Disney Vacation Part 1

These posts will be lengthy! 

We started this countdown around 40 days until the trip
Dylan was in charge of updating it each day

Before I even get into the actual trip- here's info about my planning...

Flights- Alaska Air using miles & companion fare

Park Tickets- Get Away Today

Hotel- bestwestern.com

Park Itinerary- Touring Plans 

I scoured Pinterest (link to my Disney board) and the internet for everything Disney Resort related. From where to buy tickets, to what to pack, what to bring into the park, even what rides to ride first! I really did my homework and it paid off!

Saturday, May 6th, 2017

We got up at 5:00am to be able to be out of the house by 6:10 and pick up my parents at their house at 6:30. We got to the car parking by 7am and were on the shuttle to the airport shortly after. Made it through security and had breakfast at Alaska Lodge. Our flight left at 10:05 and we made it to John Wayne airport at 12:45!

Is there anything cuter than kids toting their own suitcases?

Dylan sat in between Grandpa and Grandma and worked on his homework

Luke sat in between Joe and I (and wouldn't be in the picture)

He was so excited to fly! He doesn't remember his first flight when he was 18 mos old

I did major research and Pinterest/Blogger reading and we decided on a private shuttle from the airport to our hotel. We picked Lansky Limosine Services and it was a great choice (no we didn't get a limosine- it was a minivan!). It included one stop on the way to the hotel at a grocery store and provided booster car seats so we didn't have to bring our own! I would definitely recommend using them! And John Wayne (SNA Orange Co) is the closest airport to the parks so the drive it only about 15-20 mintues. My Mom and I popped into Von's and picked up drinks, bottled water, string cheese, GoGurts, apple slices, carrots, chips, cookies and sandwiches for lunch that day. I had packed a plastic cereal container full of snacks from home (granola bars, Z bars, applesauce pouches, beef jerky, CornNuts, fruit snacks, fruit leathers, protein bars) so we were totally set on snacks. 

We arrived at the Best Western Park Place Inn and Suites at 2pm and were able to check in. We had requested connecting rooms and got great rooms that were the perfect location (bottom floor, close to the front of the hotel which is closer to Disney!). This hotel was absolutely perfect for us. It's the closest non-Disney hotel to the parks (literally just directly across the street) which was essential after a long day of walking and standing. It included free breakfast next door at the Captain Kidd's Buffet which included everything we needed to fuel up for the day. When we go again, this will be where we stay! 

It was about a 5 min walk from the hotel to the park entrances! 

*Not my photo*

What our room looked like *not my photo*
The sofa folded out into a bed that the boys slept in
It had a mini-fridge and a microwave

Once in our rooms, we unpacked the food and got organized and ate lunch. We decided to head over to Downtown Disney to walk around before our dinner reservation at Rainforest Cafe at 5:30. I'd say the one change that was the most hassle since we visited the parks 5 years ago is the security. Before you even can get to the promenade between the parks or into Downtown Disney, there is the security checkpoint. They check EVERY pocket, zippered area, bag, etc and then most of the time we had to go through a metal detector too and it took quite awhile some of the days. But I'm glad they do it, better safe than sorry!

We walked almost all the way to the other end of Downtown Disney (for those who haven't been it's and area West of the park entrances with all kinds of shops and restaurants, a movie theater, etc. At the far end is Disneyland Hotel). We stopped and explored the Lego store and it kept Luke busy for quite awhile as he built stuff with Legos at one of their building tables. 

Dylan is always up for a picture

It was sunny, but not all that warm

We had reservations for dinner at the Rainforest Cafe at 5:30 so we made our way over there a little before that. We ate dinner (FYI- it was super pricey and not very good, wouldn't recommend eating there) and wandered back through Downtown Disney (and back to the Lego store for Luke to build some more) and back to the hotel. The goal was to go to bed early to prepare for the early day the next day. Unfortunately, both boys had other ideas and were bouncing off the walls and jumping on the beds and were way wired. It took some wrestling to get Luke into PJs and ready for bed. We were all in bed with lights out by 8:45pm! Seriously a record.