LA Area

The Los Angeles/Disneyland trip was amazing! I was very hesitant to go, but once we got there, it turned out to be the best vacation with the kids. I figured Disneyland would be overcrowded, dirty, and unwelcoming. It actually turned out to be quite the opposite.

We got our hotel for 50% off, which saved us $100 per night. Thank God! Our meals when first going there were within walking distance and we never had to eat fast food for breakfast since our hotel provided it. I love how the kids can pick whatever they want to eat, even though its usually pancakes...

Disneyland was extremely clean, super friendly (especially to the kids), and was barely crowded. I didn't take any meals, snacks, water, etc. I took my phone and my wallet. Once I got there, people had backpacks, strollers (which had to be parked in a lot of areas), and were still able to go on the rides. This is much different than what I'm use to. Most parks have the "no lose items" rule such as sunglasses, hats, flip flops, etc. Of course, we didn't go on any huge roller coasters as a family since the kids are only 3 and 4.

Since there weren't too many people, we got to ride most of the rides. The lines were primarily 5-15 minutes for the majority. Keep in mind we went beginning of November. School and the cool weather is in session. We were lucky enough to get 75 degree days until the day we left.

After the Disneyland and Adventure park, we decided we would check out a couple other places as well. I wanted to stop at a National Forest or Park, but since it rained during our last day, we decided to postpone that idea. I'm not sure how, but hubby found the Fullerton Arboretum at the state college (CSU Fullerton). It has 26 acres of botanical gardens with each section being dedicated to different regions of the world. Their regions included:

Cultivated Region (fruits, garden)
Woodlands (Conifers, Palms, Redwoods, Cycads, Etc.)
Mediterranean (Chaparral, Channel islands) as much as California can get
Desert (Cacti and Succulents ) This was my favorite!
Children's Garden (The kids absolutely loved this area)

We spent a good deal of time there with the kids not wanting to walk. There's also a little museum (with kids activities) and gift shop there too. It was a great free thing to do with the kids.

We also stopped for lunch and Ikea. I forgot I wanted to go to The Container Store in LA, but completely forgot. However, hubby stopped at Ikea and I did get to look at a small drawer cabinet that I've had my eye on!

It was a wonderful trip overall and I cannot wait to go back! I hope next time we can afford to get multi-day tickets to really enjoy the rides and take our time. Now that I know you can take food and backpacks into Disney, it'll be a better planned trip next time. If you do go, wear some good walking shoes!

Thanks for reading!