Thinking about taking the kids to Disneyland soon? Definitely do it! We just got back from our first trip there and made some of the most special memories! The best part is we ended up doing a spur of the moment trip for only half of a day, and it couldn’t have been better!
Lucy had been wanting to go for almost a year and had been saving up money in her piggy bank since last summer. And because we had to head to Los Angeles this week anyway for an appointment on Monday, we thought it would be the perfect time to surprise her with a visit! As the trip neared, we started checking the weather forecast~ rain! We were so bummed, but decided taking two young kids to Disneyland in cold rain would not be fun so we cancelled the trip.
“Are we really at Disnleyland?”
We still headed to Los Angeles for my appointment on Monday morning. And after the appointment, while driving on the 405 noticing how gorgeous the weather was and feeling sad for ourselves that we couldn’t go to Disneyland the next day because of the rain, we decided spur of the moment~ Let’s go today!
We rushed to pick up the kids from their Auntie’s house. While Paulie was packing them up, I got on hotwire.com to make a hotel reservation. (We ended up getting a 4 star hotel for $99!) We all got in the car and started driving the hour south to Disneyland. (The kids just thought we were going home.)
We pulled into the parking lot about 2:00 pm and Lucy couldn’t believe we were actually at Disneyland! She even made us roll down the window so she could verify it with the parking attendant!
After parking, we loaded up our stroller with our diaper bag, snacks & drinks, sunscreen and our camera and we were off!
Luckily, I had already done a bit of research about things we wanted to do in Disneyland since we had been planning on going the next day. Have you heard of the Disney Moms Panel?
Feeling like a princess at Bippity Boppity Boutique
It’s a panel of moms hand-picked by Disney who can help you plan your trip to any Disney park. They are an excellent resource and can answer the most basic or complicated question. One of our friends is a member (a Disneyland Resort specialist) and helped us with some of our questions~ particularly with all things Disney princess. Be sure to check them out!
As we entered the park, Lucy and Theodore both got “1st Time Visit” buttons to wear, and Lucy immediately saw her favorite princess, Sleeping Beauty! She ran up for a picture~ perfect start to the day!
The next thing Lucy saw was Bippity Boppity Boutique and she wanted to have a princess makeover so badly! I told her it was probably booked, but we headed in. She went right up to the receptionist and asked herself~ she was determined! Luckily, they had an opening! I think this 
was definitely one of Lucy’s favorite memories~ being all fancied up by her fairy godmother! (I would recommend an appointment ahead of time if you can~ I think we were lucky!)
We spent most of the afternoon in Fantasyland and Toon Town~ they ended up being Lucy and Theo’s favorite parts of the park. We also were able to watch the parade and fireworks show! They both came at the perfect time when both Lucy and Theo were getting tired and running out of steam. After the fireworks show Lucy chose one last ride and had some hot chocolate for dessert. Then we headed back to the hotel.
It was really the perfect day! I couldn’t have asked for a better one! The only issue we had was our camera wasn’t fully charged, and it ran out of battery power about half way through. Luckily we both had our phones to take pictures with.
Lucy says Peter Pan was her favorite ride because it felt like you’re flying. I think Theo’s favorite thing was watching some ducks in a pond and playing at Toon Town! Paulie and I just enjoyed watching the joy and wonder in our kid’s faces the whole afternoon!
