danawyyc

Hoi Tod – Thai Street Food – Egg and Seafood Pancake – Around the World in 30 Dishes: Thailand

March 24, 2014 by danawyyc 14 Comments

Introducing my new series Around the World in 30 Dishes. My goal is to pick several regions around the world and explore it’s food through my kitchen. For each area I’ll try to make about 5 dishes. I want to take my inspiration from foods, techniques or ingredients that you could actually find in that region, but adapt them for a North American home cook. I’ll try to provide substitutions for ingredients that may be hard to find, not use anything that I can’t find in my local (Calgary, Alberta) grocery store and only use cooking tools that I already have at home.

The first region I’ve chosen is Thailand. My Dad recently moved to Thailand and has been trying all kinds of interesting new foods. He told me that Hoi Tod is one of his favorites. Here’s my best attempt and advice for making it at home. I used this recipe as my inspiration and watched a couple videos that you can find at the bottom of the post.

There’s a lot of different (but similar) methods to make this recipe. The method I’ve posted is the one I found the easiest to do. I tried beating the eggs and putting them in with the tapioca flour mixture first, but that didn’t seem to give quite the right result, and I also tried to mix the egg in the ladle but I found that to be a little messy and requiring a larger ladle. Feel free to play around with it, I found it to be pretty resilient to error, I even forgot the seafood one time and my husband still thought it was okay.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Tapioca Flour – I was able to find this in my local grocery store. It’s similar to cornstarch so you can use that in its place
Fish Sauce – If you can’t find fish sauce you can use soy sauce in it’s place.
Cilantro – If you hate cilantro you can just skip it. It is more mild after being chopped and cooked so you may want to give it a try before you decide.

Hoi Tod - Crispy Egg and Seafood Pancake

Recipe type: Main

Cuisine: Thai

Ingredients

¾ cup seafood (mussels are traditional - I really liked shrimp - you could also use clams or squid etc)
¾ cup seafood (mussels are traditional - I really liked shrimp - you could also use clams or squid etc)
1 cup fresh bean sprouts
1 cup fresh bean sprouts
fresh cilantro (optional)
fresh cilantro (optional)
fish sauce (or soy sauce)
fish sauce (or soy sauce)
1-3 cloves garlic (optional)
1-3 cloves garlic (optional)
3-4 eggs
3-4 eggs
3 green onions
3 green onions
8 tablespoons tapioca flour (or cornstarch)
8 tablespoons tapioca flour (or cornstarch)
½ cup soda water (or 7-Up)
½ cup soda water (or 7-Up)
salt and pepper
salt and pepper
vegetable oil for cooking

Instructions

You'll want to have all of your ingredients prepped before you begin cooking. Slice the green onions, chop the cilantro and prep the seafood you are using.
Heat oil in a large pan on medium high heat. Mix the tapioca flour (or cornstarch) with salt, pepper and soda water.
In a ladle, scoop up a third or so of the tapioca mixture and pour it in the pan. drop the seafood and a pinch of green onions and cilantro on top. Crack the egg in the middle of the batter and break it open with a spatula and move it around to mix in with the rest of the ingredients. I had a tendency to want to pile them into a smaller space at this point but you actually want it to be spread out over a large space in the pan. (You should use a large pan than I did - you will want a BIG pan). This step should all be done fairly quickly.
As the pancake starts to set, push it to the side of the pan and leave it alone while it gets crispy. When the bottom is crispy, flip it and let it cook on the other side. The finished pancake should end up being fairly crispy. I found I tended to undercook them - they still tasted good though so don't stress too much.
While the second side is cooking throw down some minced garlic onto the opposite side of the pan. (If you are using a pan that was as small as the one I used, you may want to do this in a second pan). After the garlic gets aromatic, add the bean sprouts and fish sauce and stir fry until heated.
Serve the pancake on top of the bean sprouts and top with Sriracha sauce (or another spicy pepper sauce if you don't have Sriracha).

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:23]

Videos of Thai Street Vendors Making Hoi Tod

I found it helpful to watch videos of Hoi Tod being made. The methods of the vendors are a little different but I found these two both really good.

Salad #42 – Kale, Quinoa and Black Bean Salad

March 21, 2014 by danawyyc 4 Comments

This salad is packed so full of nutrition that you just can’t help but feel good about eating it. It will keeps well in the fridge for a couple days which is good because this makes a ton. If you like your food on the spicy side you’ll probably want to increase the amount of chili powder – the recipe is pretty mild as it’s written. You could easily turn this into a great lunch by having some chicken or a hard boiled egg on the side – or even throwing a fried egg right on top.

Kale, Quinoa and Black Bean Salad

Author: Dana

Recipe type: Salad

Ingredients

1 cup cooked and cooled quinoa
2 fresh squeezed limes
1 teaspoon chili powder
4 TBSP olive oil
2 TBSP white wine vinegar
½ tsp salt and pepper to taste
2-3 handfuls of fresh kale or other greens
1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained (about 1½ cups)
2 large chopped carrots
1-2 red or yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 avocado, sliced or cubed (optional)

Instructions

Mix up the dressing by whisking the lime juice, chili powder, olive oil, white vinegar and salt and pepper together in a small bowl.
Separate the leaves of the kale from the stems and cut them into tiny pieces. I ran mine through my food processor which worked really well.
Chop the carrots (also great in the food processor) and the bell peppers (less awesome) into small pieces.
Add all the ingredients together in a large bowl and mix well.

Notes

Adapted from http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2013/06/kale-and-quinoa-salad-with-black-beans.html

Did They Eat It?

Nicky (2 years old): “no.”

Stephen: Good.

Anne: Great. Tangy but not too spicy.

Dana: I liked it. It was easy to put together and it makes a ton.

Salad #41 – Thai Chicken Salad with a Spicy Peanut Dressing

March 15, 2014 by danawyyc 7 Comments

One of my favorite things in the world are those bags of pre-shredded cabbage. They keep well so you don’t have to use them right away, save time and effort and are really versatile. They are great in soups, stir frys, make an easy vegetable side dish or a perfect salad base. I had picked up a bag of cabbage (or coleslaw mix) and a rotisserie chicken while we were at the grocery store and decided to make a meal salad with them. This salad keeps well in the fridge for a couple days too so you don’t have it eat it all at once – the cashews will get a bit mushy though so you may want to put them on at the last minute.

Thai Chicken Salad

Recipe type: Salad

Cuisine: Thai

Ingredients

Salad:
chicken - I used 2 breasts from a rotisserie chicken
½ bag coleslaw cabbage mix
1 mango sliced
fresh cilantro (optional)
2 green onions
½ cup chopped peanuts or cashews
Dressing:
1 clove garlic minced
1 squirt hot sauce (sriracha is nice)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons vinegar (I used rice wine)
Juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon oil (I used canola oil)
½ teaspoon fish sauce
¼ cup peanut butter (if you are using natural peanut butter you may want to add some sugar)
approx. ¼ cup water

Instructions

Shred the chicken into long strips.
Add the chicken, coleslaw, mango slices and most of the green onions together in a large bowl.
Whisk the dressing ingredients together.
Toss the salad ingredients with the dressing.
Serve topped with peanuts or cashews and a little green onion.

Notes

Adapted from http://pinchofyum.com/chopped-thai-chicken-salad

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:21]

Did They Eat It?

Gordie: refused to try. no no no.

Nicky: liked the chicken

Stephen: It’s good.

Anne: Really good.

Dana: This is a kind of salad that makes me go back for seconds.

Children’s Museum Of Montana Review – Great Falls, Montana – Travelling with Kids

March 10, 2014 by danawyyc 2 Comments

Thanks to Corrina for this guest post! Corrina is a busy mom of three kids under 4 who writes at the Celestial Nest.

Location: Great Falls, Montana http://www.childrensmuseumofmontana.org/
Address: 22 Railwood Square

Day Pass Cost: $4 per person (all ages)
Food Services: You can purchase coffee at the cafe.
Age Range: Children 12 and under.
Stay Length: 2 and 1/2 hours wasn’t enough time for us!
Worth the Trip?: Absolutely.

Overall:

There was not enough time in one visit to do and see all that was offered at the Montana Childrens Museum. I am just going to scratch the surface of the fun activities available at the museum. Before we even entered the main area the staff had my daughter gluing and building a space ship out of a plastic cup and plate.

We spend 2 1/2 hours there. I recommend going on a week day if possible. We went on a random Wednesday and we were the only ones there. The website suggests their activities are suitable for ages 4 months to 12 years and I would agree they do have something for every developmental stage up to 12 years.

The building is located in the older historic district and it’s brick wall interior is quite artistic. Downstairs they have a specific gated area for ages under 4. This is a safe space with lots of toys and educational games appropriate for smaller tots.

They also have many activities for older kids, ages four and up. My daughter especially enjoyed the fossil dig, which is an area filled with beans where children can excavate for fossils with shovels. This is gated off from younger children and requires parental supervision.

They also had lots of lego upstairs along with building educational tools complete with large PVC pipe which the children (and dad) had fun connecting.

The imaginative dress-up/puppetry area was also a hug hit with Julia.

My 1 year old spent most of his time zooming cars down the wide variety of built in car ramps or their mini train station upstairs.

They have small swings and slide upstairs as well as a slide downstairs connected to a large ship with a telescope on the end.

Our family will certainly return the Childrens Museum of Montana, only with more time available to play!

Extra Pictures:

Salad #40 – Carrot and Raisin Salad (Danish Gulerodsalat)

March 7, 2014 by danawyyc 2 Comments

My dad is from Denmark so I thought I would see if I could find a Danish salad for my 52 Salads challenge. Denmark is not particularly known for their salads. The only one I could remember was Agurkesalat which is a pickled cucumber salad. I came across this shredded carrot salad that I don’t specifically remember having but seems very familiar.

It’s a very simple salad and a snap to put together especially if you have a food processor to do the shredding for you. You can make it with or without the apple – the apple adds some nice sweetness but it may also turn a bit brown if you aren’t eating it immediately. I used yellow carrots for this, but they taste exactly the same as the orange ones so just use whatever is handy.

Salad #40 – Carrot and Raisin Salad

Recipe type: Salad

Cuisine: Danish

Adapted from http://mydanishkitchen.com/2010/06/07/carrot-salad-gulerodsalat/

Ingredients

3-5 Large carrots
1-2 apples
1 lemon
handful of raisins
1-2 tsp sugar

Instructions

Shred carrots and apples.
Juice the lemon.
Mix all of the ingredients together and let sit in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:15]

Did They Eat It?

Nicky (almost 2): wouldn’t eat it

Gordie (4.5 years): I loved it!

Deb: nice gentle little salad

Dana: I really enjoyed this salad. It was even better when it had a bit longer to sit in the fridge.

Salad #39 – California Roll Rice Salad

February 28, 2014 by danawyyc Leave a Comment

Some of you (including my mom) may dispute me calling this a salad. If it makes you feel better, go ahead and call it a rice bowl. No matter what you call it – it is delicious. One of the things that is great about doing it as a salad is that you can customize it for your family. My kids both love California Rolls but Gordie always pops out the avocado and cucumbers (even though he will eat them both by themselves). This is also way easier than making actual california rolls and requires no special technique or even special rice. You can use sticky rice if you want, but you can use your family’s favorite kind of rice and it will still work perfectly.

Salad #39 – California Roll Rice Salad

Recipe type: Salad

Cuisine: Japanese

Ingredients

2 cups cooked rice (I used brown basmati)
1 avocado
1 red pepper diced
½ cucumber or 2 small cucumbers diced
1 package imitation crab (or if you are feeling fancy you can use real crab)
Sesame Seeds
Dressing
1 tsp mayo
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce

Instructions

Whisk dressing ingredients together in a small bowl.
Mix rice, red pepper, cucumber and imitation crab.
Top with avocado, sesame seeds and dressing.

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:14]

Did They Eat It?

Nicky: Loved it. Yelled “hey!” when I took the bowl out of her hand.

Stephen: Good.

Dana: I thought it was great. I love California Rolls and this is a much easier and cheaper way to get a similar flavor.

Going to Disneyland with Someone Who has Special Needs

February 18, 2014 by danawyyc 2 Comments

Disneyland is a great place to go if you have someone in your family or travelling group with special needs. Disneyland tries extremely hard to be inclusive and accommodating so everyone can have a great experience at the Disneyland Resort.

My brother, Geoff, has Cornelia de Lange Syndrome (CdLS), a rare syndrome that results in both mental and physical handicaps. Although he can walk short distances, he uses a wheelchair and would have difficulty waiting in long lines. His favorite place (okay, I’m going to be honest, it’s also the only place) he likes to vacation is Disneyland. He loves the music, the familiar characters and being able to be brave in a safe setting. We’ve gone with Geoff to Disneyland a few times before the kids were born and my in-laws have taken Geoff a few times since. This year we decided to take a big family trip with our kids, Geoff, my mom, my brother and my mother-in-law and sister-in-law.

Things that make Disneyland a Great Place for Geoff:

Music – Music seems to be everywhere in Disneyland. Music really resonates with Geoff so he loves this. Some of his favorite moments have been just sitting and watching musical performers on the streets of Disneyland.
Safe environment to be brave – Geoff has a strong sense of self preservation and tends to be kind of fearful about trying new things. Being in Disneyland is a whole different experience. Disneyland provides a safe environment for Geoff to take risks and be brave that he gets no where else. He gets a little bit more brave each time he goes.
There is so much more than just the rides – The rides in Disneyland are great but even if you don’t go on a single one there is a lot to see and do. There are daily parades, fireworks, musical performances, and live productions. There are also a number of walk through attractions and transportation style rides, like the train, riverboat and the historical vehicles along mainstreet.
Magic – It’s a bit cliche but there really is something magical about being in Disneyland. It’s an immersive experience in a beautiful magical world where you can spend all your time and energy focusing on your travelling companions.

Other things to make your visit awesome

Quieter spaces – There are a number of areas that tend to be a bit quieter even when the park is quite busy.
In Disneyland: Mainstreet first aid, by the Winnie the Pooh ride in Critter Country, Tom Sawyer Island (requires going on a raft to access), Big Thunder Ranch in Frontierland, and outside of Roger Rabbit’s Cartoon Spin in Toontown.
In Disneyland California Adventure Park: First Aid at Buena Vista Street, near Mike and Sully to the rescue in Hollywoodland, all areas of ‘a bug’s land’, the world of color viewing area (when not in use for world of color), Redwood Creek Challenge by Grizzly Peak.
At non-meal times the seating areas of the larger restaurants are a great choice in both parks.
On most days the California Adventure Park will be less crowded and congested than Disneyland.
FASTPASS – Many popular rides offer the FASTPASS system where you can use your park pass to receive a specific return time for the ride instead of waiting in the whole line. This can be used in addition to the Disability Access Service Card.
Disney PhotoPass – At the character greet areas and other areas throughout the park you’ll find Disneyland photographers who can take your photos and load it on a card. This makes it easy for to do what you need to do to get a great picture, including being in the picture, instead of trying to take the photo yourself. If your party ends up with multiple cards you can load them all onto one account. You can order pictures individually or get the whole lot on a Photo CD.
Food – Disneyland has recently revamped their food options making more healthier choices available and more variety of choices. I noticed many places listing foods as non-dairy and gluten-free as well.

Services for Disneyland Guests with Disabilities

On the Disneyland website you can find strategies and services for different disabilities to help make your visit a success. They also have a guide that lists details of each attraction like whether the ride has loud noises or flashing lights.

Disability Access Service Card (formally Guest Assistance Card program)

You may have heard that Disneyland recently discontinued their Guest Assistance Card program do to rampant abuse of the system. Actually, they have changed the program instead of abandoning it completely. You can get the Disability Access Services Card at Guest Relations near the main entrances to either Disneyland Resort Park.

With the new Disability Access Service Card guests with disabilities who are unable to tolerate long times are able to receive a return time for attractions based on the current wait time. Basically, you still wait in line, but you don’t actually have to stand in the line to do it. The card holder does not need to be present to obtain the wait time, but does need to go on the ride (obviously). After going on the ride you can receive another return time. Return times are valid until redeemed. This can be used in addition to the FASTPASS program.

If you do not feel the Disability Access Services Card meets your particular needs you can visit guest relations to discuss this with them and they will do their best to provide assistance that suits your unique needs.

Wheelchair Accessibility in Disneyland

Disneyland is very wheelchair friendly. Many rides have special cars that can be used even if you are not able to transfer out of your wheelchair. Most Disneyland attractions are accessible if you are able to transfer out of your wheelchair. Disneyland has a full list of their ride’s accessibility levels on their website.

If your require a wheelchair or scooter but do not otherwise require special accommodation you do not need to obtain a Disability Access Service Card. On some rides you would wait in the standard line-up, others will give you a return time and some you enter the ride through the exit. If you ask a cast member how you will access the ride before you get there it can save you some walking. Fantasyland in particular has many rides with line-ups that are too narrow for wheelchairs.

You may also want to read the other Disneyland Travel posts I’ve written:

I’ve also written up an overviews of Disneyland Park and Disneyland’s California Adventure Park on my other blog, Calgary Playground Review.

Disneyland Photography Tips – 11 Tips for Getting Great Photos of Your Disneyland Vacation

February 17, 2014 by danawyyc 3 Comments

Disneyland is one of my favorite places to take pictures. The backgrounds are colorful, bright and varied making it easy to take beautiful photos. Disneyland really pay attention to the small details too – for instance if you look, you can find little hidden Mickey’s throughout the park. During your Disneyland vacation your family will be doing many fun and exciting things together that you will want to remember. One of the best ways to keep the Disney magic alive when you get home is with great photographs. Here’s a few simple tips to help you get photos your family will cherish.

1. Synchronize your Cameras and Phones

If you will be taking pictures with more than one camera synchronizing the date will make it easier to organize and sort through them once you get home. On a trip where you will be doing so many different thing, even a fairly small difference can be a nuisance.

2. Bring Extra Batteries and Memory Cards

You may be able to find batteries and memory cards at the park if you forget but you’ll be paying a premium. We also move our pictures over to our computer when we get back to the hotel and charge the camera batteries over night.

3. Take the Right Camera

Your ideal camera for Disneyland is one that you can comfortably carry with you for the whole day. I have a Nikon 1, which is a mirrorless SLR so it’s pretty compact (it’s the orange camera slung over my shoulder in the picture below). I wouldn’t want to be taking a camera much bigger than that around the park everyday. We don’t leave our DSLR at home though – Disneyland is so photogenic you can take some really beautiful pictures with an DSLR. But we don’t take it to the park every day. Take it along on days where you expect to walk less and aren’t planning on having your whole group go on the thrill rides. If you are only taking one camera pick a smaller camera over a bigger one.

4. Take Off Coats, Sunglasses and Bags

You don’t have to take them off for every photo but if you are spending time in line to get character photos you might as well show off cute outfits and beautiful eyes instead of hiding them so you can get the best photo possible.

5. Photograph Different Combinations of Your Group

Try to take individual photos, different pairs, family and group photos. It can be easy to forget to take a photo of your whole group or individual ones of the kids.

6. Take Lots of Candid Photos

You’ll get some of the best expressions when the photos aren’t posed.

7. Take Reaction Shots

Sometimes getting a shot of their face while they first see Cinderella can be even better than one with her in it.

8. Take Pictures of Some of the Simple Moments

Don’t feel like all of your photos need to be of big moments or be obvious that they are taken in Disneyland. Take photos while waiting for your food, hanging out at a bench or just walking around.

9. Get in the Picture

Especially if you are taking most of the pictures it can be easy to end up with photos that make it seem like you didn’t even go on your vacation. If you are going with other adults make sure to swap photographer duties for some of the trip. Most other guests will also happily take a photo for you so you can get in the shot so don’t be afraid to ask. Additionally, at many locations throughout the park you can find Disney photographers who will take photos that they load onto a Disney Photopass card that you can purchase later – they will also take a photo with your camera.

10. Let the Kids have a Turn

If you have an older pocket camera it’ll be perfect for the job. Otherwise let them take some photos while you supervise them closely. They may not all be winners (or maybe even any of them depending on their age) but they will probably be at least entertaining.

11. Know When to Put the Camera Away

Don’t let taking photos of your vacation get in the way of having fun on your vacation. You don’t need to take a picture of every moment, sometimes it’s best just to live it and enjoy it first hand. Additionally, not every aspect of Disneyland photographs well. If you enjoy the photography challenge and have a good camera feel free to try your hand at night photos and fireworks but otherwise don’t bother. Also put your camera away when you are on a dark ride. They don’t photograph well and the light from your camera is disruptive for everyone else. You can often get some nice photos of parades but think about whether you will actually appreciate that photo when you get home or if you will enjoy the parade more if you see it without a camera in the way.

You may also want to read the other Disneyland Travel posts I’ve written:

I’ve also written up an overviews of Disneyland Park and Disneyland’s California Adventure Park on my other blog, Calgary Playground Review.

Practical Penny Pinching in Disneyland

February 13, 2014 by danawyyc 10 Comments

Going on a trip to Disneyland is an amazing experience but when you have to pay for airfare, hotels, park passes and food it’s not going to be cheap no matter how frugal you are. If your travel budget is strained consider delaying your trip or cutting it down by a day – you’ll enjoy your trip more if you’re not stressed about every penny you are spending.

Finding discounts or deals on airfare, passes and hotels can help but it’s hard to plan for and in my opinion, it’s not worth doing things that take time away from your time in the park to save a few dollars. At the same time there is no need to spend money that you don’t have to. Below I’ve listed 5 ways that you can make your trip a little more budget friendly that don’t require you to take any time out of your day.

1. Stay at a Non-Disneyland Hotel

I love staying at one of the Disney Hotels – it makes it so you never really leave the magic of Disneyland. There are other benefits as well such as early entry days, guaranteed entry even on busy days, and you can get into the California Adventure Park via a side entrance by the Grand Californian.

However, if you stay at one of the nearby non-Disneyland hotels, you can save a significant amount of money. Most of the hotels will have a shuttle service – some of them are even free. Many hotels are even within walking distance of the park and your hotel may even have a free breakfast or be near a restaurant like McDonald’s where you can get an inexpensive breakfast.

2. Go in the off-season

Going in the off-season can save you a significant amount of money on your hotel. Depending on your specific travel days your airfare may be cheaper as well. You’ll also find the Park much less crowded. There are trade-offs, however. The congestion will be reduced but during the off-season more attractions will be under repair or closed, park hours are reduced and some attractions will run at a reduced capacity so the time you spend in line won’t change as much as you would think.

3. Minimize the amount of food and drinks you buy at the park

You can bring refillable water bottles or get free water in a cup with a lid and straw at any of the quick service restaurants in the park. You can also share big meals (Ranch del Zocalo has large portions, the chicken dinner at the Plaza is huge and one of the turkey legs you can buy goes a long way). Evaluate the kids meals instead of automatically getting them. Some of them might be a great value for your kids but you may be better off with them sharing a meal with you, splitting an adult meal with each other or ordering individual items or sides. Having some snacks at your hotel and eating breakfast before you go to the park can also help.

4. Photos in Disneyland

In many places around Disneyland you can photos taken by a professional photographer and loaded onto a Disney Photopass Card. Although I love this service, purchasing the photos they take can be pricey. Generally the professional photographers will also happily take a picture with your own camera. Another option is to order a photo CD instead of individual pictures. You can load all the Photopass cards that your group collects onto one account and purchase a CD with the whole lot of them on it. It’s around $60 for the CD, but that’s way less than it would cost to get family photos done at home. Also, other guests at the park will usually happily take your family photo if you ask them.

5. Buy Some of Your Disney Merchandise Ahead of Time

You do not need to buy everything you might want at the park. There is something special about having a Disneyland souvenir from your trip but you can easily supplement your park souvenirs with things like Disney pajamas and t-shirts that you bought locally. The merchandise in the park is generally good quality, but it is definitely not cheap. The stock in the park is also limited – I looked at getting my daughter a princess dress, but they were all too big for her. I could have bought one at the Disney Store at home in her size and it would have cost less too.

You may also want to read the other Disneyland Travel posts I have written:

I have also written up an overviews of Disneyland Park and Disneyland’s California Adventure Park on my other blog, Calgary Playground Review.

6 Tips for Going to Disneyland with a Big Group

February 10, 2014 by danawyyc 8 Comments

We’ve been on two trips to Disneyland with a group of 10 people. The first time it was all adults and the second time we had our two kids with us. Travelling with a large group can be a lot of fun but it can also come with some headaches. Here are 6 tips to help make your trip to Disneyland with a large group a big success.

1. Split Up

Don’t expect to stay together as a big group very much of the time. Splitting up into smaller groups can make it easier to get around and less aggravating. People will want to do different things and you will spend less time waiting and deciding what to do if you spend most of your time in smaller groups. If there are anything you want to do as a big group make sure you talk about that beforehand and make a plan to do it.

2. Switch the Groups Around

Don’t stay in the same groups the whole time. If you change the groups around you can get more out of your trip. Maybe Mom and Dad are sick of It’s a Small World but Grandma would be happy to take the kids again or some people in the group love rollercoasters but others don’t. You are only going to be in the park for a short time, you want to spend as little time waiting around as you can. Of course I’m assuming you’re going with people you like…

3. Meet up for Meals

Split the day up into chunks where you can meet up, spend some time together as a big group and then switch the groups around. We’ve found that meals work the best for this. Make your plan to meet up at a specific restaurant and at an approximate time. Try to plan for off peak meal times (even 1pm vs noon) and you should have lots of space at most restaurants.

4. Stay Connected

Even with making plans ahead of time, it will really help to be able to let other people in your group know if you are running late or need to make a plan change. We found texting to be a good way to do this. For our group most of the time 3 phones with texting was enough as long as we shuffled the phones a little bit.

If you are travelling to Disneyland from outside of the US, make sure that you get a temporary plan that will cover you while you are there otherwise your charges can be quite high. From Canada you should be able to do a plan that will give you talk and text for the month for around $20. If you have a smart phone be sure to turn off your cell data in the settings or you will end up running up a data roaming bill (this can happen even if you think you are using the hotel wireless network).

5. Don’t Be Afraid to Begin your Day at Different Times

If you’ve got a larger group there is a good chance that you have some early risers and some night owls. Instead of trying to drag the night owls up in the morning, or waiting around until everyone’s ready make a plan to meet up at lunch or mid morning and go at different times. One morning I took my daughter (1.5 years) by myself and we had a great time together until everyone else arrived. It was way more fun than waiting around for everyone else to get ready.

6. Don’t Forget to Get a Group Picture

If you are going with a big group you are going to want a group picture to commemorate your trip. This may seem obvious but it can be easy to forget to do. We have ended up with only one group photo at the end of each of our big group trips.

There are photographers set up at different locations in the park that will take your picture and load it on a photo card so you can order photos later. The photographers are also more than happy to use your camera as well. [Note: you can load all the photo pass cards your group collects onto one account and get a CD with digital copies of all the photos which can be a good choice compared to buying photos individually if you get a lot of photos.] If there isn’t one around when you are trying to take your photo you can usually find a willing guest to take a photo with you instead.

You may also want to read the other Disneyland Travel posts I have written:

I have also written up an overviews of Disneyland Park and Disneyland’s California Adventure Park on my other blog, Calgary Playground Review.

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danawyyc

Did They Eat It?

Did They Eat It?

Did They Eat It?

Did They Eat It?

Things that make Disneyland a Great Place for Geoff:

Other things to make your visit awesome

Services for Disneyland Guests with Disabilities

Disability Access Service Card (formally Guest Assistance Card program)

Wheelchair Accessibility in Disneyland

1. Synchronize your Cameras and Phones

2. Bring Extra Batteries and Memory Cards

3. Take the Right Camera

4. Take Off Coats, Sunglasses and Bags

5. Photograph Different Combinations of Your Group

6. Take Lots of Candid Photos

7. Take Reaction Shots

8. Take Pictures of Some of the Simple Moments

9. Get in the Picture

10. Let the Kids have a Turn

11. Know When to Put the Camera Away

1. Stay at a Non-Disneyland Hotel

2. Go in the off-season

3. Minimize the amount of food and drinks you buy at the park

4. Photos in Disneyland

5. Buy Some of Your Disney Merchandise Ahead of Time

1. Split Up

2. Switch the Groups Around

3. Meet up for Meals

4. Stay Connected

5. Don’t Be Afraid to Begin your Day at Different Times

6. Don’t Forget to Get a Group Picture

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