One of my favorite things to do is spend time with my daughter. We love to have fun, hang out and make memories together. We also love amusement parks, so I surprised Siena with a trip to the Happiest Place on Earth – aka Disneyland! It was her first time going as a “big kid.” We hadn’t been to Disneyland since she was about three or four years old and she couldn’t really remember anything from those trips. Needless to say, she was very excited! She had been asking me to go for a while, but ya know…COVID and all. Lol

We love to hang out, have fun and make memories together.

Our Day

We went on a Sunday, and on a holiday weekend, so I was expecting Disneyland to be crazy. We arrived at the park's opening time (8:00 a.m.) and the onsite parking structure was pretty busy. By the time we parked, made it through security, jumped on a shuttle and arrived at the Disneyland entrance, it was around 8:45 a.m. Despite the parking and security busyness, (which was still very seamless to get through btw) believe it or not, the park was actually not too crazy. Plenty of walking room!

First stop - my coffee! Lol We went to Starbucks inside of Disneyland. The line was pretty long, but the service was fast, so we made it through very quickly. Once I had my coffee, we stopped at a shop nearby to get Siena her own Minnie ears...that are basically mine too. lol But omg, there are SO MANY types of Minnie ears! I had no idea! Lol Literally “a whole new world” unlocked. Lol Seeing so many of them got me excited to start collecting different ones so Siena and I can share. Siena ended up picking out some really cute rose gold ones.

We started our day getting on the Jungle Cruise followed by Snow White, Winnie the Pooh, Pinocchio, It’s a Small World, and the train, which goes around the entire park.

Around noon or so, we went to California Adventure. That park was definitely much busier at that time, so we only went on Monsters Inc. and The Little Mermaid. We went back to Disneyland and stayed the rest of the day until around 7:00 p.m./8:00 p.m., riding a total of 10 rides between both parks. I was actually surprised we conquered that much in one day. Siena was a champ and was great all day, but it definitely was a long day for her. She knocked out in the car, before we even left the parking structure. Lol

Where I Spent

For our fun-filled day, here’s what I purchased for the two of us:

Two 1-day Park Hoppers, which allowed us to go to both Disneyland and California Adventure on the same day. When purchasing this type of ticket, you have to select the park you are going to start at for the day, then you can enter the other park a few hours later. We started at Disneyland, then went to California Adventure later. I didn’t purchase any of the Disney Genie and Disney Genie+ services and we were still able to get on 10 rides between both parks, plus walk through most of both parks.

Parking at the onsite parking structure.

Concession stand snacks - cotton candy, frozen strawberry lemonade & a cream cheese filled pretzel. As Siena says, it was ”bussin!” lol I also bought a coffee that morning at Starbies.

Disney merch because we def needed the rose gold ears. It was a must for us. lol

Seated dinner at River Belle Terrace, which was delicious! We used the Disneyland app to hop in a virtual line, which was easy and seamless.

Where I Saved

For both my daughter and I, I typically bring refillable water bottles, lunch, and snacks to hold us over 90% of the day. This has always been a game changer for us with both time and cost savings. Being in line for both concessions and rides wastes A TON of time. I always make sure I have plenty of snacks so we’re spending little to no time waiting in concession lines and only waiting in ride lines. The best part is my daughter is used to me having snacks, so getting a snack from a concession stand is a true treat and experience for the both of us, and even more special.

My Top 5 Tips When Visiting with Kids

Go early! Get there right when the park opens. Kids are normally in a better mood when they wake up, rested and full of energy, and are excited knowing they’re going to the Happiest Place on Earth. You can also get on a few rides before it gets too crazy with long wait times. Within the first half of the day, we tackled at least 5 rides because we arrived early.

Bring food, snacks, and water. Amusement parks are typically really good about families bringing in their own food and snacks, so take advantage of it. This saves a lot of time, not having to stand in concession lines, and money. Kids can also eat snacks in line while waiting for rides, which helps with their mood. My daughter always asks for snacks in line, so it keeps her occupied and less focused on the wait.

Bring extra clothes, socks, and sweatshirts. Depending on the time of year, it may get cooler at night, so sweatshirts are always good to have. Bringing a full extra outfit for kids is always good to have too, not only in case they get wet, but also for accidents, including food and drink spills.

Share concession stand snacks. Kids don’t always eat everything, so if you plan to purchase snacks from the concessions, why not share? It’s a great way to save money with little to no waste and savor the amazing snacks Disneyland offers. The sizes are also typically enough for a couple of people, so sharing is a good way to go. Siena and I do this often and we hardly ever waste anything.

Bring PJs! I’ve always found it SO convenient to have pajamas on hand for the drive home. Even if it’s not late, the kids will definitely be tired. We always eat dinner on the way home, so by the time we get to the car, my daughter is ready to “get cozy.” lol I also keep a small pillow and blanket in my car at all times for her to be comfortable, so she usually falls asleep pretty quickly. When we get home, if she falls asleep, I can just put her in bed without worrying about changing her too.

We love amusement parks and always love a good visit to Disneyland, so I can’t wait to go back! Here are more moments I captured throughout our day.