We just got back from our first family trip to Disneyland. It was truly magical. We had so much fun and made so many memories! Yes we took the kids out of school... BUT it was only for 3 days and they are still just reviewing last years content. Totally worth it. I'd do it again in a heartbeat!
We spent our first full day just relaxing, hanging by the pool and enjoying the sunshine. We stayed in a really cool hotel close to the airport, the Irvine Marriott. It was really pretty and modern, and had a great outdoor area. I will definitely be coming back at some point to stay longer!
Later in the day we headed over to the hotel we would stay at for the remainder of the trip. It was nothing fancy, but it was a 2 room suite that we could share with my sister-in-law Julie and nephew Ace. It was also a $5 Uber ride from Disney! That evening we went to Downtown Disney for some dinner and most importantly THE LEGO STORE! The kids were in absolute awe when they walked in. Of course we had to get a few things!
The next day we went to Knotts Berry Farm. It was better than I remembered! So many fun (and scary) rides! And it was super cheap! We found tickets online for $39 a person!
I loved that everything was decked out in fall and Halloween decor.
Carson and Ace had a blast going on rides together. Carson was luckily just tall enough to go on most of the big rides. There was only one meltdown when he couldn't ride a crazy upside down roller coaster that everyone else wanted to go on (the Silver Bullet- shown below). I'd be bummed too if I was him! It was Rylee's first upside down ride. She loved it and went on it a second time!
One of our favorites was a water ride- the Bigfoot Rapids.
After a full day of rides we went back to the hotel for some takeout PF Changs and late night swimming. Such a great day!
The next day was DISNEYLAND! The kids had never been before, and really didn't know much about it, so needless to say they were very impressed when we walked into the park. It was so fun watching their faces as they checked out every little thing. Disneyland was also decorated for Halloween, which made it even more fun and amazing!
A couple of our favorite rides were Space Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. We rode that one 4 times!
We got to the park when it opened and did all the popular rides first. We pretty much walked on to every ride for the first couple of hours. Late in the afternoon we used fast passes, but we never waited more than about 15 minutes.
Julie made us matching shirts. They were so cute!
We saw a lot of characters but only got an autograph and pictures with Chip and Dale.
Lance participated in a show in a saloon in Frontier land. The kids thought it was pretty cool to see their dad onstage!
We stayed at the park from open to close. (It closed early at 8 instead of the normal midnight) We ate dinner at an amazing Mexican restaurant in Downtown Disney and had margaritas and table side guacamole. SO GOOD.
Our last full day was spent at California Adventure. It was my first time there and I am hooked. It was awesome!
Our favorite rides were the Incredicoaster (we did it 3 times!) and Guardians of the Galaxy (formerly the Tower of Terror). Rylee would disagree with the last one... she said it was "her worst nightmare). The 2nd time we went on it they changed the theme so it was all monsters. It was definitely more scary that time.
The last day we got a late check out and hung by the pool. Carson was excited to start his projects from the Lego store and Rylee had to practice her diving skills.
What an amazing and memorable trip. I'm already planning our next trip to go back! It truly is "The happiest place on earth."
