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A Magical First Vacation at the Disneyland Resort

Monday, August 24, 2009
Written by Ryan Smith
For my wife’s birthday I decided to surprise her by taking my wife and son to the Disneyland® Resort in Southern California. Since my son has just turned two, I was hoping he would be old enough to really enjoy the vacation. That concern was easily put to rest. When we first checked into Disney's Grand Californian Hotel® & Spa, my son ran inside yelling "Mickey…Mickey…. Mickey!" It was so cute. When we were checking in, they had nice, miniature chairs for kids to sit and watch Disney cartoons.  My son, Boston, was in heaven.

After we got to our room we decided to go over to Disneyland®. Since our hotel is located right inside of Downtown Disney, we took the monorail that drops off at Tommorrowland, right inside the park. It was extremely easy to do because they just scanned our tickets at that gate. That night in the Park reminded me how fun Disneyland® is. Seeing my son ride on "it’s a small world" was so cute. He kept waiving to all the little dolls. As the night rolled on and several rides later we decided to watch the fireworks show from Downtown Disney. The fireworks were beautiful and capped the night off just right.

Since we decided to get the 3-day Park Hopper® tickets, we didn’t feel pressured to fit everything into one, or even two, long drawn out days. This was great because sometimes we would go to the park early, and come back to our hotel so our son could take a nap. This helped keep our son happy, which in return kept things easier.

When we decided to go to Disney's California Adventure® Park, we were able to enter the park directly from our hotel. This was so convenient. The rides on this side were much different than the attractions at Disneyland® Park. My son’s favorite ride was the new Toy Story ride. This was a blast and I would definitely recommend it. Another fun part of this park was the Tower of Terror. Since I was with my wife, she watched our son as I went as a single rider. Doing it that way made it a lot faster. The line only took about 10 minutes to get on.

In conclusion, I can say that I think every family at one point needs to experience the Disneyland® Resort together. For those days that you're on vacation there it helps put the stresses of the world on hold as you grow a closer bond together. I’m thankful for the experiences and memories we had together at the Disneyland® Resort.

When you book with Get Away Today, it is a one-stop shop experience. We can arrange everything for your vacation from your hotel, park tickets, shuttle, airfare, car rental, and more.  If you'd like to stay at Disney's Grand Californian Hotel® & Spa like we did, right now, you can get an extra $400 off a 4 night or longer package!  Simply book for travel to be completed by December 24, 2009 to take advantage of this amazing special. Availability is limited, so I recommend you book as soon as possible.  And remember, when you book with Get Away Today, you're getting over 20 years of our vacation making experience.
Get Away Today
01/22/2010 11:11AM
Hey Lonni, Thanks for the comments. How fun to be at the Disneyland Resort over New Year's & especially for a birthday! There are a TON of changes going on at DCA. Check out this blog article about all of the changes. We'll post more info as we get more details and updates: http://www.getawaytoday.com/blogs/2009/09/15/New-Announcements-Attractions-and-Events-at-Disney.aspx
Lonni
01/12/2010 01:41PM
Ryan, I loved reading your experience! Thanks for sharing. I wondered if you and your experts at Get Awy Today have news for us about all the changes happening at DCA? When will the Radiator Springs attraction open and the water show looks incredible because all the gear to make it happen is being installed now and looks amazing. I was there last On New Years Eve celebrating my 3 year old's birthday (that was incredibly fun and even with the crowds I'd definately do it again!) and couldn't believe all the walls hiding the construction in DCA. Details, please?
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