Disney with Squirrels: Part 1

If you know me even a little, you know that Disney is my happy place.  I've been to Disneyland and Disney World a combined total of 17 times in my 31 years.  Yes, I have a problem.  Nothing a Mickey pretzel can't fix though.  I've been asked for trip planning advice so many times that I decided its finally time to write it all out somewhere that's easy to share.  I'll try to cover everything Disneyland in this post and include pics when I can, but please ask me if you need more info on any given topic.

First things first, if you have flexibility in your timing, consider these things before you book.  First: What are the crowds going to be like?  Well, the off season isn't what it used to be.  There used to be magical times throughout the year when you could visit either coast and have considerably less competition to get to your favorite ride first.  Disney has caught on and started offering more perks to those who are willing to travel during non-peak times.  The difference in park attendance isn't as drastic anymore, but there's still a definite difference between a random week in November and the week of spring break.  I generally book our trips to avoid the following times: beginning to mid-summer, spring break, school holidays, and special park events like marathons and festivals (unless you plan to participate.)  The other biggest factor I consider is the weather.  I hate being hot and swampy, I mean, who doesn't?!  So we try to avoid the times of year when the average temperature is over 80 degrees.  The squirrels are happier when they're not sweaty, there's a lesser risk of dehydration, and waiting in lines doesn't suck as bad when you're not elbow to elbow with other sticky, grumpy people.  To find these optimal times to do Disney, we often make the not-always-popular choice to take our kids out of school.  Once they reach older elementary/junior high age, this won't likely be an option for us, but for now it works out pretty well.  The school work they miss is generally taken care of before we leave or on the way, depending on travel time and length of stay.  Our kids don't have any trouble keeping up with their class and can pick up where their classmates are when we return from our trips.  You know your squirrels, though.  If missing a few days of school isn't in their best interests, there are plenty of other times you can travel and still have a great trip.

Once you've decided when to travel, the second decision to make is where you'll sleep.  We've traveled with cost in mind, we've traveled on trips that were gifts with most expenses covered.  There are so many variables that come into play when choosing your home away from home.  Obviously, if budget isn't an issue, staying on property is the most magical way to go.  Disneyland is made unbelievably convenient when you're able to stay at the Grand Californian.  This deluxe resort is not only beautiful, peaceful, and soooooo comfortable, but it has its own private entrance into California Adventure!  No going with the masses through main security, no lining up at the gates with everybody and their brother's cousin's uncle, just a small security check before entering through the little gate at the side of the park.  This private gate is not only great for quick park entry, but also for fast and easy runs to your room for forgotten items, a little nap, or a wardrobe change if need be.  Getting into Disneyland isn't quite as amazing, but still isn't terrible.  Depending on where inside Disneyland you want to end up, there are two ways to get there.  Either way involves using the hotel's exit to the Downtown Disney shopping and dining district.  Turn right and walk through Downtown Disney to the main gate of Disneyland, or turn left and head to the station for the monorail that deposits you in Tomorrowland.  Either way, its still easier than staying miles away and driving your own vehicle or taking a bus to the parks!

For the more budget conscious trip, we've stayed at a couple of places across the street from Disneyland that were still quite convenient.  Across the main entrance crosswalk, about 6-8 minutes from Disneyland's turnstiles, is the Fairfield Inn by Marriott.  We've stayed at the Fairfield several times and never had any issues.  My only complaint is that the 6-8 minute walk feels like 6-8 hours at the end of the night when you're migrating with the herd of people who are just as cranky and sore as you are!  The other budget-friendly place we've stayed is called the Park Vue Inn, which is literallly directly across the crosswalk and more of a 4-5 minute walk from the main gate.  The Park Vue is older and smaller, but our rooms both stays were nicely renovated and very clean with only minor traffic noise to contend with.  We had made it a roadtrip from Arizona, so we had our own vehicle parked at the motel.  It was so nice to walk back for a late lunch somewhere away from the chaos and drive somewhere with familiar food for the kids and Pepsi for the momma!

The third and last of the major decisions: to park hop or not to park hop?  It really depends on how many days you're able to stay, how much you want to accomplish, and if you're able to pay the additional amount for the privilege.  Personallly, I love to park hop.  I generally go with the opposite of the Extra Magic Hours, which I now realize I forgot to include in the perks of the Grand Californian.  Extra Magic Hours allow Disney resort guests to enter one park early and/or stay late in the other park.  Sometimes only one EMH is offered, but during busy times there is always one park with morning hours and the other with evening hours.  For example, if resort guests are able to enter Disneyland an hour early, I will spend the morning in California Adventure.  After lunch, many of the EMH Disneyland guests will mosey over to the other park, so I go against the flow and head over to Disneyland.  With the EMH guests leaving, Disneyland will usually have settled down into the same lower level of chaos that I enjoyed in California Adventure that morning.  I also like to be able to park hop because sometimes there just isn't a whole day's worth of things to do in California Adventure.  If you're not a fan of theatre style shows and you don't have young children who want to spend hours in the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail, you definitely don't need a whole day there.  It's also nice, if you're a night owl, to be able to finish the night at Disneyland after California Adventure has closed at its typically earlier hour.  Park hopping might also be a good thing if your trusty family trip planner doesn't know that there's a Superbowl parade taking over Disneyland and you need somewhere you can actually move freely before your kid's head explodes. Ugh, memories.

In the next post, I'll cover how I pack for travel with squirrels.  I have specific plans for packing suitcases, packing airplane/roadtrip bags, and packing for the day in the parks, so prepare to marvel at my neurotic overthinking and apocalypse preparedness!