On April 9, 2013, I came across a last minute deal on a house rental across the street from Disneyland. Within 3 days, we had accommodations booked for a 4 bedroom house, airline tickets, and tickets to Legoland and Disney. We also arranged to have my parents and Tavis’ parents come stay with us. The best part is that we were able to keep everything a secret from the kids.
At 1:30AM on Friday, May 17, 2013 we got the kids out of bed and told them we were going on a trip. The border crossing was a bit tricky. I slipped a note to officer at the border with answers to questions I anticipated would be asked…
We would like to go on a family vacation to DISNEYLAND.
We have booked a flight from SEATTLE departing at 6AM today.
We will be departing LA at 6PM on Saturday, May 25.
We have rented a house for 8 nights in ANAHEIM.
We have $500USD cash with us.
My parents drove down on Wednesday and took most of our luggage which is why we don’t have much.
We’ve told the kids we are surprising Grandma and Grandpa by visiting them for the weekend on their vacation to the Oregon Coast.
We hope to get to the gates at Disneyland before the kids find out.
We actually managed to get all the way to the gates of Disney before the kids figured out our destination. We spent the rest of the day at the theme park. After enjoying a pizza dinner we made our way to the house. The kids were super excited to see we had our own pool and lots of toys and games. They were even more exciting to see their grandparents arrive. It truly was a magical week, despite the 1 trip to emergency to get Ari’s lip stitched up… Yes, travel insurance is important!
Tammy's Tips
1
Vacation Rentals can save money: When travelling with a family of 5 or more, I have found it is cheaper to use a vacation rental than booking a hotel. You usually have a full kitchen and you have the option to rent larger places and share the cost with other families. When boking hotels, we are often told that no rooms accommodate 5 people. If we need a hotel, we book a room for 4 and sneak the youngest in quietly.
2
Check you have travel insurance: It is always a good idea to make sure you have travel insurance, either on a credit card or purchased seperately. On this trip, Ari tripped up 2 stairs and put his tooth through his lip. Although not life threatening, it still required stitches. Our insurance provider was great. They told us where to go and the entire amount was covered.
3
Travel with others when you can: Traveling is just as much about the the people you are with than the location you are at. It is a perfect opportunity to make memories with those you love. It also allows you to break up the group and spend one-on-one time with each child or just alone time for Mom and Dad. We definietely appreciated having both our parents there to share the experience. THANK YOU!
4
It doesn’t always work out the way you plan… and that’s okay: When we booked this vacation, I thought the kids would want to spend every minute together at Disneyland. However, the kids were just as happy to stay at the house and swim in the pool. Although we didn’t spend as much time as I wanted in the parks, it was great to see the smiles and excitement on the kids faces. It was an unforgetable experience!