Adventures with the mouse.

Let’s go back about six years, back then my husband (then boyfriend) and I would spend a lot of time at Disneyland since we were annual pass holders and well we really did not have a care in the world (other than college). Fast forward to this weekend when we finally returned to “the happiest place on earth,” but this time with our little one. Special thanks to our family friend who gifted Nick with Park Hopper passes for his adults as a birthday present.

Before we start, let me just say that I was hesitant at first about how my toddler would behave at Disneyland, would he cry, would he get frustrated? Would I cry? Let’s just say that one of those three things happened, and I still cannot believe I cried haha.

We arrived at the park around 10am, however, due to some mishaps we did not actually end up entering the park until noon. I was hesitant that as soon as we got in Nick would decide it was time for a nap and we would lose valuable time, but the little trooper pulled through. First thing first, I got Nick a “First Visit” button. Quick tip: For those going to Disneyland in Anaheim, when you come into the park, take the left entry and near City Hall you will see a cast member standing with a podium, ask him or her for the type of pin you want. My husband thinks I’m crazy for doing little things like this, but I think those are the things Nick will remember when he’s older. (I hope.)

Being that it was Saturday, the wait time for some of the rides were horrible, but we still managed to get on a few rides before Nick took his first nap of the day. If you are visiting Disney with a toddler take note that some rides do have height requirement and while others don’t, you still want to think twice since some of the rides can be too dark or loud for your younger toddlers. Our first ride was Pirates of the Caribbean, this is one of the rides that I had read scared many toddlers, although no height requirement. Luckily, Nick loved it. He did get a little scared during the first dive but he didn’t cry so that counts as a win in my book.

One of Nick’s favorite rides however, hands down, was Dumbo The Flying Elephant. Waiting in line for the ride was great too because Nick could not hold his excitement in anticipation of finally getting on the ride. (Check out my Instagram for a quick video of Nick waiting for Dumbo.) We also tried the Mad Tea Party, teacups, but I think this ride was way too spiny (is that a word?) for my little one. After these rides, lunch, and a quick stop at the Mad Hatter store to buy Nick his first set of ears (which match my first set of ears of 20 + years ago) we decided it was time to hop on over to California Adventures.

Since Nonna (my mom & Nick’s grandma) had came with us, my husband and I had planned to get on our two favorite rides: Indiana Jones and the Matterhorn Bobsleds during Nick’s nap. However, we didn’t plan on Nick falling asleep as we were walking out of Disneyland and making our way into California Adventures. At this time Nick decided to take a 2 hour nap which we, the adults, used to eat a frozen lemonade, rest a little, and my husband went solo for a quick ride up the Tower of Terror.

California Adventures has changed, a lot. Back in the day I remember that there weren’t too many rides and it was sort of empty. Now, it is toddler heaven. The two main lands in California Adventures that you want to check out with a toddler are Car’s Land and A Bug’s Land. Out of all the rides, Nick was a few inches too short for two that we tried to get him on; Tuck and Roll’s Drive ‘Em Buggies and Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters. The latter my husband and I actually ended up getting on while Nonna and Nick watched from outside. One of my personal favorites in A Bug’s Land was “Heimlich’s Chew Chew Train,” it was adorable and although a very short ride, the wait time was only about 5 minutes so it was worth the while.

A ride that I really want to ride on but will have to wait for since the wait time on Saturday was at 90 minutes was Radiator Springs Racers. For those with toddlers who do not meet the 32 or 34 inch heigh requirement, you can also try “Ariel’s Undersea Adventures,” by the pier and the Monster’s Inc. ride by Hollywood Land.  Monster’s Inc. was our last ride for the day at California Adventures, the timing was perfect since we only waited about 5 minutes in line and when we got out the Pixar Play Parade was coming by, so Nick got to see his first parade.

Around 6pm we returned to Disneyland, in time to get on the “Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters” ride, which Nick enjoyed with his dad while I rode on with my mom. On our way to Mickey’s Toon Town we also made a mandatory pit stop at “It’s a Small World,” because would it have really been a good First Time at at Disneyland without going on this ride? By the time we got to Toon Town it was already 7:00pm and it closed at 7:30 so we just got to ride “Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin.” Next time I definitely plan on going to Toon Town earlier so Nick can enjoy more of the houses since it is more of an interactive land than the others.

To end our night Nick and I rode the Carrousel, which was actually the last attraction he went on before he knocked out. At this time I thought he was done for the night, since we had already missed the 8:45PM “Paint the Night” parade we decided to kill time by eating dinner and then going down to Main St to save a spot for the parade. The last parade starts at 10:45PM and almost as if he had it planned at exactly 10:45PM when the music to the parade began, Nick woke up. He did not cry, he woke up laughing and pointing out towards the character.

Remember at the beginning of this post when I said that I cried? Well, I didn’t cry out of frustration, hunger, or tiredness … I cried because of how happy Nick was when he was watching the last parade. I mean, does this happen to other moms? I just could not believe how happy he was and how thankful I was for being able to make him that happy. Happy, happy, happy! His favorite was, of course, Lightning McQueen.

At the end of the day, I could not feel my feet, I was sun burned, but my kid was happy. So my husband and I did what every responsible adult couple does after you see your child so happy, we went and upgraded to annual passes for us. haha. Nick was a trooper and didn’t fall asleep until we got to the car, which was around 1AM.

In Summary, Nick’s first time at disneyland was amazing. He wouldn’t stop saying “boa” (which means wow, in Nick language). I can’t wait to go back. Actually, I’m glad we got the annual passes because at the end of the night I remembered I had forgotten to visit the Winnie the Pooh ride. Also, we seemed to miss all of the character meet and greets, so that’s definitely something I want to plan for him during one of our visits.

I would love to hear your stories about the land of the mouse. Do you have any other tips for a day at Disneyland? Also, if you aren’t already, go check out magic_kingdom_mamas on Instagram, I’m sure they will inspire you for a day at Disneyland.

Oh… and look out for more disney adventures since I have to make that annual pass worth the while haha.

Xoxo – L.