Reviewed By:
Nicci Fripp
Travel Date:
April 2002
We travelled to the States with relatives so there were a
total of ten in our party - 5 adults and 5 kids (aged 8, 6, 5,4, 18 months).
We flew Air New Zealand which was great - they were very
helpful and the kids were great considering the time spent on the plane.
We bought a 4 Day Disneyland Passport which got us into
California Adventure as well (adjacent to Disneyland). The kids really loved
that. I recommend checking out the Disneyland website -
www.disneyland.com
as they are able to tell you what attractions are
closed for renovations etc. We missed Its A Small World and Critter County as
well as a number of others - but the kids had a fantastic time and still talk
about it!!!
We stayed at the Fairfield Resort by Marriott which is across
the road from Disneyland. Staff were excellent, meals not great but nearby to
McDonalds, Millies and other outlets. Pizza Hut also deliver to the rooms.
Request a room with refrigerators and near the laundry facilities. I recommend
taking a trip to the local supermarkets, such as Vons, and purchase water
bottles, washing powder, coffee and sugar ( as theirs isn't very nice) and
cereal and plastic bowls and fruit. The kids then had a decent breakfast etc. We
sometimes even bought bread etc to make them sandwiches to take into Disneyland
- not that we were on a budget but because the kids were sick of eating fatty
fried food etc and actually the fruit inside is VERY expensive - like AU$2.00
for an apple. Most of the food in the states is expensive due to the poor Aussie
exchange rate. HOWEVER, the meals are HUGE and if you are not big eaters - share
a meal!!! - especially for the kids!!!
Las Vegas - many people say "Why are you taking the kids to
Las Vegas?" Well I'm glad we did. They loved all the casinos (not for gambling
because we didn't gamble the whole time and the kids aren't allowed in the
gaming areas) but each casino has a theme e.g. the Excalibur is a medieval
castle, the Aladdin is just like Aladdin the movie, the MGM Grand has a lion
habitat inside, Mandalay Bay has its own underground aquarium - the list goes
on. There are other attractions such as M&M World (yes the chocolates). That is
awesome if you are a chocolate lover. Or for lovers of Coca Cola there is Coca
Cola World! We also did a scenic flight to the Grand Canyon which was very
educational and drove across Hoover Dam.
My overall advice - plan well ahead if you are taking kids
under 10 years. And this is especially true if you plan on having long days out.
Things like:-
* small packets of baby wipes, a wet face washer in a snaplock
bag (makes it easier when you need to wipe hands/face in a hurry instead of
trying to find a toilet which could be a fair distance away).
* small first aid kit including bandaids and kids panadol
* small snackbox containing sultanas etc for when kids need a
quick pick me up
* the autograph book - kids are majorly disappointed when
Mickey cant sign their book.
* you don't need as many clothes as you may think - we went
for a total of 5 weeks and I shouldn't have taken 1/2 the clothes I did. Mainly
because I could hand wash at night and by morning they were dry and we did some
shopping for clothes also,
* One last note - kids get easily excited and sometimes forget
their manners etc. Be patient and understanding as it is very exciting and can
be extremely stressful. I suggest laying some ground rules before you go
anywhere - as they may change depending on the activity.
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