I am excited and have been excited for the past 2 weeks because we’re celebrating my son’s 2nd birthday at the happiest place on earth!!! (That’s Disneyland in case you didn’t know… LOL)

I have taken the role of “events and logistics manager” for this trip and let me just tell you (not that you don’t already know) that it’s both a fun and stressful task!

But if you’re planning for a trip yourself, these are some of the things you need to consider as you prepare for your Disneyland vacation.

 

Traveling to and from Disneyland

I was able to secure cheap domestic flight tickets to the Orange County Airport from San Jose because, thankfully, Southwest was having a promo during the time I was looking for tickets! From the usual $200 tickets, we just had to pay $69 for a one-way ticket!

Since I received a CARES Airplane Safety Harness from AmSafe, we won’t be bringing my son’s car seat which is too big for the plane’s seats. The CARES Restraint System is the only FAA-approved restraint system for small children that wouldn’t require you to bring a car seat. Very convenient, right??

From the airport, we will just be taking the Disneyland Express to get to the Sheraton Anaheim Hotel where we’ll be staying. Of course you can always decide to just drive to Anaheim. My husband and I just decided that flying would be the best option for us at this time. We’ve always driven from San Jose to Disneyland in the past and it’s just too stressful for him to have to drive 7 hours straight.

 

Accommodations for our Disneyland vacation

This was probably our biggest consideration for the whole trip. There are so many Good Neighbor Hotels around Disneyland so it was so hard to decide on one. Almost all the hotels right across Disneyland have high ratings on different hotel websites only because of their proximity to Disneyland. But there are some concerns about security and cleanliness for a lot of the establishments there so I was really hesitant to book them. I don’t want to risk losing our valuables during our vacation. That would totally ruin the whole trip.

I told my husband that I’d like to just stay at the Sheraton Anaheim. I have several reasons but here are the main ones:
– it had good reviews online,
– the hotel photos online were amazing
– it has its own free shuttle service to and from Disneyland that leaves every 30 minutes, and
– Sheraton is a name we trust when it comes to hotel stays

We’ve stayed at Sheraton San Jose, Sheraton Universal and Sheraton Pomona and have always had a great stay every time. So I appreciate them giving me a discounted rate for this stay.

What’s really nice about Sheraton Anaheim is that the whole structure is castle-like so it complements the whole Disney experience. They have a Disney Desk so you don’t have to worry about getting in line at the Disneyland gate. I like that though it’s near Disneyland it’s not TOO near. So the location seems to be good if you want to temporarily get some peace or some break from the Disney experience. These photos are courtesy of Sheraton Anaheim. Just click on the photos to see a larger version. Check out my Sheraton Anaheim Review.

 

Disneyland Tickets

The 1-park per day ticket is much cheaper than the park hopper tickets. So try weighing your options. If you’d really like to be able to transfer from one park to the other, then opt for the park hopper ticket. But if you think you’re okay with staying at one park for one whole day, then save yourself some money and get the 1-park ticket!

Also, if you’re a blogger, you can get 2 media passes for your visit. I know that some are given 2 park hopper tickets valid for 1 day. But I was given 2 1-park tickets for 2 days. Thank God!

Current rates for Disneyland tickets are as follows:
1-Day 1-Park Ticket – $81 (ages 3 to 9) and $87 (ages 10 & up)
1-Day Park Hopper Ticket – $119 (ages 3 to 9) and $125 (ages 10 & up)
2-Day 1-Park Per Day Ticket – $158 (ages 3 to 9) and $170 (ages 10 & up)
2-Day Park Hopper Ticket – $188 (ages 3 to 9) and $200 (ages 10 & up)

I only listed the ticket options for 1-day and 2-day visits. You may check out the complete and updated pricing here.

 

Things to bring to Disneyland

First, let me say you’d have to wear appropriate clothes — appropriate for the weather and appropriate for theme parks with kids. Now everything else depends on who you’re with. But here are some ideas:

• Back pack or body bag
• Your tickets if you purchased online!
• Sunglasses and/or hat
• Sunscreen even when it’s not sunny. UV rays can damage your skin even when it’s cloudy.
• Water! Water! Water! Unless you want to buy expensive water inside the park.
• If you have a kid: diapers, milk, wipes, hand sanitizer and extra clothes. Bring a stroller so your little one can rest when he’s tired. It also serves as a push cart for your stuff when kids are walking.

 

 

What are your tips for those planning to go on a trip to Disneyland? Let me know in the comments!

*I received a sample of the CARES restraint system, was given a discounted stay at the Sheraton Anaheim Hotel and media passes to Disneyland. I was not compensated in any other form. Thoughts and opinions are my own.