What to do when everything is too busy at Disneyland

Visiting Disneyland is always fun, except when it is super busy. I hate waiting in lines... well really, I don't know anyone that likes waiting in one. After many visits, I have discovered that I can  have fun with my kiddos, even on the busiest holidays.

• One of the first things that I like to do on a busy day is catch a ride on the Disneyland Express.  It's the perfect place to people watch and you can get a pretty good idea of how truly busy the park is by riding it all the way around. We love riding the train and the kids and I like to point to the different attractions, hidden Mickey's, characters, etc.. 
• Another favorite attraction on a busy day is to catch a show at the Tiki Room. Not only is this show timeless and fun,  it is the perfect place to rest and cool off  on a hot summer day.
• I love having the kiddos enjoy the play areas in the park. Tom Sawyer's Island and Tarzan's Treehouse are perfect for  the older kids, while the play area in Toontown is a big hit with the little ones.
• Head over to Tomorrowland and explore Innoventions. There are a variety of activities for the entire family to enjoy. You will find everything from Dance Dance Revolution Stations to building and viewing your own fireworks show.  
• Take the Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough. You will be able to enjoy the story of Sleeping Beauty, told by a series of illustrated storybook pages and 3D animation scenes. It's a must visit if you have a princess fan in the family! 
• Sit back and enjoy Honey, I Shrunk the Audience 3D show. This air conditioned show is the perfect place to sit down and catch a breather.

There are so many other things to do on a busy day that I think I will write a second part to the post. I want to hear from you. What is your favorite thing to do at Disneyland  on a busy day?

$50 in Disney Bucks!

To officially launch kids and mice- we are doing a giveaway. All you have to do is let me know what you want to would like to discuss as an annual passholder on Kids and Mice and that's it! Winner will be selected at Random. You can leave multilple entries for

• Leaving a comment (1 entry) 
• Become a follower of Kids and Mice (1 entry)
• Become a fan on Facebook of Kids and Mice (1 entry)

You have until Friday, November 6th to enter.
Good luck!

Disneyland Resort Annual Passes- Which one is right for you?

I was chatting with a good friend yesterday about annual passes. He is looking to buy passes for his family and was asking for my opinion. Which pass should I get? I say it depends on your financial situation, how often are you planning on heading to the parks and location.

I have had the Premium Pass for over a decade. It works for my family for a number of reasons. We live about a 20 minute drive from the park, we have quite a few family members that live outside the area and like to come down to Disneyland during the holidays, we are big Disney Geeks, we hate crowds and we love the freedom it provides of visiting any day of the year without restrictions.

Here is the scoop on the Premium Annual Passport:

• 365 consecutive days of admission to both theme parks.
• 10% merchandise discount at select locations throughout the Disneyland® Resort
• Exclusive benefits at select Downtown Disney® District locations
• Free annual parking pass for the Mickey & Friends parking structure. ($79 value)
• 10-15% dining discount at select Disneyland® Resort restaurants
• Special rates at Disneyland Resort Hotels

The Premium Passes are very expensive. The pass is $429, however you can use the payment plan option, guests will pay for the cost of a 1-Day, 1-Park ticket - $72-upon purchase and will pay the remaining amount over the next 12 months, with no finance charges applied

If you don't want to splurge on the Premium- I highly recommend the Deluxe Annual Passport. Most of my friends and family have this pass.

Here is the scoop on the Deluxe Annual Passport:

• 315 days of admission. Most Holidays and some peak season Saturdays are blocked out.
• 10% dining discount at select Disneyland Resort Restaurants
• Special Rates at Disneyland Resort Hotels
• Parking is NOT included- $79 for parking.

The Deluxe Annual Passport, is a little pricey at $289 . However it does offer many admission days and if you plan on using your pass frequently, it could be your best option. As with the Premium Pass, you can use the payment plan option and you will pay for the cost of a 1-Day, 1-Park ticket -$72-upon purchase and will pay the remaining amount over the next 12 months, with no finance charges applied

The other two options are more affordable options but have many blackout dates.

Here is the scoop on the Southern California Annual Passport:

• 227 days of admission. Most of these days are off peak season. All Holidays and Saturdays are blocked out.
• 10% dining discount at select Disneyland Resort Restaurants
• Special Rates at the Disneyland Resort Hotels
• Parking is not included -$79 for parking pass
• This pass differs from the Southern California Select in that Sundays are allowed. The pass is $194, and as with the other passes you can use the payment plan option. You will pay for the cost of a 1-Day, 1-Park ticket - $72-upon purchase and will pay the remaining amount over the next 12 months, with no finance charges applied

The least expensive of the passes is the Southern California Select Annual Pass. Here is the scoop on the pass.

• 176 days of admission. This is a weekday pass only! All Holidays, weekends and most peak times at the park are blocked off.
• 10% Dining discount at select Disneyland Resort restaurants
• Special Rates at the Disneyland Park Hotels
• Parking Pass is not included
• The pass is $144 and as with the other passes you can use the payment plan option. You will pay for the cost of a 1-Day, 1-Park ticket-$72- upon purchase and will pay the remaining amount over the next 12 months, with no finance charges applied

My friend decided to purchase the Deluxe Annual Passport since he wants to bring his kiddos down on Saturdays. I want to hear from you. What pass do you have? Do you love it? Use it often?

Extended Halloween Hours

During the month of October you can enjoy extended Halloween Hours at the Disneyland Resort. This week you can head over to the park as early as 8am on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. You can also head over as early as 9am Monday thru Thursday and stay until 9pm on these days. There will be nightly firework shows.


Hours at California Adventure will be limited due to Mickey's Trick or Treat.

Seaworld's Halloween Spooktacular

Halloween is definitely one of my favorite holidays. I love decorating, the costumes and of course the treats! If you love costumes and treats, you might want to check out Seaworld's Halloween Spooktacular.

Halloween Spooktacular is taking place every weekend from now until November 1st. Your kiddos can dress up and trick or treat along sea inspired pathways in Seaworld's own Candy Garden. The sea lion and otter stadium celebrates with a specially themed Halloween Show and Sesame Street Bay of Play features Countdown to Halloween featuring Count Von Count.

The kiddos can come in costume and enjoy a fun day at the park. The best part is that Halloween Spooktacular is included with general admission. If you have an annual pass/fun card, make sure to take advantage. We hope to head out next weekend for a day filled with sea life and treats!

Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort

I love Halloween. it has to be my favorite time of year. The crisp weather, fun decorations, candy and costumes- It can't get better than that! Halloween Time is in full effect at Disneyland Resort from now until November 1st.

Some of the fun happenings at the Disneyland Resort include:

• Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy with haunting music and new visual effects
• Haunted Mansion Holiday- My absolute favorite! Enjoy the Haunted Mansion as it transformed into the Nightmare before Christmas.
  
• Main Street Pumpkin Festival- check out the hundreds of pumpkins and meet your favorite Disney Character in their Halloween Costume.
  
• Big Thunder Ranch Halloween Roundup- Meet Woody and Jessie, make fun Halloween crafts, watch a Disney Artist create pumpkin designs
• Mickey's Trick or Treat Party at Disney's California Adventure
  
• And an all new AMAZING Halloween Firework Extravaganza! You can catch the firework show every night during Halloween time.

Still not convinced? Here is a little sneak peek of the Halloween Firework show courtesy of the Disneyland Resort.


I'm going to be hitting the resort at least twice during the next couple of weeks to keep you informed and take pictures of the festivities. Hope you can all make a visit soon!

Mickey's Trick or Treat Party

We had a blast at Mickey's Trick or Treat Party at Disney's California Adventure last Friday night. This annual, special ticketed event happens throughout October on the following nights: 8, 9, 15, 16, 21, 22, 23, 28, 29, 30 and 31.

This unique party lets adults and children alike dress up and trick-or-treat inside DCA. The kids loved getting to pick up candy at 25 Treat Stops located throughout the park. There was some terrific candy, including Ghirardelli chocolate! There was also healthy treats like apple slices and Craisins to be had.

My daughter was fond of the princess photo locations, while my son seemed to favor the Disney villains. The kids rocked out at Candy Corn Acres just inside the Sun Plaza, where they were able to dance to all the top 40 hits.

The Pacific Wharf area became Pirate’s Wharf, which featured a photo location, craft area and games. The Hollywood Pictures Backlot also had dancing and characters to meet. All the favorite rides and attractions were also open for the event which ran from 6:30 PM to 10:30 PM.

Tickets purchased in advance are $32 most days, while tickets purchased on the event day are $39. For Oct. 30 and 31, all tickets are $42. If you are an annual passholder you can purchase tickets for $26. Special Passholder Discount are available for these Dates: October 8, 15, 21, 22, 28



And don't forget that now through Dec. 19, 2009, you can save $400 when you book a 4-Day/4-Night Disneyland Resort vacation package, featuring either Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, Disneyland Hotel or Disney’s Paradise Pier. Each of theses packages includes four-day park hopper tickets and includes one Magic Morning admission per person. Mickey's Trick or Treat Party tickets must be purchased separately.

Fun for all! (note: this is not our family!)