Disneyland Tips and Tricks

I'm Disneyland's greatest fan! When I step through the gates of that magical place I leave the real world behind and enter a truly enchanted world. I visit Disneyland as often as possible and over the years I've learned a few tips and tricks that I would like to share with you!

1. Lodging--I dream of staying at the Grand California (in fact whenever I visit Disneyland I wander into the Grand California lobby, snuggle down into one of the comfy oversized chairs, and pretend to be rich), unfortunately, my pocketbook will probably never stretch that far. So, where do I stay? My favorite places to stay are directly across from the Park enterance--The Tropicana, the Desert Inn, and Suites, the Park Place, or any other place on the 1500 block on Harbor. These places are perfect--an easy walk to the park and not too far to walk back if you need a jacket (or a nap!) BUT, during busy times these lodging choices can be pricy. PLUS, they charge you from $8 to $12 a night to park your car, eeeek! Check hotel prices carefully! You aren't going to Disneyland to stay in a hotel; you are going to spend time in the Park! Check ratings carefully and choose any place that's CLEAN. Because I am CHEAP, lately I've been staying at Motel 6 (clean and super friendly) and riding the inexpensive ART (Anaheim Area Transit) to the Park (I also like the Travellodge International--dated, but clean and friendly). But check prices--sometimes you can stay across from the Park as cheaply as you can stay at a cutrate hotel farther away. Last summer we booked last minute and the best price was at the Hilton--wow! First class!
*Sometimes you can negotiate a better rate if you call the hotel directly
*If you have a large family the Desert Inn and Suites has a suite that sleeps 10! When my extended family next visits Disneyland we've talked about getting two 10-person suites (1 for girls and 1 for guys)

2. Tickets--no matter what you hear Disneyland rarely discounts tickets, but there are ways to save money on admission

• the more days you stay the less you pay per-day
• off season tickets cost less--don't worry that the park hours are shorter; because of the shorter lines you can usually ride more!
• buy 1 park-1day tickets--with this ticket you can't move between Disneyland and California Adventure but if you are staying at least 2 days you can focus on 1 park a day and save a bundle; plus, you don't waste time walking between parks. When I visited with my grandkids last summer I bought park hopper tickets but we visited Disneyland one day and California Adventure the next. I could have saved $200 with 1 park 1 day tickets
• avoid back door deals online. My brother has some friends that bought black market tickets and then couldn't get into the park. He used to buy tickets on ebay--he doesn't anymore!
• My favorite--if you plan on more that 2 visits a year buy season passes (probably not reasonable with a family) but I love mine!

3. Fastpasses--Get a new fastpass whenever you can. When you get a fastpass it tells you when you can come back and ride the ride. One the bottom of the fastpass is the time you can get the next fastpass--get as many as you can and avoid standing in lines. You can't ride the ride until the first time listed but fast passes don't expire!!! even if the end time is passed!  The second you get into California Adventure run and get in line for a Racers fastpass they are usually gone the first hour.

4. Food--food in Disneyland is EXPENSIVE!!! Eat a good breakfast before you go to the park (we usually take breakfast food or visit Ralph's when we get to Anaheim or some hotels provide breakfast). You can't take a picnic into the park but you can take snacks. We've taken sandwiches, granola bars, fruits, etc. and never been stopped! You can leave the park and go to McDonald's or Denny's on Harbor or wander down Downtown Disney for less expensive fare (Tortilla Joe's taqueria--not the restaurant-- or the Jazz Kitchen are my favorites). If you eat in the park I have a few suggestions:
Disneyland:

• the chicken dinner at Plaza Inn easily feeds 2 hungry adults
• the corndog wagon (Little Red Wagon Corndogs) at the end of Mainstreet comes with chips (and the corndogs are awesome)
• the turkey legs from assorted food wagons are huge and yummy (plenty to share)
• the french fries in the French Market are awesome (not cheap, but super yummy so share an order)
• the chicken and fries in the Golden Horseshoe are reasonable and good
• if you must have pizza try the Red Rocket Pizza Port
• Bengal Barbeque has awesome, inexpensive kabobs

California Adventure

• The wharf has a food court with Chinese, Mexican, and sandwiches. Stacy and I shared a Mexican salad that was HUGE and yummy. One day I saw a mom buy a loaf of sourdough bread and that's what her family ate (with complimentary butter)
• the Corndog Castle has awesome corndogs (can you tell that I like corndogs)
• drop by the Ghiradelli store for your FREE sample--yum! chocolate!
• the Paradise Garden Grill has yummy Greek kabobs with pitas

5. Favorites--my daughter-in-law Jenny asked me once "what is your very favorite thing to do in Disneyland?" Ironically, the answer is easy; I love to walk into the park and onto Main Street. Everytime I start down Main Street I get misty--EVERYTIME! After that everything is a bonus!
Disneyland Favorites

• Small World
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Disneyland Railroad
• Winnie the Pooh
• the fireworks--I like to view the fireworks from in front of Small World (smaller crowds and somewhere to sit)
• Peter Pan (riduclously long line--great ride)
• the parade
• Billy Hill and the Hillbillies show
• and everything else

California Adventure Favorites

• Tower of Terror
• Soaring Over California
• Animation Academy
• World of Color (do not miss!)
• Toy Story Mania
• Aladdin Show
• Monsters Inc.
• the new Newsies Trolly show
• I haven't ridden any of the new Car's Land rides so I can't say; but the Radiator Springs Racers look awesome!

Johnny's favorites

• Soarin over California
• Tiki Room (he's not very adventurous)
• Meet Mr. Lincoln

Avoid

• Jedi Training (I've seen more tears here than anywhere in the park) only some kids are chosen and the kids that aren't chosen are sad
• Tomorrow Land after dark
• I have to avoid the candy shop and the ice cream store for obvious reasons

6. Best time to visit--when ever you can get there!!! I've been there all through the year and it is always fun; BUT a few days you might want to avoid

• Columbus Day--California public employees get in cheap and come in droves
• UEA--Utah's Exodus to Anaheim. But you will see all your friends there
• Veteran's Day--Veteran's get in free
• the last day in June that Southern California residents can use their passes (Stacy and I were there this June and it was a zoo!)
• New Years Day
• Oct. 5-6 (the first weekend in October)--it wouldn't be politically incorrect to say why

My favorite times to visit Disneyland

• the last 2 weeks in August--Summer hours but most kids are back in school (I go every year!)
• Jan-Feb--light crowds (nice weather if you are used to Utah weather)
• October--the Halloween decorations are out but the crowds are a bit heavy. Fun idea--you can visit Disneylands Halloween party (held on select days during the month) and you don't pay admission to the Park just the party price. You get to come in costume and trick or treat (tons of candy) but VERY CROWDED
• the first 2 weeks of December--the Christmas decorations are out but the kids are still in school
• ANYTIME

7. Tips"

• Have your kids watch the classic Disney shows; the kids enjoy the rides more if they know the stories. When I went with Jenny last summer the kids watched the movies all the way there (if you need to borrow the classic movies I have most of them)
• If you have small kids go back to the hotel in the afternoon for a nap
• bring jackets--the evenings get cool (cold) even in the summer
• bring a stroller--even older (6-8) kids get tired after a long day+you can leave your jackets in the stroller and you don't have to carry them (the kids or the jackets)!
• If you need a personal guide I'm available!
• Have a great time!!!!!

Memorial Day

On of my favorite Memorial Day traditions is our visit to Mount Olivet Cemetery. We decorate Grandpa and Grandma Merritt's graves; next we wander down 2 rows and visit Lucy's grave. Lucy was Grandpa Merritt's first wife and grandma Merritt's best friend--I love honoring her! Last we travel east to decorate Frances' grave; Frances is Betty's older sister--she passed away 73 years ago in a motorcycle accident. Betty missed her every day of her life. As we stated back to the car I looked up and discovered 9 beautiful deer, not 20 feet away, watching us. For the next 10 minutes they watched us and we watched them--it was awesome! Just down the road weswerve stopped by 4 adult geese and 9 goslings slowly ambling across the road. The adults were trying to keep the group together and keep the small ones moving. They were hilarious! My new favorite zoo is Mount Olivet! Tomorrow we travel to Lehi and American Fork.

Thankful Thursday

1. Fall: John and I went for a walk tonight and it was so beautiful I couldn't believe it. The weather was perfect, the flowers were bright and vibrant, the trees had a hint of color on the edges of their leaves--lovely!
2. Finish lines: Its wonderful to know that a task is completed. I love knowing that I've completed a task. I have been grading all day today. I have finished one class--yeah! 
3. Antique photos: Over the last few months we have been collecting pictures of our ancestors. Most of these photos I have never seen before.
4. A good book: Some of my very best friends are imaginary. They make the perfect companions they aren't judgemental; they don't expect anything from me except my company; they never change--everytime I pick them up they jump from the page ready to entertain.
5. Airplanes: Although I hate riding on an airplane--it is really just a bus in the sky; but I love where airplanes take me.

I Can't Wait Until I'm Eight!

When I was small my favorite Primary song was "I Can't Wait Until I'm Eight." It seemed like every month one of the "big kids" got to stand in front of the primary while the rest of us serenaded them into full church membership. I was so excited the day that my turn finally came and I attained the rank of "peculiar person." Yeah! I can still remember how how proud and I happy I was that day. Well, this little song has been playing over-and-over today in my head; even though he's clear across the county in Kentucky I'm singing to Samuel Hawkes Larsen who turns eight-years-old today. Happy Birthday Sam!

Sam is one of the nicest, smartest, kindest, funniest, kids around. Sam and I love to read books together! Happy Birthday Sam! I can't wait to see you!

Is "Busy" a Sin?

I spent most of today reading essays for my new job. Several of the students wrote about the internet and the amount of time that we spend surfing, and commenting, and blogging (ouch), and texting, and tweeting, and friending, and . . .! My first reaction was to remember a mother I observed this summer in Disneyland. Two beautiful little girls got off a ride and ran over to there mother waiting on a bench. The girls were so excited to tell her all about their experience, She pretended to listen to them; nodded her head and made listening noises but she didn't take her nose out of her cell phone--I wanted to go over and ring her neck! I would never do that! Would I? How much time a day do I spend interacting with media? Could I better spend that time feeding the hungry, slaking the thirsty, housing the stranger, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned (Matthew 26: 35-36)? Ok! Well maybe that's a little deep, but the point is: is their a better use for my time? Of course there is. We worry so much about internet dangers--pornography, identity theft, cyber-stalkers--but Satan is so sneaky and subtle. Does he keep us so busy worrying about these egregious sins that we miss his greatest tool; busy distracted saints? Enough reflection, time for action! I'm going to interact with my computer less and interact with people more!

Choose Your Own Adventure

When my kids were young they loved the "Choose Your Own Adventure" books. In a choose your own adventure book at the conclusion of every chapters there are two choices and the story changes based on the choice you make. When you think about it, aren't we living choose your own adventure lives? Every decision we make, every minute, of everyday alters and directs our story. As a teenager I dated some really nice guys but when I choose to marry John (or when I convinced him to choose to marry me) I chose a specific adventure path with unique challenges and joys. Would my life have been different if I had chosen Tom? or Dick? or Harry? Absolutely! Would it have been better? or worse? I'll never know.

Some of the adventure choices we make are small; should I go to the store or take a nap; some are more important and possibly life changing: should I go to church today or stay in bed? And some are absolutely life altering: should I marry in the temple or elope to Vegas? And then there are the adventure choices that we can't see are going to be life altering. Image the adventure choice of the people that work in the Twin Towers in downtown Manhattan that got up and chose to go to work on Sept. 11, 2001; if the had known where their adventure choice would take them would they have gone to work that day--of course not!

I can think of several life altering adventure choices that I have made but I remember one that was so small and seemingly insignificant that it still boggles my mind how it changed and shaped my life. In 1990 I was serving on the PTA at Riverton Elementary. One day I stopped by principal Tom Hick's office to asked him a question and I noticed my telephone number taped to his desk. I asked him about it and he said he kept my number by his phone because I was the only mother he knew that didn't have preschoolers at home that he could count on in a pinch. Then he made the fateful statement: "Jill, you need to make yourself less available." That day I went home and checked out classes at SLCC and started on one of the greatest adventures of my life. Taking 1 class a semester I graduated with an Associate's Degree in 10 years (ok, I'm slow). I transferred to BYU where I graduated in 2002. Two more years of grad school and I have the best part-time job on the planet.

Not only did that small adventure choice alter my life but I believe that it also altered my children's lives. Because they watched me put great attention on education, so did they. Now my dad says that it's my fault that 10 of my grandchildren live in Kentucky and two in Iowa. He says,  "if you educate children they move away," so did I set myself up to miss large chunks of Cooper, John, Dallin, Mylee, Sam, Tyler, Eva, Davis, Josh, Emery, and the yet-to-be-born princess's lives by the choice I made that day? Yes. I did. Would I change that choice if I could go back? no. Did it bring consequences both good and not-so-good? Yes--but what an adventure.

Word of the Day

I subscribe to an online word-of-the-day dictionary that sends me a new word to learn each day. I'm always so excited and proud when I already know the word and its meaning (even if I usually can't spell it). Today's word I didn't know and I can't spell but is it ever cool! It is:
pleonasm \PLEE-uh-naz-uhm\, noun:
1. The use of more words than are necessary to express an idea; as, "I saw it with my own eyes."
2. An instance or example of pleonasm.
3. A superfluous word or expression.

Wow! What a cool word. I talk about wordiness all the time (I am wordy all the time!), but now I'm going to sound so smart warning students about "pleonasm." I love words!