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Post by melly on Nov 28, 2016 7:07:33 GMT
Hello peas!
I feel like I just won the lottery... my BIL just told us that for our kids' birthdays (turning 13 and 5 in December!) they are buying our family plane tickets down to Cali and 1 day tickets to Disney! I'm shocked, literally crying right now because we are low income and could never have made this dream come true if not for their astounding generosity. My kids are going to be over the moon excited! We will be staying with them in Santa Monica, arriving on a Wednesday morning and leaving Monday evening.
So, here are my questions-
Do any of you have any ideas for saving money and doing fun free or extremely inexpensive things down in that area?
Disney in one day- what are the main things I cannot miss, with 5 and 13 year old boys? (I've never been, either, so I don't know).
BIL and his wife will take us to Disney on Saturday, but they have to work on the other days. We will have a car to get around in. Are there any free museums? Great parks or beaches to go to with kids?
Flying from Seattle to California on Alaska airlines with kids- do they need a form of ID? Will a copy of their birth certificates be sufficient?
Thanks for sharing in my excitement! My boys are at such great ages for Disney, I am so happy for them and hope it will be a great 6 days!
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Post by bc2ca on Nov 28, 2016 8:34:11 GMT
What an awsome gift! Here are my suggestions for inexpensive things to do in LA: - La Brea Tar Pits and I would pair this with a stop at the Farmer's Market just down the road.
- The Getty Center and Getty Villa are $15 each - you only pay for parking. They do have some family activities, but it might be a bit much for a 5 year old. The Villa is a great choice if you have a kid interested in ancient Greek or Roman history.
- The Griffith Observatory is a must do and is free except for Planetarium shows (and they are less than the cost of a movie). Go early because the parking fills up fast and show tickets can sell out. After exploring the Observatory head down to Hollywood & Highland and check Grauman's Chinese Theater and the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Very touristy
 Or go to one of the nearby hiking trails - The California Science Center is also a must do. The permanent exhibits are free but you will need to book IMAX or special exhibits (Pixar!). Reservations are needed for the Space Shuttle Endeavor exhibit (ETA it looks like only needed on weekends and holidays now).
- Olvera Street is another completely free historic part of LA to explore
If it is in the budget, a day at Universal Studios would be a great addition, especially because of the new Harry Potter World. Los Angeles is a big city that can be a bear to get around, so each of my suggestions is in a different direction and I wouldn't combine them to do more than one in a day. I'm sure you should be able to rent bikes or a surrey bike along the beach in Santa Monica. If your kids have scooters, bring them - they will love riding them along the beach paths. Unless you are coming late spring, summer or early fall the water is going to be too cold without a wet suit so I wouldn't plan for a lot of beach time. Santa Monica and Venice Beaches flow into each other and then the next best beaches are in Orange County which is a bit of a drive. The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland was a great resource when we made our first trip years ago and it had very specific lists based on number of days and age of kids. My kids have always had a Green Card or passport when flying, so I can't offer any help with that. I don't think they need their own ID until 16 though. |
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Post by houston249 on Nov 28, 2016 13:30:52 GMT
Hello peas! I feel like I just won the lottery... my BIL just told us that for our kids' birthdays (turning 13 and 5 in December!) they are buying our family plane tickets down to Cali and 1 day tickets to Disney! I'm shocked, literally crying right now because we are low income and could never have made this dream come true if not for their astounding generosity. My kids are going to be over the moon excited! We will be staying with them in Santa Monica, arriving on a Wednesday morning and leaving Monday evening. So, here are my questions- Do any of you have any ideas for saving money and doing fun free or extremely inexpensive things down in that area? Disney in one day- what are the main things I cannot miss, with 5 and 13 year old boys? (I've never been, either, so I don't know). BIL and his wife will take us to Disney on Saturday, but they have to work on the other days. We will have a car to get around in. Are there any free museums? Great parks or beaches to go to with kids? Flying from Seattle to California on Alaska airlines with kids- do they need a form of ID? Will a copy of their birth certificates be sufficient? Thanks for sharing in my excitement! My boys are at such great ages for Disney, I am so happy for them and hope it will be a great 6 days! How exciting!!!! Here are some of my tips for an exciting adventure from start to finish. Disney related. Get your bags and have at least one open ready for stuff your going to need but might forget, like birth certificates or state ids, medications etc. Pack a backpack for the park, something the guys will carry. Let everyknow your taking turns carrying it. Pack a few ziplock bags for the water bottles or other things that might make a mess. No matter how tight that lid is it might just be leaking all over junoirs new autograph book, heck put the autograph book in a ziplock bag. Call the airlines and ask about ID needed. If somone helpful says "you probably will not need it" that means you still might need it, so bring it. I use to travel a lot, just bring the paperwork no matter how helpful they sound. Ask everyone to make their own list of everything they want to see/do and then pick the top 3 must sees for each person. Make a point of doing the top three and the rest will be gravy! This will prevent a lot of melt downs and hard feelings at the end of the day. Mention meet and greeting characters, autographs, parades (day and night parades are different ask if they want the day parade or the lighted parade at night). Let your hosts know so they can help you work it into the day. Look at a map and map out(schedual) the day. Come ask the peas about tips and tricks for your families top 12 things (3 each). For example, autographs... You need a notebook and a black sharpie is best. Meet and greets? We can help you find the schedual and where in the park they are, such a time saver. Fast passes? Ugh, they are great but even better is having someone help you with them. Have a family plan if you get lost. Let the kids know to find an employee so they can find the lost parent. Bring your cords and plug ins for your electronics to the park, just trust me here. Souveners? Ask ahead of time, like before you leave the house, if you can. Tshirt you can wear? A mug to use every day? A stuffed animal/doll? Always have a spending limit. As Far as the rest? I do not know much about that area. You could eat at in and out. It is a chain of burger joints. Only burgers, fries, soda and shakes make with real icecream. And the fries are cut daily, no frozen. Total yum feast. Order an extra order of fries "animal style". Yes it is real, yes i have done it, yes the all emploees know about it and it is not "on" the menu but ordering off the secret menu (available online) is fun and animal style is yummy. Something (sadly) one will never find in the great state of Alaska. Oh! They have rootbeer floats on the secret menu, in case you like that sort of thing. And they have stickers too. Some for the kids and some for the inner scrapbooker. |
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marimoose
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,282 
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Post by marimoose on Nov 28, 2016 14:27:51 GMT
Get the Disney app for your phone. It tells you what the wait times are for each ride and is in real time. It also tells you where and when you can meet characters, whether fast passes are available and the times that they are issuing for. It is a must have. It will show you all the restaurants, bathrooms, shopping, basically anything you need to know in the park. If you don't know what fast passes are, they are free and you can get one for each person so you can return to a ride later, allowing you to ride other rides as you wait. Thye are available for the busiest rides. If you have a park hopper ticket for California Adventure with your Disney tickets then the Cars ride called Radiator Springs is a must, especially with boys. Hyperspace Mountain is always a long wait too - a good candidate for a fast pass. After you use your fast passes then you can go to another ride and get additional passes. Believ me, this helps so much. Santa is available in both parks at this time of the year too. The employees will take pictures for you on your phones if you don't want to buy their photopass photos. I bought the package because we did 2 RunDisney races and had many character meets but on a limited budget, cameras work great for a memory keepsake.
I just returned from Disney less than 2 weeks ago so it is all fresh in my mind. Christmas at Disney is amazing! If you can work it out I think the night time parade is the best. It wasn't going yet this season but I saw it last year. Don't forget warm jackets for night because once the sun goes down it gets cold, this coming from someone who lives in Colorado and I would have froze without my fleece.
It sounds like you have gotten some other great suggestions for additional things to do in the area.
What a fantastic gift for your family - one that I am sure the boys will never forget. Enjoy!
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caangel
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,450
Location: So Cal
Member is Online
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Post by caangel on Nov 28, 2016 15:20:17 GMT
You can bring food into Disney. No coolers but food it totally fine. You can also get large cups of ice water from any counter service spot (ie if they have a soda fountain) for free.
If you want to ride in a particulare seat just ask! You may have to wait a bit but they will seat you where you want! Disney is a place where the employees really try to make YOUR experience the best. Get your free first time visitor button at Town Hall (DL) or City Hall (? DCA) and wear it! Typically you are more likely to get chosen for special activities if you have on a button. Also employees and other guests like to give tips and suggestions to newbies.
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basketdiva
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,615
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Post by basketdiva on Nov 28, 2016 15:24:06 GMT
Per Alaska Airlines website:
Documents accepted for domestic travel
Travel documents
We require each traveler aged 18 or older to present valid government issued ID and show it to a customer service agent and at the security checkpoint. Children under the age of 18 don’t need photo ID when they are traveling domestically.
In order to speed up the security and check-in process, please ensure the name on your travel documents matches the name on your itinerary and ticket.
Acceptable identification for domestic travel
Here is a list of identification that we will accept:
One non-expired government-issued photo ID, such as:
Driver's license
State ID card
Military ID card
Passport
Resident Alien Card
Native American tribal ID
Photo employment ID issued by county, state, or federal agency
Two pieces of ID (no photos required), one of which is non-expired government-issued, such as:
Social Security card and credit card
Government-issued birth certificate and health club membership card
Voter registration card and check cashing card
Airman's certificate and other airline ID
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Post by anxiousmom on Nov 28, 2016 15:30:33 GMT
I don't know anything about Disneyland specifically, but did spend a lot of time at Disney World. The biggest piece of advice I will pass on is agreeing with having everyone make a list of the top three things that they feel like they can't survive the day if they don't do and then try to make sure that everyone gets at least one of their picks. Also make sure you have a photo or two of that person at that spot. |
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marimoose
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,282
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Post by marimoose on Nov 28, 2016 16:24:35 GMT
You can bring food into Disney. No coolers but food it totally fine. You can also get large cups of ice water from any counter service spot (ie if they have a soda fountain) for free. If you want to ride in a particulare seat just ask! You may have to wait a bit but they will seat you where you want! Disney is a place where the employees really try to make YOUR experience the best. Get your free first time visitor button at Town Hall (DL) or City Hall (? DCA) and wear it! Typically you are more likely to get chosen for special activities if you have on a button. Also employees and other guests like to give tips and suggestions to newbies. There is also a birthday button too! All the employees will wish them a happy birthday. |
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Or go to one of the nearby 
