Hey Everyone! It’s Kimberly from Packed With Fun, the official blog for Get Away Today. Summer is here and that means SUMMER VACATION is here, too! The Disneyland Resort is many a family’s choice when it comes to summer vacation destinations. Have you been afraid of booking a trip to Disneyland during the summer because of the rumored crowds and heat? If so, you have no need to fear. The Disneyland Resort is awesome year-round and always makes up for the busy season with extended hours, extra entertainment and even special events. A while ago, I shared some fun things to do at Disneyland on a busy day on “Or So She Says.” Be sure to check it out. Today I want to share my tips to keep cool at Disneyland this summer – it can be done!
First, if you can stay on property – do it! If you can’t stay at one of the three Disney hotels, stay across the street or as close as possible. This way, you can easily hop over to your hotel during the hottest part of the day for a dip in the pool or a nap in your air conditioned room. Believe me, we lost air conditioning last year in a bad storm and were without the AC for almost 2 days. You better believe me when I tell you I was searching Google for HVAC Service Las Vegas NV. Thank God for Air Time Heating & Cooling. As an FYI, the Disneyland Hotel has one of my favorite pools ever, complete with Monorail themed water slides.
Second, speaking of air-conditioning, there are a ton of ind0or shows, especially in Disney California Adventure Park. And, what’s more, some of the shows are long. Aladdin – A Musical Spectacular lasts nearly 40 minutes and if you get there early for a good seat, you’re looking at an hour of entertainment in A/C. Playhouse Disney, Turtle Talk with Crush (as well as all of the activities inside the Animation Building), It’s Tough to be a Bug and Muppet Vision 3D are all over in Disney California Adventure. Hop over to Disneyland and you’ll want to spend time cooling off indoors at the Enchanted Tiki Room, the Innovations Building and Captain EO.
Be an early riser. This goes against my nature, but when I’m at Disneyland, I get up early. During the summer, the parks open earlier and let’s face it, families like to sleep in when they’re on vacation. This means that not only are the parks cooler in the morning, there are fewer crowds. Plus, 3-Day and longer tickets from Get Away Today include one Magic Morning, where you can get into Disneyland an hour before it opens to the public. It’s a great way to get on all of the rides in Fantasyland. Even better, stay at one of the three Disney Hotels, and you’ll get early into one of the parks each day of your stay!
Next, get wet! Sometimes you just need a little splash to keep you cool. Splash Mountain and Grizzly River Rapids guarantee you’ll get wet, however, the range is anywhere from splashed to drenched. Consider yourselves warned. Grab a FASTPASS for these attractions in the late morning so you can use it during the heat of the day. If you wait too long, your return time will be late and a FASTPASS to these attractions aren’t as much fun after the sun’s gone down. Another tip, if you have small kids, they’ll love the splash pad in “bug’s land.” It is adorable.
Of course Disneyland thinks of everything, so luckily a high percentage of their attractions have queues that are shaded or indoors. In addition to that, a lot of the longer rides are indoor and that’s always refreshing. Some of my favorite attractions that will keep you cool for a while are: Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, it’s a small world, Soarin’ Over California, The Little Mermaid ~ Ariel’s Undersea Adventure, Indiana Jones and the Animation Building.
Disneyland wouldn’t be Disneyland without the treats and so many of them are ice cold. I’ve put together my top 20 cool Disneyland treats on Packed With Fun, so you can read those there. Frozen bananas, lemonade slushes and Mickey shaped ice cream sandwiches are plentiful throughout both parks. A couple of my favorite cool treats are a little more exclusive – one is the Dole Pineapple Whip, only available outside the Tiki Room in Adventureland and the other is the Mint Julep from the French Market tucked in New Orleans Square. Yum!
When it comes to planning your meals, make sure you do at least one Character Dining experience. No one enjoys waiting in lines to meet characters, so don’t! The characters come to you in temperature controlled restaurants, oh, and the food’s delicious too!
And finally, one of the best things about Disneyland during the summer is the nighttime! Not only have temperatures cooled, but the shows are amazing. It is not uncommon to have two showings of Fantasmic! and up to three showings of World of Color each night. Not only that, but the fireworks are held most nights during the summer and they are not to be missed. You’ll want to allow enough time to see them all!
Of course, you’ll want to pay attention to the summer safety basics. Be sure to keep everyone in your family hydrated. You can bring your own water bottles (plastic only, no glass), purchase water bottles inside the parks, or get a free cup of water at any of the restaurants. Dress lightly, pack the sunscreen and shades, and get ready to have some summer fun at Disneyland!
If you haven’t booked your summer vacation yet, what are you waiting for? You can book over at www.getawaytoday.com or call 855-GET-AWAY. Use promo code: OSSS10 to save an extra $10 on your package.
