Let’s Go to Disney
It’s no secret we are big fans of Disney for family vacations. For our end-of-summer “hoorah” we decided to surprise the kids with four days at Disney Land (that’s the California one). Why not Disney World? Well, there was a hurricane going to Florida, so our last-minute planning worked out in our favor… for once. My hope is that this blog post helps you plan your next Disney Land trip or gives you a fun new idea while you’re there!
Resort:
We choose to stay on property at the Grand Californian for multiple reasons, one being it has direct access to the California Adventure Park. This resort has 2 character dining opportunities, a quick service restaurant, and my kids love the pool. This trip, we decided to book a club level for our room accommodation, and y’all, it did not disappoint! Club Level rooms come with extra perks like a private firework viewing spot and a room for snacks/drinks/alcohol at no additional cost.
The pool area at the Grand Californian has a large water slide as well as a toddler water slide, which all the kids took advantage of multiple times, and they have lifejackets for the kids available, too.
Both of the character dining spots are fabulous! You’ll find the classic characters like Mickey and his friends at Storytellers Cafe breakfast/brunch buffet. Then, at Napa Rose, you’ll see all the princesses (Tulip was in heaven!) The one-on-one time with the princesses at Napa Rose makes this experience so magical. Prices and menu details are available in the Disney Land app. And, of course, they sign autographs and take pictures!
The Parks:
If your family is like mine, standing in lines isn’t exactly an enjoyable experience, so we always buy lightning lane passes, and y’all, we use them! Once you enter the park, you can book your first lightning lane. What is lightning lane? Lightning lane is the ability to skip the standby lane and have a shorter wait time to get on a ride. This is all done in the Disney Land App.
The kid’s favorite rides are The Little Mermaid ride, Radiator Springs Racers, and the Incredicoaster…I bet you can’t guess the kid to their favorite ride (ha!) My personal favorite is Toy Story Mania and Toon Town. As a family, we loved the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail.
Because the Grand Californian Resort is attached to California Adventure Park, we were able to go back and forth to grab snacks, water, fans, and anything we needed while at this park effortlessly.
Transportation:
To get from the SNA airport to the resort and back, I booked through Black Lane. This car service allows you to reserve a ride that meets your family’s needs, like car seats and vehicle size.
Tips & Tricks from my family to yours:
– Bring your own water bottles. You can ask any counter service for a cup of ice water for free, and there are water bottle refill spots throughout the park.
– If you don’t like paper straws.. bring your own
– Doing the water rides? Pack a poncho and flip-flops to swap your shoes.
– Pack baby wipes for messy food, and these wipes are great for hand sanitizing
– DISNEY PACKING – this is my list of stuff we take to the parks
– Disney Land has great character meet and greet opportunities, so bring something for autographs. We’ve done wooden letters to hang on the kid’s walls, water bottles, autograph books, and picture frame mats.
If you’ve got a Disney favorite that you take on your trip that I didn’t mention let me know! And if you’re heading to Disney I hope you have the most magical time!
