In My Girl's World

Michael got me an annual Disneyland pass for our 8 year anniversary. Because I have Tuesdays and every other Friday off, the cheapest pass was actually a great option for us. I have no desire to visit the park on weekends or summers when it's packed entirely, so being blocked out on those days is no problem. We only have a pass for me, and Ella gets in for free, so I often just take her by myself. The first time I took her, I was super nervous... But now that I have done it a few times, I am totally comfortable with a solo Disneyland day. I can't wait to keep taking Ella. The magical excitement of the park never gets old.

My biggest fear is getting lost in the parking structure and not being able to find my way back at the end of the day. Michael is usually the one to remember where we park and always has a great feel of his surroundings. I am not that person, so I have to very mindful. As soon as we park the car and gather ourselves, I try to take in my surroundings. 

I take pictures of where I am parked and which elevator I am taking. Disney is great as there are signs EVERYWHERE to find your car. As long as you remember which elevator you took and which area you parked, you are safe.

We always take the tram into the park, which can get tricky as you have to fold your stroller before going into the tram. With Ella in one hand, and our stuff in the other, this is difficult and I usually have to recruit help. I always pack light for our trip so I have less to carry around.

Here are some pictures from our most recent trip.

We waited in line to enter the park. It was cold that morning so we bundled up! 

We arrived BEFORE the park actually opened (accidentally.) They let us enter the park and head to Main Street which always feels so magical to me. It was so strange seeing Main Street so empty!

We were all heading to the castle for the 'grand opening.'

We waited in the line of people to enter the park. As soon as the ropes came down, we headed straight to Fantasyland.

I realized after arriving that getting to Disney before they open is definitely the way to go, as we made it on soo many rides within our first couple hours of being there. We were able to ride the following in just a couple of hours:

-Pinocchio's Daring Journey

-Circus Train

-Toad's Wild Ride

-Carousel

-Dumbo

-Teacups 

-Peter Pan

-Carousel again

-Alice in Wonderland 

To kill time in the lines, Ella and I sing songs, practice identifying body parts, and she munches on teething biscuits if she gets really ancy. Most of the lines were no longer than 10-15 minutes. Peter Pan was the longest and we waited around 30 minutes or so.

Ella's 1st time on the Circus Train

 

Ella usd to hate the carousel, but now loves it! We went on it 3x during the day.

Dumbo is another favorite.

Throughout the morning, I use my Disneyland app to check the wait times in lines.

Once we tackled Fantasyland, I stopped to change Ella's diaper and give her a small snack.

She had some fresh berries and canned green beans. This girl loves canned green beans so much... She enjoys fresh green beans too, but she REALLY likes canned. I think because the skin is softer and it's easier for her to eat. Either way, I am glad she enjoys them because it's better than crackers or a sweet snack.

After our snack, I headed over to The Haunted Mansion to grab a fast pass. I usually get a fast-pass for this ride before we head over to Pirates. Timing usually works out that when we are done with Pirates, it's usually time for us to head to the mansion, and they are in the same general area.

Ella had another snack while we waited in line.

We had so much fun on Pirates and then headed to Haunted Mansion. They are my two favorite rides and Ella loves them too!

After those rides, we stopped for lunch. I packed food for Ella and got a corndog for myself...very healthy! Haha! Ella stole a few french fries.

Ella loves french fries!

I lay her back in her stroller, and give her some milk... which resulted in this...

Ella took a short nap... around 40 minutes. We sat in the shade outside of Small World (closed for renovation) and I just enjoyed the ambience of the park while my sweet girl slept.

Ella woke up from her nap feeling a little tired. 

We headed to Toon Town where Ella got to meet Pluto. As you can see, she was still waking up.

We went to explore Mickey's House but decided after seeing the line of people that we wouldn't wait to meet him again.

Ella loved exploring the house and decided to take a seat and relax. 

Ella ran around Toon Town for a bit. It was pretty empty so I was comfortable letting her run and explore a bit. She went to a playground area and slid on the slides while making some friends.

We wet on a few more rides before I decided it was time to pack up and head home.

On our way out we got to see Minnie Mouse. Ella was sooo excited.

We left the park by 2:45, were at the car by 3 and got home before 4. The best part of having an annual pass (besides being able to go all the time) is that when we go, we don't feel obligated to stay until closing. If we go and only stay a few hours, it's still worth it for us. It was such a successful day at Disneyland and we had sooo much fun!

I can't wait to watch Ella grow and be able to go on more and more rides as she gets older.

Have you been to Disneyland?

What's your favorite Disney ride?

-Ashley & Ella xoxo