The Top 3 Restaurants We Always Visit in Bend, Oregon

We are big fans of Bend, Oregon. I’ve been visiting Bend and Sunriver since I was a kid — I remember taking my American Girl doll I got for Christmas when I was probably… 7? — and it’s a tradition I’ve continued with my kids. Both my kids have lots of memories of Bend: Forrest’s first trip was in February 2016, Violet’s was July 2023. I can measure their ages and growth in Bend and Sunriver visits.

For a few years, Bend was our stop on the way to Idaho: we had a handful of favorite hotels, restaurants. My parents own a house in Sunriver now and since 2023, we’ve created a fairly strong tradition of things we love to do, have to do, and look forward to.

Some of those (ok, a lot of those) are restaurants. After a successful Labor Day weekend in Bend, I wanted to share our top 3 restaurants. These are the ones my kids ask about — “are we going to…” as we drive over Willamette Pass — and are considered must visits even on the shortest trips.

1. Casa Sur

The quesa birria tacos — huge, delicious, filling.

Casa Sur is a restaurant that serves food from Southern Mexico. And when I tell you it’s good, it’s good. It’s so good, in fact, that Danny and I both consider it the best Mexican food we’ve ever had. It’s a relatively nondescript building on the west side of Bend — sort of between the Old Mill and downtown — and is easy to mistake for a bank. However, don’t let the experience fool you. It’s a fantastic restaurant. The inside is modern and sleek, but still cozy: think dark colors with light wood accents, neon signs, cactuses, flags. The porch to sit outside is beautiful and features a fireplace for colder months.

We’ve tried a variety of things on the menu; the Mexican Street Corn bowl is a total standout, alongside the quesa birria tacos (pictured). Our kids love the cheesy fries and chicken nuggets, but honestly the thing they eat the most of is the chips and refried beans that are brought once you’re seated. (I’m a sucker for their salsa too — it is smoky, spicy, and so so good. It’s not just straight tomato with some cilantro, it’s so dimensional and delicious.)

Service is fantastic and every employee we’ve encountered has been fantastic. They’re attentive without hovering, quick with refills, and love to make recommendations. This is a great spot for a casual lunch after a busy morning at High Dessert Museum, before stopping at the candy store at Old Mill.

2. Old St. Francis School McMenamins

We love McMenamins — I know this is perhaps a controversial statement in some parts of Oregon. But I love them. And I especially Old St. Francis School — it was the first Catholic School in Central Oregon and still has many of the hallmarks of an old Catholic school. Think stained glass windows, heavy pew-like booths, old fashioned wood carvings… it’s beautiful inside. I love it.

The menu is the same as basically every McMenamins: a ton of local beers, plus burgers, a few salads, breakfast… the usual suspects. My son especially loves it here; he always orders the kids sliders with the fries well done and extra Mystic 88 sauce. My husband and I try to get something different every time, but it really does always taste delicious. This place is an old faithful for dinner. However, I did carry my toddler out of here like a surfboard the last time I was there — so if any employees of Old St. Francis School see this, I’m sorry.

3. Big O Bagels

This is a new-to-us, but not to Bend, situation. My husband and I are on a hunt to find good bagel places near us. In Eugene and surrounding areas, it’s really hard to find (my favorite bagel place shut down — RIP to the downtown Bagel Sphere). However, Bend has tons of bagel shops and we’re slowly working our way through them.

Big O Bagels is on South 97, near the Walmart, which we always stop at for groceries in Bend. So it’s a really convenient side quest to run to Big O, grab some bagels for breakfast, and carry on with our day. I had the BLT bagel (on a sourdough bagel) — incredible. Forrest and Violet split a chocolate chip bagel with strawberry cream cheese. These bagels were 10/10 — chewy, flavorful, and perfect for a sandwich before heading out on a hike or to visit downtown.

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I’m so obsessed with these 3 places — but I told Danny, we have to try some place new next time!

A few honorable mentions:

• Dandy’s Drive In: This old fashioned style drive thru is so fun for kids (and Forrest loves their corn dogs). The prices are a little high and we found it a little slow, but it’s super fun, great for if you’re craving a milkshake and burger.

• Bangers & Brews: Not my favorite place to eat, but it is my husband’s and he would be offended if I did’t include it. I do like the bangers and mash; Danny loves trying a new variety of hot dog or sausage. They also have reindeer dogs, which I do want to try.

• Village Bar & Grill: This is a Sunriver staple for us. It is a little expensive, but it has my favorite sandwich of all time on the menu: the chicken caprese sandwich. It’s so dang good. My kids also love eating here — Forrest loves the root beer and Violet always gets the kids sliders.

I Went On A Hawaiian Cruise with 2 Kids -- Here's What I Learned

Two years ago, I wrote about taking my toddler on a cruise to Alaska. We loved our experience cruising to Alaska, even if there were a few bumps in the road. When we got off that cruise, my mom asked if we wanted to go to Hawaii in 2026. Without really thinking about it, we all said, yes, of course.

In 2024, 2026 felt like a lifetime away. In my head, my daughter would be almost 4, making a cruise much more manageable. (This is both true and untrue.) The thought of flying felt a little daunting — I’m not the best flyer, and it’s not my preferred method of travel — but I was willing to do it to spend 10 days with my family in Hawaii. (Oh the sacrifices I make. Just kidding.)

Spoiler alert: we had a fantastic time. But let me walk you through our itinerary first…

The Itinerary

We took the Pride of America cruise from Norwegian Cruise Line. This is a unique cruise because the Pride of America is a smaller and older ship, staffed almost entirely by American staff, and it’s considered more of a floating hotel than a cruise. There are smaller restaurants, less gathering places, and generally less to do on board than a larger ship, like the Encore.

My parents had done this cruise before — at least once before, but maybe twice — and really enjoyed it. I was prepared to enjoy it as well. This was our rough itinerary, for both before and after the cruise:

• Day 1 - Thursday - Fly to Honolulu, check into the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki

• Day 2 - Friday - Tour Pearl Harbor, spend time in Waikiki

• Day 3 - Saturday - Board the Pride of America

• Days 4-5 (Sunday-Monday) - Maui

• Day 6 - Tuesday - Hilo

• Day 7 - Wednesday - Kona

• Days 8-9 (Thursday-Friday) - Nawiliwili

• Day 10 - Saturday - Return to Honolulu, fly home

However, the best laid plans often go awry. We were on board for the August 8 sailing, which, if you don’t know, was impacted by Hurricane Lala, which was supposed to make landfall August 15/16. On Thursday, it was announced that the ship would be returning to Honolulu a day early. Thus, our itinerary looked like this:

• Day 1 - Thursday - Fly to Honolulu, check into the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki

• Day 2 - Friday - Tour Pearl Harbor, spend time in Waikiki

• Day 3 - Saturday - Board the Pride of America

• Days 4-5 (Sunday-Monday) - Maui

• Day 6 - Tuesday - Hilo

• Day 7 - Wednesday - Kona

• Day 8 - Thursday - Nawiliwili

• Day 9 - Friday - return to Honolulu, made the choice to disembark, checked into Embassy Suites in Waikiki

• Day 10 - Saturday - Fly home

As you can imagine, finding enough hotel rooms for my entire family at least minute was challenging and expensive, but we did it. The altered itinerary aside, we had a blast.

Let’s Talk Amenities

The Pride of America is a significantly smaller than other NCL ships — and thus, the cabins are smaller. This was a small argument in my family; I knew the POA cabin was smaller than the one we had on the Encore and I was right. They’re about 40 square feet smaller on average. (My family members were convinced they were bigger.) That wasn’t a huge problem — my kids are still relatively small, so it’s not like we had 4 adults smashed into a single room. However, my kids are both not comfortable sleeping in bunk beds — one is too small (my 3-year-old) and one gets scared (my 10-year-old), so we had to settle for nearly everyone in the single bed in our room. That’s fine. Was it the most comfortable? No. But did was get by? Yes.

On the plus side, this time our cabin did have all the expected amenities: we had shampoo, conditioner, and body wash in our shower, plus hand soap by the sink. That’s a win! There was also a blow dryer, inexplicably, in our room — mounted just below the tiny tv. That was… odd. It was truly ancient and took up a shocking amount of room.

I do feel like this cabin had more storage space — lots of drawers, shelves, and a big closet. It was very easy to keep our clothes and things organized throughout the cruise. We stored our suitcases underneath the bed. Perfect. The bathroom also had a small corner medicine cabinet, perfect for our medication, toothbrushes, etc.

The ship, despite being smaller, did still have a varied selection of speciality restaurants, plus two complimentary dining rooms and the buffet (the Aloha Cafe). The Hawaiian cruise is the only cruise that the Pride of America does, so everything is pretty themed. There is also a Starbucks onboard, which is typical of most NCL’s, and there is also some limited shopping, a candy/toy store then a clothing and jewelry store. Otherwise, the boat’s allure is really that is is a floating hotel that allows you to hit the highlights of Hawaii.

Everything We Did

For the sake of keeping this a little bit shorter, here’s everything we did on each of our stops.

Honolulu: Danny and I toured Pearl Harbor, sans kids. I did not think Violet would be able to understand Pearl Harbor and it would not be anything enjoyable for her. I did want Forrest to attend, but he wanted to stay at the resort and play with his cousin and Violet. Fair. We booked this tour through Viator and loved it. Our tour guide, Finny, was genuinely knowledgable about the history of Honolulu and Pearl Harbor; he was incredible. Danny and I both enjoyed ourselves and Pearl Harbor is fascinating.

Maui: Our first stop on the cruise was in Maui. We rented a car and drove around — visiting Makawao, Paia, and some other small towns. We also visited a coffee shop near the pier first thing — Momona Coffee. We got a cookie, a chocolate croissant, a kombucha, and a strawberry lemonade to share. I said this last time, but the coffee on cruise ships is genuinely so terrible, I needed a pick-me-up.

Then we went on a tour of the Maui Gold Pineapple Farm. This was so fun. We got shaved ice at Tobi’s in Pa ia, went to a beach near Makawao. The Maui Gold Pineapple farm has a farm store where you can buy pineapples, of course, as well as locally made foods and gifts. Our tour was led by Rudy, one of the original founders of the farm who helped create the specific pineapple they grow. We also got to eat so much pineapple on this tour. We gave this one a 10/10. We were exhausted by the time we returned our rental car and got back on the boat.

Hilo: For this day, we went on an NCL excursion to the Hawai’i Volcano National Park. This was such a fun tour. It also stopped at Big Island Candies, a cookie and candy store. We bought some water and snacks for the day there. We loved the Volcano Park — the volcano was very active (it ended up erupting the next day!) and we learned so much about Hilo, the mythology around the Big Island, and the history of people there. This was a fantastic experience.

Kona: On this day, we went on another NCL excursion — a glass bottom boat tour. This was a simple, 1-hour tour and, spoiler alert, I wish it was longer! We saw so many different fish. We didn’t see any sea turtles, but my parents on the very next tour did. Kona is a tender port, so getting off and on the ship was a little challenging, however we really loved Kona. So many cool shops and restaurants. The kids were kind of hitting a wall of exhaustion at this point, so we didn’t spend a ton of time in Kona; we went back for a nap and then spent the rest of the day in the ship’s pool.

Nawiliwili: Sadly, we had to cancel our plans for Nawiliwili — the first day, we’d planned a pool day while everyone was off the ship to recharge after several big days. We had a scuba tour planned for day 2 in Nawiliwili, but it was on this day that the ship’s captain announced that our itinerary was changing because of Hurricane (then Tropical Storm) Lala. I spent our pool day drinking mai tais and helping my family find 4 hotel rooms in Honolulu on short notice (we did!). We also had to re-arrange our specialty dining plans. And then I had to pack up our room to get off the ship early!

Honolulu - Round 2: We disembarked the ship around 10:45 and got a cab to our hotel, the Embassy Suites Beachwalk. We checked in, but our room wasn’t ready yet — so we had them store our luggage (the bellhop attendant was the nicest man we met in Hawaii — seriously great) and went exploring. We walked to the nearby Royal Hawaiian Center, a sort of luxury mall. It had gotten really hot and muggy in Honolulu, so I was really missing our beach access and pool on the ship… but we really enjoyed this day, hilariously. We ate lunch at the Cheesecake Factory (“you went all the way to Hawaii to eat at the Cheesecake Factory?” Yes my kids were tired and confused, sometimes you need some familiar french fries) and then explored the mall. Our room was ready when we go back to the hotel and we ended up having a two room suite (!!). We had a great time relaxing, ordering Doordash for dinner, and just chilling out after a very weird 48 hours.

All the Packing Details

When it comes to packing, I try so hard to be organized… but I inevitably slightly overpack. This time, we did not want to check bags on our flights, so we had 4 backpacks (personal items) and 4 small rolling suitcases. I made it work. Here’s what helped:

• These day of the week packing cubes: I say this every single time I write a travel post, but if you have kids and you don’t have these packing cubes… what are you doing? These make life soooo much easier. I packed for each day for the kids then 2-3 outfits each just in case, plus 2 swimsuits each. Easy peasy and done.

• Take items that are versatile: in my case, that meant dresses. I took a lot of flowy maxi dresses that worked as day dresses, beach coverups, and evening wear. I also took this one piece from Aerie that is genuinely my favorite dress of all time. I did also pack shorts, t shirts and tank tops… but I really did not wear them. It was dresses, my Aerie dress, and pajamas almost exclusively.

• Don’t pack toiletries: controversial, if I’m flying, I don’t take toiletries beyond my essential skincare (sunscreen) and makeup, plus deodorant. If I was driving and had unlimited storage space, that’s a different story… but I didn’t take any toiletries and it was honestly fine. I survived without my special body lotion and body spray, my multiple skincare products, etc.

• Invest in a good backpack: I bought this backpack to take on the plane, knowing we wanted to maximize space. Honestly, it was worth every single penny; I loved this backpack. I love that it unzips like a suitcase; it was comfortable to wear as we were racing through airports and onto cruise ships. Just a 10/10.

Here’s everything I don’t recommend:

• Don’t bring a ton of activities for kids. I said this in my Alaska cruise post and I guess I didn’t remember, but yeah… don’t bring a ton of activities. We ended up barely touching them the entire time and I was left carrying a backpack of art supplies and coloring books.

• Don’t worry about souvenirs. I brought a small, fold up duffel bag to check on the way back, just in case we got too many souvenirs. I don’t know what i was thinking — we rarely buy a ton of souvenirs and prefer magnets (we let each kid pick a magnet of their choice during the trip), keychains, hats. Things that don’t take up a ton of room. I ended up not needing the duffel bag and it felt like a waste of space.

The Good Stuff

As with last time, the dinners in the dining room were my favorite. I can’t help it! I love a 3 course meal! I love someone bringing me a fresh peach bellini or mai tai without asking. I do!

My favorite dinner was actually Moderno Churrascaria, one of the specialty dining options. This is a Brazilian steakhouse and when I tell you it was the best dinner of the entire trip… I mean it. It was so good. They have a specialty drink called the Caipirinha and it was incredible. Everything I ate was delicious. It was just a great experience.

We always get the Free at Sea package with free drinks — and of course that’s one of my favorite parts. Sitting by the pool while my kids played, sipping a mai tai, and reading a book is up there with one of my favorite experiences. The pool, by the way, has a separate 3-foot pool with a 1-foot portion — perfect for Violet to play in. She was too scared to go into the deep part without Forrest, so it felt way better to let them play on their own. Plus, there were two lifeguards on duty constantly.

We loved all of our tours and excursions. We got to do so much more in Hawaii than we did in Alaska because Violet was older, potty trained, and less reliant on a stroller. It felt like we got to experience so much on each island and we still only scratched the surface.

The Hard Stuff

Our itinerary getting messed up sucked. It was a huge bummer and kind of felt like a weird, anticlimactic end to our cruise. Said with the caveat, of course, that it sucked more for the Hawaiian people experiencing the hurricane.

Otherwise, we had such a great time and Violet was so much easier this time around… it was just a great trip! Even better, we did not end this trip sick, thank god — which brings me to something from my previous cruise blog post I want to mention.

On our Alaska cruise, Violet woke up sick on the day of disembarking. I called the medical bay to ask about having her temperature taken and they declined, saying that they do not treat anyone under the age of 3. Someone left a comment on my previous blog post that this is not true and not legal. Unfortunately, it’s a big complicated. Technically, NCL is able to provide emergency services to anyone who has a ticket — that is, since they allow 6 months and older, they can provide emergency serves to anyone 6 months+. However, on a practical bases, the medical bay typically declines to treat kids under 3 due to the liability. This is to say, if it’s an emergency, they’ll help (which will likely mean getting them off the boat); but if you just need basic medical care, they will decline. And because you’re on a boat in the water and not on land, that’s just the way it is.

Would I do it again?

In a heartbeat! With a small caveat — next time, I just want to stay at a resort. Our favorite days were the first 3 days at the Hilton Hawaiian Village and honestly, I could have happily spent 10+ days there. We loved exploring Waikiki and Honolulu, there were so many more places I wanted to go to, but we didn’t have time. I would absolutely take my kids to Hawaii again, like, tomorrow if the opportunity presented itself.

Is a Character Breakfast at Disneyland Worth It?

It was August 2025, and we were headed to Disneyland — but for the first time in my life, this wasn't a penny-pinching trip. We'd had two hard years as a family. I'd finally landed a good-paying job, we'd dug ourselves out of debt, and we were more than ready for some carefree time together.

So, for the first time ever, I booked a character breakfast.

I wasn't sure either of my kids would even be into it. I remembered hating character breakfasts myself as a kid. But I had a hunch my then-2-year-old would love it.

We chose the Mickey's Adventures breakfast at Storyteller's Cafe — $59 per adult, $36 per child (free under age 3). That's a steep price for breakfast, but we went in prepared to have a good time no matter what.

My Disneyland philosophy is simple: happiness here is what you make of it. The lines might be long, plans might fall apart, but there's joy to be found everywhere — even stuck waiting in line. With the right attitude and the people you love most, almost anything can be fun.

The Breakfast

We arrived, got seated quickly, and had just enough time to order drinks — coffee for my husband and me, apple juice for the kids — before the characters started making their rounds. First came Chip and Dale, then Pluto. And then, turning the corner, Mickey and Minnie.

I assumed the breakfast would be the highlight of the trip for my almost-3-year-old. I had no idea my 9-year-old would be the one who had the time of his life. He lit up with every character, asked for a photo with each one, and actually cried when breakfast was over and it was time to pay the bill and go. My daughter had a great time too, of course — but watching my son experience something so purely magical made the whole thing worth it, for me.

Let's Talk About the Food

There's a lot of it. Honestly, though, I'm not sure we got our money's worth on food alone — my daughter was too distracted to eat much, and my son was too busy scanning the room for the next character. The spread included a bagel bar, fresh fruit, Mickey waffles, sausage, bacon, eggs, cereal, oatmeal, pastries — basically anything you could want. Everything we tried was delicious, and the Mickey waffles were a standout. A cast member kept our drinks flowing the whole time — coffee, juice, water, soda, tea, whatever we asked for.

So, Was It Worth It?

All told, we spent a little over $200, tip and all.

Was the food worth $200? No, not even close.

But the character time? That's another story. We booked an early slot — 7:45 a.m., which works great when your kids are early risers anyway — and for the first 40 minutes, we practically had the characters to ourselves. Chip & Dale, Pluto, Goofy, Minnie, and Mickey all came back to our table multiple times. I walked away with hundreds of photos from that one breakfast, most of them with my kids just beaming.

So was the character experience worth it? Absolutely, yes.

10 Essentials for Packing for Vacation (with Kids!)

I don’t consider myself a highly organized person. I think if you saw my house before I clean it, you’d agree. But the feedback I often get at work is how highly organized I am, how I have incredible attention to detail. That’s fair! I know it’s true!

Last year when we went to Disneyland, my husband’s mom remarked on how organized I am, especially when it came to packing for our kids. Truly, I wish I could wear that like an Olympic medal. Yes, I have a silver medal in packing for children.

I often make recommendations to my friends and family for things I’ve bought and use to make packing a little bit easier. I don’t believe in buying things willy nilly (although I’m totally guilty of falling for TikTok hype and ending up with 4,000 gadgets I don’t need) because I have enough clutter as it is.

Here are my 10 essentials for packing for my kids.

1. Day of the Week Packing Cubes

These are my absolute favorite thing to use when packing, even for short weekend trips. I lie two sets out for my kids and start just lying their clothes down on top. It helps me plan exactly what we need and keeps me organized. The visual aspect helps so much too. I previously used a set like this, which is also great, but they were a little too small for my 10-year-old’s clothes. (Perfect for babies and toddlers!)

2. A First Aid Kit

The thing about traveling with kids is that… anything can happen.

One time while on a road trip to Idaho, my son, who I think was 4 or 5 at the time, fell off a curb while at a gas station. He absolutely gashed his knee! It was bad. I only had a few band-aids in the car and they weren’t big enough. My husband had to run into the gas station, buy the extra expensive band-aids, and come back, all while my son cried in his car seat. Awful.

Ever since, I have kept a thoroughly stocked first aid kit in my car and I travel with a mini version in my purse or backpack at all times. I even took this into Disneyland, a place that is well known to help any first aid situation immediately.

3. Clear Zipper Pouches

I love these pouches for compact packing; think swimsuits, underwear, bras, you name it. They just help keep things a little tidier; everything has a place, a home, a cubby. They also make it easier to see what’s inside. Is this my toiletry bag or my swimsuits?

4. A Mini Diaper Bag

I’ve written about it before, but I love this mini diaper bag. It’s cute, it fits everything you need for being out-and-about, and if it gets trashed, it’s not like you brought your deluxe diaper bag with you. This has gone with us on road trips, to Disneyland back, to daily errands… everything. It’s a perfect little diaper bag: enough room for a pack of wipes, 2-3 diapers, hand sanitizer, a few band-aids, and diaper cream. Now that both my kids are out of diapers (what a relief), we no longer have a need for this, but it could totally work as just a hygiene kit for the car.

5. A Travel Potty

Speaking of potty training, until my kids are like 5, I don’t leave the house without a training potty. I love this one because it folds flat, so it fits underneath my seat. It comes with bags to put inside that catch everything. Easy to use, pretty sturdy, and folds small? Heaven in a potty.

6. A Travel Toilet Seat

Another potty training one, I love this fold out potty seat! Perfect for making it into gas stations, restaurants, everything… and it folds up tiny. I carry a pack of sanitizing wipes to give it a quick wipe down after use. It goes back into the carrying case and we’re on our way. Now I don’t have to try to hold my 35 pound toddler over a nasty toilet.

7. A Med Kit

Separate from the first aid kit, I like to keep a selection of individually wrapped meds in our first aid kit, car, and travel stuff. They just make me feel better, I don’t know. This selection is basic: Imodium, ibuprofen, acetaminophen, antacids, the usual suspects. Alongside your must have medications, these ones are crucial for travel — from headaches to sour stomachs. I also like to bring a few packets of kids chewable Tylenol and Motrin.

8. A Toiletry Kit

I like to take travel size items with us, because I hate spending money. This set is so cute and chic. (And full disclosure, it’s my number one seller on Benable.) The bottles are flexible, making them easier for kids to use, and it comes with a decent variety of items.

9. Compression Packing Cubes

Remember what I said about liking to pack everything as compressed as possible? These compression cubes help maximize space and they’re not overly expensive. I bought a new set for our upcoming Hawaii trip so both my husband and I could use them.

10. A Foldable Duffel Bag

If your souvenir shopping gets away from you, don’t worry about shipping. This duffel bag folds really tiny, so I always bring it on trips for anything extra we get. It can become an additional checked bag. It can become your dirty clothes bag. The uses are endless and it’s better than buying an extra bag wherever you are.

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Packing is something I always dread with kids. When my oldest was young, I remember thinking I’d nailed it when he was about a year old… only to realize, halfway through our road trip, I had forgotten the pack’n’play. You know… the thing he slept in. It’s gotten easier as my kids have gotten older, especially now that they’re to the age that if we need anything, we can simply buy it quickly. I love having a tried-and-true system and this list outlines my system: keep things organized, tidy, and tightly packed.

5 Tips for Your Toddler at Disneyland

Sometimes, when the words “I’m taking my toddler to Disneyland” come out of someone’s mouth, a lot of people have opinions.

“Now, why would you do that? That seems miserable.”

“They won’t even remember it!”

And it’s the remembering thing that really gets me. Because, if I’m being totally honest… we do lots of things our kids won’t remember. They won’t remember us reading them bedtime stories every night or singing them a lullaby or rocking them when they were newborns… but that doesn’t make those things unimportant. If we base everything we do on whether our kids will directly remember it, we wouldn’t do anything the first 3-4 years of their lives.

This is me, from one parent to another, telling you that you are not crazy to want to take your kiddo to Disneyland. It’s kind of the ideal time: under age 3 kids are free, which means it reduces the overall cost significantly. Plus, it will make YOU happy and your happiness does, in fact, matter. That’s a win win.

Here are my tips for taking your toddler to Disneyland.

1. Don’t Plan Anything YOUR Toddler Can’t Handle

You know your kid. You know your kid better than a stranger (me, or everyone in Disney planning groups in Facebook) on the internet, that’s for sure. So when someone tells you, “this was totally fine for my toddler” or “my toddler would never be able to do that”… take that with a grain of salt. You. Know. Your. Kid. Plan accordingly.

You know if your kid is going to be able to sit through a character breakfast. You know if your kid is going to freak out on a dark ride. You know your kid will be thrilled by a stage performance. Plan according to your kid, not what the internet tells you.

Just for some anecdotes, my toddler loved Winnie the Pooh. We prepared her for our trip by watching YouTube videos of rides and the Winnie the Pooh ride stuck with her. We rope dropped it every day, I’m not kidding. Some people would hate that. They would be miserable about that. But she loved that ride. I knew my daughter could handle that ride; I knew that was about the limit of intensity for her.

2. Set Realistic Expectations

Hey, so this trip probably isn’t going to be the trip where you ride every single ride. And, just talking realistically, it’s also probably not trip where it will be magically not crowded, you’ll get the best seats for the parade, etc. Keep your expectations realistic.

You’re likely going to need a mid-day break. A nap, a splash in the pool, a hearty snack, and back to it. You’re going to find shade and eat snacks several times throughout the day.

3. Buy a Mini Diaper Bag

This was one of my best tips and it’s honestly one of my favorite purchases of all time. Let me explain. When we took our daughter to Disneyland last year, she was still in diapers. I stressed about carrying a massive diaper bag into the park. Then, I found this mini diaper bag. It’s the right size for a pack of wipes (needed for more than just diapers, tbh), 3-4 diapers or pull ups, a mini diaper cream, and some hand sanitizer. It’s quite literally perfect. I recommend it to everyone.

4. Prepare to Stop Early

Our typical tactic in previous years was to spend the day at Disneyland, eat dinner, get our oldest (who was <6 at the time) to sleep, then return to the parks while a grandparent sat with him. This time, that was not the case, since our toddler refuses to sleep without one of us present — and also her nap schedule got totally destroyed on our trip. Honestly, it was fine.

Since we stayed at Pixar Place, I could get her to sleep at around 8pm, then drink a crispy Diet Coke while watching the lights of California Adventure. My husband would take our son to the parks and come back with a special snack for all of us.

Like I said earlier, this might not be the case for you, depending on your kid, but if your toddler loves a routine… honestly, you’ll be finishing your days earlier than you might want to. Prepare for that reality and make the most of it.

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Wow, thanks for reading. I started writing this post almost a year ago and finally finished it now, on July 1, 2026. What are your top tips for a Disney trip with your toddler?

Pixar Place Hotel Disneyland Review: Family-Friendly Stay 2025

Way back in 2013, Danny and I stayed at the Paradise Pier Hotel for our honeymoon—the precursor to the Pixar Place Hotel. At that time, it was beach-themed with occasional Nemo tie-ins. It’s been 12 years, of course. The hotel closed in 2023 for the renovation and reopened January 2024 with the full Pixar reinvention complete. And let me tell you—it is reinvented. I do not even recognize the interior of the hotel, although the paths outside are very familiar.

While booking our trip for August 2025, I knew I wanted to stay on property; we stayed at the Disneyland Hotel in 2021. I have a slightly unpopular opinion about the Disneyland Hotel: a majority of the rooms are extremely outdated and falling apart. Unless you’re willing to pay for an upgraded room or the newest tower, the rooms just aren’t worth it; when we stayed in 2021, all of the towel hooks were falling off the wall. I also found maintenance to be really lackluster; most days, our room wasn’t cleaned.

I chose Pixar Pier because I knew it was newly renovated and I wanted to see the Pixar theming. As a first impression, I knew both of my kids would love that. I have a 9-year-old and a 2-year-old, so I knew there would be something for both of them.

When we arrived, our room was not ready yet; however, in the lobby, there was a pianist performing music from Soul and Bing Bong from Inside Out was walking around, taking photos and greeting guests. We took photos with the big Pixar lamp in the atrium area of the lobby.

The lighting and theming in the lobby is incredible. It’s atmospheric, like being inside a movie itself. There was a gift shop and two dining places on the first floor. One, the Sketchpad Cafe, is a quick service, grab-and-go place, perfect for a quick snack. The other is Great Maple, a sit-down restaurant that serves modern American food. The gift shop did have a selection of merch, plus basic necessities if needed (sunscreen, deodorant, batteries, etc).

Location & Convenience

Pixar Place is located on Disneyland Drive, across the street from the Grand Californian. It is sandwiched between Downtown Disney and Disneyland Hotel. My other unpopular opinion is this: Pixar Place is a shorter walk than the Disneyland Hotel. I hate to say it! It’s true!

There is a walk that takes you from Pixar Pier to a Downtown Disney entrance, close to Din Tai Fung. However, I found that walk pretty long and there isn’t much shade. Our preferred walk was to cross the street and walk through the Grand Californian. (You do need a room key to use this method, so it’s not a hack for other hotels on Disneyland Drive or nearby.) This route is so nice for 3 reasons: 1) the security lines are in the shade (love); 2) at the end of a long day, a majority of the walk is air conditioned; and 3) it’s shorter! This route deposits you into Downtown Disney just beside the Sephora. The perfect entrance, to be honest.

In short, we loved the short walk and the ability to go through the Grand Californian. Pixar Place does have it’s own entry into California Adventure, but we did not utilize this as the hours were pretty wonky; we found out on our last day that Disney will actually be removing this entrance because it is so rarely used by guests.

Room & Amenities

I loved our Pixar Place room. We were on the 4th floor and had a view of California Adventure. At night, we could see the ferris wheel and Incredicoaster all lit up. The layout was very similar to the Disneyland Hotel. There was a bathroom with a large vanity and shower. We had a desk area, a TV, 2 queen sized beds, and a large window. Like the Disneyland Hotel, the headboard for the beds lit up and had interactive elements—always fun.

A big downside here, which I’m sure you picked up on reading that paragraph: there was no bathtub. For a hotel at a park designed, primarily, for kids, you’d think they’d know they need to have a bathtub. But no, it was a gorgeous shower with white subway tile. Which for an adult is great! But most toddlers need an end-of-day bath (especially after Disneyland to get all the sunscreen off) and it just wasn’t possible. That was a big bummer.

The room had a coffee maker, and came with a selection of coffee and some condiment kits that did have liquid creamer in them! That was a new one for me, it’s usually powdered creamer. There was also a “fridge”, by which I mean beverage cooler. I’m fine with a beverage cooler, but I do think it should be labeled appropriately.

The Pool

One thing we always try to do on a Disneyland trip is spend at least one evening in the pool. The Pixar Place pool is pretty renowned for being great; in the evenings, you can watch the fireworks and they include the music from the parks. There are also movie nights, games, private cabanas, and a place to get food and drinks called Small Bytes.

The pool is relatively small, but really fun. There is also a splash pad for younger kids with a tiny pool and a huge slide.

The pros are obvious: lots of kid friendly spaces, lots of room to lounge, great food and drinks.

The cons are this: there is no shade on this pool. It is full on sunshine. The afternoon I took Violet to the splash pad, the sun was so intense that it made the lounge chairs so hot they burned. I could barely see. Even with the umbrellas, it just wasn’t enough; they need to consider some tree shade or an alternative, because it was a lot of direct sunlight, especially during a heat advisory.

Is Pixar Place Worth It?

I really, truly think it depends on what you’re looking for. The price was not bad—I think I would have spent a similar amount anywhere around Disneyland—but I know I could have found something slightly cheaper.

The increased cost came with a few distinct benefits to me:

• The path through the Grand Californian is so much better than walking through the blazing sun.

• The atmosphere can’t be beat. The characters in the lobby, live music, and kid-friendly parts of the hotel are fantastic.

• The rooms are comfortable and I loved having a view of California Adventure.

There are a few downsides that I think are important to consider:

• With the loss of early entry and the closure of the Pixar Pier specific entrance, there aren’t really any significant benefits to staying on property. Back in the day, you got an hour early entry, then it was reduced to 30 minutes, and now they’re getting rid of it. There just aren’t any specific perks to staying on property and for some people that makes a huge difference.

• The lack of bathtubs in the standard rooms were a huge downside for us.

Would I stay here again? Possibly, I never say never!

Full disclosure, we have already booked another trip in a bit over a year and decided to go with the Cambria Hotel & Suites, which is a newer hotel. It has kid suites with a kitchenette and bunk beds, as well as a complimentary breakfast and several places to eat in the hotel itself. We know we eventually want to stay on property again, but it’s not an every-single-trip thing for us.

Everything I Ate At Disneyland in August 2025

To me, Disneyland is all about the treats. And the rides—there are so many iconic rides that I love so much. But the snacks really make it for me. There is nothing quite like going on a few rides then taking a break to people watch and eat a snack. It’s truly my favorite part of visiting Disneyland.

We went to Disneyland in August 2025—from August 18 to August 20. Let me start by telling you the saddest part of those dates: Haunted Mansion was closed, Star Tours was closed, AND Radiator Springs was closed. That’s a lot of our favorites. We didn’t realize it when we booked those dates (fwiw, we booked in January!) and if I’d known, I probably would have adjusted. But it was what it was and we still had snacks to look forward to, right? Let’s talk about everything I ate during our trip.

Day 1 - Arrival

During this trip, we stayed at Pixar Place (full review coming soon). We arrived, got to our room, briefly refreshed, and then realized we were fully starving. Usually, our first day meal is Tortilla Joe’s, a Downtown Disney icon; however, the Downtown Disney location closed earlier this year, which was devastating. We needed a new first night tradition—and I think we found it in Naples. Naples has been in Downtown Disney for a long time, but we’ve never eaten there. They were quick to accommodate our 9 person group (no small feat) and the food was fantastic.

I had the chicken caesar salad, which was fantastic. Both Forrest and Violet got the kids pepperoni pizza—and I have to say, it was one of the best pizzas I have ever eaten. It was incredible. Forrest also ordered the calamari appetizer and it was fantastic; some of the best, most tender calamari I have ever had.

On our walk back to the hotel, we got Forrest a churro—his absolute favorite Disney treat—and he picked Oreo cheesecake. It was decadent and so, so good. Great choice on his part.

Day 2 - Disneyland

Is there a better feeling than waking up your first day at Disneyland? I was so excited, I was awake at 4am, drinking coffee, fully dressed. Once everyone else was awake (at a very reasonable 6:30am), Forrest and I ran downstairs to the Sketchpad Cafe to grab some breakfast. I got a bagel with cream cheese; Forrest got a chocolate croissant; and I got a balance box for Danny and Violet to share. The balance box was a premade box that included: hummus and pita bread, veggies (carrots & cucumbers), and a boiled egg. Violet ate the boiled egg and Danny ate the hummus, pita, and veggies. The Sketchpad Cafe was a great place to grab some quick snacky items or a lunch, as they had lots of premade wraps and salads.

Once we were in the park, it was on. The first snack I got, after about 3 hours in the park, was popcorn: if you know me, you know I LOVE Disneyland popcorn. Actually, I love popcorn in general, but Disneyland popcorn is so good. Danny bought it for me while I was on It’s a Small World with Violet; he also got me one of the souvenir popcorn buckets. (It’s a Mickey Balloon bucket that lights up.)

After a lot more rides and after Danny took Violet back to the hotel for a nap, Forrest and I went to Pizza Port. Forrest got a slice of pizza and I got one of the side salads—I love the Pizza Port salads, I know that sounds weird. It was just a light snack, as we had specialty dining at 1:40.

At 1:40, we went to the Plaza Inn for a specialty dining that also got us reserved seating at the parade. If I had to go back in time, I would not have booked this; it’s not that it wasn’t good, it’s that it was really expensive for kind of a stressful experience and we ended up not really needing the reserved seating. I originally was going to write a full review of this, but I don’t think I need to; consider this my mini-review. The menu is pre-set as well for this dining and I wasn’t particularly impressed with what was offered. For the adults, we received meatloaf with mushroom gravy, mashed potatoes, and pea puree; a baby wedge salad with ranch dressing; and a Paint the Night dessert. The meatloaf was pretty dry; the mashed potatoes and mushroom gravy was good; the pea puree was a choice; and the baby wedge salad was good. The dessert was a solid OK. For the kids, they got mac and cheese, chicken tenders, a roll, a bag of baby carrots, a Motts applesauce, and a dessert as well. I just wasn’t particularly impressed and was a little frustrated with myself that I wasted money, but the kids did enjoy it.

At the end of the day, Violet was very cranky, so I stayed behind while Danny and Forrest went the parade. (Note the frustration about wasting money—I didn’t even go to the parade!) They brought me back a Mickey pretzel with cheese and mustard, the perfect end to a night.

Day 3 - California Adventure

Confession: I have not attended a character breakfast since I was… 14? And I was way too old for the characters at that time. However, Violet is a Mickey and Minnie superfan and I knew she would love this. And she did. We attended the Autumn Adventures breakfast at Storyteller’s Cafe, which is located in the Grand Californian. Was it expensive? Yes. Was it worth it? Also yes. The buffet was incredible and the cast members working at Storyteller’s were fantastic. I cannot recommend it enough. Violet and Forrest got to meet Mickey and Minnie, Chip and Dale, and Pluto and they had so much fun.

After breakfast, we used the Grand Californian entrance into California Adventure. After a few rides, Violet ended up falling asleep in her stroller while we were on Soarin’ Over California (my father-in-law had stayed behind to watch her). Danny took Forrest to ride more rides, while I ate fries from Smokejumpers Grill. Violet was asleep for so long, I managed to walk from California Adventure to Downtown Disney, go into World of Disney to buy a few things, and then walked to Disneyland. In Disneyland, I walked all the way to the Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, where I ate popcorn while Violet slept another hour and a half.

When she finally woke up, I treated myself (and her) to a frozen lemonade and a pretzel with cheese & mustard.

In the evening, my in laws watched Violet and Forrest while Danny and I went into the park solo. We went to Rancho Del Zocalo… this is a restaurant we have seen so many times in the park, but we never ate there and we both wanted to. And we did. I had the Burrito Sonora and Danny had the Soy Chorizo Tacos, and we shared an Esquites Bowl. It was incredible, super fast and very filling. 10/10, recommend this for a dinner in the park.

After that, we treated ourselves to some beignets and a Mint Julep before going on some rides.

Day 4 - Disneyland

I woke up on this day and cried because it was our last day. I was fully exhausted, but i felt like we’d finally hit our stride at Disneyland with 2 kids for the first time!

We went to Carnation Cafe with Danny’s parents for breakfast; I’d made this reservation first thing because it’s our favorite breakfast place. And it’s becoming tradition to get breakfast there on our last day. We all got the Mickey waffles (except Danny, who got pancakes). They were delicious, as usual. Carnation Cafe - Mickey waffles

After that, we went on a bunch of rides, then got Dole Whip. I got a Dole Whip float, which I prefer, because I feel like I need the slightly tart pineapple juice to go alongside the Dole Whip.

Violet needed a nap, so I spent time with Forrest. He wanted Pizza Port for lunch again (it’s his favorite): we both got pizza, pepperoni for him, cheese for me, plus the garlic breadsticks.

After a long nap and some more rides, we all went to Hungry Bear Jamboree for dinner. I got the Smoked Brisket Sandwich, which I wanted to love; however, the brisket they gave me was almost entirely fat, so it was barely edible. The fries were good though. Danny got the Barbecue Salad, which looked so much better than what I got and came with a corn rib. We got funnel cake fries to split as a family. Forrest got the kids chicken fingers and said they were the best he’d eaten on the trip; he also appreciated that they have a ranch dispenser, which is rare in the park.

At the end of the night, Danny’s dad offered to watch Violet and Forrest while we went into the park with Danny’s mom. We got a pretzel with cheese from the Refreshment Corner on Main Street (Danny and I call this the Coke Corner, but we can never really remember why). I don’t like the cheese sauce they use at the Refreshment Corner specifically and they didn’t have mustard packets, so that was a bummer. However, Mickey Pretzels are my 2nd favorite snack after popcorn, so it was a fitting end to 3 days of eats.

My Printable Packing List for Your Alaskan Cruise

I’ve already shared my top 5 products for an Alaskan cruise, but now it’s time to share the details of packing. What’s worth bringing, what’s not, and how to organize it. I created a simple, printable guide to help you pack for this trip-of-a-lifetime with your kids and/or toddler.

This guide breaks packing down into specific categories, focused on packing for a toddler—but it applies to kids and adults too! I focus on essentials, the diaper bag, and toddler equipment, plus the basics, with an eye on what is and isn’t available on a cruise ship. Click below to download!

If you haven’t already, check out my blog posts on 5 products that helped my packing organization and everything I learned on our Alaskan cruise.