The Disneyland Princesses

     When I look back on our most recent trip to California, the images I will remember most are those of Charlie and Will with the Disney Princesses. Not every princess was great and not every moment was memorable but there were some select princesses and a few incredible fairies that really took the opportunity to help a 3 year old and 5 year old believe in fairy tales. Here are the moments best described by photos.

Ariel and Will

     Ariel was surrounded by little girls and the Disney photographer kept pushing Charlie into the pictures. Ariel without prompting surprisingly turned to Will and asked if she could meet him. He was thrilled and this picture is a great memory of her recognising that he needed attention too. Thanks Ariel! Tip: Ariel is easily found at Ariel's Grotto in Disney's California Adventures as well as in Fantasy Fair at Disneyland.

Charlie and Tinker bell

     Tinkerbell was incredible with Will and Charlie. She talked to them about adventures and her fairy world and really made an impression on them both. She threw in a few hilarious princess comments for the adults in the crowd and generally was a gem in the Disneyland cast.  Tip: Tinkerbell is found in Pixie Hollow which lies at the foot of the Matterhorn Bobsleds in Disneyland. This area is not well marked and it is very deceiving as you cannot see her or anyone from the outside entrance. We stopped by a few times to say hello and found at least two fairies just waiting for visitors. 

Me, Merida and Charlie

     Merida was one of my personal favourite princesses because she welcomed every kid she saw with a believable excitement. Her area was interactive with her three bear brothers behind her getting in on the action. She really took the time to talk to Charlie about the importance of being an individual and how neat it is to be a princess who does things for herself. She knew which Disney message she was representing and she played the part very well.  She even taught Charlie to stand "tough" for the photo. Tip: Merida is found daily outside of It's a Small World in Disneyland.

Belle and Charlie

     Belle was definitely the most traditional princess we met and Charlie was blown away by her. With the other princesses Charlie would chat and laugh but she truly didn't utter a word when she met Belle. As any good princess would know how to do, Belle filled the gaps and made sure they had a memorable meeting. Tip: Belle is most likely to be found in Fantasy Fair at Disneyland or at Ariel's Grotto for the princess lunch. We visited Fantasy Fair and a Disneyland cast member ran up to us and told me that Belle would be available later that day. I think he recognised Charlie's dress and thought we would like to know. I was touched by the gesture. 

Charlie and Rapunzel

     Rapunzel won both mine and Charlie's heart by being the friendliest and most interactive princess I have ever met. She listened to Charlie's story and showed more enthusiasm than I thought any of these women could muster. She was fantastic and fun and asked a ton of questions and Charlie still talks about her incessantly. Tip: Rapunzel is found next to the Pinocchio ride at Disneyland. She also has her own show in Fantasy Fair. If your children are astute, be careful of visiting Fantasy Fair right after seeing Rapunzel or before. Will very quickly recognised that there were two Rapunzels within 30 feet of each other. 

     A big thank you to all the women pictured above for helping to add to our incredible Disneyland Adventure. Many people have asked if Charlie at 3 was still a little young to enjoy Disneyland and the reality was that although she wasn't tall enough for every ride, she was young enough to still believe in the magic the park offers. The best day Charlie had at Disneyland was when we went and met the princesses and its a day none of us will forget anytime soon.

I lost 3 pounds at Disneyland

Charlie, Mickey and Me

     Why does my 3 pound weight loss in 4 days at Disneyland matter to the average travelling parent? Basically, it shows you how much has changed at Disney. This year, I went to Disneyland hoping to find a way to fit in healthy snacks between Mickey Mouse ice cream bars and turkey legs. Instead, I found a much more health conscious Disney than I had ever seen.

     To begin, every restaurant we visited had a healthy kids menu which didn't mention fries at all. My kids love to read the menu for themselves and it never occurred to them to ask for fries instead of fruit or veggies. The restaurants also had great salads and mains for adults that were easily tailored to any dietary request you had.

    Most incredible of all was that my fear of not having healthy snacks was defeated by countless booths in all of Disneyland serving fresh fruit. The kids were excited to buy fresh strawberries and pineapple and I was glad Disney chose to provide the option to them.

     To top it all off, our hotel room was steps from a Jamba Juice so when we didn't need a big meal we got smoothies instead.

     A helpful tip is that the staff at Disneyland will fill your reusable water bottle for you if you ask.

     Kudos to you Disneyland! Its definitely a step towards a healthier vacation for all of us.

     *DISCLAIMER: I did happen to eat two corndogs and a Mickey ice cream bar in one sitting but hey I walked a lot and don't we all deserve a little treat now and then.

Legoland Hotel- Carlsbad, CA

Legoland Hotel, Carlsbad, California

    When we scoped out things to do in California, an exciting prospect was checking out the Legoland Hotel. Having been a huge fan of Legoland, Orlando, I couldn't wait to surprise the kids with a couple of nights over at one of their favourite parks.

    We arrived at the hotel very early on a Thursday morning and weren't surprised to find the main lobby buzzing with people. Somewhat surprising is how long it actually takes to check in to the hotel. Although the hotel was always busy, there was only ever one or two people at the desk and lines for check-in and to speak to the concierge were quite long. Team that with the fact that everyone who is in those lines has excited kids running around and you have complete chaos. Tip: When you finally get to the front desk, check out the mural of mini-figures. It is quite incredible.

Long line-ups were the norm to speak to the check-in desk at the hotel.

Lego Surfer whose wheels magnify all the mini-figures on the wall at the front desk.

     While we were waiting to check-in, I overheard the woman at the front desk explain to the people in front of me who were hoping for a premium suite, that in fact the suites are "a complete rip-off". Seeing I was checking into one I wasn't exactly thrilled. Essentially, the premium suites differ from regular rooms only in the fact that the adult section of the room is also decorated with themed wall paper and lego statues. Ours had a few lego jugs and vases and some lego bugs. We booked the premium suite as it was the only room left we could get but in the end would stick with the regular cheaper room if we returned. The premium rooms cost about an extra $100 a night so depending on the length of your stay, you may be paying a lot to look at Lego vases. The regular suites still have a separate kids sleeping area and honestly it would have been nice to get a break from all the decor in the hotel in the adult room.

     When we checked-in we were not told at all about food vouchers that were available from the front desk. This was in fact a grave oversight that in the end really affected our view of the hotel. We also were not told that Charlie at 3 years old ate for free at the main buffet restaurant Bricks or that the breakfast buffet was included in our hotel cost. We only found all this information out on the last morning we were at the hotel when we witnessed people paying with vouchers. Upon my own further investigation, I learnt that if you pre-pay for the buffet by buying a four pack at the front desk, the price per meal goes down from $19.95 for adults to $12.50 This is a significant difference and I feel the voucher system should have been explained to me at check-in. I spoke to a manager about this program and she reassured me that it was a mistake and that the system is explained at check-in normally. I listened to two other people checking in during my wait for the manager and noticed they also were not told.

     After I spoke to the manager, one of our meals was refunded and I was sent on my way still not having been told that our breakfast was free and included in the price of the room. On our way into the restaurant about 20 minutes later, another manager who had walked in on my original conversation found me and told me he had looked into it further and that we shouldn't have been paying for breakfast at all. He kindly refunded the breakfasts we had on our bill. I felt he really went above and beyond my expectations compared to the first manager who simply didn't care and didn't bother to look at the list in front of her to see if our breakfast was free.

     These problems aside we did have a wonderful time at the Legoland Hotel and the kids loved it. The rooms are very well detailed and quite fun. At check-in you are given a treasure hunt card to complete with your kids that will open a treasure chest in the room. Our chest had some chocolate pirate coins as well as two lego mini-figures and a magazine.

Will cracking open the treasure chest in our room.

     We booked into an adventure room as the pirate suites were all booked up. The room had great detail to it and some really fun features. I didn't think the kids would love it as much as the pirate suite but they could not have been more thrilled with our room.

The bathroom included a flip down toilet seat for toddlers and a giant scorpion.

Looks like the last guest forgot their hat.

The kids area had bunk beds, a pull out trundle bed and a television.

The adult section of the room was also themed.

     Besides the room, the hotel had some other great features. The elevators when you entered them played typical elevator music but turned into a disco dance party between floors. Next to the elevator on the main floor, there was a fun whoopee cushion in the floor that none of the kids in the hotel could get enough of. Finally, the bathrooms on the main floor were incredibly cute and Lego characters complemented you when you washed your hands.

     The Legoland hotel promises nightly entertainment including a lego building contest which is a great thing to have once the park closes. You should be prepared for the fact that the entertainment isn't exactly at a Disney level but is much more of a camp style activity where two people lead the kids in activities. I particularly enjoyed being able to sit down with a glass of wine and my feet up while the kids were entertained by other people for once.

The best part of Legoland hotel in this tired mom's opinion.

     Part of the nightly entertainment is a Lego building contest which varies by month. Yes, you read that right. Basically, if you are staying three nights in a row, the contest is always the same. Our nightly contest was to build a birthday cake. It was easy to tell which kids had been there the night before as a lot of them still had their cakes and were simply altering them a little. The contest is judged by the two hosts and the winner gets a $5 gift certificate to use a Legoland. Our host was quite funny when interviewing the kids and each child was separately interviewed about their creation. This was definitely the funniest part of the entertainment that night.

Will with his Lego birthday cake entry.

     When staying at the Legoland hotel, you are granted early admission to the park. This gives you an extra half hour in the park without other guests. In my opinion, the early admission is too short and doesn't justify the high price of staying at the hotel. We went to the early admission and found we were shuffled from line to line before even getting into the park. Once in the park the extra time you had was really only about 20 minutes and only 4 rides were open which didn't include what most people would categorise as the "big rides" or main draws to the park. 

     Here is a list of tips I came up with while at the hotel: 

1. If you want to stay at Legoland, only stay one night. There are plenty of reasonable hotels in the neighbourhood and the perks of staying near the park do not justify paying the high cost of the hotel. I paid the same amount at the Legoland hotel that I paid at Disney's Grand Californian at Disneyland. Simply put, the Grand Californian was in Disney's California Adventure, had access to Downtown Disney, had 3 incredible pools with water slides and lifeguards and had two very good restaurants. Legoland has a pool you would expect to see at any Holiday Inn and very limited things to do at the hotel once the park closes. I would recommend staying at Legoland on your final night there as the kids will really love it and staying there first to then switch to a normal hotel might qualify as cruel and unusual punishment.
2. I also would recommend skipping the early admission. It truly is more painful than it is enjoyable and instead you can enjoy a later breakfast with much less people in the buffet restaurant and then head out to the park a little later in the day to avoid the crowds. I also found that most people entering the park tended to head to the left side which featured smaller rides for kids and if you simply went the other way and explored the park backwards you will avoid most of the crowds. 
3. There is a drastic difference between Legoland on a weekday while school is in and Legoland on a weekend or summer weekday. If at all possible, I would simply pull the kids out of school on a school day to truly enjoy the experience. The lines and incredibly short and the day is much more enjoyable. 
4. Be prepared for how small the park is especially when the waterpark and seasonal rides are closed. You do not need more than one or two days to explore Legoland and will likely get most of it done in one day.
5. The Legoland hotel is quite large but for some reason the building only has two small elevators. This means that in the morning and once the park closes, the wait for an elevator can be incredibly long especially if people are checking in or out or have strollers as most do. Simply leaving for breakfast 15 minutes earlier or later than 9:00 am and taking your time getting back from the park around 6:00 pm will save you a ton of aggravation. Just know every other adult is wondering why the hotel was built this way too. 

     All in all, it is definitely worth it to spend a night at this fun and kid-centric hotel. We enjoyed our entire stay and don't regret spending the money to check it out. If there was anything I could change about the hotel, I would hire more front-end staff, better entertainment and put in a better pool. Otherwise, its a great place to stay and let your kids be kids for a few nights at a place that will be as comfortable to them as their own home. 

Me and a Lego pirate. 

Will loved the Lego figures in the hotel.

The Lego characters are in the lobby quite a bit and are very fun.

     If you do end up checking out the hotel, drop me a line here and let me know what you thought!

   

Disney's California Adventure

     From the time Cars came out on DVD and I sat through the bonus features, which featured a description of Cars Land pre-construction by the Disney Imagineers, I knew that once Carsland became a reality, I would take Cars obsessed Will there. My goal was to make it before he was six as I figured he would outgrow Lightning McQueen which he already has at five but it didn't make the trip any less incredible for any of us. Cars Land is found in Disney's California Adventure and this post will cover the park as a whole.
 

Disney's California Adventure Park

     We spent quite a bit of time at Disney's California Adventure or "DCA" as its known to many and really got to explore the sights and sounds. Due to availability, we had booked in at Disney's Grand Californian Hotel and loved its proximity to DCA. Guests of the hotel have a side entrance to the park that is open for the Magic Hour in the morning which admits you in to the park an hour before the official opening. Due to our morning cravings for Jamba Juice in Downtown Disney, we never used this entrance in the mornings but found it for convenient during the day to enter and exit the park using this gate.

     Each morning the parks at Disneyland alternate with which will open early for the Magic Hour. The key to the magic hour which only admits hotel guests staying on Disney property is that there are only three hotels in Disneyland that qualify. Unlike Disney World this means that the Magic Hour has much less people at it than you would anticipate. We did find it worth it to attend this hour every morning even though it only admitted you to certain parts of the park. We found the main attractions were always open and in either park it is a huge advantage.
 

Luigi's Flying Tires with no wait and lots of room to make your tire "fly" during the Magic Hour

     One morning standing at the gates of DCA, we were asked if we would like to be the Family of the Day. This was an incredible experience and the kids were thrilled. Essentially, it involves entering the park first, signing a guest book and then counting down to the gate opening. After that you get to follow right behind Mater and Lightning McQueen as they drive down Route 66 into Cars Land. You are also given fastpasses that you can use throughout the day. I am not quite sure why were picked and in three days saw a variety of families large and small chosen for the task. My only tips to being chosen are to make sure you are in line at one of the gates and to not be afraid to show you are excited to enter the park. Charlie, on the day we were chosen, was dancing and singing and Will was practically shoving his head through the gate to get closer to Cars Land, thus we may have been chosen on pure enthusiasm.

The kids getting instruction on being the Family of the Day

       Before leaving Cars Land, make sure to try out Radiator Springs Racers which is by far the best ride in the park. Also, take the time to meet Mater and Lightning McQueen as they both have a lot of interesting things to say. We spent a lot of time in Cars Land and loved every minute of it so make sure to schedule a little time to cruise down Route 66 and not just rush from ride to ride.
 

Will chatting with Mater

     When you have had your fill of Cars Land, there is still a ton of things to do and explore in DCA. The most popular show there is the World of Colour fountain show and it is definitely worth checking out. Essentially, clips of Disney films are projected on mist above dancing coloured fountains. You can see the show from a variety of locations in front of the fountains and facing the big Ferris Wheel but you can also get reserved seating by having dinner in three of the restaurants at DCA. We chose to have dinner at Wine Country Trattoria and it was the best meal we had while at Disneyland as a whole. We also ended up with seats in the very front row for the show and were able to sit down which was vital for the kids. To get front row seating, we didn't show up early but ended up arriving almost last minute to the show. As people fold into the reserved section, they open more spots up so it ends up being very random where you get to sit.

     If you have a little princess like I do, don't fret about not having anything to do. DCA has a really incredible Little Mermaid ride that we proudly rode over twenty times. Also, check out Ariel's Grotto for dining with the princesses and a pretty decent lunch. Oddly, the served crab dip the day we went which made me wonder if poor Sebastian had finally met a chef that could catch him.
  

Charlie was blown away by Ariel and the fact we were having lunch at her "house"

Chatting with Cinderella at Ariel's Grotto

     After lunch, head over the bridge to Toy Story Mania, it is a not-to-be-missed ride that adults and kids love and we used every one of our fastpasses riding it four times in a row. Other things we loved at DCA and I would highly recommend for kids under six were the Monsters Inc. ride, the Disney Jr. puppet show and A Bug's Land. Even though the kids were a little big for a Bug's Land it is worth checking out once as there are some neat rides and a tiny splash pad that will give you some relief on a hot day.



Charlie and Will both loved the Disney Jr. show

     The final stop I would make before leaving DCA is the Wilderness Explorer trail featuring Russell and Doug from the movie Up. The trail is a fun set of activities your kids can complete to get a Wilderness Explorer Badge. It is essentially a huge park with an added element of fun in it. Both the kids loved this section and begged to stay longer. It is also very shaded and will provide a good break from the sun.


Will earning his badge at the Sequoia Smokejumpers

     Looking back on our time at Disney's California Adventures, it was an experience we won't forget. If you are heading to Disneyland or thinking about it, schedule a good amount of time for this park. Will and Charlie much preferred the rides here and characters to the traditional Disneyland rides and characters. We also loved visiting this park at night as it tended to empty out quite a bit and DJ the dancing car from Cars would roll out of nowhere and start up a dance party. A magical time was definitely had by all!

Me and Will outside of Flo's

 

Charlie said an extra special goodbye to her new friend Red



San Diego

    After what felt like the shortest and at times longest weekend in Disneyland (review to come), we headed to San Diego, California this week for a little rest and relaxation as well as to see the sites. San Diego should have been a short drive from Disneyland but I forgot my driver's license at home and instead it became a little bit of a mad scramble to get there. Luckily, the concierge at our Disneyland hotel was able to arrange for a mini-van with car seats to arrive within approximately 45 minutes. The company who pulled it together was called American Eagle transport although I wasn't able to find a website or any contact information for them. If you come across them some other way, the vans are incredibly clean and the service was quick and reasonably priced. I was going to rent a car in San Diego but actually found it really easy and quite affordable to get around by taxi and decided in the end not to get a car at all.

    Within a few hours of leaving Disneyland, we pulled into our hotel the Hyatt Regency Mission Bay Spa & Marina.


View of pools at the Hyatt Regency Mission Bay Spa & Marina

    The hotel is located directly across from Sea World and caters to families as well as business travellers and conferences. The hotel sits on Mission Bay and has a beautiful marina with resident sea lions. One of our favourite activities was renting a small boat from the hotel sportcenter, that looked a lot like a paddle boat with a motor, to be able to float amongst the sea lions. At $45 an hour, it is an amazing thing to do to get your kids close to San Diego's wildlife.

     The hotel also has three pools which appear larger on the hotel website than they are but are quite fun. One is a walk-in pool which is easy with smaller children. There are also three water slides, a hot tub and a spa. We spent every afternoon by the pool and the kids never got bored.

     A great tip for this hotel is to book a room on a Regency floor if possible. When I looked online this was one of the cheapest rates I could get and it included breakfast, snacks and a happy hour as well as dessert bar. Essentially, it grants you access to a room on the 17th floor that is packed with bottled water, fresh fruit, assorted drinks and buffets throughout the day. The breakfast spread is incredible and will save you quite a bit of money as well as time as there isn't much dining around the hotel besides in-room or a large restaurant downstairs. We visited during the happy hour and the kids enjoyed the appetizers while I enjoyed the $4 wine. Every morning we were offered bottled water and snacks to take with us which helped enormously throughout the day.

     The primary reason we chose to visit San Diego was to experience the San Diego Zoo. The zoo is world famous and frankly its incredible.

San Diego Zoo

    We arrived at the zoo before it opened and were treated to no lines and a really neat opening ceremony where the zoo keeper brought out an owl for a zoo keeper talk while a group of macaws was released to fly over the zoo and back to their area. After the opening, the zoo keeper asked the kids to help train a skittish bird that was learning to recycle and needed to get used to being around children. It was a very cool experience and the kids were thrilled to help out.


Kids helping to train bird at San Diego Zoo

     There are a few keys to having a great day at the San Diego Zoo. The first is simply not trying to do it all. The zoo is huge (approximately 100 acres) and there are animals everywhere. We were at the zoo on a particularly hot day and even the thought of rushing through it was unbearable. We instead chose the animals we wanted to see and plotted the best course on the map. Once the kids were beyond able to walk, we board the tour bus which covered a lot of the major animals we missed. The exhibits we loved were Panda Canyon, the Polar Trek, Koalafornia which is brand new and the Lost Forest which houses amazing apes and monkeys.



Making friends at the Polar Trek

     One great way to escape the crowds and give the kids a rest is to have lunch at Albert's restaurant which is located in the Lost Forest. The restaurant has sit down table service, wonderful staff, is air conditioned and quiet. We sat for approximately an hour and after lunch the kids were refreshed and ready to go and we were able to spend more hours at the zoo than I had originally expected.

     A final note on the zoo is that the children's zoo isn't fantastic and it is worth skipping if you only have one day at the zoo. It has a small playground and petting zoo with goats but your time will be better spent checking out the exhibits. Make sure to make use of the tour bus, express bus that lets you get on and off at different stops around the zoo and the skyfari aerial tram. I had originally planned to spend two days at the zoo but we were having so much fun exploring San Diego we decided to forgo the second day. If you have more than a few days here, I would recommend breaking up the days so that you don't need to visit the zoo two days in a row as it is quite exhausting and overwhelming for smaller children.

     While in San Diego, I wanted to spend some time doing something with Will and decided that we should both try surfing. The hotel recommended the San Diego Surf School in Pacific Beach and we were able to book a private session the night before we wanted to surf.
 


Learning on the sand before hitting the surf

      We arrived at the school to sign some waivers and pay ($130 US for both of us) and we were sent off to the beach to meet our instructor Travis. My first impression of Travis was that he sounded just like one of the turtles out of Finding Nemo and I knew immediately this would be fun. Travis helped us get suited up, gave us brief instructions that Will was able to understand and then led us to the water. Will got to surf first and immediately was up on his board. He loved hanging out with Travis and had a wonderful time learning to surf. Travis was easily able to juggle helping Will and teaching me by bringing him right on to shore when it wasn't his turn. We had booked an hour lesson and stayed in the water for much more than that. By the end of the lesson, I proudly caught a decent wave and was able to get up and surf the wave. I highly recommend checking this school out if in San Diego as it was definitely a wonderful and memorable part of our trip and a great bonding experience for me and Will.  


Travis, Will and me after our lesson

 


Will getting up on his board

     Although we had packed a lot of adventure into a few days in San Diego, we also were able to visit La Jolla which is known as the Jewel of San Diego and a great place to visit with kids. We took a taxi to the area known as the Children's Pool which is a beach as well as a great place to visit some seals. The kids loved watching the wild seals and walking in the sand near where they were hanging out in the water. After that we headed along the coast to the area known as La Jolla Cove which has interesting tide pools and a lot of sea lions. The kids loved splashing in the water and swimming near the sea lions and had fun walking along the tide pools.

Kids swimming in La Jolla Cove

     After we all got soaking wet, we were hungry and headed to the main area of La Jolla which has high-end shopping, hotels and a variety of restaurants. We ate at a little Italian place called La Dolce Vita and frankly I won't say much about it but I would skip it if I were you.

     All in all, we have loved every minute of San Diego and are very sad to be leaving so soon. I would love to return and explore the rest of the city with the kids but am very thankful for the things we did get to see and do. If you are considering a trip to San Diego with kids, check out the deals being offered across the city which include free admission to museums and hotel deals during the San Diego Kidvasion promotion.

     The adventure continues tomorrow as we head to Legoland California. Check back for a review of their new hotel as well as some Disneyland posts!