You guys gave me the best tips ever in this post about going to Disney with a toddler! Thank you so much! Here are just a few more little things that helped make it pretty much the best 72 hours of Brooke’s life.
1. Save their legs as much as possible. I rented a stroller at Disney (THANK YOU for telling me about those so I didn’t have to worry about my stroller getting taken while we were on the rides!), we took a shuttle to and from our hotel and I carried Brooke most of the time we were in line for rides. I knew that we would want to be at the park from open to close and so I wanted to save her little legs from getting tired from too much walking. I did the math and 1 mile of adult walking is equivalent to 6 miles of Brooke’s little legs walking—> wanted to keep her legs as fresh as possible.
Just chilaxin at the bus stop.
2. Let them sleep. After about an hour of Brooke taking her nap I so wanted to wake her up to keep up the partying but I am glad I didn’t… these little ones have so much more fun at Disney when they get plenty of sleep.
3. I think this is my biggest tip ever. This is a tip I am going to start incorporating a few hours every day too. I turned my phone on airplane mode while we were at Disney. I needed my phone to take a million pictures/videos but I didn’t want to have any distractions of texts/emails/phone calls/instagram etc. I wanted to savor every second of being there with Brooke with zero distractions. It was so nice to disconnect. When Brooke napped I did turn it on to instagram a pic or send 500 pictures to my sister though:)
4. Get take-out for dinner. By the end of the day Brooke was obviously exhausted. It felt so good to go back to the hotel, give her a bath, get her in her pj’s and eat salads on the bed rather than deal with any more crowds or noise at a restaurant… it was a lot easier to discuss our day in a quiet hotel room:)
Other little things:
-We stayed at the La Quinta which was .4 miles away. The hotel room was really nice (I am easily pleased:) and it came with a second room for Brooke’s crib for about $110 a night! It was a great deal!
-We brought a ton of snacks with us to save money on not buying a ton of park food.
-We LOVED being there in October. The Halloween decorations were amazing. It wasn’t even really that busy… on Wednesday the longest we waited in line was 10 minutes and that was for Dumbo. We walked right on to a lot of rides! But we also weren’t riding splash mountain etc so I don’t know how busy those lines were.
-This is just completely my opinion—> I just like Disneyland the absolute best. We bought a 3 day park hopper ticket but only spent about 4 hours in the California Adventure part (we loved it too but there is just something about Disneyland). There were more rides at Disney that Brooke loved and so we spent all of our time over there! I did go on the white roller coaster at California Adventure when Brooke was napping and I realized I have really aged lately because it made me so sick ha!
-Brooke’s FAVORITE ride ever was It’s A Small World. She also loved the Pooh ride, Dumbo, the Tikki Room, the Disney Clubhouse show (California Adventure) and Pirates of the Carribean (she loved the drop in the ride).
-My biggest regret= I didn’t get a churro.
-The best thing I ate= chocolate/caramel covered marshmallows. I died. We bought it in the candy store on Main Street.
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And just a few more things to talk about.
– This is why I tell you how many miles or about my workouts every day:)
-And the reason that I blog/write in my journal about all the other stuff in life. From Kristin Armstrong:
-Megan sent me this and I absolutely loved it.
We are ALMOST HOME NOW!!!! See you in the morning:)
42 comments
Sarah @ KS Runner
All great ideas for any kind of theme park when taking kids! No kids for me yet, but I’ll keep those ideas in my back pocket when I do things with my nieces and nephews!
What a fun trip and so many good memories for you, Brooke and your mom! Have safe travels the rest of the way home! :)
Kristina @ Blog About Running
I used to always turn my phone on airplane mode when I wanted to take a lot of pics to save the battery! I recently bought a morphie juicepack which recharges the battery all the way back up when it gets low and that has been a life changer!
I bought it because I didn’t want to run out of battery if I ended up listening to music a lot during my marathon and it’s lucky I did because I was on the course longer than expected and I did end up using part of the extra charge!
Michele @ paleorunningmomma
All those tips make total sense for any type of traveling with young kids, I’ve definitely been there! Chocolate and caramel covered marshmallows sound insane!
Kate @ SoCal Runner Gal
AWWW, now I want to go to Disney!! Since I’ve never been — I should probably make it happen. I only live a couple hours away.
Kristen
Glad you had such a great trip! What was YOUR favorite ride at Disneyland?
Nancy
Okay so your hot dog background is totally making me want hot dogs. I’m almost there, eating slices of the best pizza while I read your blog <3 Lol!
meredith @ The Cookie ChRUNicles
I love the airplane mode idea! And of course love the candy store stop for the chocolate covered marshmallows. I would love just about anything chocolate covered in Disney, they have the best sweets.
Emmeline@RunForThePizza
Get home safe! Great tips and I’m glad you had a blast! I kind of want to go just for the yummy treats I’ve heard about…
Megan @ Skinny Fitalicious
Chocolate caramel marshmallow OMG yum! Sounds like you guys had a great vacation. Have a safe trip home!
Brianna @ I run He tris
Thanks for the tips!! I want to take my son to Disney World next fall and he’ll be about 2.5 so I’ll have to remember these tips. Safe travels!
Brenda @ Don't Lose the Trail
I hear you on the miles as justification for eating thing…I just ate a Snickers bar for no good reason other than I ran 5 miles on the trails on my lunch!
Linda @ Fit Fed and Happy
Really jealous you have the luxury of staying over at a hotel even though it was .4 miles away! I bet you’ve ran past that hotel a few times, yes?
LeAnne @ This is my faster!
Looks like you had a great time!
Livi @ Eat, Pray, Work It Out
Chocolate caramel covered marshmallow… pleaseeee send me one, that sounds amazing!
Christa @ Living Unbalanced
Looks like you guys had so much fun! I love the airplane mode idea – Definitely using that tip!
Elise @ Expeditions of Elise
I have been to Disneyland once, when I was young (I think about 8?) and I was there with a family friend’s little boy who was around Brooke’s age at the time. I remember vividly how much he LOVED the Small World ride. We rode it over and over! I guess it’s a 2-year-old’s dream ride.
Molly Rose
Love those last 3 quotes!! Good reminders.
Great tips, too! No kids for me, but for the future :) Airplane mode was a brilliant idea. Sounds like you girls had a blast.
Ashley @ Saving Money in your Twenties
those are awesome tips… even for ME! hahaha. I went to disneyworld about 10 years ago and remember how exhausted I was by the end of every day! and thats so smart about putting the phone on airplane mode. I need to do that more often :)
Amy @ Life to the Full
Wonderful tips!!! I guess I’ve been to Disneyworld but haven’t been to DisneyLAND yet! Since my husband is from CA, I guess we should take our kids to the California Disney some day :)
Rachel @ Blonde with a Chanse
I seriously need to remember ALL of these when I take my daughter to Disneyland!!!
Katie @ Bevo Loves an Aggie
Great advice! My sweet girl is only 6 months, and I’m equal parts terrified and excited for when it comes time for trips like these!
Cara
Awww, I’m so glad you had such a great trip! We took our girls to Disney World 2 summers ago…I hated it…*ducking from flying objects*….We went in June (because my husband had a conference and our trip was half paid for) and it was HOT and PACKED! Even with the pass, we sometimes waited an hour and a half, ugh.
We did lots of fun stuff, and the girls loved it, so I’m glad we went. I just don’t like crowds, extreme heat, and waiting in line… :)
Flower
Love, love, love the words from Kristin Armstrong. Also, It’s a small world has been my favorite ride since I first visited Disney and has been ever since so obviously Brooke has incredible taste, just sayin. ;)
Fiauna @ Read.Run.Radiate
October is a great Disney time as long as you don’t go over UEA (AKA: Utah Escapes to Anaheim).
And, yes, happiness IS an inside job for sure!
Sarah Elizabeth
It’s a Small World was my favorite as a kid too! I still love it to this day.
Daisy- Fit Wanderlust Runner
I have been wanting to go to Disneyland for so long! Seeing all your posts there just make me want to go even more. Glad you had a great time!
Stephaine
Pretty! This was an incredibly wonderful post. Thank you for providing these details.
MILF Runner
Is the white roller coaster the one that goes like 0 to 100 mph in 2 seconds flat UPhill? I LOVE that one. Tell me the truth…did you avoid the whale?
Jasmine @ a cupcake for my thoughts
Sounds like you’ve had great fun! I’ve only ever been to Disney twice, once in Florida and the other time in Paris. Both times I went it was Halloween and I thought it was the best time to go, the decorations are just so cool!! Having said that I’ve never been around Christmas time and Christmas is my favourite time of year, so it would probably be really cool then! That chocolate covered marshmallow looks super yummy! Have a safe trip back :)
Jennifer
I need to start putting my phone on airplane mode. Great tips…thank you!
Nicole@Thegirlwhoraneverywhere
When I become a mom I want to be just like you :)
Lisa @ Exercise eat repeat
It looks like you have had a wonderful time. It is a great idea to disconnect. we go camping at least once a year and we never have technology with us. i have my phone with me in case we break down and to take pictures but that is it and i love it. i like it even better if we go somewhere with no signal!
Natalie @ Never Serious Blog
I try to always put my phone in airplane mode when I’m on any trip or vacation, it really does help SO much with “unplugging” and being in the moment!
Lisa @ Running Out Of Wine
I am so glad you guys had a great trip! I went to Disney a few years ago with my husband but its just not the same as going with kids. I am also all about just going back to the hotel room with carry out after a long day sightseeing.
Thea
I am so glad you linked to your race tips article, that is EXACTLY how I am feeling about tapering for my first full on Sunday!!!
Tara
You MUST try DisneyWORLD! Soooo much better than DisneyLAND. The Castle is like 10 times the size! In fact, if you came here in February 2016 for the Princess 1/2 marathon – you could probably WIN. There are about 20,000 runners, so it does get packed, but you would be leading the race. I belive the previous winner had a 1:15 time, or something like that. Check it out!
tess
sitting in the hotel room and eating take out is the best way to end a day.
Jenn
Hey there, former Disneyland cast member here. A heads up: most people in CA and cast members call it Disneyland, not Disney. “Disney” appears to be an east coast way to refer to Disneyworld. Sorry, just proud of the original Disneyland :)
Valerie
Turning onto airplane mood is a great idea so that you’re not distracted BUT it’s also a HUGE battery saver.
I use it any time I’m riding the subway or at an event with lots of people so my battery doesn’t drain while searching for signal.
Ashley
That is so amazing you got to do that trip together! It is such a wonderful place for a little girl! My favorite rides have always been It’s a Small world and Pirates as well. October is a really cool time to go, but you have to take her during the holiday season!! All of the lights and decorations, it is absolutely the best time of year to visit. I think those decorations stay up after the New year as well.
Kerry @ Half Healthy, Half Nuts
I wanna go to Disneyland now! I live in Orlando so I get to do Disney World all of the time with my 20 month old, but I cannot wait to take her to the other coast to see where it all began. And It’s a Small World is my daughter’s absolutely favorite as well!
Kay
So many great tips – I want to see a fall/Halloween themed Disney sometime!