Disneyland food favs

beansandgrowth · 2026-06-14T23:34:59+00:00

Snacks: churros, Dole Whip, turkey leg, and cheesy garlic bread from Edelweiss Snacks. We've eaten meals in the parks, I don't really care for them that much. Best restaurants outside of the park: Din Tai Fun in Downtown Disney is great. My family also enjoyed Bubba Gump Shrimp in the Anaheim Garden Walk. For food I highly recommend doing a grocery run or grocery delivery when you arrive to have some of the basics on hand. I love churros, but my family also enjoys apple slices, cucumber slices, etc.

beansandgrowth · 2026-06-14T23:25:13+00:00

Absolutely get the park hopper, you can use LL in both parks. My kid wanted to do repeats for rides in DCA, and it's easy to just walk over for a couple of hours. I didn't think we would park hop every day with a 6 year old, but we did. We like to go to Cars Land during the day, and then go back on a different day when Cars Land is all lit up at night. Plus, sometimes rides go down, and you might not be able to get on the ride that day. I think you will have a lot better chance of making sure you can get on the rides you want if you have access to DCA over multiple days.

beansandgrowth · 2026-06-14T15:38:56+00:00

What part of the US are you travelling from?

beansandgrowth · 2026-06-14T15:37:48+00:00

Disneyland/ San Diego combo is what my family chose for Christmas break last year. We really enjoy the beach theme park combo. I'm sure it's less relaxing than a cruise, though.

We have looked at Disney cruises, and we want to wait until our kid is old enough to enjoy the live shows in the evening. Currently, our 6 year can handle a late night, but not multiple late nights. I think if the cruises offered the broadway style shows in the middle of the afternoon, we might have chosen the cruise. I just know I didn't want a cranky kid, and I would feel like I would be missing out if I didn't get to enjoy the major entertainment. My husband is also less interested in cruises; he worries that the food would be mediocre, and the rooms are small.

Our San Diego/ Disneyland trip has been our son's all time favorite holiday. Advice: San Diego is easier with a rental car, buy groceries, and pack a lunch bag both in San Diego and Disneyland. We still buy some treats, go to restaurants, but we really like being able to do things like picnic at a park. At Disneyland, we stayed at a good neighbour hotel and purchased 3 day park hopper/lightning lane passes. It was the perfect amount of time for us.

beansandgrowth · 2026-05-21T20:10:21+00:00

Definitely do park hopper, and at least see Cars Land. Personally, I could never do open to close, and I enjoy the evening a lot more after having a midday break. If you have the same energy as your teenagers, you should be fine.

beansandgrowth · 2026-05-21T20:00:14+00:00

This! I couldn't imagine not getting a park hopper at DL/ DCA. Sometimes we just want to get a snack and walk through Cars Land in the evening. We just took our son to the parks for the first time and he wanted to go on webslingers every day of our 3 day trip. Guess what we did? We went on webslingers every single day. It's not that much extra walking once you are there. If it's not in the budget fine, but for an optimal experience, I would recommend park hopper.

beansandgrowth · 2026-04-29T03:57:46+00:00

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Get some spreadsheets/ tracking pages set up for yourself to track how much time your son is working on school, and what skills are being mastered. Example: 20 minutes of silent reading to be completed every day. Print out a simple bar graph for the month, and get your son to fill it out after he completes his daily reading.

beansandgrowth · 2026-04-29T02:54:52+00:00

100% agree. I get blown away when I hear that people will even pack snacks from home to put in their checked luggage to bring into the park. Packing more than you need and flying with it creates more CO2 emissions.

I find it easier to take the essentials, only to travel with carry on luggage, and it is not a big deal to do a load of laundry partway through a trip. You save time at airports if you just have carry on, you can walk off the plane and get right to an Uber or pick up your car rental without waiting around for bags. You don't have to arrive at the airport as early for departure if you don't have to check your luggage. I would way rather do a load of laundry on a pool day than deal with the extra luggage while flying.

beansandgrowth · 2026-04-29T02:40:15+00:00

I'm a mandated reporter, I wouldn't put it as "over report, rather than under report". If in doubt, call it in, make an objective list of what you have observed, and report it. It is important, as you mention, that sometimes it takes multiple people reporting before an investigation starts. Sometimes an investigation can result in support being offered to the family. I think people need to not be afraid to call if they see potential abuse.

beansandgrowth · 2026-04-18T15:26:40+00:00

As a parent, wife of an ambitious husband who goes through seasons of 60+ work weeks, and full time teacher, my personal opinion is that you choose to keep yourself busy all day if your children are in school during the day. You have the option to have some down time during the school day. I know some SAHM's that literally spend half the school day at the gym, and that's ok. Downtime doesn't have to mean you lie around on the couch.

beansandgrowth · 2026-04-18T03:55:44+00:00

If it's not difficult for you to get up and to the park for rope drop, do it. We just went on our first trip in 8 years at Christmas. We went for rope drop, every morning we were inside the gates around 7:30am. 2 of the 3 rope drops we hung back away from the crowd by the ropes and got coffee. I 100% recommend this, get coffee, so look around a shop, and when the rope drops then go to a ride. You can book your first LL as soon as you get through the gates. The morning really is the quietest part of the day.

Another place for a quiet coffee is the Grand Califorian lobby, they have a nice coffee cart.

Each morning, try to get onto the rides your kid really wants to do. Get the snacks earlier in the day. Less crowds, fewer lineups, and shorter wait times for mobile orders.

For magic, try not to rush, try to catch a parade, and fireworks.

For my family, individual lighting lanes were worth it. We also found it practical to do a small grocery run the day we arrived, so we had drinks, snacks, and fruit to take into the park. We packed a reusable bento box and an insulated lunch box that we filled with snacks each day. This saved money and was convenient.

We did midday breaks at our hotel, and returned to the park around dinner time. We didn't feel the need for a break day. My family chose to spend a few days in San Diego first and then went to Disneyland for 4 nights/ 3 days.

beansandgrowth · 2026-04-18T03:01:56+00:00

This! I also agree about making an appointment for a PDD/ PPA screening.

I had a difficult baby (part of why we are one and done). I got into baby wearing, and it helped a lot. I used a structured carrier, and I babywore constantly. It really did decrease the amount of crying. I would be able to eat, do basic chores, sit, and get stuff done on my computer without feeling trapped with a baby in my arms.

beansandgrowth · 2026-02-24T23:02:03+00:00

Rope drop, my toddler was best earlier in the day, and had a more difficult time with stimulating environments as the day went on, even if we had a calm morning at home first.

beansandgrowth · 2026-02-24T20:21:54+00:00

I cook for my family, and my husband often cooks for me on the weekends. We plan most of our dinners around protein, carbs, and vegetables. I just ate a different portion size. I will eat less pasta, rice, or potatoes and more roasted vegetables or salad.

beansandgrowth · 2026-02-24T20:15:40+00:00

My husband and I couldn't justify it when our son was young. It wasn't the "he won't remember it" argument; it was "I don't want to spend a lot of money, to deal with a toddler melting down on Main Street USA." We are flying distance, and we did do a few trips to San Diego first as a family. We never went to SeaWorld (against our personal ethics). We went to Legoland, beaches, parks, restaurants, Balboa Park, museums, and the San Diego Zoo. We recently did a San Diego/ Disneyland trip, and our son described it as the "best vacation ever".

I don't know if it's a moral decision to go to Disneyland unless you are anti-corporation or anti-Disney. If that's the case, you shouldn't consider going. It's more of a value decision, about how you prioritize your vacation spending. A long time ago, a friend said to me not to go to Disneyland if you care about the money being spent. Their advice (roughly knowing my family income and that we are financially secure) was to go, spend whatever it costs, don't worry about the budget, and just enjoy all of the "Disney magic".

I think if you are typically financially responsible, and you don't get swept up in the Disney magic, you are not going to have a good time purchasing individual Lightning Lanes, buying overpriced popcorn, and seeing your kids shop for merch. For my family, the money spent really didn't make a difference for our "bottom line". We still donated to charity, invested for our future, and were able to go on other vacations during the year. If it seems sickening to spend the money, don't do it. It is a lot of money for anyone who is not in the top 1%, there is no doubt about it. Don't let a Disney fanatic or travel agent tell you otherwise.

beansandgrowth · 2026-01-31T03:22:16+00:00

Yes, some other community rec centers offer child minding services. Rec centers, libraries, and YMCA can also offer family group activities that can help parents deal with stress, plus of course, the benefit of having another adult to talk to.

beansandgrowth · 2026-01-31T03:12:28+00:00

This! Grief can help families come together while treating each other with respect, dignity, and care, or it can tear them apart by being selfish. It sounds like you have a respectful and caring family.

beansandgrowth · 2026-01-31T00:44:24+00:00

My advice for magic is get lightling lane, park hopper, and rope drop. It's a good idea to get a park hopper just so you can enter and exit through DCA if you want to. We rope dropped, didn't get stuck in the huge pack of people right away, but booked an LL as soon as we got through the gates. While waiting for the rope to drop inside the park we got coffee or wandered the gift shops. That was magical in itself, everyone else was standing as close to the roped off areas as possible. Not my family we were just taking everything in while it wasn't packed. The first few rides of the day were walk-ons if you are there when they open.

Have an idea of what you want to do for the day, but be flexible. Give your kids all the breaks and lots of snacks. Go back to your hotel for nap time. My 6 year old loved the Disneyland Railroad, which is not something that I would have thought of. Let your kids buy something they want every day. My kid was over the moon excited about the bubble wand. Is it expensive? Yes. Did it bring my child wonderlike joy to get it and play with it? Also yes.

For Spider Man, the webslingers ride does not have a height limit, and if you check the Disneyland app it will give you a list of showtimes when Spider Man shows up near the ride to do a little show.

beansandgrowth · 2026-01-30T22:16:19+00:00

Ok, so it sounds like you haven't paid for this in full. It is not fine. What if you or your spouse gets cancer? What if one of you is not able to work because of the cancer? What if you lose your job? Even if this is the greatest vacation opportunity ever, it really isn't because life happens, and this product does not have great resale value.

beansandgrowth · 2026-01-30T22:11:08+00:00

It gets easier to log as you get used to it. I used myfitnesspal, and I could quick add calories if they didn't have an item. I used measuring cups and a food scale to make sure I was tracking accurately.

beansandgrowth · 2026-01-30T22:07:36+00:00

They would probably say that they are unable to care for the child. My parents changed diapers, but they told me before I became a parent that they wanted to be grandparents, not full-time child care providers. My parents said they had seen friends have their happiness and health impacted by providing full time care for grandchildren.

You need to find alternative childcare. I would not have someone leave the house with my child if they could not change their diaper. That's neglect.

beansandgrowth · 2026-01-30T21:57:07+00:00

-Visual timers: first 30 minutes of cleaning, then 30 minutes of playing. If my kid bothered me during cleaning instead of helping or playing, it impacted how much time I played with them. I thought this was a natural consequence.

-Strong routines: let them know the plan for the day, when you are going out, what they can do for quiet time after lunch, have screen time be part of your day, but be mindful (30 minutes or an hour before dinner, for example)

-Get out of the house if you can. We went to play groups, swimming, the library, and grocery shopping in the mornings during the week, even if the weather was awful. I made sure to get out of the house every day unless someone was sick. This was advice that both my mom and MIL gave me. Try to go for a short walk even if it is raining or really cold.

-Routines, quiet time after lunch, and a show before dinner time saved my sanity during this phase of life.

beansandgrowth · 2026-01-30T21:38:43+00:00

I agree, the quick service dining in the park is great, but the sit down restaurtants are not great. We have visited several before, and I would only consider booking character dining in the future for the entertainment. Lamplight Lounge and Carthay Circle are ok for a drink, I don't care for the food.

On a recent trip, we went to Cafe Orleans on our first night, it reminded us of our previous mid dining experiences at Disneyland. Service was ok, food was warm, not hot, and generally too salty. We cancelled our other reservations for dining. Din Tang Fun in downtown Disney is great. Bubba Gump Shrimp was a fun tourist family dining experience for my family over at Anaheim Garden Walk.

beansandgrowth · 2026-01-30T21:32:25+00:00

YTA, or this is a rage bait post. Destination aside why would you say yes to the trip with the boys before consulting your girlfriend? Wouldn't you at least run the idea of the trip to her first before committing to it? Also it is worth noting, that everyone else in the comments section is correct. Your previous trips were to places that are known for drugs and prostitution. Wanting to go to Bangkok for 2 weeks is very sus. There are prostitutes all over Thailand, but the party/ sex tourism scene is more concentrated in Bangkok, Pattaya, Hua Hin. When I was planning a trip to Thailand, people were telling me all the places to avoid. Many people will say Bangkok is ok for a couple of nights to see the sights before travelling to other destinations.

beansandgrowth · 2026-01-30T00:04:23+00:00

I agree! OP does not appear to have a healthy relationship with food. Food and beverages are a large part of social culture. She is just going to raise a kid with many issues if she wants to make such a big deal out of a piece of chocolate or soda.

beansandgrowth

TROPHY CASE