Tips & Tricks: Traveling to Disneyland

Even though the flight is only 1.5 hours prepare snacks and lots of activities before boarding. Print out coloring pages of favorite Disney characters and purchase triangular crayons (so the crayons don't roll off the tray). Bring sugarless snacks if you don't want your 3 year old bouncing off the walls. And make sure to have grandparents sitting behind your 3 year old so that they can distract her when times are rough.

Book the Disneyland Express Bus so that you don't have to fight freeway traffic. Try to get to Disneyland during the holiday season. Their decorations are gorgeous, the perfect backdrop for pictures.

Character dining has become one of our favorite ways to see Disney characters. They come to each table and spend a good amount of time with your kids. Mickey Waffles & Build Your Own Pizza were a hit with the girls.

Since we flew in late Sunday, we had a few hours to kill before bed. Downtown Disney is outside the park, so we went into the Disney shop & Lego store to pass the time.

We hit Small World first thing at Disneyland. Take the train to the Toontown Station and run to be first in line. Small World is one of my all time favorite rides. Designed by my favorite Mary Blair, it really is at the heart of all things Disney. It tear-up each time I go through the first tunnel! I really think this is the perfect ride for little kids. It gives them a gentle introduction to Disneyland and the Fantasyland "dark rides". I quickly found out, however, that Ashley did not need a gentle intro. She wanted more thrills & chills than her older sisters! Matterhorn and the Haunted Mansion became her absolute favorite rides!

The Vacation Fairy gave each girly her own purse with Disney Dollars tucked inside. They knew how much they could spend with their "own" money and it really reduced the amount of begging and crying when we visited the many shops.

The first time we went to Disneyland we stood in line for 1.5 hours at the Fantasy Faire so that we could meet the princesses. Little did we know that you don't always get the princess you want! We vowed never to waste our time there again. Instead we eat at Ariel's Grotto. The girls got to meet Ariel, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Belle, & Cinderella. And their food was delicious!

Make sure to invite Uncle Ro & the grandparents to experience Disneyland with you. They were so helpful in keeping our kids happy & safe, not to mention keeping the parents sane!

It was a great trip. Two and a half days in the park was plenty for our young family. We had to carry sleeping Ashley back to the hotel each night. We got to ride the Matterhorn 6 times & see Jack Skellington twice. And even the kids were excited to go home. Hopefully we can talk about this trip so that even little Ashley remembers every detail.