Summer Vacation in Southern California

It took us 2 days of driving to get to Buena Park, California, but we didn't mind it. We enjoy the family time in the SUV, along with seeing the sights on the open road.

Quick Tips:

If you are traveling with a young child, as we were, a 7-year-old, purchase a portable DVD player that allows you to play movies and has games with it, too. She loved it, and it kept her entertained for hours!

Best Way To Get Around:

What can I say about the Claim Jumper??? It is one of the best meals that you can get for your money, and I really mean that! You get HUGE portions and probably won't even finish your meal, so plan on a take-home box. They have great service and reasonable prices that match the huge quantity of food. There is a nice selection on the menu, and they have one the best desserts, the Mother Lode. It is way over a five- to six-layer chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. It is the best and well worth the money. It can be shared with several people and even taken home for a later late-night snack. Give it a try; you won't be disappointed!

One night when we were super hungry, we tried the Rainforest Cafe in downtown Disney. After walking to it, to our shock, the wait time was an hour and half. But with some begging and pleading, we were seated on the patio and didn't wait for the inside experience. We did that in the MGM Grand one in Vegas. It is nice and a great experience for the kids.

The food is nice, but I feel that the prices are a bit high for what you get. To be a family affair, the kid’s menu was expensive, so we ordered what our daughter would eat to save on the cost and shared our meal with her since she isn't a large eater.

The service was nice and the restaurant was clean, but the prices of the menu are on the high side and hard to justify for what you get in portions. But, overall, the food was good and I would recommend it and probably return to another Rainforest Cafe.

Now if you want a great fast-food hamburger, go to In and Out Burger. They have the best hamburgers/cheeseburgers and the best prices in town!! You can get a hamburger alone for less than $2.00 and made the way you want. They use their special sauce, large onion, tomato, and lettuce on the hamburgers.

They offer great combo meals that include your drink and fries. And did I mention the fries? They are fresh-cut potatoes. Not a lot of salt on them and made fresh.

You can get a drink or have a shake added, and they have the best chocolate shakes! Just thinking about this and writing this in my journal, I'm craving one! Too bad they haven't made it to the Pacific Northwest. Hopefully someday!

We did the 3-Day Hopper pass for the parks. We checked into the prices at the gate, and they seem to be higher than what we purchased. If you get a chance, go to your local Disney store and they carry tickets.

We loved Disneyland - wouldn't anybody? It makes you want to be a kid all over again. Our 7-year-old daughter giggled, smiled, and was delighted to have her mommy and daddy for the 3 days.

We didn't use the fast pass at all, because the return time seemed a lot later, so we stuck it out on the rides for the wait time. The most we waited was 60 minutes, but it went by fast. If you get there first thing in the morning, go on the big rides first. There is less wait time, and also, when the parades or fireworks are on, the ride lines are less too.

We did take a backpack to carry snacks and water bottles. The cost of water bottles and soft drinks is $2.50 or more, and that is kind of expensive for a family of three or more. So it was helpful packing the backpack for the hot days in the sun.

We enjoyed the Disneyland park, but did spend a day at California Adventure. Thinking back now, I have seen and done it, and I don't know if I would return to Cal Adv. Not a lot of rides for young ones that make the height requirement for safety, but they do have a water section for the kids.

I still think that Disneyland is the happiest place on earth and will always be a family place to my family. It was great, fun experience for us, and we had a blast on the rides.