disneyland doesn't have wifi. this probably doesn't matter to most people who aren't too cheap to pay for a data plan on their phones. but it applies to me.
speaking of cheap, the least expensive souvenirs are the pressed coins from the machines scattered around the parks. you can get a map their locations from city hall in disneyland or from the chamber of commerce in california adventure. this was actually something my kids loved searching for. if your kids like geocaching, i'm betting they'll like these. there are machines that crank out pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters. the prices range from 51 cents for the pennies to $1.25 for the quarters.
no yo-yos allowed. bringing things to keep your kids busy in line is great. just not yo-yos. something about them swinging around and whacking other people... if you want to know the best thing to have with you in line, it is a game boy. didn't even come close to having to recharge the batteries, those things last forever!
if you stand next to my daughter in line, she will talk your ear off and tell you every last detail about her life's story along with everything she has ever learned. ever.
heimlich can speak spanish. it's funny.
magic morning vs. extra magic hour. so here's the thing: magic morning is for disneyland, while california adventure has an extra magic hour. this is when the park opens an hour early for some guests. when we purchased our tickets it said they came with 1 magic morning. only when we tried to enter california adventure for its extra magic hour did we discover that those are different than magic mornings. extra magic hours at california adventure are strictly for guests staying at the disneyland hotels. so that was disappointing. and they were turning away several other ticketholders who also were planning to enter the park early; clearly that distinction is unclear to many people.
most cast members are awesome. some are a little less so...
some rides are worth the wait in a long line. some are a little less so...
hats are your friend. not only are they great for keeping the sun out of your eyes and averting a sunburn, they can help you spot someone in a crowd. we "accidentally" bought our kids matching hats just a couple of days before and it was one of the smartest things we did. i could just look for a green hat in a pinch.
i am as tall as minnie mouse.
if you ride on luigi's flying tires, and you decide to wear a short flowing skirt, remember to wear full coverage undies, because your skirt will fly up and everyone will see them. {thankfully, the lady whose skirt flew up was wearing such undies.} alternatively, make sure not to wear a skirt. the ride is basically a giant air hockey surface.
my son is a screamer. wait...i already knew that.
the penny arcade consists of 7 old movies that you can pay a penny to watch through a peek hole. luckily my son thought they were hilarious and wasn't disappointed that it wasn't a penny arcade in which one can play video games for a penny a piece. {for that you must go to the starcade, though each token costs a quarter.}
the monorail isn't helpful for getting you to a distant side of the park. the first time we hopped on, i was assuming that it would take us from tomorrowland to the opposite side of the park where we planned to catch our next ride. as it turns out, there are only 2 monorail stops. one in tomorrowland and one outside of the park at downtown disney. so we stayed on and ended up back where we started and then walked over to the opposite side of the park for our next ride. luckily the monorail counts as a ride so we didn't "waste" time while we were on it. if you want to get to another area of the park without walking, the disneyland train is better. it stops in several places.
the lego store is fun.
when leaving the park on your last night even a 'tween will ball like a baby because he-or-she-who-will-remain-nameless doesn't want this experience to end. even after 5 full days. the fact that it is midnight doesn't do much to minimize the waterworks...
