Louise Casha

My Personal Travel Experience

“Don’t forget, Kevin!” That is one of the most memorable and humorous remarks I received when sharing my plans to go to Disneyland with my husband, mother and 7 children! The cheeky remark was a reference to the movie Home Alone, where there was a miscount of children as they left home on the way to the airport, leaving poor Kevin home alone as his family jetted off to France.

Being the mum in a bigger than typical family, I have never wanted my kids to grow up, look back and say, “I never went on holidays, there were just too many of us!” At the time of travel to Disneyland, my children aged from 2 years (a wild 2-year-old at that) up to 19. My 11-year-old son Ethan has Autism, so planning also needed to take into consideration travelling with a child with additional needs. His dream had always been to meet Mickey Mouse (more on that in the Facebook post at the end of this blog) and I was on a Mumma Bear mission to make that a reality.  I felt a sense of urgency to organise the trip of our dreams before my older children spread their wings and didn’t want to travel with us anymore!

So I researched and researched some more. I think I explored all accommodation options in Anaheim whose apt tourism slogan is “Here we discover Magic!”, from timing distances to Disneyland to checking if rooms had tea making facilities!  I also became an ART route expert (the Bus Travel System within Anaheim).

It’s funny in life how little decisions that you deliberate the most are often the ones that you regret or would change. I decided to book one entire row for our family on our Qantas flight. In hindsight, not the best option! Next international trip, I would book multiple side rows so we would sit behind each other instead. One major reason is that it is easier to communicate with each other and leave the plane in unison but the major reason, and those conscious of plane etiquette can relate, is that when your toddler is having a tantrum, they will be kicking a family member’s seat not a stranger’s who you need to apologise to. Guilt free flying is my way to fly!

Flying with Qantas was familiar and comfortable. The nighttime self-serve snack options were a hit with my kids. Handy hint for fussy teenagers with a bland palate, you can prebook kids meals for them also!

Admittedly, I watched the trip map more than engaging in movie watching, whereas my husband easily relaxed into movie mode. Downloading favourite kids shows for toddlers onto an ipad is a smart move prior to travel, however my older children were more than happy with the inflight entertainment options. The flight did not seem to drag on as I had pictured it in my mind and we landed smoothly for the adventure to begin.

Not losing a child was obviously a priority. As we landed at LAX after, an on point airport official noticed my son’s sunflower lanyard (the sunflower being the symbol of hidden disability). I could have kissed her feet as we ushered through to the shortest customs line. As we seamlessly navigated through LAX to the transfer area outside, there was a problem. My 8 year old’s Apple AirTag was flagging that she was still on the plane! She was right beside me but unbeknownst to me she had taken off her apple id watch and left it on the plane. Not a great start!

LAX express airport shuttle were fantastic in accommodating a large family. From LAX, my mum and I took the younger ones straight to Anaheim whilst my husband and older girls headed for LA to do some sightseeing (after a few hours delay as my husband tried to sort out his international sim which I had gently advised to sort out on the plane).Whilst on our way I did call and request if early check in was available. The kind reservations agent at the Hampton Inn and Suites Anaheim Garden Grove enabled this for us, ensuring a few hours of nap time. Those of you familiar with travel to the West Coast know that most flight options result in a very early morning arrival time in LA! Some families go to the extent of paying for an extra pre-night accommodation to ensure they can check in immediately to help settle into their holiday without the stress of not having a hotel room until mid-afternoon.

For families travelling, I always suggest accommodation that includes free breakfast! It really is a huge cost benefit for larger families. That was a major drawcard to our accommodation in each destination.  Our Anaheim accommodation had an ART stop conveniently out the front. However, waiting for your route bus at the end of a long day at Disneyland can be painful. Staying at a hotel within walking distance to Disneyland in my opinion is a must. Little ones can have a midday nap resulting in less tantrums for one!

Oh, can I mention that I am in love with Instacart! The app allows you to order groceries to be delivered straight to your hotel lobby (your travel agent can check if this service is permitted at your accommodation. If it is not, I would choose another hotel as it is sublime for travelling families!) You are even able to communicate with your personal shopper in real time. Whilst she was shopping, I added a few items, and she was updating me on availability and choices as she shopped. Brilliant service!

Selecting Disneyland ticket types can reflect personal preferences. If you are staying at Disneyland for multiple days, I would suggest saving money by selecting one park per day tickets and using those savings to purchase Lightning Lane Passes. Hopping between parks was not a necessity for us as we were at Disneyland for 5 days. My son’s autism diagnosis enabled me to organise a Disability Access Pass ( DAS PASS) prior to leaving Australia. A DASS PASS works in a similar way to the Lightning Lane Multi Pass .

Disney characters provide fun interactions when dining at Goofy’s Kitchen.

I highly recommend having dinner at Goofy’s Kitchen the night before your Disneyland adventure begins. It is such a fun and engaging experience with the Disney Characters and with the vast variety of food options (and dessert bar) even the fussiest of diners will find something to savour!

Mickey’s Toontown has a great area for little ones to explore.

Disneyland really is pure magic! Even with a 2-year-old who was obsessed with hopping on stranger’s mobility scooters (which were everywhere!) you cannot help but feel joy. Walt’s legacy lives on today which is quite remarkable.

My husband is a huge fan of road tripping so after our wonderful Anaheim stay, we set off in our 10-seater hire van down to San Diego. We stopped at gorgeous beaches along the way, our favourite being San Clemente.

San Clemente is a gorgeous beachside stop on the drive down to San Diego

A day visit to Legoland and back up to LA for Universal and some LA sightseeing.  I booked a fantastic hotel for large families, the  Residence in by Mariott LAX/Century BLVD for our stay in LA. Interconnecting rooms were huge, a great breakfast was included and it was so close and easy to get to LAX for an early morning flight.LA is infamous for bad traffic so I felt more at ease booking a hotel closer to the airport.

We had a magical stopover in my ultimate happy place, Hawaii staying at the  Embassy Suites Wakiki Beach which is a great hotel for families. I advise large families to stay in a suite that has a separate bedroom so parents can put the kids to sleep and still be able to watch tv without disturbing sleeping children! It is a very popular hotel with Aussies, perhaps because of the 2 free cocktails that adult guests can have each night! After a few days of enjoying the sand and the surf, we headed home with a heart full of happiness and memories that will last a lifetime.

For parents of large families who are sitting on the fence whether or not to travel overseas, I will say this: A year on from travel, in the moments of daily chaos I will find myself reflecting on that magical holiday without one ounce of regret. Yes, at times it was challenging after a long-haul flight for example but I will leave you with a Facebook Post after a day at Disney, that encapsulates the joy a Disney trip or any special family getaway can bring.

Bit of a long post sorry but tonight we experienced some Disney Magic and I’m feeling a bit reflective !

Backstory – After a long first day at the park yesterday, Mum and I brought the younger ones back to the hotel while Mark and the “Big Girls” kicked on. After a break, Ethan and I decided to head back to watch the fireworks. After waiting for 25 minutes for the bus we started walking, a bus driver stopped reluctantly for us and reprimanded me many times that I wasn’t on my hotel route! Whateves. It was a huge effort to get there and the fireworks were cancelled due to apparent winds but we couldn’t even feel a breeze. Mega fail!

So tonight .. the usual me would have said we are not doing that again but this trip has been a huge deal in prepping and who knows If we will ever be here again. So Ethan and I tried again …miraculously the bus arrived as we did at the stop, then low and behold as we entered the park Mickey was there for photos Might not seem a big deal to most but for Ethan this experience was a big life moment and so so beautiful as a mum to witness. Ethan has been looking for Mickey since we arrived and his autism brain couldn’t really let go of the thought until his wish was realised. Then we saw the fireworks with the big girls and life couldn’t seem much better. So, a life lesson for me and a mum memory I’ll treasure forever.

Ethan meeting Mickey was the highlight of the trip and a moment of pure joy!

Nighttime fireworks capped of a night of Disney magic.