SURPRISE!! We are going to Disneyland!!

[Cory's Gal]

Hello!! I am so excited to be writing this trip report! This is our first Disneyland Trip and a report is a must!!! Who are we?? Well.....

There is me, Beth (34)-married to Cory and mom to Gabe & Helen! I am an assistant preschool teacher two days a week and a mom 24/7! I LOVE anything Disney!!

My hubby, Cory (35)-married to me and dad to Gabe & Helen! He is an engineer and an awesome husband and dad! He likes Disney a lot, just not as much as I do

My son, Gabe (8)-great big brother and is REALLY into Star Wars right now. He talks about it and thinks about it 14 hours a day, (the other 10 hours he's sleeping). He also LOVES baseball, playing & watching

My daughter, Helen (5)-great little sister and LOVES everything that is Disney Princess! She also started t-ball this year and tries hard to keep up with her brother! She is so excited to start Kindergarten in the Fall!!
Here we are at Christmas, I am sure I have a more recent family picture but we mostly take pictures with our phones so they don't get uploaded as often as I would like.

So, the surprise, well, our California trip is all booked for July 19th-29th and the kids have no idea and won't even find out until the 18th of July! Cory and I have always wanted to surprise them so we are so far able to keep it a secret!!!

I hope you join in for this SURPRISE!!! More to come!

 

[Cory's Gal]

So far we have most of the big stuff planned! The only bigger piece of the puzzle left is Disneyland/California Adventure park hours. This is our first trip to Disneyland so I have been on the DIS religiously trying to read up the best I can.
Here is our dates broken down so far:

Thurs, July 18th-Surprise the kids at breakfast and give them 24 hour notice. We are thinking about putting our own little section in the newspaper with a story about two kids getting a Disneyland surprise!
Fri, July 19th-fly out of MSP and into LAX, see Hollywood sign and drive down the coast towards our destination, Poway, CA (My SIL lives here so we will spend a few days with her!!)
Sat, 20th-Tues 23rd-Visit with SIL, go to San Diego Zoo, beach, and other San Diego sights and drive up to Anaheim evening of the 23rd & check-in to the Hilton by Angels Stadium
Wed, July 24th-Watch our MN Twins defeat the Angels during the 12:35 game. Drive to the Candy Cane Inn after the game and check-in.
Thurs July 25th-Mon 29th-Spend Th/Fr/Sa/Su at DL & CA. Check out the 29th and fly home out of LAX

So far that's what we got. I just purchased our 4 day PH from Orbitz! (they had a great deal, buy 3 day PH get 4th day free plus I got EBATES) So I have the email voucher ready to go already.

We are hoping for breakfast one morning at Minnie's, and that may be our only table service restaurant as it seems there are a lot of good counter service places. Any Minnie reviews or tips would be great!!!

Here is a picture of my daughter dressed as Snow White, my mom doctored up an old costume for her


She will be so excited!!

 

[Cory's Gal]

I can't wait to experience the magic of Disneyland for the first time with my family, I have been to WDW 8 times in my life but I know even though some things in both parks are similar, it's really a whole new ballgame here!
Here we are on our last trip in April of 2010, Gabe was 5 and Helen was 2:


Part of the reason of planning a trip at this time is Gabe. He is claiming just recently that he is too old & too cool for Cars. We wanted him to experience Carsland and feel like it's now or never! He will still watch the movies if they are on, but now he just loves Star Wars.
He loved Cars so much!


My parents are taking my family & my siblings and their families to WDW in February, so I try to ask the kiddos questions about attractions and things like I am fishing for info for that trip instead of this one since it's a surprise!

Gabe is 48" and Helen is 41", I am hoping they are willing to try everything they are tall enough for. Gabe is a little more timid and Helen is our daredevil but I think they will both be very willing on this trip!

What are your favorite family Disneyland attractions?? I know there is Star Tours at DL as well, is there any other cool Star Wars things I should plan for?? Thanks!!

 

[Princessjenna7]

Congratulations on getting to go to Disneyland!!! I am so excited for you all. I am an annual passer for Disneyland and love hearing how excited people are to experience it for their first time! I have experienced every Character breakfast that Disneyland has to offer. I have to say, The Minnie Mouse one was my least favorite. I think Goofy's Kitchen is one of the better ones. They have the best food, and the caliber of characters are better. If seeing Mickey and Minnie is of importance I would go with Mickey and Friends breakfast.
Here are some of the characters I have seen at Mickey and Friends: Mickey, Minnie, Daisy, And possibly still LILO and Stitch. At the Goofy's Kitchen I have seen: Goofy, Pluto, Chip and Dale, Baloo, Minnie, and sometimes princess, but not all at the same time. Those consist of Jasmine, Aurora, And Mulan.
As for Star Wars they have Jedi Training in Tomorrowland. They also have those soldier guys walking around for photo-ops. Cars Land is special for everyone! At night they turn on the Neon, just like the movie! If your son enjoyed Test Track, then he will definitely enjoy Radiator Springs Racers.
I have 4 children that range from 7 months to 9 years old. My 9 year old is a little more reluctant to experience scared rides and my 6 year old is more adventuress. They like to go on Goofy's Sky School. That is like a kiddie roller coaster. My children and I like to go on the Silly Symphony Swings. My kids have experience every ride in both parks except for California Screamin. I think your children your will be able to experience a lot. Your daughter might be pushing the height limit. I would advise to wear high shoes . Thick soles or something. I believe there is no Indiana Jones at WDW, so that is a must! That is one of my favorite rides in Disneyland! Although Soarin over California needs to be redone, that is still a fun ride! It definitely is fun to see the differences between land and world, so Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean are different. The Monster Inc ride is a mellow ride, but our family enjoys it. I hope this helps. Feel free to ask any questions! I would be happy to answer!

 

[DisMomAmy]

Hi Beth!!! How have you been?? I'm so excited to read about your DL trip!! We really want to go to California (including several days at DL) in the summer of 2015. Our 2014 trip will be WDW in Feb! What are your Feb dates? We'll be there the last week in Feb. I don't have details yet but we'll probably fly down the Wed or Thurs before & visit DBIL & DSIL. I'm thinking we'll bring DMIL with us since it will be her 70th birthday. We'll visit with family, celebrate her birthday & try to check out some spring training venues. Then we'll leave DMIL with DBIL & head to WDW from Sun-Sun.

I'm very curious about the weather in CA in July... We really want to be able to spend 2 weeks out there & summer will be our only option. I'm concerned about heat & crowds!

So glad you found my TR!! And that I'm joining in early here!!

 

[Cory's Gal]

Congratulations on getting to go to Disneyland!!! I am so excited for you all. I am an annual passer for Disneyland and love hearing how excited people are to experience it for their first time! I have experienced every Character breakfast that Disneyland has to offer. I have to say, The Minnie Mouse one was my least favorite. I think Goofy's Kitchen is one of the better ones. They have the best food, and the caliber of characters are better. If seeing Mickey and Minnie is of importance I would go with Mickey and Friends breakfast.
Here are some of the characters I have seen at Mickey and Friends: Mickey, Minnie, Daisy, And possibly still LILO and Stitch. At the Goofy's Kitchen I have seen: Goofy, Pluto, Chip and Dale, Baloo, Minnie, and sometimes princess, but not all at the same time. Those consist of Jasmine, Aurora, And Mulan.
As for Star Wars they have Jedi Training in Tomorrowland. They also have those soldier guys walking around for photo-ops. Cars Land is special for everyone! At night they turn on the Neon, just like the movie! If your son enjoyed Test Track, then he will definitely enjoy Radiator Springs Racers.
I have 4 children that range from 7 months to 9 years old. My 9 year old is a little more reluctant to experience scared rides and my 6 year old is more adventuress. They like to go on Goofy's Sky School. That is like a kiddie roller coaster. My children and I like to go on the Silly Symphony Swings. My kids have experience every ride in both parks except for California Screamin. I think your children your will be able to experience a lot. Your daughter might be pushing the height limit. I would advise to wear high shoes . Thick soles or something. I believe there is no Indiana Jones at WDW, so that is a must! That is one of my favorite rides in Disneyland! Although Soarin over California needs to be redone, that is still a fun ride! It definitely is fun to see the differences between land and world, so Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean are different. The Monster Inc ride is a mellow ride, but our family enjoys it. I hope this helps. Feel free to ask any questions! I would be happy to answer!

Thank you so much for all the awesome info Princessjenna! I will definitely have more questions for you!!! Thanks for offering!!
Minnie & Friends appealed to me because of the characters and being inside Disneyland. I was hoping to be able to work it out to have early reservations! Is it like WDW where we can eat before the park opens? I hope hours are released soon, I would like to have that information soon!!!

Hi Beth!!! How have you been?? I'm so excited to read about your DL trip!! We really want to go to California (including several days at DL) in the summer of 2015. Our 2014 trip will be WDW in Feb! What are your Feb dates? We'll be there the last week in Feb. I don't have details yet but we'll probably fly down the Wed or Thurs before & visit DBIL & DSIL. I'm thinking we'll bring DMIL with us since it will be her 70th birthday. We'll visit with family, celebrate her birthday & try to check out some spring training venues. Then we'll leave DMIL with DBIL & head to WDW from Sun-Sun.

I'm very curious about the weather in CA in July... We really want to be able to spend 2 weeks out there & summer will be our only option. I'm concerned about heat & crowds!

So glad you found my TR!! And that I'm joining in early here!!

Hi Amy!! Glad you found my PTR! We haven't been to WDW in 3 years and this time it's DL & WDW about 7 months apart! Woo hoo!! Even though it's only 2 parks DL is a totally different planning experience! I know it's going to be hot in July but maybe not too humid. Summer works the best for us too!

We will be going to WDW February 8-15th. Bummer we'll miss you guys!! My parents are bringing me and my siblings and our families! That will be a new experience as well with 13 people (and some WDW newbies and skeptics)!! Thanks for reading!!!!

 

[Goofy_Mom]

Hi Beth!!! How have you been?? I'm so excited to read about your DL trip!! We really want to go to California (including several days at DL) in the summer of 2015. Our 2014 trip will be WDW in Feb! What are your Feb dates? We'll be there the last week in Feb. I don't have details yet but we'll probably fly down the Wed or Thurs before & visit DBIL & DSIL. I'm thinking we'll bring DMIL with us since it will be her 70th birthday. We'll visit with family, celebrate her birthday & try to check out some spring training venues. Then we'll leave DMIL with DBIL & head to WDW from Sun-Sun.

I'm very curious about the weather in CA in July... We really want to be able to spend 2 weeks out there & summer will be our only option. I'm concerned about heat & crowds!

So glad you found my TR!! And that I'm joining in early here!!

Being a CA resident, let me shed some light on the weather. Normally July is warm, but not humid. We've been the week after the 4th of July, highs were low 80s. At night, if there is a breeze it can dip to the mid 60s.

What works well for most with younger kids is start the day at the parks, come back to the hotel for a swim and relax and lunch, go back for or after dinner. Most hotels (the Candy Cane included) are within walking distance (about 10 min) to the parks. The Candy Cane also as it's own shuttle which helps the tired footsies.

 

[Cory's Gal]

Being a CA resident, let me shed some light on the weather. Normally July is warm, but not humid. We've been the week after the 4th of July, highs were low 80s. At night, if there is a breeze it can dip to the mid 60s.

What works well for most with younger kids is start the day at the parks, come back to the hotel for a swim and relax and lunch, go back for or after dinner. Most hotels (the Candy Cane included) are within walking distance (about 10 min) to the parks. The Candy Cane also as it's own shuttle which helps the tired footsies.

Thanks for the info Goofy Mom!
I was hoping to be able to sneak back to the hotel early afternoons for a break. I thought we could swim or even have a snack, rest our feet, reapply sunscreen and head back out! Glad to hear again what I was told about the weather being hot but not humid. Here in MN, the summers can get hot & humid so being warm with no humidity is great! Is July a rainy month??

 

[Dizneydaz]

Thanks for the info Goofy Mom!
I was hoping to be able to sneak back to the hotel early afternoons for a break. I thought we could swim or even have a snack, rest our feet, reapply sunscreen and head back out! Glad to hear again what I was told about the weather being hot but not humid. Here in MN, the summers can get hot & humid so being warm with no humidity is great! Is July a rainy month??

Unless there's a freak summer storm-which we occasionally get, it will be dry.

Carsland is amazing! It's like being in the movie!

If your DS is into Star Wars than definitely try to do Jedi training. He'll love it. Have him jump up and down the entire time when they are picking out the kids who get to participate-They like to pick kids who are enthusiastic. I rec. getting there for the first show of the day. There will be a Photopass photog there so if you are planning on getting the PP CD make sure you go to the PP store and they will add ones of the show to your PP card.

 

[LSUDisneyfan]

I was drawn into your thread by the title, we are also planning a surprise 1st trip to Disneyland after multiple trips to WDW. Then after reading, we will be there the same time and also going to the same Angels vs Twins game. We are not letting our boys know until the morning we fly out. Subbing to this thread as it looks like there will be a lot of good tips.

 

[Cory's Gal]

Unless there's a freak summer storm-which we occasionally get, it will be dry.

Carsland is amazing! It's like being in the movie!

If your DS is into Star Wars than definitely try to do Jedi training. He'll love it. Have him jump up and down the entire time when they are picking out the kids who get to participate-They like to pick kids who are enthusiastic. I rec. getting there for the first show of the day. There will be a Photopass photog there so if you are planning on getting the PP CD make sure you go to the PP store and they will add ones of the show to your PP card.

Thank you so so much for the info!! My son would absolutely LOVE the Jedi Training and we will for sure make the first show. How early can we "line up" for that? I was thinking of getting the PP+ for this trip, it seems like a good deal at DL and I will be sure to get the Jedi Academy pics on there then!!! Thanks for joining in!!!!

I was drawn into your thread by the title, we are also planning a surprise 1st trip to Disneyland after multiple trips to WDW. Then after reading, we will be there the same time and also going to the same Angels vs Twins game. We are not letting our boys know until the morning we fly out. Subbing to this thread as it looks like there will be a lot of good tips.

Welcome and thanks for following along!!!! What are your DL dates and where are you staying? Surprising the kids will be so fun I hope I can keep my mouth shut!!! We thought checking out the baseball game is a must! Tickets weren't too badly priced either!! I have already gotten some good tips on here, it's so different planning DL from WDW!!

 

[Cory's Gal]

Finally an update now since Summer Vacation has officially started!!!! YEAH!!! I am so (NOT) patiently waiting for Disneyland to release park hours for our days...cue Jeopardy music...do do do, do-do-do...

Here is Gabe on his last day of 2nd grade, you wouldn't think it's summer with our 55-60 degree days and lots of rain! BOO! He's still a cutie


Helen graduated from preschool 2 weeks ago, I think she is ready for Kindergarten!!


We haven't made too many more "plans" yet but I am now thinking of NOT doing "Minnie and Friends" breakfast as I feel that I would rather be enjoying more park time! So, our check-out day and last day in CA is Monday, July 29th so I thought we could do either a Goofy's Kitchen breakfast or Surf's Up breakfast! Our flight doesn't leave LAX until 6:00pm so we could take our time that morning. Any opinions on those two places for breakfast?? It would be fun to check out a DL resort too! I hope everyone is having a great week!!!!

 

[LSUDisneyfan]

We are flying in the on Saturday July 20th, planning on site seeing Sunday. Then hitting parks Monday - Friday with a break on Wednesday for the Angels game.

Yes planning for DL is way different from WDW. i just booked my restaurants this week and had no problem getting the times i wanted. try finding an open slot at WDW 45 days out.

 

[wdwgirl03]

Yay for your first trip to Disneyland! Before I went for the first time I was so afraid I would be "bored" there (after going to WDW so many times) but I loved it! It's been almost 6 years since I was last there and I really want to go back! Can't wait to hear more about your trip. Disneyland is definitely a different experience from Disney World!

 

[Cory's Gal]

We are flying in the on Saturday July 20th, planning on site seeing Sunday. Then hitting parks Monday - Friday with a break on Wednesday for the Angels game.

Yes planning for DL is way different from WDW. i just booked my restaurants this week and had no problem getting the times i wanted. try finding an open slot at WDW 45 days out.

Have you gotten your Angels/Twins tickets yet?? We need to get on that this weekend for sure! We have looked around for some and compared to Target Field here, the tickets are MUCH MORE reasonable in CA!

I am going to call for our dining reservation this week too, but I am not sweating it at all. We are going to WDW in February and my mom wants us all to eat at Be Our Guest, so the morning of our 180 day window we have to be on the phone!! Crazy!!!

Yay for your first trip to Disneyland! Before I went for the first time I was so afraid I would be "bored" there (after going to WDW so many times) but I loved it! It's been almost 6 years since I was last there and I really want to go back! Can't wait to hear more about your trip. Disneyland is definitely a different experience from Disney World!

Hi Sarah! Thanks for following along! We are really excited to see DL especially for Carsland. I am glad that it is smaller and less walking than WDW. It's nice we can stay so close at a non-property resort and still walk too! The kids will be over-the-moon excited!!!

 

[WDWaddictt]

Hi I am joining along. We surprised our kids in Feb the morning of us going to WDW. It was so much fun, but I will never do it again...lol. It was so hard to keep the secret especially when we were so excited.

Can't wait to hear about your plans and trip. I would like to plan a DLR trip, my family has never been. I was when I was four, so it is time to return.

 

[burly]

Joining in on this one.
My kids are older now and almost umpossible to surprise, with their busy schedules. I think you will be happy you did this when they are young.
Looking forward to more...


KIM

 

[Cory's Gal]

Hi I am joining along. We surprised our kids in Feb the morning of us going to WDW. It was so much fun, but I will never do it again...lol. It was so hard to keep the secret especially when we were so excited.

Can't wait to hear about your plans and trip. I would like to plan a DLR trip, my family has never been. I was when I was four, so it is time to return.

Thank you so much for reading along!! I TOTALLY agree that keeping the secret is the hardest part. Even when I think of something, I can't tell DH right away if the kiddos are around, we try to talk in code! I hope the surprise goes off well!!

Joining in on this one.
My kids are older now and almost umpossible to surprise, with their busy schedules. I think you will be happy you did this when they are young.
Looking forward to more...


KIM

Thanks Kim, It is so exciting planning this trip, I sometimes forget we are going because it's so secretive. Lots of friends and family ask what are our plans for July, and we have to make something up and tell them later. It's hard because I don't want the surprise to slip out!! Thanks for following along!!

 

[Cory's Gal]

Hello everyone!!! It's been awhile!!

I haven't forgotten, just been crazy summer busy like everyone else and now we are down to 11 days until the surprise and 12 days until we leave!!!
It's so hard keeping it a surprise and I still find it hard to be preparing!! So this is what we have been up to the last 3 weeks...


As I have said, we are big Twins fans and we have been able to see a game this summer already, Gabe has been to 3!


Helen still loves princesses and went to a birthday party where "Snow White" came, (she was sweet but REALLY needed a wig fix). Helen was convinced this Snow White was real!!

We saw Monsters University last week and we LOVED it!!!! We gave it 4/4 bouncing Sulleys!!


Fourth of July came and we always have a big party! It was great, and then we were out of town for a few days visiting family and just got back today!!!

And one of the most exciting parts was the arrival a little package!

Which I had to promptly ditch with the rest of our trip stuff!!! This is so hard to keep secret but SO MUCH FUN TOO!!!!

So, between these activities, Vacation Bible School, swimming lessons, baseball, and t-ball, June flew by so quickly!!
Things left on my vacation list...
1. Reservation for character meal on departure day
2. Twins/Angels tickets
3. Planning our one alone day in San Diego
4. Typing up surprise newspaper article for Surprise Morning
5. Washing/Packing in secret
6. Airport parking here at home

Thank you for still reading along and I promise more updates the next two weeks!!!! Time is ticking away fast!!

 

[Cory's Gal]

Okay, we are getting down to the wire here...about 6 days and counting...

I got two MAJOR things off the checklist!
We decided on breakfast at Surf's Up on our check-out day and last day in CA!! It should be so much fun!!
I also bought our baseball tickets and they were just emailed to me yesterday so double check!!

Here is where I need some disboards friend help, planning our park days. Disneyland is new to us, I feel I know a good amount like in terms of attractions and such but I am struggling on which park, which day so here are our stats again:
4 day park hoppers, staying offsite at the Candy Cane Inn, our days are Thurs July 25th, Fri July 26th, Sat July 27th, and Sun July 28th. I know we get one Magic Morning at Disneyland. So, if you have some suggestions I would GREATLY appreciate it!!! I have no pics to share today so here is a family shot from our last WDW trip in 2010:


Thanks so much!!!!