Planning a Disney Vacation

Well it has been a while since I have posted and I wanted to get back to it. We (my wife and I) are getting ready to visit Disneyland. We have been six times each but Mary has never been at Christmas time. We decided that needed to be changed so we are going in December. Now I know what you are thinking Disneyland at Christmas -- you're crazy!! But no. There is a brief time between Thanksgiving and Christmas that the park is all decked out for the holidays, and still considered part of the down time. We are going during the first week in December. We chose this time because it is statistically less crowded at the parks (as kids are still in school and college has not quite let out for winter break). The airports are less busy because people are headed home after turkey day and NOT to a tourist destination like DL (Disneyland). Finally we chose the destination because well even though I am not employed by Disney I believe that you can go to Disneyland Resort (or really any of their resorts) and once you walk through the gate stress and worry sort of melts away from you. As corny as it sounds it really is magic.

Now I do not have a kid (yet) but there are tons of things that you can do there that are not ALL kid oriented (or park oriented). Disney's Grand Californian Hotel has a world renowned spa that offers great therapeutic treatments (which I plan to avail myself of a massage). In between both parks there is much in the way of shopping, entertainment, and an awesome movie theater. There is something there for sports fans, music lovers, and shopaholics. Disney knows it has to keep the entire family when they are on vacation. With this said I am going to share my planning with you. Let you know what I know about the accessibility and inaccessibility of the parks, airplanes, and surrounding attractions.

I am flying out of our local airport and connecting to Sea Tac International Airport. I like doing this because you get to bypass going through the larger airport security (having gone through the local airport's security), nice people who will help you get in and out of the aisle chair. This also lets you experience flying as it should be -- smaller planes, nicer staff, no fighting a larger airport's traffic. I like Alaska Air for most of my traveling, they are relatively well-connected with travel partners. I also like Hawaiian Air but that is for another trip. I also like to fly into smaller airports (such as John Wayne International) for the same reasons (just better than navigating LAX).

We have decided to stay on property as a treat (Grand Californian). We have stayed there before and it is a very elegant place. Great landscaping, an inspiring lobby, and comfortable rooms. If you can afford to stay on property I highly recommend it. If not there are some fantastic "good neighbor" partners off property.

I will continue to let you in on some neat little secrets but here are some of the references that I have used for each trip to DL: Birnbaums Official Guide to Disneyland Resort, and the Unofficial Guide to Disneyland 2009. I also like Mouse Planet, and Laughing Place too. Those folks know more about Disneyland than most Disney historians. More to come.