What We Learned from our “Trial Run” for Disneyland

I take my traveling and my Disney very seriously.

So my son’s first trip abroad, which coincidentally will also be his first Disneyland visit, is a HUGE deal for our family. To prepare us for this momentous event (lol), I did what any partly-obsessed, semi-crazy parent would do: take the family out on a “practice run!”

We have never been to a theme park with Luke before and we had no idea how things would be like: Will he like walking? Will he ride on the rides? What are the things we need to bring?

So we booked tickets with some of our friends to Enchanted Kingdom, the closest thing we have to Disneyland, and it was one of the best decisions ever!

Here are some of the things we learned and discovered that hopefully will be super helpful for our first ever trip abroad/our Disneyland adventure.

1. We are NOT bringing our stroller!

A lot of our friends advised us to bring a stroller but we’ve never really been stroller parents. We eventually gave in and brought one to Enchanted Kingdom just to see if it will really make life easier. But oh boy, what a hassle it was for us!

Luke hardly sat on in, so it was just a cart where we dumped all our things. Then, we didn’t know what to do with it whenever we would go on rides. So someone always ended up not riding just to stay with the stroller.

Mor and I have always been babywearers from the beginning. We love the fact that we get to cuddle Luke close and at the same time, that we were very mobile; we can go up escalators, climb stairs and more.

Recently, we switched from our Ergo carrier to an iAngel Hipseat Carrier and absolutely love it. Luke loves it too because he has a “chair” and he gets to sit facing forward. (Also, an I just say that I am so proud of my babywearing husband?)

In conclusion: Stroller stays at home; iAngel is coming with us to Hong Kong!

2. We need 2 days in Disneyland

Enchanted Kingdom is nowhere near the size of Hong Kong Disneyland and we weren’t even able to cover the entire park in a day!

Initially, we planned on just buying 1 day passes for Disneyland but now, we booked tickets for 2! Less pressure to finish everything in a day, more time to watch shows and meet the characters. Plus, I’m not complaining that I get to spend 2 days at the happiest place on earth!

3. We need to be better prepared for the rain!

Ok, I wasn’t able to take a photo of us in the rain so here’s a photo of us using umbrellas instead. Haha.

It rained later in the afternoon during our visit and it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. It  was then that we realized that we had to have better rain gear. By rain gear, I just mean raincoats and better shoes. Haha. We brought umbrellas with us but we weren’t as mobile as compared to if we had raincoats on.

Officially adding “raincoats” to our packing list!

4. We don’t need to go back to the hotel for nap time

Napping is serious business, you guys, so we really had to plan for it. We initially thought that we’d have to go back to the hotel (we’re staying at a Disneyland hotel anyway) for nap time. But it turns out, we can just let him sleep on us while we’re sitting or when on a carrier, as we usually always do. 

During our Enchanted Kingdom visit, Luke slept while yaya (face covered for privacy purposes!) was carrying him. Mor and I were then able to take turns going on rides. One of us stayed with Luke to make sure yaya has help if she needs because she’s technically stuck. Haha.

We plan on doing the same in Disneyland. Maybe this will be the time where Mor and I can take turns riding Space Mountain. Yaaay!

5. I have to wear functional clothing

Fashion is important (you know how much I love planning outfits for trips!) but comfort and mobility is more important if you’re traveling with kids!

I realized that I need to wear a sling bag or a backpack so I can free up my hands and shorts or at least, shorts underneath my dress, for mobility purposes. Most of the time, I was crouching and chasing Luke so I have to be prepared. Haha. Now planning my outfit based on those considerations.

Disneyland, here we come!

We are so excited to travel to Disneyland with Luke, as you can probably tell. It’s sort of like my birthday treat already since my birthday is at the end of the month, and what better way to celebrate it than at Disneyland with my two boys, right? Hehe. I can’t wait to share all about our experience with you all soon.

Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram @sheenalovessunsets and check out our IG Stories for live videos when we leave next week! 

(NOTE: THIS POST IS ABOUT OUR EXPERIENCE LAST JULY 2017.)