Welcome back! You totally checked out yesterday’s post on Disneyland, right? If not, click HERE to get up to speed. Then come back to this post for the California Adventures recap, plus some awesome tips that made our trip to Disneyland a success!
For day 2, California Adventures was calling our names. The idea of sitting back and watching shows sounded pretty good. First on our list was the Disney Junior’s Puppet show followed by Aladdin. The day then breezed by as we got caught up in both the Bug’s World and Car’s Land.
Seeing the joy in Harrison’s eyes is hands down the reason this trip was a success. It was equally successful in that we didn’t break the piggy bank to have fun. With that said, I’m sharing my tips on how to save a buck or two while at the happiest place on earth:
(1) If you can swing it, I say their annual passport is the way to go. But for us, we no longer live a quick drive to Disneyland so purchasing SoCal resident tickets were the way to go. Valid till June 6 2014, you can get 2-day tickets for $129/person. Not a resident? No problem, the CityPASS is the best way to save some major scrilla.
(2) BYOB. Bring your own bread. Disneyland does not frown upon packing your own food so feel free to stop by Trader Joe’s to grab the three “S’s”: salads, sandwiches, and snacks to save money and eat a well-rounded meal.
FYI: We carried around a lightweight portable cooler to keep a few items cold. To save money on beverages, we packed several drinks and asked the Disney staff for a cup of ice when needed.
(3) Familiarize yourself with the Baby Care Centers as a place to take care of your baby or toddler’s needs. If you are nursing or just want a break from the heat, it’s a great location to kick up your feet on the rocking chairs and get take a quick time-out. Also, these centers are pretty cool as they are complete with a functioning kitchen.
FYI: Don’t feel obligated to only use the Baby Care Centers. I found all the ladies’ restrooms to have ample areas dedicated to diaper changing. I even spotted a few family bathrooms. That’s code for: Hunny, it’s your turn to change Timmy’s diaper ;).
(4) Download the Disney wait time app to give you the quick 411 on what’s going on at Disneyland that day. I downloaded it and found it insightful to see what rides were shut down. Although most people use it as a reference for what rides have a long line. I’m cautious in offering this as a tip because I found myself having poor cell reception while at the park. Waiting to have the app load was more of a burden to me.
and lastly…
(5) Bring home a souvenir. There’s a couple of ways you can approach this. You could obviously spend your life savings at the many shops and then have buyers remorse on the way home. Or what I suggest is:
(A) Buy something you’ll get multiple uses out of. For our family getting the baseball caps to keep the sun at bay was a good use of money. Not to mention, I have no shame in wearing my Mickey hat again!
(On the other hand, the monogrammed mouse ears were our splurge item :). But hey, we saved so much already, we deserved it ;). )
(B) Buy the gift ahead of time and bring to Disneyland for your child to enjoy. Be it a shirt your child can wear at the park or a toy Mickey; you can find Disney items at all major retailers and usually for much cheaper. Wrap up the gift and give it to your lil one the morning of, and you’ll for sure have one happy camper!
Filed under: California, Family, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Orange County, Personal Tagged: Anaheim, Bug's Life, California, California Adventures, Cars, Disney, Disney Junior, Disneyland, family, Mickey, Mickey Mouse, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, motherhood, photography, Sofia the First, tips, Travel
