bay beans

Massive List #3: Disneyland

March 22nd, 2007

This past January we took both kids to Disneyland for an official dose of Disney madness. Gloria was 7 months, Frances was 3.5… we flew into Orange County from Oakland and stayed at the Grand Californian. Apart from a freakish cold snap (freeeezing cold weather), we had a great trip. Here’s a quick rundown of what we’ve learned about visiting the “Big D” with kids:

- If staying in a hotel (Grand Californian, Disneyland Hotel etc), hit the park as early as possible, eat lunch in the park, and then go back to your room and rest for at least an hour or two. That seemed to be the timing that worked out best for us and gave us a second wind to do a few more rides in the afternoon.

- Strollers: I don’t think we could have done the park without a stroller for each child. Frances absolutely needed one (sooo much walking) and it was a nice place to park Gloria while she was sleeping. We brought our own stroller for Gloria and then rented a stroller for Frances in the park. The rental strollers are sort of like jogging strollers and are actually pretty nice, but you have to leave them in the park and can’t take them back and forth to the hotels. (But usually you can find your stroller if you leave it and then come back into the park.)

- Monorail: The monorail runs from Tomorrowland to a spot in Downtown Disney right in front of the Disneyland Hotel (and about a five minute walk from the Grand Californian). If you bring your own stroller into the park, you’ll have to fold it up to get it onto the train. You can leave your rental stroller in the park by the monorail entrance and odds are it will be there when you return. Frances thought the monorail was just as fun as any of the rides!

- Tiki Room: This is a fantastic place to rest. We looove the Tiki Room (and not only for the fabulous ’60s Hawaiian kitsch factor). It’s right by the Adventureland entrance. Pick up a pineapple whip (or juice) at the Dole pineapple stand — you can eat and drink inside the show. It is about 15 minutes of seated entertainment in a dark room with cute singing parrots and flowers and tikis. Great place to nurse a baby! And very nice for tired parents and kids. (note on the scary factor: there is one boom of thunder at the end of the show, but I would say this place is pretty tame.)

- Baby care center: Disneyland has a baby care center at the end of Main Street, across the street from the Carnation cafe. It is even staffed with a nice person who will direct you to the big armchairs for nursing and changing tables. (cool fact: this place has been there since the park opened! how forward thinking was Walt?) Very centrally located.

- You can get lunch fare slightly better than the standard fast-food burger at Red Rocket’s Pizza Port in Tomorrowland. (Pizza, pasta, salad)

- Room service was great when we were all tired in the evening, or getting ready to go in the morning. Frances was thrilled when she got to eat Mickey pancakes on her own bed. At the Grand Californian it only took about 30 minutes to get food.

- The character dining spots were the highlight of our visit. Goofy’s Kitchen at the Disneyland Hotel was the best! They sell autograph books and pens everywhere… Frances loved collecting autographs from the characters. Can book very far in advance.

- It’s A Small World: 15 minutes long! Air conditioned! Take a break… can nurse on the boat…

- Guests staying at one of the official Disneyland hotels can get early admission to the park on select days. We were let in an hour early one of our days and they had all of Fantasyland open as well as the Buzz Lightyear ride. It was absolutely empty… very cool!

- Fruit stands: They now have fruit stands all over the park, a big difference from when I was growing up. They have one in Fantasyland, one in Adventureland, and one in front of Splash Mountain at the very least. They sell fresh fruit and pickles and juice.

- Other yummy things: The Bengal BBQ in Adventureland for meat skewers, and the little stand in New Orleans square near the railway stop that has mint juleps and fritters. Monte Cristo sandwiches in New Orleans square too. (very fried but what can you do.)

- You can search on YouTube for inside-the-ride videos, so if you are wondering if a ride is too scary you can actually do a virtual run-through of it and figure out whether your child would be scared or not.

- Frances’s very favorite things:
Alice
Peter Pan
Minnie’s house (and Mickey’s house)
Buzz Lightyear ride
Pooh ride
Bug’s Life rides at California Adventure
Driving rides (Mr.Toad, Roger Rabbit) — “i was a CRAZY driver!”
Pirates (shocker)

Too scary:
Snow White
Tiny rollercoaster in Toontown (your kid may vary)

Entry Filed under: travel, lists