The journey began ! The kids' first ever long trip that took almost 23 hours. We departed on the 17th June, taking a morning flight and touched down in Los Angeles on the 17th June, 4pm.
Xav was easy to handle given the entertainment we packed in his bag BUT Vera was giving a pretty hard time when comes to sleeping ! If you did read on my previous post on "
My Travel Essentials" , this set can be played anywhere ? Who cares about turbulences on the plane or while you are on a road trip, even if the car gives a break, the tiles for the tangram set are safely sticked onto the base while the pages are binded to the set as well.
Just because I do not usually carry her to sleep at home, she will usually roll herself on the bed to sleep. So...... imagine she did not allowed me to carry her to sleep initially and wanted to roll on the floor !
I learnt a few lessons from this trip and for sure the very first one will be:
1.
Never set your expectations too high when you are travelling with children, especially a young toddler. Itineraries may not be met as planned, so do not get too upset if it is as such.
2.
If your child is a light sleeper, DO NOT place them in the bassinet.
Long story short, during the flight, I requested for a bassinet to place her in. I didn't know that babies are not allowed to sit in the bassinet unless they are sleeping ? At the end, she refused to be carried by me and we were kind of walking around the plane !
Sleeping was another issue. Finally, she fell asleep. I thought I could have an hour rest at least. But in less than 30 minutes, the turbulence announcement came. The aircrew told me that I had to carry Vera out from the bassinet despite the fact that she was sleeping.
I was really very reluctant as she was a very light sleeper. If I touch her, that's it. Then again, I did understood that it's for safety measure. Hence under the BO BIAN ACT (Translated from Hokkien : A situation with no other choices) , I carried her up and there I go again, handling a hyper, cranky toddler.
I managed to pacify her and made her go back to sleep but at the expense of my arm almost broke from the carrying of her in my arms overnight.
On the other hand, I would like to say thanks to the friendly SQ cabin crews who allowed me to stay in the pantry when Vera was crying, so as not to let her cries disturb the rest of the passengers. Some of them were really nice to offer to carry her and gave her toys to pacify her.
We did a transit in Narita and finally Vera got to walk freely as long as she wanted before we boarded the flight to Los Angeles and I would have to really agree that it's a small, small world ! We were actually on the same flight with Xav's schoolmate and family who were heading to Japan for their holiday.
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| @ Narita Airport (Photo taken with Canon Power Shot SX530 HS) |
And someone just loved to indulge in some authentic Japanese sushi - his favourite !
We touched down in Los Angeles around 4pm and went straight to the car rental company.
Alamo, was the chosen car rental company we decided to go for. Dear had read through some online reviews and their rates were more on the average side. We were crossing our fingers for their service to be good and no hiccups during the rental of their vehicle for the next 13 days.
Right at Los Angeles International Airport, there are shuttle services available to
Alamo.
It arrived just one lane next to the entrance of
Alamo. Totally hassle free.
The queue was pretty reasonable and they processed the documents pretty fast. I was testing out the camera (Canon Power Shot SX530 HS) right at the back of the room. Since I was using it during the
Fast Track Workshop organized by
Canon Imaging Academy. I was fascinated by how far it can actually zoom in.
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| Photo taken using Canon Power Shot SX530 HS |
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| Photo taken using Canon Power Shot SX530 HS |
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| A random shot from the carpark. (Photo taken with Canon Power Shot SX530 HS) |
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| All ready to go ! (Photo taken with Canon Power Shot SX530 HS) |
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| Photo taken with Canon Power Shot SX530 HS |
Our first stop was checking in Holiday Inn Express at Anaheim. we decided to stay here because it was pretty near to Disneyland Theme Park which we planned to visit on Day 2.
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| Hotel Lobby (Photo taken with Canon Power Shot SX530 HS) |
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Waiting area (Photo taken with Canon Power Shot SX530 HS) |
Near to where we were staying, it's a short 5 to 10 mins drive to The Outlets at Orange.
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Photo taken with Canon Power Shot SX530 HS
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Dinner @ Market Broiler
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We had our dinner and made a brief walk around The Outlets. But the shops were mostly closed by the time our dinner ended. We retired back to the hotel and had an early night before we start to "chiong" a one full day at Disneyland the next day.
Day 2 started with a simple breakfast at the Restaurant & Bar before we head out to Disneyland Theme Park. For mister and myself, we were kind of "immune" to visiting Disneyland after we went to the one in
Tokyo, HongKong (yet to blog) and now in Anaheim, just for the kiddos.
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| Photo taken with Canon Power Shot SX530 HS |
There were bus services at our hotel that could ferry us to the theme park directly which took about 15 mins or less from where we were staying.
And for an unknown reason, Xav turned into a merlion, puking on the bus after boarding. I felt so bad about it and I assumed the rest of the passengers had to put up with the stench unless they cleaned up before leaving.
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| Photo taken with Canon Power Shot SX530 HS |
Still we made it to the theme park ! The queue was pretty reasonable for that morning, though it was slightly long but at least it was moving and not stationary.
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| Photo taken with Canon Power Shot SX530 HS |
Someone just refused to let go of the entry tickets just because it has Mickey on it !
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Her 1st visit to Disneyland !
(Photo taken with Canon Power Shot SX530 HS) |
Vera was so excited as usual to spot the horse which I did not realise as I was back facing until she repeatedly said "马， 马 .. ” in mandarin into my face, trying to catch my attention.
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| Photo taken with Canon Power Shot SX530 HS |
Thrilled was she to spot her idol from afar ! Her favourites all started with a "M" ! Minnie and guess the other M ?
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| Photo taken with Canon Power Shot SX530 HS |
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| Photo taken with Canon Power Shot SX530 HS |
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| Photo taken with Canon Power Shot SX530 HS |
Express Pass is always the best for parents who have young kids with them. You can go for other rides while waiting for the more popular rides.
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| Photo taken with Canon Power Shot SX530 HS |
Infact she enjoyed Disneyland more than her brother ! The brother's energy level was low from the jetlag.
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A reminder to parents with the little ones going for the ride.
Photo taken with Canon Power Shot SX530 HS)
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| Photo taken with Canon Power Shot SX530 HS) |
Can't get enough of Star Wars !
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| Photo taken with Canon Power Shot SX530 HS |
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| Photo taken with Canon Power Shot SX530 HS |
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| Photo taken with Canon Power Shot SX530 HS |
His wish came true to able to customize his own light saber.
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| Photo taken with Canon Power Shot SX530 HS |
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| Photo taken with Canon Power Shot SX530 HS |
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| Photo taken with Canon Power Shot SX530 HS |
The ride which all young and old love to ride on.
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| Photo taken with Canon Power Shot SX530 HS |
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| Photo taken with Canon Power Shot SX530 HS |
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| Photo taken with Canon Power Shot SX530 HS |
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| Photo taken with Canon Power Shot SX530 HS |
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Lunch at Village Haus
(Photo taken with Canon Power Shot SX530 HS) |
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| It's a small small word after lunch (Photo taken with Canon Power Shot SX530 HS) |
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| Photo taken with Canon Power Shot SX530 HS |
Finally, I managed to snap a picture under the hot , blazing sun without having under-exposed faces ! With thanks again to
Fast Track Workshop organized by
Canon Imaging Academy.
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| Photo taken with Canon Power Shot SX530 HS |
Someone was just so manja !! She was not sleeping. This was her frightened look as she clung tightly onto us as we entered the into the darker areas.
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| Photo taken with Canon Power Shot SX530 HS |
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| Sweet treats ! (Photo taken with Canon Power Shot SX530 HS) |
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| Photo taken with Canon Power Shot SX530 HS |
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Saw Mickey & Minnie whispering sweet nothings !
(Photo taken with Canon Power Shot SX530 HS) |
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Can't get enough of her idol ! Big hugs first, Minnie !
(Photo taken with Canon Power Shot SX530 HS) |
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One more group picture before we call it a day.
(Photo taken with Canon Power Shot SX530 HS) |
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| I was not spared from this as well. (Photo taken with Canon Power Shot SX530 HS) |
We caught the train ride while making our way out when we saw that the queue was moving fast.
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| Photo taken with Canon Power Shot SX530 HS |
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| Photo taken with Canon Power Shot SX530 HS |
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| Photo taken with Canon Power Shot SX530 HS |
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| Photo taken with Canon Power Shot SX530 HS |
We did not stay to catch the fireworks but these were what we managed to see it from our room.
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| Photo taken with Canon Power Shot SX530 HS |
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| Photo taken with Canon Power Shot SX530 HS |
I loved this the most ! If you click on the picture and zoom in, you could see dazzling stars !
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| Photo taken with Canon Power Shot SX530 HS |
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| Photo taken with Canon Power Shot SX530 HS |
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| Photo taken with Canon Power Shot SX530 HS |
If you realised that we did not managed to ride on all the rides ? Our intention was to go slow and just enjoy whatever we came across. With a young toddler with us, we did not set too high expectations as compared to times when we were married without kids.
If you area keen to read more on how to make full use of the fast pass during your Disneyland visit, do check out
Life Tiny's Miracles and
The Kam Family, they have really great tips from their recent trip to Disneyland Tokyo !
Up next will be our visit to San Francisco !
Bumping up here again if you have missed my previous post on
Our Travel Essentials.
Thank you for reading. If you have been reading our posts, do follow me on
Facebook,
Pinterest and
Instagram !
Disclaimer : This is not a sponsored post. Canon Power Shot SX530 HS was solely for review purposes with thanks to Canon Singapore.
Wah that's a difficult fight w Vera! I always take the bassinet row but never uses it anymore even when Faye was a new born. It's just impossible whenever I have to remove the baby at turbulence. Gosh. Realized that the best way is to carry in arms too. Heading to Italy next month! Wonder how's that going to be. I obviously have to put USA off to when they are big! I can imagine how tired your arms were. Breaking shoulders and neck too?
ReplyDeleteMay, the bassinet row is good as I find it more spacious! But I think carry all the way would be a better choice than to wake them up during the turbulence and handle a tired and crying baby instead.
DeleteI would think that apart from the Theme parks, USA would be more enjoyable when the kids are older!
Duper tired but oil on! Hahahaa with thanks to the deep relief for those aches!
Oh wow Italy! The kids gonna look forward to the Gelatos and pizzas! Have a great trip! I missed Italy!!
You all very cute to wear Garfield tees inside Disneyland!! hahaha.. ya I was very irritated with SQ's policy with the bassinet too. And some of them are very unfriendly about it so after my first encounter with them over it, I prefer to just sit in the normal side seats so that I can lift the arm rest and let Lil Pumpkin lie on the seats or rest comfortably in my arms/ lap. She's a light sleeper too and I could do without all the hassle of taking her in and out of the bassinet.
ReplyDeleteAi @ Sakura Haruka
Haha we only tried bassinet a couple of times and decided we were better off without it! It's just too difficult to keep taking the baby in and out of it and I can't imagine how you survived a 23-hour flight with Vera! Still, that is an achievement, right? It's nice of you all to especially go to LA to bring the kids to Disneyland and I am sure they appreciate all your efforts! Nice that you got to catch the fireworks in the comfort of your room too, saves the hassle of squeezing through the crowd with the young kids. =) Hope you managed to rest and enjoy yourself during the holiday too! =)
ReplyDeleteI find the bassinet only useful to hold all my barangbarang
ReplyDeleteI havent sat a flight with my kid. I dont dare to do a long flight. Probably got for a short one to an Asian country first when he is past 2 years old. Easier to handle when they are older. I miss Disneyland in USA. I remembered going there during my poly days school exchange. It looks kinda different now from the pics. I remembered the fireworks. It was awesome!
ReplyDeleteI always ask for bassinet row during flight booking because of the extra leg space. It's so heartwarming to see the family photos taken during holidays, so precious! :)
ReplyDeleteNormally I am the one who set the itineraries and I get super frustrated when it fails to go according to plan. Need to take it easy. :) Love your family photos at Disneyland.. I will rush through as much as I can but it seems your family take it really steady and slow, enjoying to the fullest! Nice trip!
ReplyDeleteohhhhh they look like they had incredible fun!! They would remember this for a long long long time!! :)
ReplyDeleteI love disneylands! You should go check out the Orlando Disney next! That's the best, imho. Wait till the kids are older so that you can take all the rides. I made it a bucket list to visit all the disneylands in the world, and am only missing the disney sea Japan for now.
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ReplyDelete