to stay on her face. It's a long walk for just one ride, so we also rode King Triton's Carousel while we were there. After that, DH was hungry and we went back to Pacific Wharf and got a pretzel.


By then, we were just killing time until DD's dinner time so we went on The Little Mermaid ride. I was a bit worried she would be scared at the Ursula scene, but she was fine. I don't think the ride made much impression on her at all. When we exited, it was getting dark.

Part of me wanted to go to the Corn Dog Castle for dinner, but it didn't seem like enough variety for DD so we ended up at Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta instead. The seating was outside, which was a little chilly but we survived.

After dinner, I wanted to use our fastpass for Goofy's Sky School, but when I walked up a couple CMs there told me it was down. I looked at my fastpass and it was changed to anything. I asked what this meant, and they said I could use it for any ride, even Radiator Springs Racers, which had at least a two hour wait for most of the day! I went to consult DH about our newfound bounty.

He was in line for the Flying Zephyrs, and thought we should do Toy Story Mania again, since it's the only fastpass attraction that DD could ride. So we rode the zephyrs (still fun) and went back down to Toy Story Mania. DD refused to sit in the stroller so we bribed her with the bubble wand. She kept holding it in one hand and pointing it down into her other hand. It doesn't work well upside down, so DH took it and placed it on the footrest of the stroller between her legs. The bubbles were shooting right into her face, but she loved it. Then it got too intense and we had to shut it off. Bubbles covered her hands, shirt, and were in her hair. Through the bubble cloud, I could see her hands flapping in her classic 'no' gesture. Those bubble wands are no joke!

We had a fun ride on Toy Story Mania and went back to the hotel. Of course, we had to use the bubble wand again to get DD to sit in the stroller. She did not get overwhelmed with bubbles again because the bubble juice ran out during the walk back.

We did some packing and got DD to bed around 8:40p. Still later than her normal bedtime, but better than some other nights this trip!

NEXT: Our last morning in Disneyland

 

[disgeek009]

We were up at 6:50 this morning and DD was happy we didn't try to get her to sleep later. We got organized and were out the door by 8. We put some luggage in the car and brought a couple to the front desk to be held inside. We checked out of the hotel and headed to the park.

Bag check was easy today and we entered Disneyland soon after for Extra Magic Hours. We headed straight to DD's favorite ride: Astro Orbiters. I got fastpasses for Astro Blasters that we could use at 9. But since it was still early, lines were short so we also rode it once without a fastpass. After that, we wandered a bit and saw that Tinkerbell would have a meet and greet close by. We got in line with a couple other families.



After a while, a CM came out and said Tinkerbell would be late and would come out at 9:15. We bailed and decided to use our Astro Blasters fastpass instead. By this time, it was getting more crowded so it was lucky we had the fastpass. I got a fastpass for the Materhorn too.

We went back to check on Tinkerbell and she was there. So we walked up and met her with a very short wait. She was fun and DD was interested in her wings. We had the Character Encyclopedia with us and Tinkerbell asked if we wanted her to sign it. She knew her page number and declared, "It's the best page."

After that, I directed DH to Autopia while I headed to the Matterhorn. I just wanted to try it since it's unique to Disneyland and never rode it before. I asked the CM if it would be faster to use my fastpass or get in the single rider line. She guessed fastpass, but I think I could've saved a few minutes by choosing single rider. In any case, I rode it and had fun. I was anticipating a big drop at any moment, but it never came.

I went back to Autopia to find DH and DD. I was surprised to see a long line since the Disneyland app said it was just a 5 minute wait. (I figured out later that it just wasn't refreshing, so the short wait time was probably from early in the morning.) It was very smelly and warm there. I texted DH and he said they were still in line and would just backtrack to meet me. DH was grouchy when we reunited because DD was asking for me the whole time we were apart and their long wait was annoying and wasted. And that's how we ended our time in the parks.

We left to rush to yet another character dining reservation. There are three character breakfasts available and we were going to try them all. We walked through Downtown Disney but couldn't find Paradise Pier hotel and had to ask directions. The entrance to Paradise Pier wasn't very nice. We walked past a parking lot and next to the back of house area to get to a small side entrance. From there, it took some searching to find the restaurant.

I can't remember if we were late for our reservation, but it really didn't matter because the restaurant wasn't crowded at all. We were seated next to the buffet and close to the door where characters entered and exited. This meant we got to meet each character twice!

We saw Mickey Mouse as soon as we got to our table. DH went to get some food and Stitch arrived. He signed our book, which DD watched with interest. DH missed the whole thing.
After that, characters were coming by regularly. Minnie, Daisy and then a repeat when they went back. DD was hungry and didn't care much at first. After eating, we let DD get out of the high chair and she liked meeting characters much more. She danced with Stitch, gave high fives and even hugs. Toward the end of breakfast, the restaurant was mostly empty and the characters were coming by all together. DD was surrounded by all of them at one point, and we got a group photo. It was so much fun. And it continued into the lobby!



I think the restaurant was closing for breakfast because all the characters were out in the lobby, meeting and taking photos. We just wandered around and watched, gave waves and got a lot of special attention, especially from Mickey. He bent down and gave DD several hugs and kisses and when she walked around, he followed her for a bit too.


And with that, our time at Disneyland came to a close. We strolled through Downtown Disney. Of course, DD didn't want to sit in the stroller and we let her walk with us. She insisted on holding her lunch bag, and was SO HAPPY. She slung it on her arm and walked behind DH, occasionally wandering off to wave or stare at people we passed.

NEXT: Heading home

 

[disgeek009]

Back at the hotel, we got our luggage from the bag check and DH changed into warmer clothes for the flight. DD was full of energy and ran around the little sitting area in the lobby (we were the only people there). Then she got a fresh diaper and we were off to the airport.

We used the phone to navigate, thinking we would pass a gas station where we could fill up the tank. But we ended up driving mostly on the highway and had to do a search for a gas station when we arrived at the airport. We were flying out of John Wayne airport, which was a short drive from Disneyland and is small enough that there was none of the craziness of LAX. The rental car return was easy and we were able to just walk to the airport.

DD was getting difficult and crabby, probably because it was nap time. So after we passed security and got settled at the gate, I put her in the stroller and tried to walk her to sleep. She was NOT having it. She screamed and cried for almost the whole length of the airport. I sat at an empty gate and read her a book and tried to get her to settle down, but she got hysterical every time I tried to get her to lie down. Even being horizontal in my arms would set her off.

Finally, it was almost boarding time so I gave up and went back to DH. We boarded the plane, which had seats in a 2-2 configuration. I put DD in the window seat and DH and I both were on the aisle. DD was very crabby, and I finally gave her the iPad after we took off. She was happy and occupied and I managed to doze off for a little. It was a short flight, and we got some cookies and snack mix.


When we landed, DD was still tired (no napping at all for her) and it was hard getting her into the stroller. It took so long that when we got to the baggage carousel, our bags were already on the side. My dad was in the cell phone lot, so we gave him a call A few minutes later, we got a call back that the car wouldn't start!

We thought about what to do. We were standing inside the airport next to a little news stand and there were tables and chairs next to us. DD found a chair and enjoyed pushing it around until we made her stop. The aluminum scrapping on the floor made a racket!

After a while, dad called and said he found someone that could give him a jump and he was on the way. Everything after that was smooth. We made it home in the evening, had a quick dinner, gave DD a bath and put her to bed. We unpacked and went to bed a few hours later.

And that's a wrap! It was fun to review this trip and look at the pictures when DD was so little. We just returned from another Disney trip to Disney World and I'll post another trip report soon. Thanks for reading!

 

[DisneyDarlingness]

Another wonderful trip report! Your DD is super cute! I was especially interested in reading about the California Adventures attractions, as it's been years since I've been, and the kids have never been! The Paradise Pier breakfast looked amazing - how lucky you were to have THREE characters in a single photo! Amazing!!! Thank you for taking the time to write this up, I really enjoyed reading and the photos!

 

[disgeek009]

Another wonderful trip report! Your DD is super cute! I was especially interested in reading about the California Adventures attractions, as it's been years since I've been, and the kids have never been! The Paradise Pier breakfast looked amazing - how lucky you were to have THREE characters in a single photo! Amazing!!! Thank you for taking the time to write this up, I really enjoyed reading and the photos!

Thanks so much! Yes, the breakfast at Paradise Pier was really nice. I think they re-themed it to be hosted by Donald now? I wonder if it's usually a bit slow toward the end of breakfast, because I would want to schedule it again next time we go. Disneyland was a really good trip with a toddler since everything was closer together. I loved our last trip to Disney World, but I think we'll wait until DD is a bit older (and taller!) before we return.

 

[DisneyDarlingness]

Thanks so much! Yes, the breakfast at Paradise Pier was really nice. I think they re-themed it to be hosted by Donald now? I wonder if it's usually a bit slow toward the end of breakfast, because I would want to schedule it again next time we go. Disneyland was a really good trip with a toddler since everything was closer together. I loved our last trip to Disney World, but I think we'll wait until DD is a bit older (and taller!) before we return.

Yes, you do get more bang for your buck when they are tall enough to do more of the rides, if that's what they like! My daughter was 3 (but my son was only 1) when we went to WDW for the first time, and it was like a revelation - they got so tired during the day they slept through the night every night, even my nursing son!! But my daughter is tall for her age (takes after Daddy) so she was able to do all the things she wanted to do. But the truth is, she doesn't care that much about the rides - she mainly wants to meet characters. We basically spent a whole afternoon in Epcot in order to meet Mulan (who is VERY popular) in China during our last trip. You have to start waiting soon after she goes in for a break, so you can be at the front of the line when she gets back. And then of course when she finally gets her turn, she gets super shy and can't vocalize the questions we reviewed in advance to ask the character, LOL!

 

[disgeek009]

Our kids are so different! DD wanted to do rides all the time, the faster and wilder, the better. But was mostly indifferent to characters, even her favorite, Minnie. We tried coaching her before characters, but she would freeze up too. At least it's still fun for us parents!