Adventure in Disneyland on a budget and with diabetic child

Last summer we decided to visit the Happiest Place on Earth - Disneyland. Last time we visited the Magic Kingdom our boys were 6 and 1. We decided to wait till our youngest is old enough to ride most of the rides before we return. So 5 years later here we are again.

This time around the trip was little different because our older son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes 3 years ago. The vacation required more planning.


We live in the beautiful Okanagan Valley in province of British Columbia. Our journey started at the Spokane International Airport. I prefer to fly early in the morning. Usually we drive through the night to be there couple hours before the flight. This time we decided to stay overnight at the Airport Ramada Inn so we can have a good night sleep and also because they offer Park‘n‘Fly (free parking for up to 14 days). Since we were combining our Disneyland trip with our annual Las Vegas family vacation it was a great deal. The Ramada Inn is directly across from the terminal and they also offer a complimentary shuttle. From the time we left our room , checked out and arrived at the terminal it took less then 15 minutes.


We arrived at the John Wayne airport in Orange County around 10am. Since we didn’t have arranged transportation we decided to take a taxi to our hotel.
I love a good bargain so overpaying for a hotel room where you don’t spend much time in doesn’t make a sense to me. I think the Disneyland Resort are very overpriced for what they offer. The extra hour before the park opening doesn’t make much difference.

We stayed at the Best Western Park Place Inn. The hotel was located directly across the entrance to Disneyland and California Adventure. It took us less then 5 minutes to get to the ticket booth. The hotel room was very roomy, clean and comfortable. Every room has a mini fridge and microwave. This comes very handy for snacks and drinks. Snacks and drinks inside Disneyland are very overpriced so we bought ours in the corner store and brought them with us since our diabetic son needs lots of snacks and drinks on a hot day. We also need to store our son’s insulin in cool place so this was just perfect for us. The hotel also offers a free deluxe continental breakfast next door at Captain Kid’s restaurant. Staff was very friendly and helpful.
We arrived at the hotel around 11am so we decided to spend half a day at the Disneyland.


After very reasonable buffet lunch at Captain Kid’s we ventured across the crosswalk toward the Magic Kingdom.

Purchase your tickets online to save money.

After entering the Disneyland we visited the Guest Services to inquire about special assistance pass for our diabetic son. Our son received Guest Assistance Card which allowed him and up to 5 members of his party to use the disability entrances for the various rides and attraction. This was such a treat for all of us. My son felt very special and we were able to enjoy Disneyland and take care of his diabetes at the same time. It was middle of September , but the crowds were still quite large and the weather was hot. We had to stop many times to check his Blood Glucose and give him snacks and drink. Thanks to his pass we didn’t miss out on anything.


After an exhausting afternoon in Disneyland we went back to the hotel and decided to have dinner at Tony Roma’s which was about 3 minutes walking distance. Wonderful food, great service and reasonable priced.


The next morning we decided to rent a car and spend the day at the Universal Studios and the City Walk. After arriving at the Universal Studios the best choice for parking was the Valet parking. Very reasonable and close to everything. We purchased our Universal Studios tickets at the ticket booth with a coupon from Entertainment Book (I think every Entertainment Book has the coupon). The ticket agent talked us into buying the All-You-Can eat meal plan, but it wasn’t worth it. It was good only for the fast food cafeteria style places and we didn’t really enjoy it. The worse food was at Mel’s Diner. Not only the food was bad, but the service was very slow and our server had a terrible attitude.


The first ride on our agenda was The Simpson’s ride. My older son loved it, my younger son hated it and I felt sick to my stomach for hours to come. Our family favorite ride is the Jurassic Park ride. For the weak at heart or small children don’t try the Revenge of the Mummy ride or the House of Horrors. The only brave member of our family was my husband.
If you have small children and are visiting during the warm months bring swim trunks and a towels. The Curious George waterpark and adventure playground is wonderful and you’re kids will never want to leave. Especially when Curious George or Sponge Bob show up.


Dinner time was approaching and we decided to leave the park and have a small dinner on the City Walk. Since we weren’t very hungry after eating all that fast food at the Universal Studios we opted out for crepes at The Crepe Café. Good price, fantastic crepes, fast service. After dinner I wanted to do little shopping. There are many cute little shops on the City Walk. I loved the LA Sock Market. I could spend hundreds of dollars on variety of socks. They had the coolest and cutest socks for the whole family. My kids loved the GameStop beside the Hard Rock Café Hollywood.


If you have time and find yourself discovering the City Walk you must try the iFLY Hollywood vertical wind tunnel indoor skydiving. It is great fun for the whole family. It is perfectly safe for kids 3 years and up. Your kids will have an experience of a lifetime without breaking a bank.
After and exhausting day we were ready for a good night sleep. Our last day of our California adventure we spent in Disneyland and California Adventure. There is so many rides and all of them are fun. My favorite is still the Pirates of the Caribbeans and the Grizzly River Run. My older son’s favorite is the Matterhorn and the Space Mountain. My little boy’s favorite was Toy Story and Autopia.


And so ends our Disneyland trip. We had fun, few meltdowns and lots of memories….we’re off to Las Vegas.


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