First rides of the morning

 After Minnie's breakfast, we headed over to 

Space Mountain

to pick up our fast pass tickets.  

Lindsey had never been on that ride before because 

it's been closed each time she came.

I knew in August we would need fast passes on 

all the rides that had them.

Tip:  make sure you get your fast passes 

EARLY.   I saw people trying to get 

fast passes for Splash Mountain around 4pm 

and they were sold out.  

Another time we tried getting a fast pass for 

Space Mountain in the early afternoon and

the next time slot to ride it was 10:30pm! 

If you are visiting Disneyland in a busy season, 

make that your first priority.   

*If you don't know about fast passes, they 

are basically a reservation time for a ride so 

you don't have to wait in long lines.  Many of the 

popular rides at Disneyland have Fast Pass 

Ticket booths.  You just swipe your admission tickets

into the machine, and out pops the fast passes.

We grabbed our fast pass tickets around 10am and 

were able to return at 12:30, so it wasn't a long wait 

for us on a Wednesday.  

I was very concerned about the crowd and 

long lines having gone August 4th 

(which I heard is one of the worst times to go) ,but so far so good. 

Baila was so excited for this roller coaster, but
Lainey was very nervous. 

Baila's expression on Space Mountain was hilarious. 

I had to spend a ridiculous amount of money 

for this picture, but sometimes it's worth it.

You wouldn't know from this picture, but Baila LOVES roller coasters 

and kept asking to go back on this ride.  She was ticked as heck when 

they wouldn't let her go on Californian Screamin.   

And the Tower of Terror is one of her favorites! 

She is my most fearless child.

Lindsey and I utilized the "stroller pass", which enables parents with 

little ones who can't go on a certain ride, to only make one adult 

wait in the line.  After the parent comes off the ride, the other adult 

takes their turn with one child but doesn't have to wait in line.   

You normally walk up the exit ramp where the disabled go, 

and then you are given first priority along with the handicapped.  

The ride attendant at the entrance 

passes out special stroller pass cards when you show 

them you have an infant or child who can't go on a ride. 

So Baila was able to ride this one 

more time with her Aunt Lindsey.  :) 

Next we headed over to the Matterhorn and 

on the way noticed Autopia had only a ten minute line. 

This is one of those rides you want to make sure and grab 

it while you can because we have 

had crazy wait times in the past.  

I can't think of a ride that brings back more 

nostalgia of Disneyland than the 

Autopia. 

For children, there is so much exhilaration

with the independence of driving their own car.
I remember having extreme giggles 

watching my sister and brother sputtering 

along and bumping cars

in front of me as a little girl. 

Great memories.

There must be something about 

this ride that brings out the kid in us.

I saw several middle aged adults 

driving cars on Autopia with 

NO KIDS. 

I mean, seriously? 

I assume they 

have a drivers license already?

The only bummer is the height requirement 

for this ride.   I'm not sure if it's changed in recent 

years, but I don't recall having to ride with an adult when 

I was 8 years old.  Luke was required to ride with 

either me or Lainey based on his smaller height. 

I can understand Isabelle, but an 8 year old?  Good grief. 

*Thankfully Lainey was allowed to take 6 year old Baila with her in the car or 

I don't know what we would have done!

Luke Man had a purplish maroon car.   
Isabelle and I were sitting next to him.

Baila riding with driver Lainey

AUTOPIA

Isabelle was throwing a fit because Baila wouldn't scoot over

"What was that Mom?  I'm squishing her?"

Now if any of you are wondering what 

the weather is like at Disneyland in August,

we were pleasantly 

surprised by the perfect temperature. 

Lindsey and I feared hot sweaty lines and had brought 

frozen drinks, water misting fans, tank tops, etc. 

It was actually chilly once the sun went down!  Guess I should 

have checked the Anaheim weather report 

better before I packed.   I expected the beach to feel like this but not inland. 

Minutes before we headed out the door on our trip, 

I finally checked the weekly weather report and quickly grabbed 

each of us one warm outfit and sweaters.  We 

ended up needing more though! 

ok, back to the rides......

 Next we headed over to the Matterhorn.  Isabelle at almost age 3

was tall enough to ride this.   During the ride her eyes were big and 

looked a little scared.   She held on very tight to my hand, but 

I kept assuring her we were having fun!  

After it was over I turned to her and asked 

"Was that so fun sweetie?"  

She looked a little shocked and in a 

frightened voice said 

"I didn't like it.

Too scary."

I felt so bad that I had traumatized my child, and 

hoped it didn't ruin the other rides at the park.

She's a daredevil like Baila so I wasn't 

expecting her to be so scared.  I think it 

would have been fine to work up to that ride, 

but my mistake was taking her on it right 

out of the gate.  

What's funny is that two hours later she kept 

begging to

"go back and see the white monster with red eyes" 

on the Matterhorn. 

She tells people it's her favorite ride now.

Next we headed over to Fantasy Land..............

Best Character Breakfast at Disneyland

We've done the Storytellers Cafe 
 breakfast at the Disneyland Grand Adventure Resort
back in 2005,

but it's the only character meal we had tried. 

Although the food was GREAT, we were 

a bit disappointed by the characters.  

There were only a few chipmunks and a bear, 

which the kids saw in the waiting area,
but they never visited our table.

Since I had planned this trip to 

Disneyland mainly for Isabelle 

to have more time with 

the Disney characters she is so 

in love with, I wanted to make 

sure we spent some good time doing 

a few character meals.
Ironically,  I didn't have to pay
for any of her character meals
or admission ticket!
Ages 2 and under are FREE.
She just scraped by that one
with her August 23rd birthday.
I was so embarrassed when
Izzy kept telling people she
is four years old.  She's been
saying that for months now. 

I had heard the Plaza Inn on Main Street 

inside Disneyland had the
Minnie Mouse and Friends breakfast 
and was the favorite for character 

interaction, so we booked our 

reservations for the 8:00am time slot 

our first day at the Disney park.
It was well worth the price!
Although the food is better at
StoryTeller's Cafe,  the atmosphere
and characters were far superior
at the Plaza Inn.

I set our call alarm for 6am so we could get 

out the door by 7:30.  I am not a morning person 

so it was tough to get up after our late night,

but when it comes to Disneyland I don't 

want to miss a minute.   I go from 

opening to closing, and would never 

dream of taking the kids back to the hotel 

for a nap.  In the summertime the park opens 

at 8am and closes at midnight!  I usually go in 

the off season, so this was going to be a little 

longer day for the kids than last time. 

Our hotel was not in walking distance of the park, 

so we needed to either shuttle or park 

our own car there. 

Our hotel (Holiday Inn) offered a shuttle service, 

but it wasn't free. 

It would have cost us $3 an adult, 

and then per child $2, iirc. 

When we worked out the cost of the
Disneyland parking lot vs shuttle, it was about the same price;

 $14 to park for the whole day at the Disneyland  lot.
We chose to drive. 

I'm grateful we didn't choose the shuttle because it makes

several stops along the way, and it would have made us very 

late for the park.   As it was, we left at 7:45 and drove straight 

to the park but didn't get to the Plaza Inn until 8:30.


 *Lindsey and Vivien on Tram

Once we arrived at the parking lot, we were taken by tram 

to the front gate.  The tram was great because they didn't 

require us to take down our strollers!  In contrast, the 

monorail makes you take down any stroller, which 

is quite a mess with all the items stored inside it.

*Vivien entering Disneyland

The Plaza Inn on Main Street

I dashed with the kids to our character breakfast, which 

we were 20 minutes late too.  Thankfully, they said 

it was no problem to be late and had our table waiting for us. 

We were warmly welcomed by the staff
and in Disney style,
given 5 star treatment. 

Lindsey wasn't interested in spending money
on the character breakfast,
and took Vivien to Fantasy Land while we
dined with Minnie and Friends.

*ahhh look at that face..... Vivien knows she got jipped.  ;)

Captain Hook was our first guest!
The kids loved him

The food is buffet style with
fresh fruits, Mickey Mouse waffles,
pastries/muffins/breads,  a chef making custom order omelets,
sausages/bacon, eggs, hash browns,  and more.
Negatives: the toppings for the waffles
were frozen fruits and not fresh. 
  The food isn't
the best breakfast I've had, but it's good.
You're paying for the experience. :)
My vegetarian omelet was great though!

*Mickey Mouse Waffles

*another dining tip is to eat at this restaurant for
a late dinner/snack.   We went there at 10:45pm and they
were still serving food.  It's cafeteria style
but pretty good.   I've heard some people
say they have the best fried chicken ever. 

Isabelle was so excited for the characters
that she wouldn't eat a single bite of her food!
And we were there for almost 2 hours!

I love the ornate Victorian detailing of the restaurant. 
Very classy place for cafeteria dining

Lainey age 9

Izzy age 2

 this chipmunk loved playing with Lainey's hair

Luke and Chip

Baila wanted to wear her
Alice in Wonderland costume. 

I love the inside of this restaurant.
Beautiful!

Isabelle's favorite movie right now is 

Lion King so this was a real treat.

Ahhhhh

I can't take enough pictures of this girl.
Never seen a kid more crazy about
Disneyland than her!

off to Fantasy Land with Alice! 

Disneyland Trip Day 1-Steakhouse 55

When my sister Lindsey called to ask if I could drive 

with her to Southern California 

for a wedding she wanted to attend, 

I jumped at the chance. 

My first thought was
DISNEYLAND.   

Even though Travis and I had just been last year 

(I never got around to posting our trip last September), 

I was hoping to go back.  

Isabelle was more enamored with the characters
than any child I've ever seen.  

I wanted to bring her back one more time
before that magical stage is over.   

I convinced my hubbie that a quick two day trip to Disneyland

for the kids could be my birthday gift.   

Travis prefers to only go there once every 4 years or more.     

I would rather go 4 times a year.  

Maybe we can compromise and go once every year? 

Travis was fine with the girls trip
and gave the ok for my Disneyland gift.
Quite frankly,
I think he was looking forward to the peace and quiet!

My only concern (besides taking 4 kids by myself) 

was that going to Disneyland in August
was going to be hot and crowded, 

but I went ahead and booked the trip.  

I also talked Lindsey into taking Vivien one of the days 

so I could have an extra adult to help me watch Isabelle
while the older kids did the big rides.     

We found great deals for our hotels on Priceline (only $50 a night), 

and discounted Disney tickets for $75 off each two day hopper ticket.     

I have to thank my brother in law Joe and sister Tami, 

who are the masters of finding super deals for the family!

We headed out at 8am and made great time.  

Made one stop at a restaurant which took us an hour and a half, 

but other than that our stops were minimal.
We were surprised how normal the
traffic seemed in LA on a Tuesday afternoon.

I-5

Most of the drive looks like this.  Once you hit the grapevine, you can feel LA getting closer.

We checked in to our hotel around 5pm
after hitting some crazy traffic near Anaheim.
Our first hotel was the  
Holiday Inn Disney Resort.

 Baila's poor doll looks like it came from 

Sunnyside DayCare

Our hotel was located off Katella Drive, a long road lined by 

beautiful palm trees and Disney hotels.   Wish I would 

have captured some pictures of that area.  It was 

breathtaking to pull down Disney Drive and see the 

palm trees, flowers in bloom, and ivy growing all over.

Our hotel was nice, but we were put 

on the top floor in a handicapped room.
I could feel the building moving/swaying a little
on the ninth floor.  Lainey also noticed it.
  I'm thankful
no earthquakes hit there.

Our room only had double beds so we asked for 

an upgrade.  I was willing to pay more 

so we could sleep comfortably but the hotel said 

every room was booked solid and no upgrades
were available.

We were able to rent a roll away bed 

for $15 a night so I did that instead.

Our room did have a big hallway and bathroom 

for the disabled which worked out nice 

for fitting the playpen and roll away bed.

I was most impressed by our housekeeping, 

who had our room impeccably clean and organized when 

we had left it a mess in our rush the first morning. 

The room also had a good size freezer and frig which 

was great for freezing all the drinks I brought.

We didn't get a chance to swim, but the pool 

grounds were lovely.  

My only critique of this hotel would be the 

front desk staff.  They were very rude and 

unfriendly upon arrival if we had questions. 

We had read many reviews complaining of the same 

issue beforehand so I guess nothing has changed!

Since it was my birthday, 

we decided to splurge on a nice dinner.

Steakhouse 55 was formerly "Granville's" restaurant, and we had 

eaten breakfast there when we stayed at the Disneyland Hotel 

in 2005.   It was the best breakfast we have ever had, and 

the price was good.  I was excited to try out their dinner.
I called after arriving to our hotel and had no trouble making
dinner reservations for 8pm that same evening. 

 These pictures are in front of the Disneyland Hotel.

Isabelle age 2, Luke age 8, Lainey age 9, Baila age 6, and Vivien 8 months.

Steakhouse 55
is located inside the Disneyland Hotel.
We were able to park at the hotel 

and get 5 hours free Downtown Disney Parking 

with validation.

Goofy's Kitchen is located right next to Steakhouse 55, 

and Isabelle went crazy trying to catch a glimpse of Goofy.

The menu was a little higher priced than I had expected, 

so Lindsey and I decided to make this our "splurge meal."

We are both light eaters, 

so from the start of the trip we 

chose to share meals.
(well to be quite honest,  we are both too cheap)
 This would help us stay on budget and 

avoid extra calories! 

  Steakhouse 55 is similar to
"Ruth's Chris" 

in their menu style.

Click here for the full menu with prices. 

We started with a salad;

"Spring Greens with Candied Pecans and Raspberry Vinaigrette."

It came with fresh raspberries and this amazing berry sauce.   Mmm, it was divine.

Hard to share this one!

Next we tried the scrumptious

"Steakhouse 55" Seven Onion Soup, Parmesan Crisp."

It's not your traditional French Onion soup, 

but we LOVED it. 

For our entree,  Lindsey recommended we share

the rib eye steak.  I have gone long periods giving 

up red meat, but it was too hard to resist trying 

this steak on our vacation. 

  It was really really good, but Lindsey 

still likes the rib eye at "Ruth's Chris" better. 

We also ordered the 

Chef's Potato Stack Au Gratin, 

and it was better than any steak!

I've learned from past dining experiences not to order "kids meals."  They are usually the same 

unhealthy options of corn dogs, chicken fingers, or pasta with french fries as a side. 
With two vegetarian kids, and one who hates dairy,  I wish there
were better options for children. 

They usually fill up on the bread anyway 

and waste all the food,

so I ordered them a side of veggies to share instead. 

The bread was so warm and fluffy.

Even the broccoli was fantastic!

For dessert we chose my favorite-"Creme Brulee."  

Wow, it was heavenly. 

The waiter brought me a birthday dessert as well. 

It was so decadent! 

chocolate mustache

I was very nervous to bring the kids to this very classy restaurant because the ambiance was 

quiet and candlelit.   I took a gamble and it turned out fine.  They were 

so focused on coloring the whole time, and the late hour 

made them groggy.

Vivien also did great

One of my favorite reasons for choosing Disney dining is the outstanding service. 

They always make me feel special.  

Make sure to try this fabulous restaurant next 

                                                          time you visit Disneyland!

  
After dinner we walked through the Disneyland Hotel to show 

the kids where they stayed for their first trip 

to Disneyland in 2005.  Baila was only
1 1/2 and has no memory of it, but Luke and Lainey remembered
quite a bit.

  I wanted to 

show Lindsey all the waterfalls and lights around the Disneyland 

Hotel pool and gardens, but much of the area was blocked 

off for recent renovations.  If you are considering 

staying there this year, be sure to check when 

the remodeling will be complete. 

Last we headed over to Downtown Disney for some window shopping. 

We had a very fun day and made it to 

bed sometime after midnight.