We left on Monday, the 12th around 10:30am. After months of hearing how many days until our vacation, it was nice to be off. We had one of us sit next to the baby to feed and take care of him while the other one drove. The baby traveled ok. Our other two boys really did well though which made up for a lot. We stopped a lot more than we normally do as well.
Arriving in Anaheim at 5:15pm, we checked into Candy Cane Inn. It was a nice property with flowers and greenery around. A nice change than from just a parking lot. The pools are in the middle of the property and parking lot. They have a larger pool, spa and then a kid size pool in a separate area. There is plenty of parking. The room was a little smaller than some of the other hotels we had stayed at. They were clean however which was nice. There was not a dresser though and space to unpack was very limited. We ended up putting our suitcases back into the van in order to not trip over them.
Since it was dinner time we decided to go grab some dinner and then go to the beach. We ended up at Mimi's Cafe near Seal Beach. We have been to Mimi's many times and this was the first time that the service was lacking. We were highly disappointed. After we went to the beach. DH took the two older boys to the beach while I fed the baby.
Tuesday morning, DH left at 5:00am in order to make his flight from LAX to San Jose. He had an unexpected meeting come up that was only going to take that day. We decided to have me take the boys to California Adventure. The boys were up and ready by 7:30. We ate breakfast and then I had to figure out how I was going to fit everything in the stroller. I ended up putting the sling on with the baby, and then the two other boys rode in the stoller. (we have a sit and stand stroller) I got it figured out and just prayed that this was going to work.
We rode the shuttle to the park that morning. The driver helped me with the stroller. A little boy sat next to my shy 3 year old and wanted to know if he had been on "Tower of Terror". After asking my son about 10 different questions and getting no response, the boy turned to his mom and said, "I don't think he talks mom."
The baby fell asleep as we got into CA. I had the boys pick out a pair of Mickey's Ears. They got their name on them and off we went. Monsters, Inc was our first ride. I was grateful that the baby was sleeping. He does not like loud noises and this would have been too loud. After that we did Playhouse Disney show. They had Bear in the Big Blue House, Jo Jo's Circus, Stanley and Winnie the Pooh. The boys loved it, although they wanted to know where Little Einstiens were. (since they are on the commerical on Disney Channel). From there we went to Bug's land where we rode the Chew-Chew train and Flik's Flyer's. DH called and said he caught an earlier flight and would be in around 12:50. We had lunch and then did Turtle Talk with Crush. Very cute show. It is interactive and Crush talks to the audience so it is different every time.
After that we had been there for 3 1/2 hours and it was time for a nap. At least for mom. By the time we made it back to the hotel, DH was there. We rested for a bit and then went to Disneyland. My 3 year old is going through a phase right now where he is scared of a lot of things. Any "bad guy", he wants to fast forward... Well that limited the number of rides he wanted to go on. My 5 year old wanted to go on Buzz Lightyear. The crowds at Disneyland were thick. The line for Buzz was longer than we wanted to do for just one child. We got fastpasses for Autopia and then rode the monorail. It did go all the way around and not just in shuttle mode. From there we did Small World. From there it was time we could go back and ride the cars. I took the baby to the baby care center to feed him and DH took the boys to the ride. On the way we saw 3 people smoking where they were not suppose to be and one mother nursing on the ground in front of the teacups. I wanted to hand her a blanket, but refrained.
That night we met up with my cousin and his wife and went out for dinner. We got back late and went to bed. The highlight of that night was my cousin knows chinese and we told our 5 year old that. My cousin asked him if he knew any chinese. Shaking his head yes, he then said very slowly..."CH...I...N....ESE".
The next morning we started off at Disneyland. Since we had a minor meltdown with our 3 year old, I just took our 5 year old first. We went on Buzz Lightyear 2 times and then met up with everyone. From there we did Autopia, Dumbo, teacups and then went to Winnie the Pooh. Apparently Pooh spilled some honey, because the ride was closed down for about an hour. DH took our older son on Big Thunder Mountain. He was really brave. He got off and told our other son he would not like it because it went in a cave. From there we went to CA and got fastpasses for Soarin and then went to lunch. We went back and took a nap. The baby was sleeping so well that DH took the other two boys and I would join them later. They did soarin- which both boys loved, but they will wait till next year to go on it again. Then they did all the rides at Bug's Land. When I got there we got some dinner and Taste Pilots. It was ok food. Then DH took the boys on Monsters and I did Soarin with the last fastpass. The baby did NOT do well on Monsters. It was too loud for him. So after that we went back to the hotel. Our 3 year old accidentally broke DH's glasses, so we went to Costco 5 mintues before close and they repaired them for us. Without them, DH learned he was blind as a bat with a bad headache.
Thursday we did early entry. The crowds all week long were thick. We decided that we will not do another spring break. At least while our children are still young. We would have switched to the following week, but DH had school on Friday. If we were going to stay late at the parks or not have an infant it would have been a different story. There was a lot of stimulation around for him and it was hard to calm him down. So with Early Entry we did Buzz (5 year old) and then went to Fantasyland. Our 3 year old complained about every ride we suggested. Finally they went on the merry-go-round. Then we headed to Autopia. From there we went to the first aid center for some Advil for mom. After carrying the baby 3 days it was taking a toll... We did the shotguns in Frontierland. Since it was still early, none of the shops there were opened. The ship Columbia was docked but not going around, but the boys wanted to look around so we did. From there we went to Winnie the Pooh. We rode that 4 times straight. I found the hidden mickey there. DH fed the baby as I did the ride. The jungle boats were also closed. We then went to CA for lunch. The place we ate lunch everyday was Whitewater Snacks. It was quiet and we could eat outside if we wanted. Thursday, DH got the nachos. They brought it to us opposite the way he had requested (no jalapenos and cheese sauce- that is all that was on it). AND they only gave us half of our cheese sandwich. With my meal, they gave us one Au Jus for the french dip and one chilli. (It was suppose to be 2 Au Jus) After getting the meal straightened out we ate outside since the baby decided he was not happy at this point.
We did Redwood Creek Challenge. The boys LOVED it. DH was impressed with how much they did. He said it was quite challenging though. There would be no way I could do that and hold the baby. I did see grandparents on it though. The boys also did the mini zip-line. They loved it too. That shocked me since they did not want to go on any other ride that was fast. We finished up CA with one more ride on Monsters and then went back to the hotel for a nap.
We decided for dinner we would get some and bring it back to the room and eat. Our son's wanted pancakes, so we called IHOP. They told us we could not order ahead. That we could take food out, but we had to physically be there before they would start cooking it. Since that was not going to happen, we went to Mimi's again. Both boys got pancakes and I got eggs/potatoes. DH got a turkey sandwich. Mimi's made me two orders of eggs/potatoes. We were not going to pay for 2, so they just gave us the second order. Breakfast for the next day! After dinner we went to Disneyland one last time. We got some family pictures and went on small world. It was so crowded that we got a few things and went back.
That night, our oldest woke up with a flu bug. He threw up every half hour. I was glad we were going home!
Pros: We were at Disneyland and creating memories for our family. Our older son is getting more daring in his ride choices yet still cautious. Our two boys were very accomadating for the baby. The baby did as well as we expected. It was not as hot as I expected. Love Fastpass- wish they had it on Dumbo. The hotel breakfast was good- cereal, oatmeal, toast, bagel, pastries, fruit. Our Mickey crocs fit right in.
Cons: Crowds. The hotel staff did not know a lot about the area. We called twice for information and it was wrong both times. We were glad we had GPS in the van and a laptop to help us know. People at Disneyland were sometimes rude as well. I think the more people there are and the hotter it is the more peoples anger rises. Son getting the flu. We had to use the icebucket as a catchall. It made me appreciate the fact that I never put ice directly into the bucket for a reason!
Overall it was a great trip. The baby was a baby. If you have the patience for it I would take an infant. We saw a lot of them there. We know it will be another year-18 months before we make it back again though.
Arriving in Anaheim at 5:15pm, we checked into Candy Cane Inn. It was a nice property with flowers and greenery around. A nice change than from just a parking lot. The pools are in the middle of the property and parking lot. They have a larger pool, spa and then a kid size pool in a separate area. There is plenty of parking. The room was a little smaller than some of the other hotels we had stayed at. They were clean however which was nice. There was not a dresser though and space to unpack was very limited. We ended up putting our suitcases back into the van in order to not trip over them.
Since it was dinner time we decided to go grab some dinner and then go to the beach. We ended up at Mimi's Cafe near Seal Beach. We have been to Mimi's many times and this was the first time that the service was lacking. We were highly disappointed. After we went to the beach. DH took the two older boys to the beach while I fed the baby.
Tuesday morning, DH left at 5:00am in order to make his flight from LAX to San Jose. He had an unexpected meeting come up that was only going to take that day. We decided to have me take the boys to California Adventure. The boys were up and ready by 7:30. We ate breakfast and then I had to figure out how I was going to fit everything in the stroller. I ended up putting the sling on with the baby, and then the two other boys rode in the stoller. (we have a sit and stand stroller) I got it figured out and just prayed that this was going to work.
We rode the shuttle to the park that morning. The driver helped me with the stroller. A little boy sat next to my shy 3 year old and wanted to know if he had been on "Tower of Terror". After asking my son about 10 different questions and getting no response, the boy turned to his mom and said, "I don't think he talks mom."
The baby fell asleep as we got into CA. I had the boys pick out a pair of Mickey's Ears. They got their name on them and off we went. Monsters, Inc was our first ride. I was grateful that the baby was sleeping. He does not like loud noises and this would have been too loud. After that we did Playhouse Disney show. They had Bear in the Big Blue House, Jo Jo's Circus, Stanley and Winnie the Pooh. The boys loved it, although they wanted to know where Little Einstiens were. (since they are on the commerical on Disney Channel). From there we went to Bug's land where we rode the Chew-Chew train and Flik's Flyer's. DH called and said he caught an earlier flight and would be in around 12:50. We had lunch and then did Turtle Talk with Crush. Very cute show. It is interactive and Crush talks to the audience so it is different every time.
After that we had been there for 3 1/2 hours and it was time for a nap. At least for mom. By the time we made it back to the hotel, DH was there. We rested for a bit and then went to Disneyland. My 3 year old is going through a phase right now where he is scared of a lot of things. Any "bad guy", he wants to fast forward... Well that limited the number of rides he wanted to go on. My 5 year old wanted to go on Buzz Lightyear. The crowds at Disneyland were thick. The line for Buzz was longer than we wanted to do for just one child. We got fastpasses for Autopia and then rode the monorail. It did go all the way around and not just in shuttle mode. From there we did Small World. From there it was time we could go back and ride the cars. I took the baby to the baby care center to feed him and DH took the boys to the ride. On the way we saw 3 people smoking where they were not suppose to be and one mother nursing on the ground in front of the teacups. I wanted to hand her a blanket, but refrained.
That night we met up with my cousin and his wife and went out for dinner. We got back late and went to bed. The highlight of that night was my cousin knows chinese and we told our 5 year old that. My cousin asked him if he knew any chinese. Shaking his head yes, he then said very slowly..."CH...I...N....ESE".
The next morning we started off at Disneyland. Since we had a minor meltdown with our 3 year old, I just took our 5 year old first. We went on Buzz Lightyear 2 times and then met up with everyone. From there we did Autopia, Dumbo, teacups and then went to Winnie the Pooh. Apparently Pooh spilled some honey, because the ride was closed down for about an hour. DH took our older son on Big Thunder Mountain. He was really brave. He got off and told our other son he would not like it because it went in a cave. From there we went to CA and got fastpasses for Soarin and then went to lunch. We went back and took a nap. The baby was sleeping so well that DH took the other two boys and I would join them later. They did soarin- which both boys loved, but they will wait till next year to go on it again. Then they did all the rides at Bug's Land. When I got there we got some dinner and Taste Pilots. It was ok food. Then DH took the boys on Monsters and I did Soarin with the last fastpass. The baby did NOT do well on Monsters. It was too loud for him. So after that we went back to the hotel. Our 3 year old accidentally broke DH's glasses, so we went to Costco 5 mintues before close and they repaired them for us. Without them, DH learned he was blind as a bat with a bad headache.
Thursday we did early entry. The crowds all week long were thick. We decided that we will not do another spring break. At least while our children are still young. We would have switched to the following week, but DH had school on Friday. If we were going to stay late at the parks or not have an infant it would have been a different story. There was a lot of stimulation around for him and it was hard to calm him down. So with Early Entry we did Buzz (5 year old) and then went to Fantasyland. Our 3 year old complained about every ride we suggested. Finally they went on the merry-go-round. Then we headed to Autopia. From there we went to the first aid center for some Advil for mom. After carrying the baby 3 days it was taking a toll... We did the shotguns in Frontierland. Since it was still early, none of the shops there were opened. The ship Columbia was docked but not going around, but the boys wanted to look around so we did. From there we went to Winnie the Pooh. We rode that 4 times straight. I found the hidden mickey there. DH fed the baby as I did the ride. The jungle boats were also closed. We then went to CA for lunch. The place we ate lunch everyday was Whitewater Snacks. It was quiet and we could eat outside if we wanted. Thursday, DH got the nachos. They brought it to us opposite the way he had requested (no jalapenos and cheese sauce- that is all that was on it). AND they only gave us half of our cheese sandwich. With my meal, they gave us one Au Jus for the french dip and one chilli. (It was suppose to be 2 Au Jus) After getting the meal straightened out we ate outside since the baby decided he was not happy at this point.
We did Redwood Creek Challenge. The boys LOVED it. DH was impressed with how much they did. He said it was quite challenging though. There would be no way I could do that and hold the baby. I did see grandparents on it though. The boys also did the mini zip-line. They loved it too. That shocked me since they did not want to go on any other ride that was fast. We finished up CA with one more ride on Monsters and then went back to the hotel for a nap.
We decided for dinner we would get some and bring it back to the room and eat. Our son's wanted pancakes, so we called IHOP. They told us we could not order ahead. That we could take food out, but we had to physically be there before they would start cooking it. Since that was not going to happen, we went to Mimi's again. Both boys got pancakes and I got eggs/potatoes. DH got a turkey sandwich. Mimi's made me two orders of eggs/potatoes. We were not going to pay for 2, so they just gave us the second order. Breakfast for the next day! After dinner we went to Disneyland one last time. We got some family pictures and went on small world. It was so crowded that we got a few things and went back.
That night, our oldest woke up with a flu bug. He threw up every half hour. I was glad we were going home!
Pros: We were at Disneyland and creating memories for our family. Our older son is getting more daring in his ride choices yet still cautious. Our two boys were very accomadating for the baby. The baby did as well as we expected. It was not as hot as I expected. Love Fastpass- wish they had it on Dumbo. The hotel breakfast was good- cereal, oatmeal, toast, bagel, pastries, fruit. Our Mickey crocs fit right in.
Cons: Crowds. The hotel staff did not know a lot about the area. We called twice for information and it was wrong both times. We were glad we had GPS in the van and a laptop to help us know. People at Disneyland were sometimes rude as well. I think the more people there are and the hotter it is the more peoples anger rises. Son getting the flu. We had to use the icebucket as a catchall. It made me appreciate the fact that I never put ice directly into the bucket for a reason!
Overall it was a great trip. The baby was a baby. If you have the patience for it I would take an infant. We saw a lot of them there. We know it will be another year-18 months before we make it back again though.
