Well, we’re back from vacation and slowly getting back in to the swing of things. We had a very relaxing time visiting Southern California. We had a total of 9 days there and got a lot done while we were there. We spent 3 days at Disneyland (and California Adventure), 1 day at Legoland (was not impressed), and then a couple days basking in the Sun at Huntington Beach. Oh, and I shouldn’t forget to mention that we also spent some time checking out Hollywood and Beverly Hills. Without question, our favorite part of the trip also happened to be the cheapest part of the trip. Relaxing at the beach in the warm sand, with the huge waves crashing against the shore was amazing. The beach was clean and it wasn’t too crowded. Disneyland, on the other hand, was also very clean and huge, but it was crowded. I will give Disneyland credit though, because they did a great job of keeping us entertained and satisfied. I’m still amazed at what a great show they put on, and the rides are the best I’ve ever experienced.
I mentioned that the free days were our favorite part of the trip. We’ve decided if we go back to Southern California in the future, we’ll scale back on the theme parks a bit and spend more time at the beach. Here’s a breakdown on the vacation costs:
Airfare, hotel, rental car for three people: $1800
Theme park admission (Disneyland, Legoland): $800
Food: $200
Shopping (The girls bought shoes): $100
Parking: $110 (hotel charged nightly and there were parking fees at the beach)
I’m still shaking my head at how much money we spent on the theme park admissions but I guess that’s just what you do when you have an 8 year old. It’s not something we do every year and our daughter had a great time so we don’t regret spending the money, but it still felt pretty darned expensive.
We actually spent a lot less money on food and drinks than I thought we would. We stayed at an Embassy Suites hotel so we had free breakfast every morning, (made to order Omelets, hash browns, bacon, sausage, donuts, toast, fruit), and we also had free cocktails every evening from 5:30-7:30. We saved a TON of money with these two things and I’m guessing we averaged our room cost down to about $20 a night after all the free food and drinks. (I’m only exaggerating a tiny bit).
Anyway, it’s good to be home and we’re already thinking about where to go next year. Did you do anything for Spring Break?