Adventures at Disneyland California – Main Street and Meeting the Princesses

*Disclosure – Complimentary tickets were received for our visit to Disneyland. All thoughts are my own.

Disneyland California is called the happiest place on earth, my husband and two year old daughter would be quick to agree. Minnie and Mickey Mouse are Kate’s favorite characters and she was overjoyed when we told her we’d go see them. As we waited in the security check she was bouncing in her chair.

As we approached the gate, Kate heard the train whistle and was ready to bolt from the stroller. When we arrived on Main Street there was a friendly old gentleman with a model fire engine ready to take us for a drive down the street. Kate and I climbed aboard while my husband pushed the stroller and met us at the end. The driver was so sweet to Kate and said she could ring the bell on the back of the truck. He told us that it was Mr. Disney’s favorite car to drive around the park in the mornings.

The wonderful turn of the century feel of Main Street makes you really feel like you’ve stepped into another world. The horse drawn streetcar we passed had Kate in awe. When we arrived at the end of the street right in front of the castle the driver gave Kate a Jr. Firefighter sticker on her way out of the car.

The friendliness and enthusiasm of the employees and attention to detail are a big part of what makes Disneyland such a memorable experience. She felt so special and the day had only just begun.

When we asked Kate what she wanted to do first she said she wanted to meet Tinkerbelle and Minnie. No pressure, right? haha.

We headed over to Pixie Hollow and got in line to meet Tinkerbelle. While we were waiting we saw all of the Alice in Wonderland characters walk by and wave to us as well as Mary Poppins, Burt and their brass band! After waiting about 30 minutes it was finally our turn to meet the fairies. The attendant told us that Tinkerbelle wasn’t home today but we would get to meet two other fairies. Kate was disappointed but soon got over it when she met the first girl standing in front of a giant storybook. Then we went around the corner and she got to meet another fairy in front of Tinkerbelle’s house. She was pretty excited but kept asking about Tinkerbelle so I told her we’d probably see her in the parade later and that seemed to satisfy her.

Next we went over to Fanstyland where most of the rides are made for little ones. Our children are 2 and 12 months so we spent a lot of time in this area. Katelyn loved the “neighs” (King Arthur’s Carousel) and was beside herself with joy flying on Dumbo. The Casey Jr. choo choo was also a big hit. We did Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan but she wasn’t as excited with those. Snow White is the only one in that area that we didn’t enjoy. It’s very dark and scary and my husband said he wished we wouldn’t have taken the kids on that one. Now I can see why that line was so much shorter than the rest.

Before the kids passed out I wanted to take her to meet the princesses. Fantasy Faire is a new attraction at Disneyland. There is a theater with live shows several times a day and an area where you can meet three princesses one on one. It’s a very neat, intimate setting and the actresses are so sweet and really interact with the children. My daughter was star struck when she met Cinderella and couldn’t stop talking about her pretty dress! We also saw Ariel and Aurora.

There were ducks on the lawn and in the water around the castle as we left that area and for my children that was almost as fun as meeting Cinderella. After all that excitement the children passed out in the stroller and my husband and I went over to New Orleans square to grab a bite to eat while enjoying the live jazz band. It really seemed like a date! It felt good to sit and relax for a while and the lemon chicken with garlic potatoes I had was pretty good. As we poured over the map and entertainment brochure we realized there are so many wonderful sites to see and little shows going on to occupy your time. It’s truly impossible to do it all in one day, or even two. But that’s not a bad thing. There’s something everyone can enjoy and it keeps you wanting to come back.

Stay tuned for our next post – Amanda and I meet up to check out some of the fun things to do with babies.

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