Find Part One of my FAQ here.

Where should we stay?

We stayed at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa. It’s the high end of the three Disney hotel properties, and I really think it’s worth the extra bucks. I loved the decor - dark wood, vaulted ceilings, very subtle Disney themes. It felt far more adult than I expected, which was refreshing.

The other two Disney hotels are also very convenient to the parks, but when I saw that the Grand Californian actually had a private entrance to Disney’s California Adventure, I was sold. Especially when the five of us were totally wiped out and able to take a much-needed short cut back to the hotel (vice carrying two sleeping children through Downtown Disney as we’d done the night before).

There are other hotels in the surrounding area with access to the parks, but considering the time value of money, I’m sold on the Grand Californian.

Should we bring our own stroller?

I was impressed, as only a mom of small, whiny children can be, by the stroller rental service at the parks. They don’t have double strollers, but one single stroller is $12/day, two for $22.

The strollers are joggers, easily maneuverable and quite comfortable for babies who can sit unsupported all the way up to pre-schoolers. In fact, Tacy and CJ perched in our two strollers to watch Fantasmic! and the fireworks display.

I especially liked that we could return the strollers, hang on to our placards (each stroller has a placard with your name on it, which reduces the potential for mix-ups) and receipt, leave the park for a while and then come back and get new strollers without waiting in line again or paying a second time.

The only drawback is that you must turn in the strollers before leaving the park, which means that you might end up carrying sleeping children all the way back through Downtown Disney, as we wearily did after the fireworks.

Is the food any good?

Surprisingly good!  At Disneyland, we had dinner at the French Market restaurant in New Orleans Square.  I had the jambalaya, and Kyle had the citrus chicken.  The girls shared a plate of macaroni and cheese (which comes with carrot and celery sticks), and Oliver chowed down on shreds of chicken from Kyle’s plate and mine too.  We also splurged on dessert - a chocolate mousse torte for the ladies, and cheesecake topped with red raspberries for Kyle.

The next morning, we had breakfast at the Storyteller’s Cafe at the hotel, accompanied by Chip ‘n Dale.  It was probably the most pleasant sit-down meal we’ve ever enjoyed with all three children, thanks to intermittent visits from the character, plus a post-meal dance parade around the entire cafe.  My only gripe?  The food is pricey - $25 for the buffet for adults, $12 or so for kids.  We ordered off the menu, and in retrospect, we should have ponied up for the buffet and taken advantage of the selection - like Eggs Benedict, sauteed asparagus, and smoked salmon with capers.

Then we had a late lunch at the Wine Country Trattoria at Disney’s California Adventure.  I had a caprese sandwich, and Kyle had a meatball sandwich - both of which were delicious.  It was pretty chilly out that day, so we forewent the adult beverages in favor of hot tea.

How much is this vacation going to cost me anyway?

Believe it or not, I’ve got some good news for you there.  Our airfare was surprisingly low, and because there are several different airports in the general area, you can shop around for flights.  Just make sure your chosen car rental company has a location at each airport; we learned that lesson the hard way.

Disneyland has also begun a new promotion that makes for an ideal vacation.  Buy a three-night hotel and three-day ticket package, and get two more nights and two more days absolutely free.  The reason I think this offer is so fantastic is that it lets you relax more as you explore the parks.  Instead of feeling compelled to see and do everything in only a couple days, you’ve got five full days to leisurely make your way to every corner of both Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure.  And aren’t vacations supposed to be leisurely?

Granted, a five-day stay means you’ve got more days’ worth of meals to buy and more time to be tempted by souvenirs.  But you can return home knowing that you’ve really made the most of your time at the parks.

In short, for a family of four - with the cool new promotion (get the details here) - with airfare and car rental and meals and a few sets of souvenir mouse ears, I’d say you’re looking at around $3500.

But like I said in Part One, it’s an experience for the whole family, and unless you live in SoCal, it’s not one you’ll repeat every year - or even every other year.  Plus, you’re just not going to find a comparable family vacation for less.  Certainly not one that’s anywhere near as memorable as a trip to Disneyland.

For more information on Disneyland promotions, check out their Special Offers page.  And if you’ve got any more questions about our Disneyland experience, please email me directly at mothergoosemouse AT gmail DOT com.