My Personal Hotel Review for Disneyland Vacations

You have 3 things to decide:
-How close to the park do you want to be?
-How much are you willing to pay?
-Do you need/want NICE rooms?

We've stayed anywhere from Disney Resorts Grand California hotel down to one of the older off site hotels and have had good experiences with all. If you want to stay in one of Disney's Resort hotels (Grand Californian, Disneyland Hotel, or Paradise Pier) expect to pay about double for your ticket hotel package.

What you get in return for the extra money may be worth it to you. These hotels are newly built, newly remodeled or undergoing remodeling. They offer a slightly more "magical" experience and are a higher quality compared to many of the hotels in the resort area. Disney Resort customers also have the opportunity to board the monorail at Downtown Disney's station and enter California Adventure through an exclusive entrance. Our favorite Disneyland resort hotel is The Grand Californian:

Also check out some of the new Signature Suites at Disneyland Hotel and here too

Off resort:

The Fairfield Inn by the Marriott is located across the street from the park's main entrance, and offers great views of the park (perfect for watching the firework show).

The Castle Inn provides a slightly more "magical" experience than many of the other off-resort hotels because of it's Castle architecture. It is a bit of a walk (maybe 10-15 minutes with sleepy kiddos), and when we went last (around 2005) the rooms left something to be desired.

The Del Sol Inn is my personal favorite. It is set back a little bit from the strip which adds a feel of more privacy and quiet. Like most of the hotels within walking distance, the rooms could use an update in furniture and decor, but for what it lacked, it made up for with it's rat pack era charm and salt water swimming pool. It's not for everybody, but those that appreciate quiet and charm might like this hotel.

The nicest hotel we've stayed at off-resort:
The Anaheim Hilton. In spite of the walk, the accommodations were worth it! This is for me one of the nicest hotels I've stayed in! The lobby is gorgeous and grand! The service is courteous! The rooms, which were renovated a few years ago, were modern and classy! I blame their ultra cozy beds and soft pillows for my sleeping in til 9:30 every morning! (A good night's sleep is valuable and sometimes rare on a Disney trip!)

They do have a shuttle available to the park for a small fee if you dont want to walk or do have children with you. We saw plenty of families walking to and from the park though.

My pictures of the hotel dont do it justice and I borrowed the picture of the room from the site...as the minute we stepped into our room we threw our luggage on the ground and flopped onto the bed. Rooms have a flat screen t.v. wif-fi available for a fee, a small fridge and microwave, in hotel restaurant and food court. Also around the corner and down the block is a 7-11 for grabbing anything you might need or have forgotten. It is within walking distance to the Garden Walk Mall where you can find a California Pizza Kitchen and a Bubba Gumps. And a drive down Harbor Blvd. Will bring you to the beach!

The folks at Get Away Today really know what they're doing! If you prefer beautiful cozy accommodations over a closer location, I definitely recommend this hotel!!! Just let them know I sent you (or Admiral Duke... my hubs.)

A Disneyland Vacation : Where I Would Start ...Your Travel Agency

There are many options out there for Disney Travel. There are some great packages available. If you have membership with a motor club company, are in the military or shop at a bolk warehouse type store, you may be able to find some sweet discounted deals!

Our absolutely favorite company to use for a Dinseyland trip is Get Away Today. Why? Well, about 7 or 8 years ago our oldest came home with a flyer from their company. A portion of the money spent with their company would go back to my kiddo's school. At the time we had a credit card with a very low limit... not enough to book a vacation on, but Get Away Today offered the option of paying straight from your bank account, which was perfect for us.

I really like their user friendly site too. Many travel agencies online require you give them your email address and sometimes phone number to receive a quote for a vacation. Not so with Get Away Today. I can sit for as long as I want and enter and re-enter information to figure out the best deal, time to go, specials, etc.

Also when you book with them they usually send you an official Disney Pin, which isn't anything super special BUT you can bring it with you to the park and trade it with any cast member for a more unique pin (more on that later)

A couple of years later I thought I would shop around for a better deal. Really all I found was that everyone else was either more expensive, less friendly, or relatively the same with a few differences...So we are staying loyal to our favorite.

Your budget for Disneyland depends greatly on how many days you will be there, how many things you plan on buying, and how much you DONT want to spend. I will be doing a post later about different tips to help you save money if your main goal is to create a "magical" trip for a family. Right now, just understand that the biggest part of your budget is probably going to be taken up by your park tickets. When you are booking with most agencies the price you see includes tickets. Your hotel room only takes up a small portion of that money. Often times you might find a deal for a free night which will help with up to $120 of your hotel budget. Also when you book tickets and hotel together(along with anything else like car rental and airline tickets) you stand more of a chance of saving a hunk of money than if you booked them all separately.

A couple of posts from now I will go over our typical first day at Disney, how we use our time, how we save money, and what we spend our money on and why. Next up: Hotel Review and How to Pick Where You Stay

Happy Anniversary Haunted Mansion

Happy Anniversary to my tied-for-first favorite Disneyland ride, The Haunted Mansion!

Being an artist, I love all things created. Being a Disney fan, I love all creative things Disney. Here are some of my favorite Haunted Mansion pieces I've found on the web:

This embroidered piece of the tight rope girl down by Giddy Girlie

Vinylmation Stretching room by
Mametchi86

These wedding invites (that would work for a halloween party too) from nyballadeer

And how cool is this fan art from
Nekeesorf

One of the best Haunted Mansion fan blogs out there is run by talented photographer Carrie Vines called Haunted Mansion Collectibles. Really worth a look if you're a fan!

Alice in Wonderland themed party

picture use by permission

I was already working on an Alice in Wonderland when I saw this wonderful post that took the cake! Maybe you might think Let's Explore blogger, Amy had gone over board... maybe the flowers with eyes were too much, or the perfectly drawn caterpillar blowing real life bubbles was over the top... but I disagree! Every child should have at least one birthday so spectacular, so unique, so perfect to remember on all of their unbirthdays!

And if that's not enough, head on over to the next post for more details!

It's Never Too Late for a Tiki Party

Summer seems to be almost over here. Kids are heading back to school. Swimsuits are being put away. Sunscreen isn't a such a necessity. But even with Autumn on the horizon, one last farewell to gods of summer wouldn't be out of the question.

Consider purchasing a few grass table skirts. One for the table, naturally, but drape your windows with them as well. Serve chicken and veggie kabobs, slices of papaya, and dont forget to make a Disneyland inspire Pineapple Whip! I've included a tasty looking recipe below.
1. Grass umbrella 2. Paper Mache Parrot 3. Flaming Tiki 4.Hibiscus flower straws 5. Pineapple whip recipe!

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Cute Toy Story Party Ideas

These Jesse Hat cookies from Disney Family made my mouth water! Know what else you need? (click the pictures to bring you to the websites)

This banner from etsy

and

and this fabric campfire

Here's a creative way to lay out the spred

For more creative Toy Story food ideas, go check out this post!

What Should I Wear to Disneyland?

You've booked your airline tickets to California, you've booked your hotel and bought your Disneyland tickets (our favorite agency is Get Away Today really an excellent deal!), all you need to do know is figure out what to pack for everyone. Here are some tips to help make it easier to pack.

1) Check the weather... Mornings in Anaheim are usually a bit overcast and misty leaving you feeling both cool and clammy. As the sun burns off the cool clouds the temperature will of course warm up. Summers usually reach the mid 80's. Winters are mid 60's.

2) What time you will be there will determine how many layers to bring... We always saty at the park from open to close. I dress the kids and I in long pants or shorts, t-shirts, very comfortable shoes (we love a Keens for their durability and comfort). Also make sure to bring a jacket... that cold moist air will definitely be back in the evening. Most lines for rides are shaded to some degree, but a hat is always nice to help prevent sunburns. Also inexpensive camping rain ponchos to avoid getting wet on Splash Mountain and for that unexpected rain shower.

3) Children... If you have them, you know you are likely to have some sort of accident. Dont make me tell you the story about my baby and her diaper incident! Extra clothing items worth packing for inside the park are:
-underwear, pants, and socks for your potty trainer
-onesie and change of out fit for the baby (a onesie will come in handy if the weather gets really warm)
-t-shirts for those messy eaters
-also pack some sandals or inexpensive tennies in your luggage in case your new walker loses a shoe.

I've always found that being over prepared for an out of town trip to Disneyland is far better than having to buy something in an expensive gift shop. Have fun!

Disney Inspired Fashion

Have you used Polyvore yet? I use it all the time to help me throw wardrobe ideas together for my photography shoots. One of the other ways I've used it is designing Disney inspired wardrobes like the one above that I call "Snow White in the City". Wouldn't it be great to have all these outfits?!

Ariel in the City

Modern Day Mary Poppins

Indiana Jones Room Inspired by Disneyland's Temple of the Forbidden Eye

I was thinking about childhood the other day. How we all know how to be kids, but we don't really know how to be grown ups. I thought about how much fun I had as a kid. A ton of tree climbing, ditch digging, and twilight games of tag. I remember secret bike rides to the gas station to buy jolly ranchers and lemon heads. I remember the smell of of creosote and juniper when we walked the train tracks home. These are things my kids rarely (or never) do. And I feel bad for them. But it got me to thinking about what I could do to make their time at home more imaginative and maybe help them create something to remember. First idea? Turn T's room into something inspired by Indiana Jones (and the outdoor areas of the Disneyland ride)

So of course, the biggest project was the painting. The room used to be lavender (from when it was C's room) The stone wall, and the distressed white walls took me about 8-10 hours to finish. I love them. When I check on T at night it really looks like he is sleeping in a cot outside some ancient Mayan ruins.

The steamer trunk holds his toys, the red shelf his clothes. I tea stained a few dozen maps from thrifted National Geographics for his map wall. They are held in place with just thumbtacks. The headboard is made from an old fence. I painted different cities with the mileage to them (like a sign post) on it and spelled 'Tanzenia' wrong on purpose (you MIGHT know why). You can't see the light fixture, but it's an industrial style light that I found at goodwill for $7. I spray painted it black and distressed it with paint. Eventually I will redo the red shelf to resemble a shipping crate. After that I'll devise a pulley system for the curtain, paint the closet and bedroom door, order the pictures for the wall, and make a night light out of the lantern... fun!