Vacation Recap!!

Mission accomplished—> Two full days of Disneyland!  We were able to check off every ride we wanted to go on and eat every item we wanted to eat.

We weren’t sure how Disneyland would go with lines, crowds and restrictions but it all turned out perfect.  It was less busy than it normally is during the summers and we were never waiting in line for very long.  They added the option to order your food on your phone which was amazing.  We didn’t ever have to wait in lines for food and just walked up to the window to pick it up when it was ready.  I hope they always keep that option!  You can’t currently go up to the different characters but my kids aren’t super into doing that so that wasn’t a problem for us.  All of the rides were open (except for Winnie the Pooh) and everyone seemed to be EXTRA happy to be there after it being closed for so long.

When we go to Disneyland we get there early and rush from ride to ride for the first 2ish hours because that is when the lines are the shortest.  After that we start taking more breaks and time to eat etc but we were able to get in 8ish rides in the first two hours both days.

Our first day was at California Adventure.

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Beck’s favorite ride was the carousel.  Getting him to let go and get off of this ride was tough ha.  He was so into it.

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We split up a little bit for the older kids to do bigger rides and the rider switch is awesome for parents with babies.  Andrew would go with the kids and I would hang with Beck and then they would give us up to 3 fast passes for me to go (with two fo the kids) on the ride once they got off.

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A lot of the rides we were able to take Beck on too!  The boys would go together and the girls would go together.

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I couldn’t believe how adventurous Skye was with going on the rides that she went on.  She just BARELY hit the 40 inch mark which made it so that she could go on a lot of them.

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Knox has hit the jackpot this summer with Disney because he was able to go to Disneyworld with his mom last month!

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We all fell asleep within 5 minutes when we got back to the hotel (we stayed at the Holiday Inn Express on Manchester and it was a close walk to the park and a fantastic hotel) to prepare for another day!

Next up was Disneyland and we met Andrew’s sister and her kids there.

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Star Wars Land was incredible  It was our first time there and we couldn’t believe how detailed it was.  Knox was in heaven.

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A lot of time was spent in Fantasyland which was Brooke and Skye’s heaven.

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I found Beck’s outfit at H&M and it made me so happy.

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My sis-in-law took Beck, Skye and Brooke (she has no interest in big roller coasters) for us to do some rides together.  That is our niece on Andrew’s side behind Knox and she is the best.  We all went to Disney together in 2019 so we’ve decided this just needs to be our tradition to go together.

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My favorite thing to do on days like these ones is to turn my phone on airplane mode.  It makes it so that I can still take pictures but then I’m not getting distracted by my phone with notifications and I can just be fully present.  Airplane mode days need to happen more often!

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Let’s talk for a minute about food!  Our theory is that we want to try everything and pretty much snack on things the entire time we are there;)  So we all just share things pretty much the entire time so we can try it all and not miss out on anything.

My favorites at California Adventure—>  Bacon Mac and Cheese Cones in Cars Land, the soft-serve that is also in Cars Land and the ice cream bars at Clarabelle’s.

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My favorites at Disney—>  Dole Whip, Churros, beignets + Mint Julep (my first time having this and it is amazing), corn on the cob with the lime and chili powder & the frozen lemonade (at the stand by Thunder Mountain) and the corn dog on Main Street.

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Churros were our breakfast both mornings ha, when in Disneyland…

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I didn’t run the days we were there because I knew I needed every bit of energy possible for keeping up with the kids those days.  We walked 11-12 miles each day we were there and many of those miles were completed while holding a child so that felt like quite the workout ha.

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Roller coasters—> Yes or no?  Do you get motion sickness?

Favorite theme park?  Have any near you?

Who is following a training plan right now and who is making it up as they go?

Tell me what your run or workout is!

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38 comments

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Yes on some roller coasters, I can’t do anything that spins bc of motion sickness.
We love Hersheypark its a 30 min drive for us, and when we had season passes it was something fun to do at night when it was cooler.

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The spinning rides KILL me too! I would love to go to Hersheypark… I hope you guys are able to get season passes again soon! Have a beautiful day, Rachel.

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Hi Janae! So glad you all had such an amazing time. You all deserve it! I was actually just in Disney World in Florida! I had many of the same experiences. The crowds were really not that bad. The only ride we didn’t get to do was Slinky Dog in Hollywood Studios. That one always had a very long wait…as in over an hour. We are HUGE roller coaster fans. My daughter is a dare devil! The higher and faster the better. We don’t live too far from Six Flags Great Adventure in NJ. Now that has some HUGE coasters and they are awesome. It is home to Kingda Ka which when it opened was the tallest/fastest coaster in the world. Can you tell I can talk all day about rides!
I actually went on my first run yesterday since we got back. (We drove there and back which is an adventure in itself) I am just taking my workouts as they come right now. I do pilates just about each day.
Safe travels!

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Hey Crissy! I am so happy to hear that you guys had a great time! Your daughter sounds awesome and I bet you guys have the best time going to amusement parks together. I’ve been to Six Flags in California and those roller coasters were crazy too. Not sure I would dare to do Kingda Ka though hahah. You are brave! You are inspiring me to do some pilates before I shower;) Thanks Crissy, have a great day!

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Sounds like such a fun trip! I used to love roller coasters but not sure I can handle them anymore lol. Also the dole whip and mint julep and Mac and Mac and cheese cones..I want to try haha.

Loosely following a training plan. On Sunday our crew had an awesome trail adventure. We rode our bikes from the parking lot 14km to the trail head, stashed our bikes and did a trail that pretty much gained over 4000 ft in 5km..it was straight up and still snow at the too but the views at the summit were out of this world..it was a 5.5 hour round trip hike plus 14 bike ride each way. My body is still sore lol but that day was worth every scratch and bruise haha. I sent a photo to my mom and when she realized how high we were she was a little freaked out. LOL. There was even whiskey stashed at the top.

Hope you have a great day and rest of your vacation Janae!

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I hope you are able to try all of those foods asap! HOLY COW, your Sunday adventure sounds amazing. Way to go on that! I think I would be sore for a month! Thanks Kristine, enjoy your day too.

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How fun! It looks like you had a great time–and now need to sleep for 3 days;-). Disneyland is exhausting even with out kids!

I used to love rollercoasters/rides, but after kids, I can only handle about 2-5 rides per hour depending on the day and the ride. I also developed a fear of heights..what happened to me, haha.

I followed a training plan for years and was obsessive about, but now I wing it based on how I feel. Today is a strength training day (the one plan I do follow otherwise I won’t do it and/or cut it short!). Yesterday was a double workout–7 mile moderate run in the morning and triathlon practice in the evening–15 minute swim, 10.5 mile bike ride and 2 mile (faster) run.

Have a wonderful Wednesday Janae!

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Sleeping for three days is exactly what I need now! Why do rides have to get harder on us as we age?! I am getting more fearful of heights too… I don’t like these changes haha. You are CRUSHING it with your training! Thanks Becky, you too!

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Yes, love roller coasters!! Hershey park is about 1.5 hours from me. But going to Disneyland with my nieces was one of the most fun experiences! And disney Paris with my sister.

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I love that you went to Disneyland with your niece, she’ll always remember that. And Disney Paris… ummm I NEED TO GO THERE! Have a great day!

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It sounds like a wonderful time! I’ve only been to Disneyland once, right after California Adventure opened. We were supposed to go last summer… :( Everyone asked if we were going to re-book our canceled vacation, but we aren’t because we have other things we want to do. But someday we will get back there. I also had a canceled vacation to WDW last year :( I feel like I need to get to 1 of the parks next year because I’ve been on all even years since 2010 (me and my daughter went in January 2020). But I am kind of hoping Disney Paris may be in the cards next year :)

We haven’t gotten brave enough to go to an amusement park yet. We do have a medium size one fairly near us. The kids may go once my son gets back from overnight camp.

I do like roller coasters. I find that with age both me and my husband can’t deal with the spinning rides. We went to Universal a few years ago and at first we were okay with all the CGI rides, but by the end of the second day we weren’t feeling to great.

All the Disney snacks/food sound so wonderful! I usually I am not a big fan of Disney cuisine (though I do like the eat and drink Around the World) but after a while away, it sounds good again!

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Jessey! You had a lot of things canceled last summer and I agree that you need to continue the Disney tradition on all of the even years:) Can you bring me to Disney Paris too, PLEASE?! I’m with you and your husband on spinning rides, they kill me now! Keep me updated with your plans and I hope you have a really great day.

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I live just a little over an hour from Cedar Point, and I’m pretty close to King’s Island too, but CP is by far more fun! I don’t do the huge coasters, but I’ll ride the medium-ish ones. I get terrible motion sickness, so nothing that spins for me! If anyone reading is familiar with Cedar Point, my all-time favorite ride there is the Magnum – but it’s getting older and always seems to be shut down for repair when I’m there :(

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I need to go to Cedar Point! I’m with you on loving the medium coasters the most. Spinning rides are the worst but my kids love them. Have a great day, Amanda!

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Ha ha ha!!! That pic of Beck has the bunny ears perfectly placed :)
I loved roller coasters until a day at King’s Dominion in Virginia–no line, so we rode one over and over until I my neck and head ached so badly! I’m OK with the big drops, but not so much with the fast ones that whip around corners these days.
Looks like the perfect 2 days at Disney :)

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Hahah I didn’t notice the bunny ears until your comment. Over and over again… ouch! Thanks friend, have a great day!

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I’m so glad you guys have had an awesome couple of days! The picture of Beck holding onto the carousel is so cute. Totally reminds me of my youngest when we had annual passes ?
I’m so glad to hear that the parks weren’t as crowded as normal, and that the food ordering went well. We have heard very mixed things about the food. Now I really can’t wait to go next week!! I will definitely be getting a Mac n cheese cone!
I am currently following a half marathon training plan. The last few half marathons I did, I didn’t really follow one. But it feels good this time. I think I needed someone telling me what to do… Ha ha. Today’s run is a tempo run. I’m not great at doing them, but we’ll see how it goes.
Good for you for not running the 2 days you were at Disneyland! So much walking, pushing the stroller, carrying kids…. That definitely is a workout.
Enjoy the rest of your time here, and safe travels home. ?

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Now I’m jealous you are going next week, I want to come! Let me know what you think of the mac and cheese! I love that you took your boys to Disney often. Have a great day!

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Thanks so much for writing this recap. My son is turning 6 next month and obsessed with Star Wars and begging to do Disney. I was really nervous because there is no fast pass (or whatever it’s called), but reading your recap that it wasn’t super crazy line-wise makes me feel better. You said you can’t go up to characters, but did they still have the storm troopers at the Star Wars section? I love roller coasters and my son has been wanting to ride them so I’ll have a partner in crime. I’m trying to train for a half this fall, a full next spring, and fingers crossed a 50K, but it’s hard to get out there with the summer schedule for the kids and all the travel we’re doing to make up for all the people we missed during COVID. I’ll be at my mom’s house in Utah in early August and she’ll be there too, so excited to get miles in on the gorgeous trails and at altitude (it will make me feel like a rockstar when I can back down here to SD).

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Hey Arianna! I really hope you guys go soon and that the lines continue to not be too crazy! We didn’t see any storm troopers walking around but Andrew says that he thinks that they still do. I am SO happy you will have your son to join you on roller coasters now. I can’t wait to hear about all of these awesome races you are training for and I totally agree… It’s hard keeping up with the training during the summer with kids. You are going to have such a great time running in Utah! Altitude training camp ha. Have a beautiful day!

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I love roller coasters but haven’t been to one in years. I grew up near Six Flags St Louis so I went all the time as a kid and teenager. I’m Denver, we have Elitch, but I’ve only gone once 3.5 years ago. That year I actually won a season pass from my work but would always opt to be in the mountains on the weekend. We finally went in October after the water park was closed and I had just found out I was pregnant a few weeks prior. It’s a much smaller amusement park and due to wind, many of the rides were closed, so it wasn’t the most exciting.
Looks like you guys had a jam packed awesome time at Disney! The only time I’ve been to Disneyland was to run the Tinkerbell half marathon but didn’t go back to the park later to explore, we opted for the beach instead!
Not following any running training plans. I’m 7.5 week postpartum so finishing up a core program (2 weeks left!) and then will try to return to running!

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Six Flags is amazing (and they have the scariest rides)! I want to run a Disney race so bad, that is awesome that you did that! CONGRATULATIONS on your little one. I hope you are sleeping well and way to go on the core program, you are so smart! Have a beautiful day!

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Harry Potter World at Universal is absolutely incredible. Can’t remember if you said Andrew has been there or not- but if not, he NEEDS TO GO. Then we can meet up for a hot, humid Florida run- it might be my only hope of keeping up with you, ha ha.

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He hasn’t been there yet but wants to so so so bad. I’m taking you up on that Florida run and you can pull me along! Looking up tickets….
Have the best day and way to get out there for your summer running in Florida!

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Hi Janae! Looks like fun!! I grew up near Disney so one year we had an annual pass. My parents would take me in the morning and then I’d come home for a nap and then we would go watch the fireworks at night.
Enjoy the rest of your trip!

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An annual pass would be amazing! I LOVE that you guys did that. Thanks Amy, have a beautiful day!

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OMG! I am so happy you guys had so much fun!
I LOVE roller coasters of all sorts – just not nearly as much as I did 10 years ago! I don’t like spinny rides though, they will sometimes make me sick. No Tea-Cups at Disneyland for me!
Here in the Pacific Northwest we have no good nearby them parks. The closest is Silverwood in Idaho and it is fairly small. I am not counting our local Wild Waves because it is so tiny. Our favorite park is Disneyland/California Adventure for the atmosphere and Six Flags Magic Mountain for the thrill rides. We have been to each park 4 times over the years. We have also been to Worlds of Fun amusement part in Kansas a bunch of times visiting family – it’s a decent park with a few good coasters. They also have Oceans of Fun – which is a really nice water park. And we visited Schlitterbahn water park a few times there before they shut down the worlds tallest water slide after the accident (I posted here about that before).
I hope you get to rest a bit now, I know how exhausting a “vacation” at a them park can be to the body AND the wallet, lol

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Hey John! I’m with you on the spinny rides, they kill me. Tea cups hurt so bad the other day! You guys have been to some really amazing amusement parks! I’ve watched clips about Schlitterbahn and that slide looks way too scary for me. I need to take Knox to Six Flags Magic Mountain soon! Thank you John, time to recover physically and financially haha. Have a great day!

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Hi Janae!! What a great time for you all!! I have always loved roller coasters, but not so sure I can take the big ones anymore. My favorite theme park is Disney World in Orlando, BUT only with my friend who is the biggest Disney-phile on the planet and manages that place like a true champion :o) I tend to quickly run out of patience with lines and waiting.
I’m sort of winging a training plan at the moment, but my HM training group I signed up for begins on the 25th, so I’m very curious what that plan will look like! I’m also trying hard to figure out a good strength training program for myself – it’s a little daunting to be honest. I want to be careful not to give too much attention to some areas while neglecting others so my muscles become really out of balance. I’ll figure it out though :o) Today will be a 3 miler – hopefully outside. If we get our usual torrential train, I’ll use the treadmill. Have an awesome day and hope you get some rest to recover from Disney!!

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HEY JANINE! Thank you so much! I need you and your friend to go with us to Disney World! Super excited for your HM training group to start. I agree with you, the strength training stuff is intimidating to me too! Keep me updated on what you find. I hope your 3 miler is a great one!

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Was it crowded at all? My oldest kid is vaxxed, but my youngest is too young. I’m looking for fun things to do this summer, but I’m very scared of her getting covid now when we are so close to the finish line. Especially with the delta variant and no one wearing masks anymore, the pandemic isn’t over except for vaccinated people. Were you concerned at all, or did you feel like your kids were safe? Did Disney have ways of social distancing to protect un-vaxed kids?

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It was definitely crowded but not like it normally is in the summertime. I felt very safe there with my kids but if you are feeling uneasy it is probably better to wait! I think the new normal is for people to keep a bit more of a social distance naturally from others but Disney didn’t set up any distance regulations. I did love that there were hand sanitizer stations set up EVERYWHERE… that was really cool!

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Thank you! That’s good to know.

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It looks like Beck’s hair is getting lighter or was that just from the California sunshine?

I’m probably a lot like Skye when it comes to rides. I’m the youngest, so I wanted to ride everything my sister rode. I remember my first “big” roller coaster, being scared to death in the line and then loving it!

We are close to so many theme parks – Disneyland is about 65 miles, Knott’s Berry Farm is about 60, Six Flags Magic Mountain is less than 30 and Universal Studios is 30 another direction! My favorite is probably Knott’s because it brings back fond memories of going there when we were kids. Although I am old enough to remember using tickets at Disneyland – we had to really think things through to use our “E tickets” wisely!

I’m definitely making things up as I go these days and really loving it. I ran 9 miles yesterday, really pushed the pace, so today I did yoga and strength training. Tomorrow I’m looking at a bike ride and a trail run on Friday. My body is happiest with variety!

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I really dislike amusement parks and roller coasters. My poor kids. I’m scared of them and get sick easily! I have one kid who is a thrill seeker though and wants to try it all. I need to find someone else who can go with us to ride with the kids for me! We want to take our kids to LEGOLAND in Florida over their fall break. They are big lego lovers but was worried my thrill seeker kid will think it’s boring rides as I’ve heard they aren’t big one. we’ve never been to Disney. We’ve been to Dollywood here in TN.

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No roller coasters for me. I’ve only been to Disney World, not Disney Land, but looks super fun. Glad you enjoyed all the time with your family and had your phone in airplane mode. What a great idea.

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Can you describe your COVID decision-making process with kids? A lot of family members I know are struggling with travel right now and the ONLY thing making them comfortable is having the kids wear masks because they can’t get vaccinated. I have family and friends canceling plane travel with babies (because they can’t wear masks) for that reason. What made you feel comfortable going somewhere like Disney without masks?

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I agree – Airplane Mode days need to happen more often!! Love them. Glad you guys are having fun and making good memories. <3

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