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Oct 27, 20157 min read

Disneyland- Tips and Tricks


I apologize for the delay in getting out our trip recap out but I had an important announcement that I needed to be shared before I could properly summarize our vacation. 😉

I had been to Disneyland with my parents when I was 10 years old, and I visited Disney World with school when I was 14 so I have developed my fair share of precious Disneyland memories.  I have to say, although a lot has changed in the Magic Kingdom over the years one thing remains true, it’s still the happiest place on earth!

Itinerary and General Trip Details

We departed our trip at 11:10am Monday September 28, 2015 and returned on Sunday October 4th at 2:25pm. The average high in Anaheim was 90 degrees and the average low was 64 degree (that is 32 and 18 in degrees Celsius).  It was cooler in San Diego with average high of 75 and average low of 66 (24 and 19 Celsius).

We flew direct from Vancouver International Airport to John Wayne airport, with excellent departure times. We chose this airport not just for the flight times but because it’s a smaller airport to navigate than Los Angles International, plus its only 20 minutes away rather than 40 minutes. The flights were slightly more expensive than flying through LAX but worth it because we saved time and unnecessary stress.

Itinerary

While in Anaheim we stayed at Best Western Stovall’s Inn Anaheim which is a 3 minute drive from Disneyland without traffic. This hotel was recommended to us by a friend because it was affordable, within walking distance, clean, had a nice pool area, offered free buffet breakfast, parking, and Wi-Fi. I would give this hotel a 4 out of 5 the pool area was fantastic, we spent quality time there unwinding but the breakfast buffet was not regularly stocked and subpar.

While in San Diego we stayed in Holiday Inn Express- SeaWorld which was less than 10 minutes from SeaWorld without traffic. We chose this hotel because it was affordable, within vicinity to SeaWorld and the beach, clean, had a pool area, offered free buffet breakfast, parking, and Wi-Fi. I would give this hotel a 4.5 out of 5 the pool area was really small and uninviting, we didn’t use it at all. The breakfast was fantastic well stocked, with a great selection and tasty too.

We purchased a City pass for theme parks, this was the most affordable admission option to visit all the parks we wanted. This pass included

  1. One 3-Day Disneyland® Resort Park Hopper® ticket for Disneyland® Park and Disney California Adventure® Park (includes one Magic Morning admission to a designated Disneyland® Resort Theme Park)

  2. One day at LEGOLAND® California Resort

  3. One day at SeaWorld® Adventure Park

Disneyland

At this time I was 16.5 weeks pregnant, just over 4 months and into the second trimester when you have a renewed sense of energy. That being said, here are some suggestions helped me:

  1. Wear comfy clothes and shoes. I think you should do this even when you aren’t pregnant, but it’s even more important while pregnant.

Pool Time

  1. Do a little research ahead of time to see what attractions you should not ride while pregnant. (See the list below)

  2. Plan for some down time for a nap or just to relax. We went back to the hotel and took a dip in the pool in the afternoon.

  3. Stop by a bathroom whenever one is close by.

  4. Bring lots of water

  5. Bring snacks and eat them frequently

  6. Sit down and put your feet up when you are waiting-out on one of the rides that expectant moms should avoid.

Below is a list of the attractions that the Disneyland Resort suggests that expectant moms avoid:

  1. Autopia

  2. Gadget’s Go Coaster

  3. Matterhorn Bobsleds

  4. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

  5. Space Mountain

  6. Splash Mountain


Star Tours

  1. Indiana Jones Adventure

  2. Tuck and Roll’s Drive ‘em Buggies

  3. Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

  4. Grizzly River Run

  5. Rock Wall & Zip Line in Redwood Creek Challenge Trail

  6. California Screamin’

  7. Mulholland Madness

It might seem like a lot of rides but I never felt like I was missing out. Disneyland does a great job making the lines part of the attraction, and they allow you to walk through while your family rides. There is usually a store at the end to look around in while you wait.

Universal Studios

Universal Studios was not as pregnancy friendly as the Magic Kingdom! It is also considerably smaller so we were able to cover most of it within 6 hours. We did the Studio Tour first which was fabulous, I did have to close my eyes in a few parts due to motion sickness but the actual


shaking of the tour bus was minor , it was the visual that made it seem worse. Most of the rides are located in the lower lot, being pregnant it wasn’t recommended I ride any of them. There wasn’t an option to wait in line so I did a lot of wandering around and there weren’t as many shops to amuse me while I waited. However there were a few entertainers around that helped to pass the time.

Here are my tips for maximizing your time at Universal Studios Hollywood:

  1. Buy your tickets in advance. You’ll save time and money.

  2. Arrive ahead of park opening. Line-ups to get in the park can be long.

  3. Pick the best times to visit.  You’ll find the waits are lowest in the fall, winter and spring, avoiding the days around the holidays and times when children are out of school.

  4. Bring your own water, snacks and lunch.

  5. Schedule your day according to the shows.  Universal Studios Hollywood does not publish show times on its website, so grab a schedule when you get to the park so that you can plan your day.


Waterworld

WaterWorld Show


  1. Make the Universal Studio Tour your first stop. The Studio Tour is the makes Universal Studios Hollywood, well, Universal Studios Hollywood. On the tour, you go down to the backlot, where you will visit some of the most famous backdrops in movie-making history, like the clock tower from “Back to the Future” and the Bates Motel. The latest addition since I was a kid includes the award-winning King Kong 360 3-D created by Peter Jackson, plus the Fast and the Furious Supercharged 3d-HD experience, both are very cool!

  2. Hit the Lower Lot right after that.

  3. Try to reduce time on the Stairway. The series of elevators that connect the upper lot and the lower lot are very long and can take you 10 minutes Avoid this by doing everything in the Lower Lot once!

SeaWorld

SeaWorld was Fabulous!! Now I do have to say that we did visit SeaWorld with a certain amount of guilt, having watched the Black Fish Documentary.   The rides were great, the lines were short, and the crowds were minimal making for a much more relaxed day. There was tons to see, the exhibits were interesting and interactive and the shows were amazing, we could have spent 2 days there. The rides were not pregnancy friendly but since the line-ups were minimal and I had plenty to look at it didn’t make much of a difference to me. Highlights included, petting Manta Rays, Sharks, and taking in the Killer Whale Show. I will say this, the first 12-15 rows are labeled soaked zone for a reason, this isn’t the Vancouver Aquarium’s Splash zone…..if you are sitting in this area, be prepared to get SOAKED!!!

 Here are my tips for maximizing your time at SeaWorld:

  1. Buy your tickets in advance, or even better get them in the City pass. You will save money and time if you purchase your tickets in advance.

  2. Arrive ahead of park opening.

  3. Pick the best times to visit. The summer months and days around major holidays are when SeaWorld San Diego is busiest. Basically whenever kids are out of school you can expect major crowds. But this is also when SeaWorld’s park hours are the longest, and there are more shows and more show times. So you have to decide whether you want to visit with fewer crowds or fewer shows.

  4. Bring your own water and snacks– I have heard that you cannot bring food in but we didn’t have a problems.

IMG_2670

  1. Schedule your day around the shows.  I recommend doing this before you leave home by checking the show schedule a week or so ahead of your visit. Plan to arrive at least 20 minutes ahead of the shows (and even earlier during peak times) to get seats in the best viewing area.

  2. Bring a poncho for the soak zone and water rides

LEGOLAND


LEGOLAND Was the biggest disappointment!!    We were there for 9:30am when the park opened, and line ups were really long because at this time of year the park is only open on Saturdays and Sundays.  Most of the rides were 1-2 hours long for rides that were nowhere near the caliber of the other parks. There weren’t as many things made out of Lego as we had expected, and overall the park seemed geared to much younger kids.  We were finished after 2 hours and all agreed that it wasn’t worth our time. I would Skip LEGOLAND and visit the San Diego Zoo instead.

Mission Beach

We checked out Mission Beach After our visit to SeaWorld on Saturday, and enjoyed it so much we decided to spend the rest of our last day there after LEGOLAND.  The guys swam and playedin the waves and the Girls relaxed in the sand soaking up the sun and taking in the sights.  After an hour and a half we packed up and walked through the boardwalk and Belmont Park getting some last minute souvenirs.  It was the perfect end to an amazing family vacation.

Trips & Tricks

  1. We stopped by Target near our hotel in both Anaheim and San Diego and stocked up on water and healthy snacks including trail mix, fruit, veggies, and granola bars. Don’t forget Ziploc Bags.

  2. We brought aluminum water bottles to help keep our water cool throughout the day.

  3. We took Bagels, peanut butter, bananas, yogurt and muffins that we didn’t eat at the breakfast buffet with us to the park for extra snacks.

  4. We order pizza to our hotel room one night and brought leftovers to the park the next day.

  5. I used Air Miles to purchase the park admission passes for Universal Studios and our rental car.

  6. Make sure your hotel includes a buffet breakfast and free Wi-Fi, and if you rent a car parking.

  7. If you, or someone you are traveling with, is brave enough to navigate the 5 lane Highways of Los Angeles I recommend renting a car rather than paying for various transfer which can get pricey.

  8. If you are going to check out SeaWorld and the Zoo I would recommend staying in San Diego. Not only is it beautiful but traffic can be crazy and it could make for a very long day otherwise.

In closing,  a trip to Disneyland is going to be expensive, period.  However in saying that,  we had a  fabulous family vacation, sharing tons of special moments that will one day become precious memories…….and those are priceless.

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