When I got invited to the media preview of Cars Land, I asked Jamie if he’d finally like to go (he has been threatening to sue his parents for years re: never taking him). It took him only a moment to decide “YES” and so we bit the bullet and bought tickets for the entire family.
And I’m so glad we did.
I mean, just look at this dude.
I’m glad I had a do-over, too. The kids and I went for one frenzied day last spring break and between the crowds, the heat and the zero research I had done (my tour guide friend had to pull out at the last minute), it was stressful.
Not this time. A friend told me January and early-June are great times to visit Disneyland and she was correct. A lot of schools weren’t on summer break yet so the lines were more manageable–we never waited more than a half-hour for a ride.
Once upon a time, I would have thought waiting that long was dreadful. Now I know that’s a good thing! We stayed at the gorgeous Grand Californian Hotel and you pay for what you get. Namely, it’s pricy (particularly on the weekend) but being located inside the park made for easy access and frequent breaks and dips in the pool.
We also had NO IDEA about the Downtown Disney District, a 20-acre admission-free area right outside our hotel that consisted of about 50 restaurants and shops.
We were a wee bit excited to be there!
We started out at Space Mountain which, if we’re being honest here, scares the bejeebers out of me. I’m fine with rollercoasters but not in the dark. We then spent a truly fabulous day exploring the best of what Disneyland has to offer.
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| Star Tours |
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| Thunder Mountain |
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| Hadley freaking out before Splash Mountain’s Big Plunge |
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| Bode, our very serious navigator with the map |
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| Jambalaya, clam chowder, beignets & mint juleps to drink at French Market |
Did we overdo it? You betcha! I literally could not drag the kids out of bed the next morning but a brisk breakfast on our balcony helped wake them up a bit.
I won’t point out sleepy Bode actually put his coat on upside down if you don’t.
It’s called opportunity-cost.
And the sleep deprivation for our first day at play was so very worth it.
Next time: tune in for details from the red carpet!
I'm a Canadian-born mom of two, former Denver Post columnist, family travel writer, editor of MileHighMamas.com and 9News contributor. Expert on all things Utah, Denver, family and travel. Lover of laughter and life. Happily married to a man obsessed with growing The Great Pumpkin. 