And this planner is going to Disneyland!!!!!! (note: there are 6 exclamation points as to my usual three for very excited posts) I mean my family is going to Disneyland! And, SSSSSHHHHHHHHH, don't tell the boys! It's a surprise!
This isn't something we've been planning for over a year or anything, our original plan had been to make our usual trek to Red River, NM and enjoy the cooler weather and shopping. But as we neared the 3 month mark to my husband's scheduled vacation and began talking about our trip, New Mexico just didn't sound that exciting. I don't know who brought it up first but I'll tell you this; it is ALL we've talked about since the moment the decision was made.
And in order to keep our kiddos in the dark, we refer to Disneyland as DL, as in: we are keeping DL on the DL... wait for it, yep there it is! Feel free to steal our slogan. I'm thinking of having shirts made.
So we picked our week and the cheapest possible, nice hotel and booked. And never looked back. HAH! I've changed our reservation TWICE and we're probably still going to change a few things before we leave.
I have scoured blogs, I mean devoured every bit of information I can get my hands on. Here is a link to my Disney Magic pinterest board. It will be much easier than me trying to tell you every single blog I've found. Please also note that there are clothes and shoes and the like on my Disney Magic board, and this is because every detail of what I'm packing is being planned out as well. Oh yes. I'm THAT Mom.
And we are driving. Yes, I know most people hate this idea. They do not understand why we are not flying. Well here are my reasons:
1. I sincerely do not like flying with small children. I find it to be a hassle and passengers on planes find it to be a hassle and let's just be honest, airlines find it to be a hassle. I am one of those people who likes to travel with a lot of stuff. And the only way I know to do this, is to drive my own SUV.
2. The hubby and I enjoy driving to new places. I really feel that we live in a country with so much to see! And the only way you can see all of those places is to drive.
3. I repeat the STUFF. I am not a light traveler. I like my pillow and we travel with fans. And because of my oldest son's allergy to corn it is very helpful to travel with a larger amount of food and snacks than most people find necessary. And while I'm not going to search down the statistics, I bet you eat a bit healthier when you travel with your own food.
4. It's cheaper to drive. Now I know there are deals to be had if you fly at weird times or have frequent flyer miles or credit card points or whatever. Well, I don't have any of that as we are not world travelers, and I find it inconvenient to get up at 3 am for a flight. I'm high maintenance. This is not news to you, my readers.
So, we will make the 21 hour trek to Anaheim, CA over the course of 2 days with one night spent in New Mexico. On the 2nd day we should arrive at Disneyland around 5pm. We will be staying at the Disneyland Hotel. At first we had planned to stay off sight and walk into the park every day. We changed this for a couple of reasons:
1. The Disney Experience. The Disney Magic. Well, its a dang good reason. I want to be immersed in Disney. I want Mickey Mouse and the princesses and Peter Pan to be my every waking and dreaming thought, and after hours of talking with the hubby and even more hours of research, I ultimately came to the conclusion that the seasoned veterans of DL are split 50/50. Some think it doesn't matter, others say it does. And the pro and con lists are equally weighted. So we switched our reservations to the Disneyland Hotel.
2. If the boys need a break than that is what we are going to do. If everyday at 2pm, our 3-year old starts to crack down the middle than we will make the much easier 10 minute walk to our hotel and let him sleep off his fussies. If we had stayed at the previous hotel than it would have been a 20 minute (or 30 depending on the foot traffic) walk. Which may not be much of a time difference but in 10 minutes he gets sleepy and you get him into the room and lay him down. In 20 minutes, he falls fully asleep and then wide eyed the moment you try to put him in the room.
3. And this one is important... You get to go into the parks 1 HOUR BEFORE EVERYONE ELSE!!! And really, I think that says it all.
So why the Disneyland Hotel? Honestly, it felt more true to what Walt Disney had imagined. It just seemed to encompass all that is Disney. Here's a few photos:
Isn't it just awesome?!?! I really encourage you to visit the Disneyland website if you haven't before. Explore. Check things out. And then if you're crazy like we are, just book yourself a vacation. There will be many more posts about DL. I mean lots! This is the first of MANY! You've been warned!
*All photos are property of Disney.
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