We've Moved!

Find me now over at A Disney Mom for all of your Disney inspired tips, crafts, parties and wedding!

How to Have Fun at Disneyland While Pregnant

If you haven't heard the news, I am expecting!  The hubs and I are going to be bringing home a little mouseketeer early in June and we are super excited (and scared!).  If you want to see our announcement pics (shot by Miss Brianna herself!)  head over to The Bees Times Three!

And that leads us to the second edition of my "How to Have Fun at Disneyland" series...(if you're not knocked up and don't have kids, check out the first edition, How to Have Fun at Disneyland as an Adult!)

 I’ll admit, before discovering I was with child, I would roll my eyes whenever I saw pregnant women at Disneyland.  I mean, what is the point, ladies?  You can’t go on any of the cool rides, all you do is waddle around all day, and more often than not, it’s a day of baking in the Southern California sunshine. 

And then I got knocked up.  Is there really any way that I, a self-proclaimed Disney addict, could go nine months without visiting my favorite place in the whole world?  Um, no.  I had to majorly adjust my Disney expectations (bye-bye California Adventure beer cart), but I knew I would find a way to enjoy myself.  And what have I discovered?  You can have fun at Disneyland, even while pregnant!  Just follow these easy steps:

1.        Know going in that the “fun” rides are off limits.  Space Mountain and Tower of Terror are just not going to happen in your pregnant state.  But that’s okay!  There are still lots of other cool rides you can enjoy.  In California Adventure, check out Toy Story Midway Mania and Soarin’ Over California.  If you’re a fan of Ariel, The Little Mermaid ride is also a cute option.  Across the way at Disneyland, you can rock many of the classics like Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion.  Jungle Cruise is always a crowd pleaser, and you can still battle the evil Dr. Zurg on my personal favorite, Buzz Lightyear Astroblasters.

2.       Come prepared.  First and foremost, wear comfortable shoes.  I used to dress for cuteness at the parks, but now I wear good sturdy socks and my running shoes.  You will not make it through the day wearing my former go to’s like flip flops and Chucks.  Second, bring lots of water with you.  You will need it, no matter what the weather is like (and more often than not, it is hot).  With all the walking around, it is super important to stay hydrated and you don’t want to get stuck paying the Disney standard of $3 for a bottle of water.  You also might want to bring snacks to munch on in between meals.

 The New Balance Disney themed running shoe collection; I need them all!

3.       Know where the bathrooms are located.  If you are not a frequent visitor to the parks, make sure you get a park map and note the locations of the bathrooms.  There are ample locations throughout the park, so if you know where to look, you are never more than a few minutes away.  But there is nothing worse than feeling that pressure in your tummy and having no idea where to find relief.

 Source

4.       Take lots of breaks.  There are tons of places in both parks where you can sit and relax and enjoy one of my favorite aspects of the Disneyland experience: people watching.  At California Adventure, I like to grab a waterside table at the Cove Bar.  Overlooking the pier, the bar gives you a great view of the Ferris wheel, and depending on your timing, you may even be able to catch one of the many water shows that takes place during the day (and don’t worry, even though it’s technically a bar, there are plenty of non-alcoholic options available).  If you’re at the Happiest Place on Earth, grab a seat at the Tomorrowland Terrace and listen to some live music.  Or kick up your feet and watch some of the awesome live entertainment at the Fantasyland Theater or the new Princess Fantasy Faire.

5.       Enjoy the food.  Churros and pretzels and Dole Whip, oh my!  Disneyland is home to some of the yummiest junk food on the block, why not use your expecting state as an excuse to indulge in some tasty goodies?  If you are sticking with the healthy stuff, there are many places to get fresh fruit (and pickles!), but don’t be afraid to stop by the Ghiradelli Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop in California Adventure for dessert.  You deserve it!

6.       Do some baby shopping.  There are enough cute kids clothes in the stores at the parks to make even the hardest of hearts squeal with delight.  Feel free to poke around and maybe even purchase a onesie or two…or ten.

Whether this is your first pregnancy or your tenth, there is no need to let your unborn child keep you from the awesomeness that awaits and Disneyland and California Adventure.  Be prepared, set your expectations, and most of all, enjoy your day at the Happiest Place on Earth.

Disney 5K Outfit Planning

Because planning outfits is way more fun than actually running and/or doing any sort of training whatsoever.

So the hubs and I ran the Disneyland 5K this past Friday for the second time.  Given that I am currently five months pregnant, there was not a whole lot of training involved.  There was, as per usual, a lot of outfit planning involved. Seriously.  The outfit is a big deal.  We didn't end up going with any of these ideas, but I still love them so I will share anyway.  Here are some of my inspiration pics.  (Click pic for original source, all pics via Pinterest.)

What do we think?  Any favorites?  I am partial to the Sleeping Beauty and Ariel ones since they are my fave princesses, but minus Ariel's sports bra, 'cause yeah no way is my tummy gonna look good in that.  Now I guess I should get to the like the actual training part.....

Walkee vs. Mouse Wait

Hello Mouseketeers and happy Friday!  Today we are comparing two apps that can be used to help determine wait times when visiting the Disneyland Resort.  One is free and one is $3.99 (there is a free version too, but it is very basic).

Starting with the Walkee app...This is the $3.99 one and I am not one to pay for apps, but so far I'm liking this one.  This is the home screen when you open the app...

There are lots of options you can use with the maps, you can have just the rides highlighted or just food, or things you have already done.  It's cool to have the different categories and be able to pick and choose.  This is what the maps look like when you click on them...

Walkee also has information about the dining options available in the park, showing you where they are located and the price range...

You can also click on the restaurant for more info, including the menu...

Walkee also has the park schedule so you can check out show times and hours...

And of course, ride wait times...

One super cool feature of the Walkee app is the Fastpass reminder alarm.  Put in the time of your Fastpass and the app will alert you when it is time to go to the ride...

Mouse Wait has a lot of the same features, however, I don't find the app visually as appealing as the Walkee.  This is their wait time screen...

The one thing Mouse Wait has that Walkee doesn't is Annual Pass blackout days, which is an awesome and important feature for all AP's.

They do have the restaurant information, again, not as pretty as Walkee...

The home screen of Mouse Wait tells you the crowd index, which is how full the parks are on a scale of 100...

Overall, if Walkee had AP info, I would definitely use it over Mouse Wait, but since it doesn't, I have both.  Mouse Wait will work just fine if you don't care much about the graphics and visuals, but you do get a little something extra with Walkee.  Bottom line: If you don't mind shelling out the cash, Walkee is a great way to go!

Restaurant Review: ESPN Zone

Hello Disney and sports fans!  Today is the first post in what will be a series of restaurant reviews from inside and all around the parks so you know where to go and what to eat!  We are starting with ESPN Zone, which is located at the end of Downtown Disney. 

We are frequent fliers at ESPN Zone, mainly because I have to let the hubs watch some sports if he is going to hang with me at Disneyland all day long.  Fair is fair and compromise and all that jazz.  Sports are the obvious theme here and there are tons of TV's and cool sports memorabilia all over the place so if that is your thing, you will love the atmosphere here.

The menu at ESPN Zone is very typical for a sports bar type restaurant, lots of burgers, chicken wings, and other delicious and totally unhealthy entrees.  The good news is they do have some options that are not ridiculously bad for you, and they let you choose fruit or salad as your side dish, which is an option I love.

This time around, I ordered the grilled chicken breast sandwich, which came with provolone and pesto on ciabatta bread.  I had actually never had this option before and it was pretty tasty.  Plus, I liked that it was a reasonably healthy option.

The hubs went with his usual, burger with cheese and bacon and fries.  There is nothing spectacular about their burgers, but all in all, they are pretty tasty.

And of course, one of the highlights of ESPN Zone is their wide selection of beers on tap.  They have a ton of different options for beer, plus a variety of mixed drinks and wines (but let's be honest, this is a beer kind of place).

Overall, if you are looking for reasonably priced and tasty bar food, ESPN Zone is the place to be.  Be warned that at peak meal times, and anytime there is a big game on (especially during football season) the place is packed.  Try to make a reservation or go at an off time.  We typically sit in the bar because the wait for a table is usually too much for us; if you have a small party, the bar is a great option.  Well, now that I'm hungry, I'm heading off to make a tasty meal of my own!  Hope to see y'all back here tomorrow!

Halloween Time at Disneyland!

Halloween is one of my absolute favorite times at Disneyland.  It's been in the last decade or so that Disneyland has gone all out for the holidays and every year seems to get better and better.  It started with the induction of the Haunted Mansion Holiday, which originally was just at Christmas, and has now expanded throughout the park.  There is tons of cool stuff happening at Halloween Time, these are some highlights from my most recent trip!

You can spot these adorable sweet treats in the window of Marceline's Confectionery in Downtown Disney...

The park entrance is all decked out in its Halloween finest...

Main Street is one of the coolest places during Halloween Time, with all kinds of decorations lining the street...

Of course, the highlight of Halloween Time is Haunted Mansion Holiday.  Every year the Haunted Mansion is transformed into Jack Skellington's playground and it is one of my favorite things about the holidays in the park.  Getting pics inside the ride is tough since the ghouls and ghosts don't appreciate flash photography, so these are from the line outside the ride.  One of the greatest things about Disney is how entertaining they make those long lines!  There is a ton of stuff to see outside Haunted Mansion Holiday!

You might even catch sight of Jack himself!

I did manage to get one shot inside the ride when we got stuck for a minute, of the big guy himself!

Hope you are in the Halloween spirit now like I am!  What's your favorite part of Halloween at the park?

Pin of the Week!

Happy late Friday everyone!  We are wrapping up our second week here at Two Disney Darlings, and I don't know about you guys, but we are having a blast!  This week we took a look at some cool vintage Disney posters, made an awesome DIY Disney phone case, met the second Disney Darling Brianna, and got some fun ideas for custom Disney shirts.  And here is our Disney pin of the week!

Come back next week for some special Halloween Disney info!