Anaheim (and Disneyland too)

Our trip to Paris was the trip that kept on giving. When we returned from Paris, Expedia.com gave us a $200 coupon for some of the inconveniences we experienced on our Paris trip. I did not want to get hooked into booking a more expensive vacation than we could afford. Southern California, Las Vegas and Rocky Point are popular family vacations for Arizonans. After talking to a few people about how fun Disneyland is for toddlers- we headed to Anaheim, California.

Southern California is truly a great place to visit. It is a very laid back, beach-like environment with great weather. I was born in Orange, CA so I am very familiar with Southern California. I have visited Disneyland many times. I have great memories of visiting Disneyland with my parents and sister as a child. I thought how neat it would be to extend my childhood memories of Disneyland on to my son’s childhood memories.

Playing inside Disneyland

Being that this trip was a budget getaway trip, I booked us a 2 star hotel near Disneyland. The hotel had a shuttle that dropped us off at Disneyland in the morning and picked us up at night. The hotel was decent for the price. Our hotel stay ended up being $10 (we just had to pay the taxes). The average nightly rate was below $60. It was a great bargain.

We didn’t do much the day we arrived. It was a six hour drive from Phoenix, Arizona. Our toddler did very well on the car ride. At times, he would get fussy and start crying about being in his seat but then would fall asleep. He slept a good amount of the drive. We arrived late, checked in, and rested. There was an Angels’ game going on so traffic was very slow when we arrived in Anaheim. The next day we headed over to Disneyland.

Inside Toontown play area

Disneyland was a blast. We only purchased tickets for the Disneyland theme park, not the California Adventure theme park. The cost of adding the additional theme park was significantly more and there were only a few rides that our toddler would be able to ride, according to the ticket sales lady. We walked around Disneyland’s Mainstreet and then went to Fantasyland. I know how packed Fantasyland can get so I wanted to get those rides out of the way before the park became full. Our toddler was able to get on all of the rides in Fantasyland. It was a blast seeing him get on rides for the first time. He got a little scared on the Peter Pan ride and grabbed us tightly but other than that he was little champion on the rides. Our son is very adventurous and loves getting on rides. He also loves stimulation and new experiences. He did very well waiting in line, although at times he would try to cut the lines and would look at us as though he was a lot more efficient in getting on the rides than us. His looked said, “Come on guys, why are you waiting back? I know how to get on the ride.” He absolutely loved Small World. He was mesmerized by those singing dolls. After Fantasyland, we headed to Toontown. He had fun playing in the little play area inside Toontown and getting on Who Framed Roger Rabbit ride. We took a picture with Goofy (who surprisingly, did not scare him).

At the Disneyland Parade

By this time, we were hungry and our toddler was tired. We ate some hamburgers at Hungry Bear and then our little guy passed out. He tried so hard to stay up but couldn’t resist any longer. This worked out in our favor as we were able to get on several rides through the single rider and baby swap lines. Disneyland is super baby/toddler friendly and very accommodating to those who travel with young children. When our toddler woke up, we finished the rides around Critterland, headed to Tomorrowland and then watched the parade. We stayed at the park until 10pm. We even watched the Fantasia show and ate some gumbo soup in New Orleans Square. Our trip to Disneyland was so much fun. The lines were not long and the staff at Disneyland was very friendly. It is a great place for toddlers. Our son was able to get on most of the rides and the atmosphere was very lighthearted. It was great being around so many families with children who were my son’s age. It was even nice to see how the restaurants inside Disneyland had toddler meals. It was great!

Sunny day at Newport Beach

The next day we headed to Newport Beach. We had a great time at the beach. We even got to see some dolphins. The next day we took a walk down Hollywood Boulevard and visited Downtown Disney. We ran into my cousin and his young family. It was nice seeing them on Hollywood Boulevard. We returned home the next morning.

The "Mickey Mouse ears"

Before booking the trip, I was hesitant to visit Disneyland because I thought that our son would be too young to enjoy it but I was wrong. He was able to get on so many of the rides. It was a great to see him get on his first ride. I love seeing his reactions on the rides. He was able to actually enjoy being there. He ran around the theme park and looked joyful. I highly recommend taking a toddler to Anaheim and to Disneyland. Happy travels!