The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland

So we took a completely impulsive, last minute, crazy trip to DisneyLAND.  Yes, the one in California.      We had a few flights that were expiring and we knew Mary Harper would fly free, so we went for it.  The attraction to Disneyland as opposed to Disney World, is the Carsland in Disney's California Adventures park.  Greer is quite the car collector, thanks to his Ji Ji.  She started his collection a few years ago, actually shortly after we moved to Augusta.  Every time we would come home to Birmingham, she would have a few cars she had bought for him hidden throughout her house for him to find.  I didn't think much of it, until I realized Greer(and Jeremy too) knew every car from the movie, which Cars movie they were in, and which cars he didn't have.  Lets just say, we may or may not have stopped at Wal-Mart, Target, and Toys R Us in other cities to make sure they didn't have a car we already had.  Daddy got into it as much as Greer, to the point where I had to sort of, lets say, step in and start letting Greer use his own money to support his collecting habit.  LOL!  We pulled out all of the cars one day and he is approaching the number sixty.  Yikes!  These little guys are adorable...thank you Disney....and much more affordable than caving for a $10 toy every time we are at the store.  They each have eyes on the front and even contain some adult humor.  For example, Filmore is a hippy van decked out in tie die.

So we planned this trip pretty last minute, but were able to get reservations where we wanted and do most all of what we planned...with the exception of a few rides that were closed for maintenance.(Pirates of the Caribbean, It's a Small World, and Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage).  Thats another story and one reason why NOT to go during the off season.  So while I am blogging about our experience as a family, I'm going to be a complete Disney nerd and list suggestions(to myself...bc I really, really want to visit again someday and hope to find this helpful and because several other Disney friends have asked).

What we loved:
- Cars Land was beyond cool!  It is layed out identical to the movie and they included every bit of detail to go with it
- I loved how the parks shared the same parking lot...except it wasn't a lot but more of a common area to wait to enter the park.  This included Downtown Disney, which was so nice to be able to grab breakfast while Jeremy waited with the little ones to go in the parks
- The Hollywood feel made it different for a change.  Reminded me a lot of Hollywood Studios in The World
- The overall size(much smaller) was very appealing to us with young children.  While Disney World is amazing and has four parks.  Disneyland only has two parks, which makes seeing everything much more doable.
- Renting a stroller, once again, proved to help make our trip a huge success

Lessons learned:
- It is a very long flight for young children...4.5 hours there....bursting with excitement(luckily the flight home was an hour shorter and they both slept a good bit
- Stay in the park!  Of course!  How did i not know this.  We almost always stay in the park, why should it be any different in Disneyland.  Just do it!  Everything is closer and much more magical this way.  We stayed at the Howard Johnson because it came highly recommended online.  We weren't there thirty minutes and were switching to a more family friendly room that had windows with blinds for nap time.  Disney would never forget this MAJOR detail!
- If you think you might consider seeing anyone special like Anna and Elsa, make sure that is your first stop of the day, or it will consume your whole day.  Luckily, we only waited about 30 minutes.  The people at the end of our line....waited FIVE hours!

Greer with all his cars and a note from Mickey to tell him where we are going.

These little cars ARE the reason we are going on this trip.  Disney didn't disappoint

First Day...breakfast with Mickey and friends

Greer: loves the characters!

Mary Harper: very unsure!

Parade Time

One of my favorite pics of the trip

This sweet baby was happy as she could be.

Snow White..she was a little scary with white make up on her face.

Thank goodness Greer didn't seem to notice.

DJ's dance party...I will always remember Jeremy and Greer dancing to "Life is a Highway".

Greer had the biggest smile on his face.  I was so happy I almost cried.  This moment made the trip seem completely worth all the trouble of getting here.

Greer ready to see the Frozen Princesses

Mary Harper loves some Olaf!  

The Olaf on top of the building was talking and moving around.  

She smiled and laughed at him the whole time.

I kind of second guessed myself on even trying to see these two princesses since Greer is a boy.  

I'm so glad we stuck with it.  He loves the movie so much and these girls were amazing with children.  In case you are wondering, half the reason the line is so long is because these ladies are spending a lot of sincere time with every family.  Way to go Disney!  Now spread some love and go put them in every park!!

Another favorite!

Oh my!  Look at that little hand waving and his little name on the back of his hat!  

Too much for me all at once!

Disney doesn't do simple!  I appreciate their attention to detail!!

Rainforest Cafe...probably our last time here.  

Never have been super impressed

Waiting on Daddy

These little pictures capture my heart in a big way.  I realized when I took them, that the next time we go to Disney, Greer will most likely not being wearing jon jons with his cowboy boots and may be too cool for Mouse Ears.  I think I'll hold onto this moment for a while!

I will never forget Jeremy running to get in line to have Mary Harper's picture made with Aurora.  Hilarious!   He even left some permanent marker streaks on her lovely dress for us to remember this moment.

My little buddy worked up the courage to ride Radiator Springs Racers....3 TIMES!  

We had so much fun with him.  Frank the Tractor terrified him the first time, so we had to "bribe" him with souvenirs to get him to ride it again.  We were going to buy a few things anyway.  Just had to make them work in our favor first.  We also had to bring Greer's cowboy boots with us, so he would be tall enough to ride.

I am waving in the maroon car and Greer is beside me

Well if it isn't Flo's Cafe...Greer loved eating here.  

They serve the kids meals in a big McQueen car and the kids eat outside

Tasty Cone....LOVE these!  You walk up to the cones and order snacks.  

Each one has a different menu

Fillmore's Snack Stand....everything here was healthy and organic...

hence the tie die and hippy flair.  Loving the adult humor here!

Paradise Pier....love the town fair feel of this section of the park...

ferris wheel, roller coaster, games, and even foods like corn dogs, popcorn, and slushies.

At the Carthay Circle restaurant.  Too fancy for little ones, but I had to take a picture of them in their Snow White outfits in the restaurant because it is supposed to replicate the theatre 

(Carthay Circle Theatre in LA) where Snow White premiered.  Another sappy moment...Little man will probably not be wearing anything smocked when we go back.  

Relaxing until our next stop

The Little Mermaid...such a neat water/light show at night.  

You better wear a poncho if you sit close

Feeding Mary Harper...It had to be done!

We rented a car and drove to LA one day, since we had never been.  We went to the Grove to shop around and eat lunch and then headed through traditional LA along the way.  We saw Rodeo Drive, a few famous/fancy hotels, and even ventured over to Venice Beach.  That was a little shady, but exciting to be able to put Mary Harper's feet in the sand for the first time.  We also stopped in at Dash(The Kardashian's store).  I bought some pretty red lipstick, being about the only thing affordable there.  It was really neat to see where one of my favorite shows growing up, 90210, was filmed.  Definitely a different lifestyle here.

"Babewatch"

Feet in the sand for the first time