When we told people we were taking Lily to Disneyland for Christmas (before she was even a year old), everyone had the same general reaction: “You’re crazy,” or “Why? She’s too young to appreciate it!” Of course, the fact that those reactions didn’t stop us shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone – especially those of us who know how we feel about all things Disney! One of our favorite holiday traditions is taking a photo with Santa, so for our first Santa photo with Lily, we could think of no better place than the Happiest Place on Earth! We also did significantly more than just take pics with Santa, and what we found was that having Lily with us had an (unsurprisingly) drastic impact on how we visited the parks – but it was just as amazing, if not even more so!
What to Do: Meet the Characters!
One of our favorite things about Disneyland is how much more accessible the characters are. Part of it is the sheer space: Walt Disney World has so much more room to build, so of course there are designated meet and greet areas. This actually works to Disneyland’s advantage, though, because the lack of space leaves only one option for the characters to meet and greet: in public areas. Having these characters out in the open actually allows for those opportunities you’ve seen on the Disney commercials that encouraged you to book the vacation in the first place… you know, the one where Mickey is holding a little boy’s hand and strolling down Main Street, and then Belle sits down in the grass next to the little girl dressed in a matching princess dress? At Walt Disney World, those moments just don’t happen as frequently, whereas at Disneyland, they happen several times each day.
For this trip, Lily was less than a year old, limiting the rides she could ride on. It seemed as though she enjoyed those that she rode, but they all paled in comparison to her meeting the characters – she was absolutely giddy when that happened! And I’m not just talking about the ones you immediately think of (Mickey and Minnie, the Princesses, Chewbacca, etc.); Lily seemed to have fun even just meeting random dancers in the parades! For us, this absolutely made the entire trip, and we found ourselves adjusting our plans and ignoring fast passes just to make sure we got good seating for the parades or to go out of our way for a meet-and-greet. This isn’t a bad thing; it was just different for us. Before, we were a “Rope-Drop-to-Wishes” couple – we were in line before the park opened with the drop of the red velvet rope, and we stayed until end of the ‘Wishes’ fireworks show signified the closing of the park. Lily’s nap times and bed time obviously shortened our days in the parks, but to be honest, her interactions with the characters were easily some of our favorite things we’ve ever done on a Disney trip.
What does this mean for your trip? Well, if you have a kiddo that is Lily’s age, he/she may be absolutely terrified of the characters – which is totally understandable. We did a few things that we think helped Lily get over that fear, but at the end of the day, it really is just the luck of the draw. However, if you have any inkling of an indication that your child may like meeting the characters, the Disneyland is the place to do it for all the reasons we mentioned above! The characters really are part of the overall atmosphere (particularly at Disneyland, but also at DCA to an extent), and frankly, they’re difficult to miss.
Where to Eat: Any Restaurant featured in the World of Color Dining Package
So this is a bit of a cop-out, but this is also one of our best pieces of money-saving/scheduling advice: take advantage the World of Color dining package! During our first trip to Disneyland (two years ago), our two big goals in Disneyland’s California Adventure were to see World of Color and to eat at Carthay Circle. On our first day, the first thing we did upon entering Disney’s California Adventure was try to grab a fast pass for World of Color… and so did everyone else. As a result, even the Fast Pass area was packed to the brim with people, leaving us with a horrible view. For our second day, we actually stumbled upon the dining package as we were attempting (unsuccessfully) to make a last minute reservation at the completely-booked up Carthay Circle restaurant. We quickly did a bit of research on the dining package (as we waited in line), and it turns out that it’s an amazing deal. It’s a bit pricey (as are all Carthay Circle meals) and comes with a fixed menu, but the added advantage is that World of Color viewing area – much less crowded than the Fast Pass area, with an even better (more central) view. If you’re already hoping to eat at Carthay Circle (and we think it’s the best meal at Disneyland Resort, so we can’t recommend it enough), then the dining package is such a good deal.
Where to Stay: Fairfield Inn
The Fairfield met our two initial requirements: it was within a reasonable price point and was also within walking distance from the park each day. It’s not quite as popular as some other across the street properties – the HoJo Anaheim and the Courtyard specifically come to mind, which both have great reputations, and their pools are essentially water parks – but for our purposes (particularly in the winter), it got the job done and more.
The rooms were decent sized with plenty of space for both Lily’s Pack-and-Play and for her to crawl, and after a long day of being held or riding in a stroller, crawl she did! The rooms were recently renovated and had nice hardwood floors which seemed much more sanitary for Lily’s moving around. Frankly, considering the price of the rooms compared to the rest of the market, we were surprised with the quality of what we got for what we paid.
The one big “dislike” we had was that the rooms were motel-style: exiting directly outside, instead of into an enclosed hallway. We have a tendency to prefer the latter as an extra layer of security from both the elements and other surroundings, but neither seemed to be much of a threat during our stay (likely due to the smaller crowd sizes during our vacation time.)
Overall, Disneyland is an absolute must-visit on our list of travel destinations. This likely doesn’t come as a huge surprise, though – our readers probably know about our previous obsession with theme parks, and Disneyland is our favorite one ever. 🙂 Our approach to theme parks may have changed a bit due to the newest family member, but most of our best pieces of advice still seemed to hold up; and most importantly, all of those changes were for the better!