I’ve been waiting for these kids to be old enough for Disney since they were born. I wanted them to be able to meet the height restrictions and actually remember it. Finally!! Our time had come. And luckily my cousins Jen and Danielle have kids the same age and wanted to join us to make it a crazy and chaotic trip. We chose late September to experience all the spookiness of the Halloween decorations.
We flew into Anaheim and Uber’d to our VRBO rental. Our place was a 5 min drive to Disney’s front gates. Some people would walk, but we chose to save our step count for inside the park. The house was a great option because it had amenities like a full kitchen, pool, hot tub, foosball, billiard table and large patio. It was cheaper to share the VRBO than booking separate hotel rooms. I had a grocery delivery set up for an hour after we arrived for staples like juice, milk, fruit, snacks, beer and vodka. The evenings after the parks were spent unwinding with a beverage and take out.
We did California Adventure Park first. It was everyone’s first time exploring the 8 exciting lands that brings Disney and Pixar to life. Trying to take advantage of the Genie Pass (formerly FastPass) we booked into the Incredicoaster queue. In hindsight, probably should have warmed up to the rocket fast, inverting coaster that claims to be one of the longest the world. It was insanely fun but probably a bit much for my seven year old’s first real coaster. Next we did a few tamer rides for the chickens that were travelling with us. My favourite was Ariel’s Undersea Adventure, which is a seated ride that floats through the gadget filled grotto to the tune of Sebastian’s hot crustacean band. Cars Land was really well done. We ate at Cafe Daisy’s. It was nothing special and very expensive. I did appreciate the mobile ordering which meant less waiting. We put in a full day and headed back to the house for some Uber Eats.
Matt was exhausted.
The next day we’re going to Disneyland!! We did all the classics at the Happiest Place on Earth. Pirates of the Caribbean, Jungle Cruise, Indiana Jones, Toon Town and so many glorious shops. The Haunted Mansion was Nightmare Before Christmas themed for Halloween which was cool to experience but I did like the original better. The Star Wars: Galaxy’s Ledge land was new to our group and very impressive. If you get motion sickness I’d recommend passing on the 3D Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run. Danielle did that one with her eyes closed to prevent vomit ramifications. She was our ship’s pilot. Grey screamed at her incompetence as she flew us blindly into enemy fire and hyperspace debris. The crowds were huge at Disneyland and the lines were longer. Everything cost a gazillion dollars. And it was fabulous!!
Wasn’t a huge fan of the Genie Pass for either park. It’s a $30 USD adder to each ticket that lets you skip the occasional line. I suppose I would do it again as it did save some time, which is precious at Disney. The issue was you can only book once every 2 hrs and then it gives you a time to return. The popular rides fill up very quickly. By mid day our return times were going to be very late in the evening and we weren’t planning on staying until midnight with the littles. I’d say we were able to do 3-4 a day realistically. You can also buy additional Lightning Lane passes for eligible rides for more $$ if you’ve got deep pockets.
Every direction you look at Disney is magic. Adventureland has always been my favorite. Fantasyland makes you nostalgic for your childhood. Tomorrowland was great for a lunch stop at Galactic Grill and Alien Pizza Planet. Every inch of those parks are themed beyond your imagination and a must do experience for any child or adult.
We were travelling in a larger group so we had our logistical challenges. Overall it was the trip of a lifetime. The cousins got to experience the Magic of Disney together. The adults got to gossip and manage the daily disasters (including having to find Danielle and Grey one day after her phone died. Can you imagine?!). If we were to do it over I would book a rental again vs. a hotel for sure. I would look into the Genie pass a bit better and read those blogs that have a strategy for what rides to do first to maximize it’s use. The vodka delivery.. I mean grocery delivery.. was a brilliant idea. We went on week days during the off season to minimize waits and lines and it was still crazy. I can’t even imagine a school break.
Now I guess we start saving for Disneyworld in Florida. But there are 4 parks there. And 2 waterparks. And Universal. And I’d like to see NASA while we’re in the area. Fuck.
SEPTEMBER 2023
KIDS AGES: 7 and 8 years old
paRty of 4 