How to Disneyland

We just got home from the most ridiculously fun and magical trip to Disneyland with our three-and-a-half year old. Yep that's right we left the almost two year old at home (woah, with Grandma I'll add) and enjoyed our oldest all by himself. Side note: kids need that, the one on one time, maybe not necessarily to disneyland but how about for lunch or to a movie or swimming, they seriously need that time by themselves to get full and undivided attention from their parents. It's just so good for their little hearts. Anyway we made it a short trip, 4 days in total but only two and a half in the park. It was just enough time to completely tire our little guy out and to do as much as was possible for his age and height. When I first started planning this trip I had a gazillion questions for all my veteran disneyland friends so I thought I would post a little something about our experience incase any one is planning the same kind of trip with their littles. 

Getting there
we flew, clearly the fastest way to get there, but there are obviously other options if you want them. We opted for a direct flight from YEG to LAX but we did investigate flying into SNA (John Wayne Airport) as it's a slightly quieter airport. We couldn't find any direct flights so as I mentioned above we flew into LAX. I did try to cost cut where I could but for flights I didn't have enough air miles so it was what it was. 

Staying there
Ive been to Disneyland as a child, teen and young adult and have stayed at various different locations so I did have some idea of our options. For our trip with our little one we decided to stay at one of the Disney Land resorts and here is why:
- we had only a few days and wanted to waste the least amount of time walking (or even driving) to and from the park
- we wanted to be able to get back to the hotel quickly if he needed a nap (which he did)
- we had never stayed at a Disney Resort and wanted to give it a try
- Early morning access to the parks ('Magic Morning")  and other perks peeked our interest
- lastly my hubby is not a great traveller so making things as absolutely easy and convenient as possible was an absolute must

there is obviously a bit higher cost to staying in one of the three disneyland resorts but after our experience my hubby and I both agreed we would absolutely stay there again in a heart beat. Don't be swayed by our opinion though, this is just what worked for our circumstances. Hotels outside of the park and even renting a house on something like VRBO are also really awesome options as well and have their perks. 

Airport Transport
Because we were staying at the park we didn't need a vehicle for this trip. As mentioned above our time their was short and sweet so we wanted to get from the airport to our hotel as fast as possible. This trip we opted to arrange limo service from the airport to the hotel. (Another side note, this "limo" was merely a cab painted black, if you catch my drift). Anyway we asked that they provide a carseat thus eliminating an extra thing to cart around at the airport. In the future we would definitely attempt one of the million shuttle buses but this is just how we did it this time. 

Park Passes
And here it is, the absolute nail in your coffin for cost of your Disneyland trip. The park passes will seriously have you cashing out your kids college savings. Kidding but they are a bit pricey, so I suggest using your AMA membership savings or air miles. I got our adult 3 day park hopper passes with air miles and it saved us about $600
I also highly recommend doing the park hopper as it gives you the freedom to bounce between parks during each day. We spent mornings at Disneyland and evenings in California adventure and definitely utilized the "hopping"

Plan Ahead
I did a ton of pinterest research on all the "money-saving" "hidden secrets of Disney" and so on. We DID take a stroller for our guy as it made it easier than dragging him around when he was totally exhausted at 8:00pm (wait did I say 8:00, I meant noon, yes by noon he was usually spent. We carried backpacks with our essentials (camera, snacks, jackets, phones, passes). The back pack was easy to carry, and easy to bring on each ride. We brought our own water bottles with us each day (seriously water and drinks are expensive in the park) and our own snacks. Because we stayed in the resort we didn't have a kitchen thus we ate out for our meals but bringing snacks was perfect for between meals. If you stay off the resort or have a kitchenette type suite I highly recommend packing your own food for the day. Don't want to carry it around all day? No worries use a locker at the park and come back at lunch time to grab your food. Some days lunch cost us $40 for a hot dog combo. We bought a few "souvenirs" ahead of time to save cash, one of the best ones being our glow sticks for the evenings. Those things can be pricey in the park so Im glad we stocked up at the dollar store before we left. That being said you can buy some of your disney souvenirs ahead of time (such as shirts and trinkets for the kids) to save some money on your trip. Bring ponchos from the dollar store instead of $12 ones from in the park… you get the idea. 
We also planned our days out to fit in everything we wanted to do. I downloaded a free Disneyland app that included shows and showtimes, places to eat, maps, park hours and wait times for almost all the rides. With the app I was able to see what shows we wanted to attend, and which rides had long waits. I researched which rides our guy was tall enough for and saved them on the app and was able to see how long the waits were for those rides. It was an awesome little tool and helped with out trip so much! 
Lastly take advantage of fast passes if you are going during busy time. Want to beat the crowds, research down times at the park and go during the slower months. Disneyland can get stressful, especially with kids and crowds but if you do your homework it can be the trip you dream of.

I was really worried that taking a three year old to Disneyland would be a waste or there wouldn't be much to do for him, but like my Disney Veteran friends told me, there was tons. We absolutely filled our days from morning till night and had such a blast. We were busy and exhausted and had the best time. Our little man might not remember this trip in 10 years from now but I will tell you this, my hubby and I will never forget the look on that little guys face when he got to meet Darth Vader. We will not forget his crazy little giggle as we spun round and round on the tea cups. And will definitely not forget the magic in his eyes as he experienced Disneyland for the first time!