Tales of Family Travel in the Western U.S.
Wishing you all a happy Fourth of July from Lake Tahoe, California. I’m looking forward to some rest and relaxation as I spend my holiday here in the Sierra Nevada. This is the flag on the Tahoe Queen, a paddlewheeler boat that we cruised around Lake Tahoe in.
If you’re here in the U.S., enjoy your long weekend and check out Delicious Baby’s Photo Friday.
This past week I’ve had two readers email me with questions on how to make their Disneyland trip a success. I understand their dilemma, because I have learned what happens when you don’t prepare for a trip to Disneyland. I’ll have to write about that another time, but let me tell you it was one stressful trip. Since then, I’ve done my Disneyland homework and thanks to all the great home-grown Disney sites on the internet, I’ve picked up a few tips along the way. There are just too many Disneyland tips to fit into one post, but here are some things to consider when planning a summer Disneyland trip.
Janet is planning her trip and wants to know what are “some things to look for and some things to avoid. A little advice would go a long way right now.” Indeed. I’m here to help.
Disneyland is crowded during the summer, so you want to make sure you get there early. Terry, a reader, wrote: “How can you get in earlier to Disneyland?”. You can get in earlier if you buy at least a 3-day park hopper ticket. Disney calls it Magic Morning and their website says that Disneyland is open to the public an hour earlier than the regular opening time on Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday. The important thing to remember is that you can only use your park-hopper ticket for early entry one of those mornings and not all the rides and attractions are open at that time. During Magic Morning, most of the rides at Fantasyland are open, as are Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear in Tomorrowland, the Matterhorn. If you are going to use your ticket for a Magic Morning entry you’ll want to get there about an hour before the gates open for that. Yes, it’s early but it makes a huge difference in the wait times for the rides. Whether you use the Magic Morning entry or not, getting there earlier is always better when you have kids.
It can get hot, hot, and hotter. Nothing brings on a kid (or mom) melt-down faster than heat exhaustion combined with large crowds. Take frequent breaks, especially in the afternoon. If you can swing it, go back to the hotel for a little nap and cool-off. Even if you can’t make it back to the hotel, find a quiet place in Disneyland for a rest. With older kids, you may want to schedule some shows during this time. The great thing about the Disneyland summer schedule is that there is a lot going on in the evenings. So you will want to be rested, so that you can watch the fireworks, Fantasmic, or the Electrical Parade in California Adventure.
Learn to use Fastpass. There’s a list of what rides and attractions you can use a Fastpass at and how to use it. The only thing I don’t like about Fastpass is that you can’t use it at many rides for young kids. There are no Fantasyland rides that you can use Fastpass at, so that’s why it pays to use your Magic Morning entry to ride those popular rides like Dumbo or Peter Pan. Here’s one little secret, you don’t always have to make it back to the ride exactly during the time window that’s on your Fastpass ticket. If you get there a little later, you’ll usually still be able to stand in the Fastpass line.
Plan with your kids. I don’t think you’ll have any complaints when you ask your kids to help plan a Disney trip. Consider the ages of your kids when planning your days and ask them to help you pick out some rides they absolutely want to go on. That way, you can focus on those things that your kids really want to do and skip some of those others. If you have very young kids that don’t know what to expect, be prepared to change your plans as you go along. My son was three when he took his first trip and I made the mistake of taking him on the Pirates of Caribbean ride. He got so spooked by that ride, that it was hard to get him on any other rides the rest of the afternoon. We had to change our plans and take him for a walk around Toontown and Tom Sawyer Island instead. You never know how young kids will react to all the Disneyland madness, so you’ll have to be flexible with them. It helps to show your young kids some videos about Disneyland before the trip. You can order a free vacation planning DVD from the website, or just look for some of your own.
Consider your food options ahead of time. It pays to know what restaurants may be good options for your family before you actually get into the park. Otherwise, you’ll spend much of your day eating ice cream cones and turkey legs. Not good. The Mouseplanet website has a good section on the restaurants at both the Disneyland and California Adventure park, which includes menus. Just scroll down the park guides to the dining section. I like to plan in at least one sit-down meal a day, and make reservations ahead of time if that’s needed. It may seem a bit overwhelming to think ahead about mealtimes and restaurants, but it will save you a lot of time and headaches if you work that into your schedule. You can also bring in your own food and store it in lockers or carry it with you. The only picnic area is at the front of the park, but there are plenty of places you can sit down and enjoy a little picnic. I like Tom Sawyer island or the small plaza besides the Haunted Mansion in New Orleans Square.
Phew. That’s a lot of Disney information to handle. It can be overwhelming to plan a family vacation to the happiest place on earth, but it’s possible. I found a lot of help on internet sites, and I will come up with a list of helpful websites later this week.
Ahh…sun, surf, and caramel apples can only mean one thing: it’s summertime at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. This classic seaside amusement park advertises its free admission, but sometimes the best things in life aren’t free. You aren’t going to go all the way to the Boardwalk for your kids to just walk and watch all the other kids have fun. If you go on any ordinary day, you can expect to pay $2.25 to $4 for each ride, or if you’re staying for a while, you can get the unlimited rides wristband for $29.95. That’s not taking into account what you’ll pay for parking ($10 in the lot) and food.
Don’t throw in your beach towel just yet. There are some ways to make this California kid dream come true. During the summer, my favorite way to save money is to make this an evening affair by going on “1907 Nights” or “Pepsi Nights”. Every Monday and Tuesday after 5 p.m., you will pay only seventy five cents for each ride and also for hot dogs, Pepsi, and cotton candy. On Wednesday and Thursday evenings after 5 p.m. you can get an unlimited rides wrist band for $9.95 if you bring in a Pepsi can.
I save the most money when I go on “1907 Nights” because my young child can’t go (or won’t go) on over half the rides. It doesn’t make sense for me to buy the unlimited rides wristband when I’m going to be mostly hanging around at Bulgy the Whale or Cave Train Adventure. Besides, I can’t pass up 75 cent hot dogs.
As a bonus tip, I’m going to let you know that they only sell the specially priced hot dogs and Pepsis in certain lines of the dining areas. This always bugs me, because if you want anything else besides hot dogs (I just gotta have my fried artichoke hearts) you have to stand in two lines. This is so not what a tired mommy wants to do when dealing with whiny, hungry kids. I find that the best thing to do is be there right when the big hand hits the 5 on your watch. That way you’ll get shorter lines for the food, and still have time give those hot dogs in your tummy a spin on the rides.
Parking Tip: The parking is also cheaper or free in the evenings. You don’t have to pay the parking meters after 6 p.m.
Good to know: “1907 Nights” are from June 22 to September 1 and “Pepsi Nights” are from June 24 to September 3.
The two things that I enjoy about summer the most are: that I get to sip my coffee while still in my pjs and that I have time to take my son on day trips, just because. This Thursday we got to visit a cool place with some new friends. It was my first blogging buddy meet-up with Lorraine at Keeps Me Smiling. When I joined the blogging community earlier this year, I had no idea just how many interesting people I’d get to know. Making connections with readers and other bloggers is what makes blogging rewarding.
Lorraine and I took our kids to tour the newly opened Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito and got a first-hand glimpse of how this center helps injured seals and sea lions. Then we headed over to the Bay Area Discovery museum to seek refuge from the blustery, foggy San Francisco weather. Here are some of the photo highlights from our relaxing day by the bay. We got to see the camera behind all of these Photo Friday masterpieces and exchanged some photography tips. No, not really. Many thanks to Lorraine and her girls for a memorable summer day trip.
Go check out Lorraine and other cool bloggers at Delicious Baby’s Photo Friday.
Even if you’ve never been camping before, or your last camping trip is a distant memory, you can still plan a great family camping trip. I’ve made a handy list to help any of you camping newbies who are hesitant to embark on a camping adventure with kids. I’m not going to pretend camping is easy, but with a bit of planning and practice, you can take your kids out for a night under the starry skies. Read on, campers.
1. Camp close to home. I have found that when you camp with young kids it’s less stressful to keep the travel distances short. On our last trip, we drove for one short, blissful hour to our favorite campground by the beach. At this campground, I struck up a conversation with another mom in the bathroom who admitted that her family had only traveled forty minutes from their home. As she wisely put it: “It’s nice to know that if something happens, you can just go home.” We all hope that nothing will happen when we’re traveling with kids, but experience teaches us that the possibilities are endless: fever, poison-oak, or just plain ol’ anxiety. It’s good to know you have a quick escape route.
2. Pick your campground wisely. If you are a newcomer to the world of tent camping, then you will want to consider the campground’s amenities. Basically, you will want running water, showers, and a spot you can pull your car into. It may also be easier to camp somewhere without any bears, in other words, stay away from the mountains. There are beautiful campgrounds in those places, but you do have to work a bit harder to bear-proof everything. If you’re a beginner camper, you may not be ready for the additional hassle. Check out my list of great campgrounds along the coast of California.
3. Get to know your gear. I say this with love, because I’ve made this mistake: practice putting up your new tent at home. When you’re with young kids, you don’t have the luxury of swearing and ranting as you throw tent poles around. If you do practice putting up your tent at home, don’t forget to put everything back in the bag. Again, I speak from experience.
4. Lists are your friend. You will need to make a list and check it twice. Even then, you will probably forget something. That’s why you chose a campground near some sort of market, because it’s good to know you can run to town to get batteries, marshmallows, or ice.
5. Keep the menu simple. This is not the time to plan five-course dinners, but you don’t have to eat canned soup for three days. If you do want at least one fancy meal, you could prep some of the ingredients at home. Maybe you want to make stew, so just precut the veggies ahead of time. You can also bake muffins or other baked goodies, and feel like Martha Stewart when you unveil them at the campsite. But since you’re not going to Camp Martha, remember that kids love sandwiches, hot dogs, and spaghetti.
6. Timing is everything. It’s easier to plan for a camping trip that’s three nights or less. You will have to take less food, less firewood, and less pairs of socks. Our magic number is usually 3 days and 2 nights. It’s just enough to get a taste of the camping good life, but not so long that your kids will need any serious bathing. If you’ve ever tried to bathe a toddler in a coin-operated shower, you know that the less times you actually have to experience this, the better.
I’m still finding new tricks for doing things better every time I go on a camping trip, so I’ll keep updating list. If you have any great tips, please do share in the comments below.
When I dream of getting away from it all, I usually picture myself on a quiet beach with a good book and the lull of the waves. In other words, I don’t picture myself on Doggie Beach with a bunch of canine friends, sandy poop, and frisbees whizzing past my head. Yet, this is one of the stops I will have to make on a road trip to Southern California this summer. Why? Because my son is in love with Cooper the dog. We will be visiting a family friend and her pet wonder dog while we’re in San Diego, and that can only mean that we’ll also be going to San Diego’s premiere beach for dogs. My son is in the I-want-a-cute-doggie stage, so he could spend hours playing catch with Cooper. In fact, that’s the part of the trip he’s probably the most excited about (sorry San Diego Zoo pandas). So I will have to accept this part of our itinerary and hope that there won’t be any black fur balls landing on my lap this time. Seriously, there was this little guy that flew over my shoulder and landed on my lap last time we were there. It’s no Hanalei Bay, but Doggie Beach is still a pretty cool place to spend an afternoon.
Go to Delicious Baby’s Photo Friday, I guarantee it will be a pretty cool place to check out some photos.
One of my favorite summertime trips is to Gizdich Ranch in Watsonville, for some strawberry picking. My son and I love walking down the rows of buzzing bees and filling our buckets with strawberries. We fill them so much, that I spend the whole week after looking for creative ways to use those strawberries. Every year I say I’m going to make strawberry ice cream, but I never quite get around to it. I hope this is the year I crank up that ice cream maker.
I’m going to need some ice cream to accompany all of the pies I will haul away from Gizdich Ranch’s excellent bakery. Their pies are so heavenly, we like to go during different seasons just to try them all. After we pick your strawberries, we walk back down (the equivalent of a few blocks) to the main ranch buildings. We usually take our own picnic and relax at the picnic area, but we also have the option of buying sandwiches from the cafe if we forgot our own. The picnic area also has a small sandbox and a tractor kids can climb. They’re usually just happy running around while the parents enjoy some sunshine on the lounge chairs.
Strawberry season is usually May through July but call ahead to get the dates. The ranch is open daily from 8-5, and is about a 45 minute drive south of San Jose.
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