We just finished our BIG KID TRIP to Disneyland omg. I 100/10 recommend it. This trip was supposed to be our two families going, but one case of Norovirus later (sorry Arrrrrrlo) had us changing plans quickly! Karyssa ditched her husband, I left the little behind and we piled in the van and were off!
We booked the Family Suite at Castle Inn + Suites so we had plenty of room for them to stay with us!
This is my new favorite place to stay on Harbor, I loved it SO much.
TOP THREE FAV THINGS about the Castle Inn + Suites
1. BIG rooms/suites for bigger families
2. FREE FREE FREE parking!! This doesn't happen often anymore!
3. 9 minute walk to Disneyland gates!!
BONUS! Super duper kind staff and they reset your room daily :)
**Update! We recently did a trip to The Castle Inn again (Sept 2024) and stayed in the Executive Suite with our family of 6!
The Executive Suite has one giant room room (two queen beds and a pull out sofa) + a bathroom.
You can book the Executive Suite at the Castle Inn through Get Away Today, and if you purchase your tickets with it, you can use code HAPPY10 for a discount. NEXT THE FAMILY SUITE!!!
The Family Suite has TWO rooms (king bed and two queen beds) + a bathroom.
The first room is when you enter and it has a king size bed, fridge, flat screen, and lots of mirrors! Woot woot!
The second room has two queen size beds, a flat screen, and a full sink! I loved this so much! This room has a door that closes so if you need/want separation, it works so well. It can be hard to find rooms that sleep 6 comfortably (with no one on a pullout) so this is such a good option.
Did I mention that this hotel is only 9 minutes from the park gates?!
You cannot get better than that!
You can book this hotel through Get Away Today, and if you purchase your tickets with it, you can use code HAPPY10 for a discount.
All three kids were over 46" so it was Stoics first time on Indiana Jones (big deal, he's been waiting!).
Once you hit 40" you can ride almost everything at Disney (except Matterhorn 42", Indiana Jones 46", and Incredicoaster 48"). So this trip was pretty special.
DON'T FORGET! You have to be 7 years old to ride rides alone so that is how it worked with a group of 5 on the bigger rides (Sawyer is 8). So Stoic got to be my riding buddy and I loved it!
Another fun first for us was doing the Parade Dessert Dining Package!
Disneyland offers Dining Packages where you pay per person and get:
- Food of some kind (sometimes a pre-set meal, sometimes you can choose)
- Front Row seating to the parade!
They had a new Pixar Parade "Better Together" and I was DYING to see it front row. It was $65/person (age 2 and under is free) so it was definitely a splurge, but I couldn't help myself. I needed to try it!
You arrive about 30-45 before the parade starts and they take you to your assigned table. If your group is 5, you'll have your own table. If not, they may fill your table with people. The table next to us were a bunch of solo people.
They immediately arrive with your server and provide a dessert/charcuterie plate for all paid tickets.
Then they serve bottomless drinks! Two speciality drinks, a mocktail and a coffee blend, and then cans of sprite, coke or diet coke.
My review? 10/10!!!!
The desserts and drinks were an AWESOME treat, everything was themed and I loved it!
But the coolest part is the parade. You are RIGHT THERE and no one else is in front of you, or on the other side of the parade route, so the characters are interacting with you and your kids the whole time. It was SO SPECIAL!
I would never ever pay for the same parade twice but absolutely would pay for this for new parades!
Forever grateful for the opportunities to make these memories with my oldest babe.
More recaps coming soon.
Your friend, Kels
