[Travel] [Fashion] Disneyland - What to Wear

I know I've said there's only one way to travel to Disney—comfortably.  But comfortable doesn't have to mean un-stylish.  In this age of social media, or even before it, you'll take more than a few pictures to remind you of your time at the happiest place on Earth.  Fashion is subjective, and you should absolutely do you and what makes you feel great (in other words, this is a disclaimer that how I like to dress may not be how you'd like to dress), but just remember to do exactly that—feel great and smile ear to ear in your pictures.

It's hard to imagine going to Disney and not getting caught up in the magic of it.  (I mean, unless you have no soul.)  To that end, I'm a big fan of adding a bit of Disney flair to your outfit.  Before I dive in to that, though, here are a few generic tips/thoughts to consider when planning out your OOTD.

1) The Golden Rule of Disney Travel: Travel Comfortably and Wear Comfortable Clothes.  This is both obvious and it isn't.  You'll be climbing in and out of rides all day/night, and when you're standing still, you'll most likely be standing in the hot sun.  Technically speaking, Tips 2—4 below really refer to comfort as well, just very specifically. 

I don't think there are hard rules around what you should and shouldn't wear because comfort can be personal—for example, I personally don't always find jeans the most comfortable, especially in hot weather—and yet, jeans were probably the go-to bottom for half of the other Disneyland visitors on my last trip.  I have no issue with wearing a skirt or dress so long as it has a bit of a flare to it (as opposed to a pencil skirt).  In fact, as you can see below, I wore swimsuit bottoms and would otherwise have considered safety shorts—but not everyone will feel that way.  I also tend to wear tighter shirts because I prefer their silhouette in pictures, but airy, loose-fitting shirts can often be more comfortable in the heat.

2) Wear comfortable shoes, preferably sneakers.  You will be walking quite a bit and, when you're not walking, you'll likely be standing in line.  You need shoes with good support.  If you have a favorite pair of sandals that don't chafe and have good support, by all means, wear those, but for me, no sandal provides the kind of comfort a good pair of sneakers can.

Don't, however, buy a snazzy new pair of sneakers (or sandals, if that's your thing) just before your trip or wear a pair that you haven't had time to break in yet.  There's nothing worse than being miserable in the parks in shoes that are chafing or giving you blisters.

My go-to "cute" sneakers are KEDS.  Unsurprisingly, the pair I'm currently sporting are Kate Spade x KEDS (specifically, this sequinned striped pair, which unfortunately are almost completely sold out), but they have many non-Kate Spade options as well.  In my opinion, KEDS provide pretty decent support and durability while managing to remain cute enough to pair with almost anything, from jeans to pretty sundresses.

And they even have Disney styles from time to time.  My favorite from the current collection are probably these adorable denim kicks (which you can purchase here): 

I also like these slip-ons (available here), but I'm personally always wary of slip-ons when I'm on the go.

3) Dress in layers.  Or bring them.  As I wrote in this post, while it may generally be hot during the day, it cools down at night in both Anaheim and Orlando.  You'll be thankful you came prepared with a second layer.  I opted not to bring a jacket because I didn't want to carry something separately and instead stuffed a cardigan into my bag.  Anything will work, though I would advocate bringing a second layer that doesn't require carrying separately—I saw quite a few people in the parks with cute flannel shirts or thin sweatshirts tied around their waists.

4) Swimwear: optional.  Although I would strongly advocate bringing both a poncho and either flip flops or an extra pair of socks in case you get wet (see this post for more tips on packing for the parks), swimwear is truly optional for adults so long as you're not planning to visit the two water parks in Orlando.  For reference, the main water rides outside the actual water parks in Orlando are Grizzly River Run at Disney's California Adventure, Kali River Rapids at Disney's Animal Kingdom, Splash Mountain at Disneyland or The Magic Kingdom, or even the Pirates of the Carribean rides at Disneyland or The Magic Kingdom—but you really just don't get that wet that your clothes won't otherwise dry quickly in the sun.

If you have kids, though, I'd suggest bringing swimsuits or having them wear them under their clothes, as they might like to cool off in Princess Dot's Puddle Park, a cute assortment of water fountains located in "A Bug's Land" in Disney's California Adventure, or its equivalent at Fantasyland at The Magic Kingdom, Casey Jr.'s Splash 'n' Soak Station.

Just a note, I did personally wear a swimsuit under my clothes both days, but I did this more for coverage than for any concerns about staying wet.  I reasoned that I would feel less conspicuous if I got wet and what shown through was a swimsuit—and that I the swimsuit bottoms would double as "safety shorts" underneath my skirt.

Now that the practical stuff is out of the way, we can get down to... Disney Flair!

Actual Disney costumes are not permitted to be worn to the parks by anyone aged 14 or older, except perhaps for certain special events, such as Mickey's Halloween Party at Anaheim's Disneyland Park or Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party or Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, both at Orlando's Magic Kingdom.  (Check out those pages for the special dress/costume rules for those events.)

But just because you can't wear a real costume doesn't mean you can't join in the fun on the regular.  Here are four ways you can show your Disney pride.

1) "DisneyBound".  "DisneyBound" is a term coined by Leslie Kay of, well, DisneyBound.  It describes the practice of using fashion to evoke Disney while not going full costume or cosplay.  So, for example, you might use the same colors in your outfit as Rapunzel has in hers, or you might choose to wear something nautical when DisneyBounding as Donald Duck.  Instead of dressing exactly like Ariel in the picture below, I tried to evoke the image of her through wearing green and letting a hint of purple show through in my swimsuit (which, full disclosure, is a swimsuit inspired by Ariel from The Good Witch on Etsy).

A Little Mermaid out of water. • • • Disneyland 1313 S. Disneyland Drive Anaheim, California • • • #ootd #disneyland #disney #disneybound #disneyfashion #disneyprincess #fashion #fashionista #instastyle #thelittlemermaid #fashionblogger #travelblogger #instalove #instagood #instatravel #photooftheday #picoftheday #summerofdisneystyle #the_tammiest

A post shared by the_tammiest (@the_tammiest) on May 23, 2017 at 6:32am PDT

Leslie's blog and Pinterest generally are full of inspiration boards, but you can also always make things your own, since it can otherwise get difficult to exactly replicate someone else's Pinterest board outfit.

2) Disney-licensed clothing.  This really can be divided into two categories: the first category covers Disney-licensed clothes that can really pass for DisneyBounding.  The second category covers Disney-licensed clothes screened or printed with character's faces or scenes from a Disney film.

If you're interested in the first, Hot Topic is a surprisingly great source.  I've linked here to their main Disney merchandise page, which will also show you lots of bags and also clothes falling into the second category of Disney-licensed clothes, but if you go back to the page on a fairly regular basis, you'll see that they update the selection periodically.

I currently love the below dresses: respectively, Mulan, Belle (from Beauty and the Beast), and Tiana (from The Princess and the Frog).

Other brands often get involved in Disney gear, but they do it with some irregularity and it's hard to predict who will or won't.  In the past, though, one of my personal favorite repeats has been Lauren Conrad (yes, of Laguna Beach fame), who has put out collections inspired by Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Snow White, and even Bambi.  The shorts I'm wearing in my DisneyBound outfit below are actually from her Minnie Mouse collection (note the adorable over-sized bow in the front).  She doesn't have a Disney-inspired collection out at the moment, but the odds are high she'll release something new in the future, so keep your eye on her page at Kohl's, with whom she has an exclusive deal.

Doin' Disney, Day 1. Minnie Mouse chic. • • • Disneyland 1313 S. Disneyland Drive Anaheim, California • • • #ootd #disneyland #disney #disneybound #disneyfashion #fashion #fashionista #instastyle #minniemouse #fashionblogger #travelblogger #instalove #instagood #instatravel #photooftheday #picoftheday #summerofdisneystyle #the_tammiest

A post shared by the_tammiest (@the_tammiest) on May 20, 2017 at 6:32am PDT

The last thing I'll plug in category #1 of Disney-licensed clothing is The Dress Shop, which opened in March 2017 at The Marketplace Co-Op in Disney Springs in Orlando.  (Select designs from The Dress Shop are also available at Disney Vault 28 in the Downtown Disney District in Anaheim.)

All of the dresses and accessories from this collection are adorably retro and perfect for Dapper Disney.  They include pieces inspired by the rides, like The Haunted Mansion or The Tower of Terror (below), or by Disney characters and movies, like Snow White (below).

Photo Credit: Disney Parks website

My personal favorite, though, is this amazing Alice in Wonderland/Beauty and the Beast dress by Pin-up Girl Clothing (officially, it's the Renee dress in Roses Border print).  I've actually set up an alert on eBay in a desperate attempt to snag one of my own, since I won't get down to Orlando until much later this year and the dress is virtually sold out already at The Dress Shop.  Sad face for me, but may the eBay odds be ever in my favor... 

Now, on to the second category of Disney-licensed clothes.  These are ubiquitous, and you're likely to find a Disney-licensed shirt at any major department store, on Amazon, at Hot Topic, Box Lunch, through Uniqlo, etc.  And, of course, from The Disney Store itself.  The possibilities are endless, and it's really up to you as to what you're looking for.  Here are a couple of options I either already have or am currently coveting.

These are both from Zara: Winking Mickey Tee | Mickey Mouse Jeans

And here are a couple of unexpectedly lovely Beauty and the Beast and Alice in Wonderland kimonos, available at both Hot Topic and Box Lunch.

This last website is one that I'm pretty sure isn't officially licensed, and I'm sure some might disagree as to whether we should buy these at all due to that fact, but I adore TeeTurtle.  On a quick search, they don't seem to currently have any classic Disney gear, but they do have Star Wars and Guardians of the Galaxy/other Marvel.  I fell in love with them when I received the below shirt (it's just the design) from my sister for my birthday because it represents everything I love.  They are worth bookmarking and checking periodically for cute new merchandise. 

3) Customizable Disney.  Customizable Disney is using things like iron-on patches and Disney pins to customize your own shirts, pants, or hats.  This is not something I've ever done myself, but I saw the cutest Mickey Mouse patch jeans from Zara (the style appears to have been available in the UK in early 2017): 

... and I thought (notwithstanding that I have these jeans on eBay watch/alert), you know, I could make these (or something very similar) myself.  There are so many adorable Disney or Disney-themed patches for sale—Etsy is a treasure trove.  And the process looks fairly easy.  Again, though I haven't done it myself, I've bookmarked and linked here a tutorial for DIY patch denim from Disney / STYLE.

Then there are Disney pins.  Disney pin trading was introduced at Disneyland in 1999 (although pins were available for purchase before then).  Pin trading with other guests seems fairly self-explanatory, but what's cool about the "official" pin trading is that you can also trade with Disney Cast Members (what they call their employees).  The pins are themed collections, and there are different price points, but multiple collections are released every year.  You can check out this guide from The Disney Dose if you'd like to read up on pin trading.

People style and display their Disney pins in different ways, but some of those ways relate to their clothing or accessories.  I would personally recommend something durable, like a backpack, hat, belt, or denim.  If you're looking for cute ideas, Disney // STYLE is a good place to start.

4) Mouse Ears.  And, finally, Mouse ears.  Nothing says Disney like Mouse ears, but the amazing thing is just how many kinds of Mouse ears there are.  In addition to the official Disney-licensed merchandise you can buy at the parks themselves or at/from The Disney Store, there are tons of makers of these ears on Etsy.  I haven't ventured into this world yet and so don't really want to plug any particular shop, but the options are truly staggering.  Some of the creations are classic, and some are creative (for example, Disneyland-rides themed) and, frankly, bordering on art or couture.  Some will even allow you to customize your ears.  When it comes to Mouse ears, the sky's the limit, and I love how easily they can immediately "Disney-fy" any outfit.

Other Disney and Universal Studios Posts: 

Need a place to stay?  Near Disneyland

Need tips for flights and tickets?  Check here

What should you pack?  For Disney

[Travel] [Itinerary] [Disneyland] [Universal Studios] Tickets to Ride

So you've decided to head to the LA area for some fun (in the sun).  A few tips for the wise: 

1) LAX (The Los Angeles International Airport) is not the only airport in the LA area.  And not only is it by far the most crowded, it isn't the closest to either Disneyland or Universal Studios Hollywood, though certainly it will have the most flight options.

For Universal Studios, your options are LAX (27 miles away) or the Bob Hope Airport (BUR) in Burbank, California (6 miles away).

For Disneyland, you have a few options: LAX (35 miles away), the Long Beach Airport (LGB) (18 miles away), or the John Wayne Orange County Airport (SNA) (14 miles away).  You could also even fly into/out of the Bob Hope Airport (BUR), even though it's 5 miles farther away than LAX, because the route is less congested with traffic.

Of course, although time spent in traffic (I would recommend taking a car rather than renting one, personally, as driving in LA traffic and parking at the parks themselves might lead to rising blood pressure) is a major factor, cost and convenience are others.  As mentioned, LAX is the largest of all of these airports and features a ton of airlines coming in every hour.  That means it is most likely the cheapest option, even considering the slightly more expensive carfare.

Note that, if you fly into either LAX or the John Wayne Orange County Airport (SNA), you can also take the Disneyland Resort Express for a fee.  It's cheaper from SNA because it's closer to the parks, but because the fee is per person, it will often still be cheaper to take either a taxi or a car.

2) Never buy your tickets at the gate if you can help it.  It takes extra time, plus you can find discounts online.  I recommend Park Savers.

Note that if you purchase your tickets ahead of time through Park Savers, you'll need to print out your confirmation to pick up your Disneyland tickets at the park itself, and you'll need to actually print out your tickets at home before you head to Universal Studios Hollywood.

3) For Disneyland, buy Park Hopper tickets unless you're absolutely certain you won't hop between the parks.  The parks are so close to each other (and they're not crazy big) that you'll likely want the option.

In my experience, if you want to see absolutely everything in both parks and don't have little ones to worry about, three (days) is the magic number.  If, however, you are traveling only with other adults or teenagers and you don't need to see absolutely everything, two days are enough.

Each additional day becomes less expensive, though, and Park Savers often runs a "fifth day free" promotion.  Plus, if you're not staying at one of the three Disneyland properties, Park Savers' 3-, 4-, and 5-day packages each include one "Magic Morning," or an hour's early admission to either Disneyland Park or Disney California Adventure Park, depending on the day.  This is the same perk you'd get if you were staying on site.  Here is the schedule: 

• Disneyland Park: Tuesdays, Thursday, and Saturdays
• Disney California Adventure Park (including access to Cars Land): Sundays
• You won't get the option, unlike on-site, to enter Disney California Adventure Park on Mondays, Wednesdays, or Fridays, but it's still a nice perk.

4) For Universal Studios Hollywood, unless you're planning to spend more than one day at the park, the Front of Line Pass is very much worth it.  These passes allow you to skip to the front of the line for each of the rides/attractions and access reserved seating for each of the shows and thus ensure that you can see the entire park (which isn't very large, especially as compared to either of the Disneyland parks) in one day.

You can only use the pass once for each ride/attraction.  My tip would be to arrive at the park when it opens and go immediately to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter to hop in line for Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, Flight of the Hippogriff, and/or Ollivanders without the crowd.  You can then save your Front of Line Pass for later on in the day and skip right past the 180-minute line in about 15 minutes or less.

You'll probably have plenty of time after that to wait in the normal line for other rides as well, so use and save those Front of Line Pass uses wisely.

As a note, Universal Studios Hollywood does also have an "early opening," but you have to buy your tickets through their website in order to gain access.  We used Park Savers, so I have no idea whether all of the rides (and Ollivander's, which had a 20-minute wait by the time we got there right at the regular park opening time) are operational the full hour beforehand, but that's another option for tickets.

5) If you're planning to return a few times, either to the Disneyland parks or the Disney World parks, you might want to consider an annual pass.

The math can be quite complicated.  I'll include a few simple points below, but I'd recommend you peruse either Theme Park Insider or Touring Plans for much more comprehensive analyses of the pros and cons.

• You'll have a chance to upgrade your normal park tickets to an annual pass if you go to the window and complete the conversion before the gates close on the last day of your trip.  So if you're not sure and want to mull it over during your trip, you'll have the opportunity.  Your park tickets won't be a sunk cost.
• From a purely park-ticket-to-park-ticket perspective, if you don't live in or near LA or Orlando and aren't dedicated to returning to the parks several times in one year, it is most likely not cheaper to get a pass.  This is especially true if you don't plan to drive to the parks, either because you're staying within walking distance (true in Anaheim) or because you're staying on-site (likely true in Orlando), because one of the major savings people seem to tout for these passes is free parking.
• Beware of blackout dates.  A couple of the tiers of Disneyland passes come with blackout dates attached.  They make sense from the parks' perspective, but if you're not flexible on times you want to visit (or if you want to go over a major holiday), make sure you pay for a tier priced highly enough that you won't be impacted.
• There's an option, in my opinion probably the best deal, provided you are planning to visit both parks, to upgrade to a Premier Passport.  This grants you access to both Anaheim parks and all of the parks in Orlando, including the waterparks—which isn't the case at all tiers of Disney World annual passes.  And there are no blackout dates.
• An annual pass entitles you to varying levels of discounts on select dining and merchandise.  All passes are not created equal, however—the lower tiers of annual passes will give you less of a discount.
• An annual pass will sometimes provide you access to special members-only events or merchandise.  If you're a big Disney (or now, Star Wars) fan or collector, this perk might be worth it for you.
• Keep in mind that there are ways to take advantage of some of these perks while still being economical.  For example, only one annual passholder would be required per car to take advantage of the free parking, and if the one annual passholder in your party (and especially your family because that would be only natural) pays for the merchandise (and you Venmo or Paypal or write a check to them), you'd all benefit from whatever discount they receive.

Other Disney and Universal Studios Posts: 

Need a place to stay?  Near Disneyland

What should you pack?  For Disney

[Travel] [Itinerary] [Disneyland] Where to Stay

I've been to Disneyland in Anaheim, California probably a dozen times in my life, but this most recent trip marked the first time I've ever stayed in a hotel nearby.  As a child, we'd stay with friends of the family who lived in or around LA, then drive to the parks for the day and leave after the Main Street Electrical Parade.

The first thing you'll need to decide is whether you'd like to stay in one of the three Disney-owned hotels.  There are benefits to staying at a Disneyland Resort, of course—the most notable of which is the Extra Magic Hour, which gains you an hour's early admission to Disneyland Park or Disney California Adventure Park, depending on the day.  Here is the schedule: 

• Disneyland Park: Tuesdays, Thursday, and Saturdays
• Disney California Adventure Park (including access to Cars Land): Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays

Other perks include being able to use your room key to charge certain expenses in the park and having them deliver your purchases straight to your hotel.

There are three Disneyland properties in Anaheim.

Photo Credit: Disneyland website

The Disneyland Grand Californian Hotel and Spa is the most expensive, with rooms starting from $380-$420 a night.  It is also, however, the closest of the Disneyland hotels to the parks themselves, situated near Downtown Disney and with its own private entrance to Disney California Adventure Park.  There's plenty to do at the resort itself, including relaxing by a pool complete with a waterslide curving around the stump of a giant redwood tree, booking an appointment at Namara Spa, or learning how to draw Mickey Mouse.  The big restaurant located on site is Napa Rose, which is a little on the pricey side but is meant to be a serious restaurant for serious foodies and features—as could be surmised from its name—vino.

Photo Credit: Disneyland website

The Disneyland Hotel is the middle option as among the three Disneyland properties, with rooms starting from $330-$360 a night.  This is the oldest of the Disneyland hotels and has themed towers (Adventure, Fantasty, or Frontier), as well as (for a pretty penny) "Signature Suites" with the following themes: Adventureland, Ambassador, Big Thunder, Fairytale, Mickey Mouse Penthouse, and Pirates of the Caribbean.  It is located across the street from Downtown Disney, so while it's close to Disney, it will take you at least ten minutes to get to the park gates.  There are a couple of different pools and waterslides located at this resort, and there are even poolside movie nights (specific movie information and times available during check-in).  There are a few restaurants located here, but I'll put in a plug for Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar (review to come).

Photo Credit: Disneyland website

The cheapest official Disneyland option is Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel, with rooms starting from $259-$275 a night.  Although this hotel overlooks Paradise Pier at Disney California Adventure Park, it's actually the farthest of the three hotels from the park gates.  You'll need to walk at least 15 minutes or take the monorail (which is still a short walk away and isn't always operational).  The dining "highlight" here is a character breakfast available daily at Disney's PCH Grill.  (Note that there are character breakfasts available at the other two Disneyland properties as well: the Chip 'n' Dale Critter Breakfast at Storytellers Cafe at the Grand Californian and Goofy's Kitchen at Disneyland Hotel.)

Here's the thing.  While I would advocate staying at a Disneyland property while visiting Disneyworld in Orlando, I'm not sure it's particularly worth it to do so in Anaheim.  With only two parks a hop away from each other, the extra hour in the park isn't as crucial.  Plus, unlike in Orlando, there are actually a ton of non-Disneyland properties that are very close to the parks—in fact, they are often closer than the Disneyland properties themselves.  Disney also offers a slightly discounted package on their Park Hopper tickets if you stay at any of these Good Neighbor hotels.

I perused several travel blogs (the standout was Disney Tourist Blog's comprehensive hotel review round-up, which you should definitely check out if you want to read more in-depth pros and cons of all the hotels near Disneyland) and review websites such as Yelp and TripAdvisor before settling on the Park Vue Inn ($140-199 a night, with discounted rates to $100 at times), which is located almost directly across the street from the parks and comes with free wi-fi (though so do the Disneyland properties), free parking, and free hot (and cold) breakfast daily.  There's also a heated pool if you need a break from the park and want to relax with a soak or a swim.

We stayed in a double queen room.  The beds, pillows, and linens were all clean and comfortable, and there was plenty of room for the both of us, with a large desk and a flat-panel HDTV as well as an in-room refrigerator and microwave.

The toilet and shower/tub combination are separated by a door from the sink, which is convenient for getting ready in the morning or at night.

They have plenty of other room options, including suites with a sleeper sofa and kitchenette, and even a deluxe king room featuring a giant in-room jacuzzi, which I imagine is perfect for decompressing and soothing sore, tired muscles at the end of a long day at the parks.

I'm skeptical that the Park Vue Inn can be beaten for value, given its proximity to the parks and convenience.  We definitely snuck back to the room for a pick-me-up our second afternoon.  And the complimentary hotel breakfast is a huge time and costsaver in the area, although there are plenty of other options nearby, like the 24-hour iHop, Denny's, or McDonald's, all on the same street.  And, of course, the Disney character breakfasts at any of the Disneyland properties.

Other Disney and Universal Studios Posts: 
Need tips for flights and tickets?  Check here
What should you pack?  For Disney