We are NOT a Disney family but we can appreciate a magical trip to see the mouse.

Food

Truth be told we are pretty cheap. We ate breakfast at the hotel then packed food for lunch and dinner in the parks. The only food we bought were snacks or a few dishes to share.

• Churros 10/10

• Street Corn 10/10

• Churros 9/10

• Mac and Cheese in a Cone 7/10

• Ice Cream 6/10

• Popcorn 9/10

• Churro Toffee 10/10

• Dole Whip Float 8/10

Princesses

Does Clarabelle Cow count as a Disney Princess? Probably not but I included her in the collage anyway. My daughter (7) was very excited to see Elsa and the line (indoors!) at California Adventure wasn’t too bad. The line for the rest of the princesses in Disneyland was so long and torturous. Thank goodness for backpack snacks and other kids in line with bubble wands. I was about to lose my mind with boredom.

Mickey

My youngest (4) is a huge Mickey fan so waiting in the long line was non negotiable. It’s nice that the line is indoors and there’s Mickey cartoons playing while you’re in queue. We thought about going to see Minnie but really didn’t want to wait in line again.

Rope Drop

It made for VERY early mornings but rope dropping was definitely worth it! Both mornings we got there so early that we were at the front of the security line and then had our thighs touching the rope. I’m glad we had a stroller with us because it helped us “hold our ground.” Man, people sure loved to shove and squeeze their way into your hard earned bubble. In California Adventure we went straight to the Cars ride and in Disneyland we went to Rise of the Resistance. I have no idea if that’s the right strategy, those were just the rides we wanted to for sure get on before lines got long.

California Adventure Favorites

We all enjoyed Radiator Springs Racers and Cars Land (it was a staple movie when my big boys were little), San Fransokoyo Square (we’re Big Hero 6 fans), WEB Slingers (youngest is obsessed with Spiderman), and Soarin’ Around the World.

Disneyland Favorites

Peter Pan’s Flight (my favorite), Rise of the Resistance (incredible), randomly running into characters throughout the park, and Indiana Jones. We did a lot of splitting up this day. I wandered with the little ones while my husband rode the bigger rides with the older kids, then switched.

What Worked

• Staying at Springhill Inn and Suites and walking to and from the parks. Proximity, beds, and breakfast were all perfect.

• Lightning Lane passes for Disneyland and not for California Adventure.

• One day in each park was the perfect amount of time for us.

• Packing food and snacks instead of buying all of our food in the parks. Saved us lots of money. I went to Costco and Trader Joe’s for food and snacks.

• Bringing several Nalgene water bottles. They were lightweight and easy to refill

• Taking our double stroller for the two younger ones to ride in when they got tired and for holding all of our things.

• Having a general plan but not being rigid about it. Rides broke down, feet got tired, and kids got grumpy so we had to adapt.

• Telling the kids ahead of time that they could each pick ONE souvenir. Setting clear expectations ahead of time minimized whining and begging for every item we passed.

What Didn’t Work:

• Not resting mid day by going back to the hotel or intentionally all sitting down and resting for a while. Park open to close was exhausting!

• Forcing my youngest to ride the rides in hopes that he would enjoy them. Spoiler alert…he didn’t. It just made him cranky and scared.

In all it was a super fun and successful trip! On the drive back to Arizona we joked that we needed a Disney detox though haha