November Disneyland Trip Part 2: 3 Kids and a Sick Husband

To follow up on my last post, I wanted to address the second day of my most recent Disneyland vacation.  My husband unfortunately came down with the flu on the second day of our trip.  Thankfully, he had his flu shot and the worst of the symptoms lasted only one day.  But, that's one day I ended up with no help, 3 kids, and a very crowded theme park.  As a parent of twins plus 1, this is one of my worst nightmares.  The idea of losing one of them terrifies me.  And yet...I did it.  I did it because I didn't want to ruin my kids' vacation.  So armed with a diaper case, jackets, some snacks, a stroller packed with 2-year-olds, and my...well, for this vacation we'll call him 7-year-old boy (technically he's not quite 7 yet, but we'll get to that...and yes, I know it was not the best choice, but we had no other option)...we embarked on a journey to Disney's California Adventure.

First off, we could not have done this trip if my older son hadn't easily passed for 7.  There aren't really any attractions that allow 4 in one row of a vehicle.  So, yes, my son was 7 for the day.  And he acted every bit as mature as he needed to.  It wasn't a choice I wanted to make, but it was the only choice that would allow all of my kids to enjoy the day while their daddy was passed out in bed moaning like death warmed over.  So, please try not to judge.  As I said, I don't like the choice I had to make, but that's that.

So, first off, we went on Mater's Junkyard Jamboree.  The twins rode with my and my oldest rode by himself.  My boys enjoyed it, but my daughter was less than thrilled.  Perhaps it has to do with her being the smallest and being smashed between her brother and me.  Other great rides we went on included the Chew-Chew train, Monster's Inc., and the Little Mermaid.  Our options for rides were very limited.

We also managed to visit Santa Claus over in the wilderness area.  When we arrived, it was about a 20 minute wait.  Somehow, my kids were all calm and patient.  Santa was great, too.  Even my oldest decided this was definitely the real Santa since he looked so much better than the mall Santas.

The highlight of our trip was the Disney Jr. show.  While my oldest is bordering on being too old for it, even he enjoyed this show where kids sit on the floor and all their favorite Disney Jr. characters (or at least the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse gang, Jake and the Neverland Pirates, Sofia the First, and Doc McStuffins) come out to sing and dance and celebrate Minnie's birthday.  My 2-year-olds loved it and were singing and dancing right along.  When the bubbles and confetti flew from the sky, they were in heaven.

By lunchtime it was pretty crowded and my 2-year-old boy was displeased at having to ride in the stroller.  He had pulled one of his stubborn "refusal to move" tantrums right in the middle of a busy walkway.  Oh, the joys of parenthood!  So, when my oldest decided he wanted to leave and go to McDonald's for lunch, I jumped on the opportunity.  We grabbed some McDonalds on Harbor Blvd. and went back to the hotel to check on Daddy and get some rest.  Five hours with 3 kids and me in a busy theme park though?  I felt pretty accomplished.

Thankfully, my husband felt well enough to keep the little ones for a while in the afternoon since they needed a nap and rest time anyway, so I returned with my oldest and spent a little time in Disneyland, just the 2 of us.  Let me tell you though.  It is no joke when crowd levels between a 9 and 10 descent on the parks.  By 2PM, we could barely walk.  And, there was even a line for Tarzan's Treehouse, which is just ridiculous (and was the one thing my son really wanted to do).  We managed to get the treehouse and the teacups in, but all else was far too packed.  So, after our second viewing of the Christmas parade and a very long wait for a circle tour on the monorail, we took off, grabbed Panera for dinner, and took it back to the sickie and our starving preschoolers.

Overall, it was a good day.  Not perfect, but I am so glad I took my kids even if I did have to do it on my own.  Parents, and especially those with multiples, I know the idea can be daunting.  But, go out and do this for yourself and for your kids sometime.  Even if it's hard and you're ready to have a breakdown, you will be glad to have done it.  I'm not so scared of taking the three of them by myself anymore.  So, some good did come of it.  Word to the wise though--don't do this on a peak day.  The crowds were unreal even if I had had help.

Edited to add:  I'm sorry I never got a chance to talk about day 3 and day 4.  Life got busy with the holidays.  I promise to be back in 2017 with more stories.

Disneyland and DCA--Back for Another Year, This time with an Extra Month! (Part 1)

I'm a bit behind on my review of my last trip to Disneyland.  With Thanksgiving and upcoming holidays, it's been a busy time.  But, the good news is that we were able to upgrade our tickets to APs!  With the current 13 months for the price of 12 deal, I couldn't say no.  So, we'll have another year of Disney to share with all of you, including D23 in July.  It's going to be a great year!

So, for this past trip, we stayed the Sunday-Wednesday before Thanksgiving.  We stayed at the Howard Johnson, but this time chose to go with the cheap basic level rooms.  The room itself was a decent size and clean.  However, as all the basic rooms are in the older, 2 story buildings, there were some signs of wear and tear.  There were a few tiles cracked in the bathroom and a cracked fixture or two.  It also wasn't quite as quiet as building 1.  For the price, it was still comfortable and clean.  But, I definitely prefer paying a bit more to be in building 1 with queen beds and slightly better upkeep.

Our first day was awesome and easily the least crowded of the days.  I would call it "normal Sunday" in terms of crowds.  It was a rainy day, which I think helped.  We managed to go on Pirates, Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain, and a handful of other rides before lunch.  I am happy to say that my 6-year-old is finally brave.  His new favorite rides are Splash Mountain and Indiana Jones!  Thrilled that I finally have a companion for Splash Mountain as no one in my family enjoys it but me.  Jingle Cruise was the favorite of the day among my almost-3-year-olds.  The decorations seemed extra "in-your-face" on the ride and the jokes were...well, the same classic jokes we've all heard for years, but isn't that part of its charm?

After a quick lunch in Toontown, we decided to check into the hotel and take a break before coming back.  The line for Small World was 45+ minutes and that was one of the shorter waits, so it was time for some down time anyway.  Upon return, we picked up our Aladdin's Oasis to go meal for Paint the Night.  Unfortunately, we didn't get to see PtN as it started raining, but the food in the meal was fairly good and worth the money, especially taking into account the parade had it been running.  Much easier than having to wait 2 hours for a good spot for the parade.

As far as parades go, we were able to see the Christmas parade before the rain became too much for us (and the performers).  I hadn't seen it in the evening before, usually opting for the earlier one.  However, I will say after seeing it that the evening parade is the one to see.  It's much more beautiful as the sun is going down and it starts getting dark out.  Here are a few pictures:

So, that was it for day 1.  Tomorrow, read about my day 2 adventure, or, a day with 3 kids and sick spouse.

In Defense of Cars--A Review 10 Years in the Making

 Gearing up for our upcoming Disneyland trip, we've been watching a lot of Disney/Pixar/Marvel/Star Wars movies.  My kids are on another Cars kick and I couldn't help but think how my feelings on the franchise have changed since it first came out.

Cars came out in late Spring 2006.  That same Spring, I was both about to graduate from college and taking a class on the art of Disney-Pixar.  Our final exam, among other things, consisted of going to see Cars on its opening week and writing an analysis of the film in terms of its artistic and literary merits. 

My initial response to Cars was mixed, but admittedly more toward the negative side.  I felt that the art itself was kitschy and common, meaning not artistic at all.  There were some scenes of merit, such as the drive through the desert between McQueen and Sally, but overall, nothing special.  The story also held little appeal for me.  I understood that it was meant to be about respecting elders and slowing down, but I couldn't grasp the depth of what it was saying because I had yet to have those experiences which allow us as humans to reflect on a story of nostalgia.

As an adult with children of my own, I catch myself more and more reflecting on the past.  At this point in my life, I look back on those college years with the same sort of longing and love that is reflected in Cars.  The simplicity, the joy of exploring, taking time, and feeling free.   Really, that's what the old towns on Route 66 are for another generation.  And thus, with the magic of computer animation, Cars has bridged the gap of generations by appealing with cuteness to kids, concepts to younger adults, and memories to the older population.  It's far better a movie than I ever anticipated at first glance.

Since 2006, I have seen Cars countless times thanks to my children, all of whom have gone through a period of complete obsession with this franchise.  Obviously, Cars is something special.  Look at the success it's had as an entire themed land at California Adventure.  One only has to glance down the model of Route 66 and immerse themselves in the attractions like Radiator Springs Racers to see how deep love of this movie goes, not just among children, but among people of all ages.  There's something surprisingly special about these anthropomorphic cars.

Great Wolf Lodge Southern California

The Great Wolf Lodge, I must admit, seemed like a strange concept for southern California when it opened a few months ago.  An indoor water park in sunny, warm California still seems a bit strange to my beach loving, So Cal mindset, but when a co-worker shared her 50% off deal with me, it seemed worth a try for my family of 5.  $400+ might seem like a bit much, but when your price comes in at only $200 for a 1 night stay, that's not so bad. 

So, we arrived at the Great Wolf Lodge in Garden Grove, CA a bit after noon.  We had stopped at Downtown Disney in the morning for some shopping and an early lunch.  We knew that the guidelines said we couldn't go in until 1, but we thought we'd give it a shot anyway.  When we got there, the line to check in was already about 30 people deep.  Apparently, we could have arrived even earlier.  Still, the line moved fairly quickly and our room, to our surprise, was ready immediately.  After checking out the awesome lobby, which is currently decorated for October and Halloween, we headed to our room to get ready for some water park fun.

We stayed in a family suite on the second floor, which includes 2 queen size beds and a pull out sofa bed.  There are fancier options that have bunk beds or even a separate room for the kids, but with our budget, we stuck to what we could manage.  The room was sparely decorated, but overall, a nice, quiet room.  As an added bonus, there was plenty of floor space which we appreciate as we always bring the twins' cots to make their sleeping easier.  The room included a small refrigerator and microwave, which we made use of when re-heating leftovers from our dinner for breakfast the next morning.

The water park was amazing, though I have to say that if you have a child who tends to wander, you need to make sure to have an adult for each child in your party.  Our oldest got separated from us.  Thankfully, a wonderful staff member helped him find us again, but it was a bit scary.  The water park is large, which was part of our challenge.  Most of the excitement is indoors where the room temperature and water temperature are kept constantly in the mid 80s.  I was afraid it might feel too humid, but it wasn't bad.  I was also worried about the smell of chlorine, but I didn't smell any.  In fact, I might be wrong, but I think the pools are using a salt water filtration system as opposed to chlorine.  I definitely tasted salt in the water, but as I said, didn't really notice chlorine. 

There's a wonderful little area for the toddler/preschool crowd, which has gates around it so kids can't run off.  There are even little slides just right for young ones.  There are other areas as well, including a large play structure with a giant water bucket, a basketball pool, larger slides for older kids, teens, and adults, and even more outside, including a standard pool.

Outside of the water park, there are a handful of restaurants, bowling, an arcade, and mini golf, all available for an additional fee.  There's also an interactive quest involving locating different activities with a magic wand.  Wands can be purchased for yet another fee (about $25 for the base model).  We did not participate in any of these activities not because the cost is too outrageous, but because we just didn't have the time.  They looked fun though.

We ate at two places in the hotel:  Dunkin Donuts and Hungry as a Wolf.  Hungry as a Wolf is a pizza place with a few different pizza options, pasta, and salads.  The food was good, though admittedly a bit expensive.  We fed 6 people for about $75, but had extra food to feed the kids the next day for lunch. 

Dunkin Donuts was one of those things I just had to try.  As a child of Southern California, I've always been firmly in the Starbucks/Coffee Bean camp when it comes to Coffee, but I just had to weigh in on the comparison with this East Coast favorite.  I will say that I enjoyed my donut, but I thought my iced cafe latte was just so-so.  It was good and smooth, but really no different from any other coffee chain.  It was definitely a popular place for breakfast though.  We got there before the rush, around 7AM, but by 8AM the line was all the way to the lobby.

There were also many activities in the lobby each day.  My little ones and I checked out the indoor nature walk/story time, the animatronic show (which felt a bit like Chuck-E-Cheese), coloring/arts and crafts, and, as a special treat just for October, an evening of trick-or-treating.  There were other activities, but again, we just didn't have time.  Overall, it was a great trip.  It turns out, an indoor water park isn't that weird of an idea and actually works really well.  I'm glad we went.

We'll be taking a break from trips for a while.  Most years, we don't go on this many.  In about a month and a half I will be back though, with an exciting 4 day trip to Disneyland to start off the holiday season.  I've been going through withdrawals.  It will be so nice to be back at my happy place.

Universal Studios Hollywood, Now with Kids

Last weekend, my husband and I were suppose to go to Universal Studios to celebrate his birthday on a day trip while my parents watched the children.  Just our luck--my mother got sick with a cold.  So, in trying to avoid wasting the ticket I purchased for my husband, we ended up bringing the kids for their first trip to Universal, a park I really feel is more for teenagers and older.  That being said, my 6-year-old was thrilled.  He has been wanting to see the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, which I previously told him he couldn't see until he was 48 inches tall (he's currently around 46 1/2).  My 2 1/2 year old twins?  Meh, they went along for the ride.

So, Universal with kids.  Well, as I mentioned, I really feel it's for older kids, teenagers, and adults.  I went when I was around 6 and was bored the whole time.  But, that was years ago.  And, I can honestly say, while it's still definitely not completely child-friendly, Universal has made some big improvements.  The Despicable Me area entertained my twins for a period while my older son and husband went on the tram tour.  The water play area is especially cute and plenty of fun for the little ones.  There's also a little play area adjacent to Jurassic Park, which is pretty fun for the little ones.  Other than that, my twins enjoyed seeing the sights and listening to music, but not much for the little ones to do really.

My 6-year-old actually had a lot of fun.  He's kind of a wimp when it comes to rides (scared of pretty much everything that moves faster than 1 mile an hour).  But, he ended up loving the tram tour.  Seeing King Kong ended up being one of the highlights of his day, along with seeing the famous War of the Worlds set.  The Wizarding World of Harry Potter kept him especially entertained.  While my husband and I took turns riding the rides, my son went to every single spell casting site to try his hand at a spell.  He is very into magic and Harry Potter, so he was super excited.  On an earlier solo trip, I purchased an interactive wand, so we were set to play.  Warning to you, if you don't already have an interactive wand and you're kid is as obsessed as mine, they aren't cheap.  Expect to spend $50+ per wand.  But, it was worth it to see a wizard teach my son how to perform an alohomora on a small locked box and do a wingardium leviosa all on his own.  The frozen butterbeer was also a huge hit on a hot day.  All the kids loved their icy, sugary treat.


Unfortunately, I have developed a rare form of psoriasis that looks a bit like chicken pox which seems to have started up that afternoon, so our trip was cut a bit short and no pictures this time.  Yet more bad luck in the health department for us.  We're hoping my rash will be cleared up quickly so we can check out the Great Wolf Lodge in Garden Grove, CA next month.  I'm excited to see what it's all about and will report back on their Halloween festivities as well (assuming this darned illness goes away in time).

Labor Day Weekend at Legoland, California

This past weekend, my family and I took a rather impromptu trip to Legoland again.  We hadn't made any plans for Labor Day, but work has been particularly stressful, so we loaded up the van and set out for Carlsbad for 2 days and 1 night of fun.

First off, it's a bad idea to drive from the Los Angeles area to Carlsbad on any Friday afternoon, let alone a Friday that starts a 3-day weekend.  My son got out of school early, so I took a half-day at work and we all hopped in the van to leave around 1:30.  I thought, okay, it might take 4 hours in traffic since it normally takes 2.5-3 without.  Well...it took 5 hours to get there!  We stopped at the IKEA shopping center in Carson at 3:30 when my son could not hold his bladder any longer.  Ended up grabbing an early dinner there.  Glad we did since we were only about half-way there at the time.

Once we actually got to Carlsbad, Legoland, of course, was already closed for the day.  So, we checked in to our room at the Hampton Inn.  We've never stayed at a Hampton Inn before, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but the room rate was better than any other decent hotels in the area for a last minute booking.  The hotel itself wasn't fancy, but it was clean, comfortable, and got the job done.  There was a pool, a spa, fitness equipment, and a free continental breakfast including all the stuff we've come to expect from the modern continental:  fresh waffles, fruit, yogurt, breakfast meat, eggs, etc.  The room itself had 2 queen beds which were quite comfortable, a bathroom with a bathtub (a plus for the kids), a refrigerator, a microwave, a tv, and a desk.  While it wasn't a room I would typically select for a longer vacation (3+ days), it was perfect for our short stay as it was close to Legoland and many places to eat. 

Legoland, as usual, was pleasant but more fun for the kids than adults.  It was surprisingly not terribly crowded on Saturday.  We were able to ride many rides without any wait until about 2PM.  My older son especially enjoyed the water play areas while the little ones were too cold, so they hung out in the duplo area for a while.  The best highlight was seeing the replica of One World Trade Center, which was under construction when we were there in June.  It was beautifully made and an incredible work of lego art.  As an added bonus this trip, my oldest was finally old enough to go on the big kid side of the driver school ride.  He loved it!

Thankfully, the drive back was painless.  Even less traffic than normal going up the 405.  It wasn't the easiest weekend ever, but it was so nice to get away if even for one night.  This may be our last Legoland trip of the year unless we squeeze a short one in before Christmas.  Glad we got the chance to go.

From Coraline to Kubo Exhibit at Universal Studios, Hollywood

Today I had the pleasure of attending the From Coraline to Kubo exhibit at Universal Studios, Hollywood.  If any of you have interest in stop-motion, this exhibit highlighting some of Laika's best work is absolutely breathtaking.  The exhibit takes you from the early days of Coraline and single-color 3d printing to the newest technology available for Kubo, including the largest stop-motion pupped in existence.  And just think, a lot of this artistry had to be created by hand.  I will just leave some photos as I think they speak for themselves.

While I was at USH, I managed to check out a few attractions, too.  If you haven't been to USH in the last 5 years, now's the time to go.  I wrote about the Wizarding World of Harry Potter a while ago, but it's always worth mentioning. Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey is by far one of the best rides in existence.  It utilized the right amount of modern ride technology, animatronics, and screen-based interaction to create a truly memorable experience.  And, it's easily one of the most immersive lands in southern California theme parks.  The only Disneyland Resort area that comes close right now is Carsland.  We'll see how this influences Star Wars Land in a few years.

I once worked on a little ride at Universal Studios called Back to the Future: The Ride.  Understandably, I was more than a little upset when said ride got re-themed as a Simpson's ride.  But, years later, the entire area surrounding the ride has undergone some amazing re-theming.  Now, when you walk out of the Wizarding World, it feels like your headed straight into Springfield.  The Duff Beer, d'oh-nuts, and Cleetus' fried chicken really make the land work.

I didn't have much time to explore, but the creative team at Universal has also done wonders with their child-based area, focused on the world of Despicable Me and the Minions.  And, there's that other new thing...something to do with the Walking Dead I think it's called?  The line was a bit too long for me (and I'm secretly not brave enough to explore it on a solo trip).

I'll leave you with some shots from the tram ride.  It hasn't changed much recently.  The newer Fast and Furious section is kind of cool, but I miss the dancing cars from Tokyo Drift.  Here's the shots:

Overall, it was a good, solid summer trip.  If you're trying to decide if Universal is worth the money and the time while you're in the L.A. area, I think it is.  I've seen it go from barely being considered a theme park, way back when all you really had was the tram, a handful of shows, and a playground, to a point where now they are challenging Disney to keep up with them in some ways.  It's a good time to be Universal.