Choices we made for our 2006 Disneyland Vacation

We had many choices to make for our June 2006 trip to the Disneyland Resort. Here they are and the reasons we made the decisions we did.


Question: Why did you decide on June 27th?

Answer: We chose that date because it was very important to have the Electric Parade each night since it is Alex's favorite parade. The parade was going to start full time that week, so it was perfect for us.
When To Visit Disneyland

Question: April was a less expensive time to go with all kinds of specials from Disney. Was the Electric Parade more important than saving money?

Answer: Yes, for us it was. The trip is for Alex and it makes him happier than anything else.

Question: Why then did you choose early summer instead of late summer?

Answer: We chose early summer because generally it isn't that hot yet, and it is still considered low season so the prices are better than any other time in the summer. So we get off season prices but on season entertainment.

Question: Why did you fly instead of driving to Disneyland?

Answer: The drive for us is over 16 hours and with a young child that is difficult. Having to give up 1-2 days of our vacation for travel time is just too painful.

Question: Why do you choose Frontier to fly.

Answer: Frontier tends to be a little cheaper from Denver. They have brand new Airbuses with in flight TVs (including the Disney Channel) at every seat. The other main Denver airline, United, has ongoing labor problems which always worry us.

Question: Why do you fly into Los Angeles but return from the Orange County airport?

Answer: We do this because of the airline schedule. Frontier either has an early or late time into Orange County whereas going to Los Angeles give us an early afternoon option.
Traveling To Disneyland And Around The Los Angeles Area

Question: Why don't you take an early flight?

Answer: This is done because of our distance to the airport. We must drop our dogs off before going to the airport and the total drive time is almost two hours. With a child who usually sleeps in it is easier to go late and let him sleep. We don't want to start a vacation to Disneyland tired.

Question: Why don't you rent a car to get to your hotel?

Answer: We usually don't use a car once we get there so we just have to return it the next day. This takes time out of our day and adds more walking so this year we decided not to rent a car.

Question: Why did you use Airport Bus (Disneyland Express) instead of Super Shuttle?

Answer: Alex likes the big purple buses that Airport Bus uses. Also, going through AAA Airport Bus was very inexpensive for the three of us, and it was half the price of a car rental.

Question: Why do you not use the Disney Dining Plan

Answer: While we like to prepay our trip the Dining Plan does not work for us. We rarely eat a sit-down breakfast and at least one is included. Also… we do a lot of character meals which means less meals. It might work for you but make sure you buy 1-2 less days then you will be there so you are not on a rigid dining schedule.

Question: Why did you purchase so many Disneyland Resort Gift Cards? ($400)

Answer: We wanted to prepay as much of our trip as we could. As an added benefit we ended up spending less money while there. Not having so much in cash helps.

Question: Why did you decide to stay at a Resort Hotel?

Answer: We like the resort hotels for two reasons. Vacation Planning can be used if you are a resort hotel guest, and the Enhanced Fastpass through AAA is only available if you stay at one of the resort hotels.

Question: Why did you stay at the Paradise Pier Hotel?

Answer: We had wanted to stay there because it was the only Disney hotel we had not yet stayed at.

Question: Why did you decided to get to Disneyland each day at opening or for Early Entry with a 3 year old?

Answer: Early mornings at Disneyland are less crowded and it is easier to visit more attractions.

Question: Why didn't you force your child to take a nap each day?

Answer: Alex has always been good about sleeping in his stroller. While we did leave the Parks each day, even going back to the hotel, you can't 'force' an independent almost 4 year old to nap.

Question: Since he didn't nap, why did you stay up so late at Disneyland each night?

Answer: From 9:00pm on at Disneyland it is easy to ride some of the more popular attractions. If Alex stayed awake after the parade we had to ride Small World before he would sleep, and sometimes Buzz. When he fell asleep we took the time to do things he can't or doesn't want to do.

Question: Why do you do so many character meals?

Answer: We enjoy the character meals and Alex loves most of the characters so while they are expensive they are a lot of fun. Seeing the characters at the character meals allows us not to have to waste a lot of time waiting in line for them at the parks.

Question: So the cost of a character meal doesn't bother you?

Answer: Of course they are very expensive… but when they work the way they are supposed to work you get good food and great character interaction. One on one time with the characters is worth paying for in our judgment.

Question: Why do you pay money to sit on the balcony for Fantasmic! when you can get a seat on the ground for free?

Answer: This is a choice that we made once. Since then it has never been a question for us. We don't like to waste time sitting to save a spot just to get a good seat for Fantasmic! It is worth the money for us to have a spot where we can check in 30 minutes early and have a wonderful view of the show.

Question: Why did you keep going to Disneyland during parades and fireworks when it was so hard to get around due to crowd control?

Answer: Alex's favorite ride is Small World and the second favorite is Buzz Lightyear. There were various times during the day where he had to ride one or both or he would do nothing else. Since his happiness is the most important thing on this vacation, there were times when we had to do this.


Already we have faced many choices for our Holiday trip in 2006!

Question: Why go to Disneyland around Christmas?

Answer: As much as we love the sun Christmas is a great time to go to Disneyland. Small World and The Haunted Mansion have big makeovers and the whole park is decorated. And there is plenty of special Disney Christmas activities.

Question: You were going to stay at the Candy Cane Inn. What changed your mind?

Answer: We loved the Paradise Pier hotel, and decided that the benefits we get using AAA and staying at a resort hotel were something we didn't want to give up!

Question: Why did you change your dates from November to December?

Answer: We were using the stay for 3, get the 4th night free promotion at the Paradise Pier hotel, and the date we had chosen in November sold out.

Question: There was space available earlier in December, so why wait until the 15th?

Answer: We didn't want to be there during the Cast Member Parties because Disneyland closes very early on those nights.

Question: Why did you decide not to do the Princess Meal at Ariel's Grotto this trip?

Answer: Alex is not a big Princess fan so we have decided to skip this meal.

Question: You stated after your trip in June that you may never do Goofy's Kitchen again. What have you decided for this holiday trip?

Answer: We are currently planning on a dinner at Goofy's Kitchen. Final plans have not yet been made though.