Best Summer Ever {2013}: Legoland California

If I didn't win the mom of the year award by taking JAM to Disneyland this summer, I definitely put the cherry on top by treating him to Legoland California too! I have never been to Legoland either so I was actually really excited to go as well. Having a little boy, it takes little to no brain cells to know that this is definitely a place to take your little man. I honestly didn't know what to expect when arriving at Legoland, but JAM made it clear that the number one thing on his to-do list today was to get his "driver's license". So, we packed up our huge brood of a family and away all 14 of us went!

A little tip for any of you heading to Legoland, they didn't check our backpacks so we were able to bring in little snacks for the kids to give them a little energy boost throughout the day. It especially helped for my baby cousin to keep her occupied while we waited in line for all the rides. The park wasn't as packed as I expected it to be and the weather was perfect. All the kids were full of energy so we picked out JAM's first EVER roller coaster and headed to wait in line. I'm definitely one who loves roller coasters so I was so excited that JAM was as ecstatic as I was to try out his first roller coaster. Project X was the winner of this awesome "first" and JAM has an absolute blast. We ended up riding it twice that day.

For the littles who weren't quite ready to ride a roller coaster, the family decided to ride the Legoland boat tour. That ride was actually pretty neat. There were so many fun sculptures and figures laid out throughout the tour which were fully made out of legos. It was pretty amazing to see the details of it all. That's one thing I actually appreciated about Legoland, 90% of their rides were accessible to the little ones. Like I said in my Disneyland post, there were 8 kids under the age of 10 in our crew. All of the kids were able to ride most of the rides together and the youngest cousin was four years old (aside from the baby of course).

Legoland has a water park section, but we decided to just explore the amusement park portion. That's ok though because there's a section of the park where it was a whole water section! That was more than enough "water park" action for all the kids. We spent a majority of our time in this area of the park since it was summertime. It was even more fun that the water rides had some variation of being able to shoot other riders with water or shoot the bystanders. We all absolutely loved getting drenched each and every time.

We rode a few more rides and stopped to take some photos of the awesome lego displays throughout the park. We decided to grab lunch at a restaurant that served pizza and pasta since it seemed like the perfect menu for the kids.

Then we were off to check off the number one thing on JAM's to-do list for the day, getting his "driver's license". That area is so cute because they have two tracks, one for the littles and one for the older kids, which I thought was so great. This was just another example of how I explained the park definitely catered to the kids and families of all ages. JAM had a blast driving through the course and learning how to obey the rules of the rode driving through the lego town. After he completed the course he took his picture for his driver's license and it was $5 to purchase the license if you wanted to take it home. Another successful first for JAM and an amazing way to end our Cali trip with the family. All of us had a blast, including the adults and we can't wait to visit again.

What's your favorite part about Legoland?

Best Summer Ever {2013}: First Time to Disneyland

We've finally made it to "The Happiest Place on Earth". I haven't been here since I was a kid, and all I remember was having to wait HOURS in line for rides and I wasn't a happy camper. Now that I'm coming back as a parent, I honestly wasn't too thrilled to take on this beast of a theme park but I was excited to have JAM experience another first in his life. We made it a huge family trip with 8 kids in tow under the age of 10. Lucky for us, there were more adults than kids so everyone buddied up and away we went to start this magical journey.

Like I said, it's been a long time since I've been to Disneyland. JAM and I saw a lot of fun attractions on the Disney channel prior to our trip so we were super excited to check some of them out. Come to find out, a lot of those attractions featured on TV were actually a part of Disney California Adventure NOT Disneyland haha. Whoops. Regardless, I knew that Disneyland was definitely a place I wanted JAM to experience as a kid. Looking at the map as we entered, there was no way we'd be able to cover it all in one day so the adults huddled together to decide on the major areas we wanted the kids to check out. I honestly can't recollect the different "villages" since there were so many, but all the themes in each area were so fun to experience. We saw Goofy up ahead so we stopped at the first store to buy an autograph book for all the kids. Sadly though, once we approached the line there was an associate telling people the line was cut off so Goofy could grab some lunch. Bummer.

To keep the momentum going we decided to choose our first ride. The cool thing about Disney rides is that they have these fast pass machines. Every ride has one. If you don't want to wait in line, you use your Disneyland ticket stub to grab 1 fast pass per ticket stub and the fast pass will have a time stamped on it to let you know when to return. When you do come back at the said time there's a special fast pass line to basically walk to the front of the line! So if you time it correctly, you can grab a fast pass for a ride that has a long line and ride another ride while you wait. For example, It was 11:30am and Space Mountain's line was super long so we grabbed 8 fast passes to come back later. The fast passes said to return at 1:30pm.While we waited we grabbed a bite to eat and rode a ride nearby. It took about 45 minutes to go on the nearby ride so by the time we finished the ride and grabbed a bite to eat it was time to head to Space Mountain. We walked up the special fast pass line and waited only 10 minutes to be seated on the ride! Awesome!

What movie is this from? hehe

Like I said, this was JAM's first time to Disneyland so his first ride here had to be epic. My little cousins recommended the Star Wars ride (AKA Star Tours) first. Along the way we passed many storm troopers. To my surprise, they never wanted to stop to take pictures or interact with the kids. JAM was kind of bummed about that so I just told him to stand near one of them while we were in a traffic jam and snapped a quick photo. The attentiveness of the Disney characters who walked around the premises were pretty crappy throughout the day. We learned really quickly that the only way to snap a pic or get an autograph from the characters was to visit the themed villages were the popular characters "resided". Anyways, back to the Star Tours ride. The line wasn't too long and JAM was so excited to see familiar characters from the movie as we walked through the line. Once we arrived at the boarding area, JAM was thrilled to find out 3-D glasses were required because everyone knows how much this kid loves 3-D anything. There was an "A" and "B" section and once the doors opened we walked to the end of our designated row and buckled up. We were inside a Star Wars aircraft to complete a mission! According to my uncle, the scenario is different in the "A" section from the "B" section we were in. This Star Wars ride was actually super fun! The whole thing moves around as you fly through space and other different areas and it rattles as our enemies try to shoot at our aircraft. The graphics were amazing, which wasn't a surprise since we're working with Disney standards here.

We visited a few other places such as this building where JAM got to virtually transform into Iron Man, and rode other rides like going underwater in a submarine to see Nemo. P.S. I'm you're claustrophobic, I suggest you don't ride this submarine. There's only one way in and one way out plus you're seated in a tight and confined area. One lady almost lost it because she was seated in the middle of the row and felt like she couldn't breathe. Luckily she made it through the whole ride without panicking.

Next stop was Toon Town so that JAM and the rest of the kids could get a few autographs. This place was so cute. There was a cul-de-sac filled with the homes of the Disney greats: Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Pluto, and Goofy. The stated wait times were definitely way longer than actual time. The sign in front of Mickey's house said a 60 minute wait but we only waited about 30 minutes, if that. It was so neat too because you get a chance to walk through Mickey's home. It was actually pretty big! You can sit in his chair and check out all the details. The sign said he was in the backyard barn filming a movie, so some people stayed behind to check out Mickey's house while some zoomed right through to the barn. The barn is where the actual line is. Everything was organized real well by the associates letting in two families at a time to Mickey's filming area so that you didn't feel rushed or crowded to snag a photo and autograph from Mickey. Once inside, the associate took photos with our cameras and camera phones then Mickey signed all of the kids' autograph books. By the way, props to "Mickey" for having such an awesome signature with those huge hands and provided tiny pen haha. We also got to have tea with Minnie and act goofy with Goofy. Pluto hung out by his doghouse, and Donald and Daisy weren't home but had pretty neat houses to check out.

While some of the kids rode a couple quick rides, JAM took a power nap (haha). Then it was off to Tarzan's treehouse and a visit to Merida. I told JAM that you can't visit Disneyland without riding "It's a Small World". He wasn't too enthused but it was a must on mommy's list. It ended up paying off because Tom Brady and Gisele were on our boat! We didn't make a scene and told the kids not to either so we politely said hello. They clearly were enjoying a day with their kids too and we didn't want to spoil it for them.

Oh hey Tom Brady! :)

The adults took turns riding a few rides too. My favorite ride definitely had to be the Indiana Jones ride. You swear you were in the movie. Anyways, the day was winding down so we all decided to grab some dinner. There were endless options, but we decided to eat at the Stage Door Cafe since they has simple and easy choices for the kids to eat. Mommy on the other hand didn't want chicken fingers so I walked a bit to grab a bowl of yummy goodness.

Steak Gumbo in a bread bowl. YUM!

The sun was setting and we grabbed a seat on the barricaded walkway to get ready for Fantasmic. This show is a definite MUST SEE when visiting Disneyland. Around 9pm, you find a spot surrounding the waterfront and they have this great show with Mickey and many familiar Disney characters. Especially if you have little ones, I suggest that you reserve your seat early so they can get a good view of the show. Nearing the start of the show they barricade off the section so passerby-ers can still navigate where to go. I don't want to spoil too much off the storyline, but just know, the closer you are the more wet you get. Don't worry, it's just a little mist but I noticed some little kids cried because they got wet in general so if your kiddo is one of those, back up a little hehe. Well, there you have it! JAM's first trip to Disney and we survived! We all had a blast and it was definitely one to remember. Maybe next time we'll make it a whole weekend trip so we can cover more ground.

What's your favorite attraction at Disneyland?

Best Summer Ever {2013}: California Love

FINALLY! We're in California and JAM and I are so excited. This trip was definitely WAY overdue. My uncle and his family live in Cali, but more family members flew into town from Chicago to stay with him. For those of you who don't know, I have a HUGE extended family. It's been 4 years since I've been home to Chicago and most of my family resides there so I've been yearning to have a little family time. My grandparents flew in to celebrate their 50th anniversary with us, and my aunt and her family flew in as well with a few extra cousins in tow. Like I said in my 50 years post, my grandparents spent their anniversary in the Philippines and renewed their vows in their hometown. However, the kids and grandkids stateside wanted to celebrate with them as well so some of my family members headed to the west coast and planned a little surprise party for my grandparents.

All we told them was that a couple Cali family members was going to have dinner with us at my uncle's house. What they didn't know was that we contacted some of their college friends who lived in the west coast too! Surprising to us, they all contacted each other and they coordinated to show up all at the same time! I had my grandma answer the door when the doorbell rand and she couldn't believe her eyes! A handful of her friends from nursing school were waiting on the other side of the door with open arms. The 50th anniversary party was a hit and my grandparents reminisced for days with their long lost friends.

It was a great time for us cousins as well since it's been 4 years since we've all been together. I'm the oldest of 15 grandkids so most of my younger cousins are JAM's age oddly enough. He had a ball reconnecting with them. No matter how old we all get, when you have a bunch of us in a room together, we're all a bunch of 5 years olds and there's no stopping us ha ha. Being typical Filipinos we spent a lot of our time playing basketball in the backyard. Having JAM being an only child, it was nice to watch him bond with my little cousins. It gets him out of the house from watching TV and playing video games all day to enjoy the beautiful Cali weather. When I was a kid, my mom couldn't keep us in the house so it's a shocker that it's like pulling teeth to get these kids to get a little fresh air. JAM enjoyed learning how to play basketball and goofing around with my cousins day and night. We even spent a few nights doing some cousin bonding before bed by gathering around the fire pit to make some s'mores. Can you believe half of them have never made a s'more? Most of them are 6-10 years old and they never made a s'more?! Madness I tell ya!

To continue the celebratory mood, we celebrated my cousin's 15th birthday as well. Times like this I feel a little old even though I know I'm not haha. Joanna is one of the first cousins I started to babysit when I was younger so to celebrate her 15th birthday made me feel 80.  She's definitely a foodie so it wasn't a surprise that most of her birthday requests consisted of visiting various restaurants and making dessert stops. We started off the morning in typical high school girl fashion, by visiting the outlet malls. It's almost a sin not to visit Ontario Mills while in Cali. For the top birthday request, we visited our infamously family favorite spot, Newport Seafood Restaurant. If you're ever in the San Gabriel area, definitely give this place a chance. You won't regret it. As usual, our family filled up two tables and we definitely got stares from our "neighbors" when the food didn't stop flowing out of the kitchen. Thank God for whoever invented the lazy susan. You definitely had families like ours in mind when building that great creation.

To end our night, my cousin wanted to walk around Downtown Disney. I probably haven't visited Downtown Disney since I was 10 years old. Let me tell ya, from a parent perspective, it wasn't as fun as I remembered. Simply because JAM wanted anything and everything he saw every 5 steps we took. You swear I was the biggest Debbie downer at the stomping grounds of the "Happiest Place on Earth". It was fun to watch JAM's eyes light up though when he saw all the Disney characters everywhere he looked after seeing them on TV for 7 years. If only he knew what was to come next.....

When was the first time you visited Disneyland?

Best Summer Ever {2013}: Riding the Megabus

Phew! JAM survived his first full week of 2nd grade! If you ask me, this momma didn't do too bad herself as far as being a sap on the first day of school hehe. Honestly though, I think I'm having a harder time re-adjusting to the back to school routine than JAM is. I miss being able to sleep in until 10 A.M. if I wanted to ha ha. Eh, I'm just happy that JAM's teacher seems really great and JAM actually enjoys being back to school. It also gives me a little more free time to catch up on my blog posts. Flipping through my posts, I realized I didn't post much about my family adventures this summer. Reflecting back on it, I'd have to say it was one of the best summers I've had in a looooong time! Even JAM is still talking about some of the awesome things we experienced over the past 3 months.

If you follow me on any of my social media outlets, you know that the awesomeness of our summer began with our trip to California based on all the pictures I was posting. It's not uncommon for Las Vegans to travel to California and vice versa, but with school and life being so hectic, this mini vacation was WAY overdue. Sadly due to work scheduling, Mahal wasn't able to join us in our adventures this time around. I wanted to switch it up a little for JAM so instead of doing the usually road trip in our car, I booked two tickets on the Megabus. For those of you that aren't familiar with Megabus, here's a little description from their site:

"Megabus.com is the first, low-cost, express bus service to offer city center-to-city center travel for as low as $1 via the Internet. Since launching in April 2006, megabus.com has served more than 24 million customers throughout more than 100 cities across North America.  Our luxury single and double deckers offer free wi-fi, at-seat plug ins, panoramic windows and a green alternative way to travel. Meticulously maintained with professional drivers at the wheel, when you travel with megabus.com, you will be riding in comfort and confidence. We provide affordable and reliable bus services, offering the highest level of comfort and safety.  You can be assured of a great experience and overall satisfaction when you choose megabus.com. Our professional staff, and our fleet of clean, comfortable, well maintained wheelchair accessible, state-of-the-art double decker buses enable us to provide you with the dependable, quality service you expect." 

I've never traveled via bus before so I was actually a little nervous. Based on the stories I've heard about other bus companies, my expectations were fairly low for this roadtrip. Just like the description states, you can get a one-way ticket on the Megabus for as low as $1 if you book ahead (like 4+ weeks ahead). With last minute travel changes, I ended up booking my Megabus ticket 3 days prior to travel time so I got a one-way ticket for $25 per person. That's still not bad considering I'd spend way more than that on gas if I drove. Mahal dropped us off at the Las Vegas RTC South Strip Terminal and off JAM and I went to Bay #9. The seats are first come, first serve so we wanted to get there as early as possible. A little birdie told us that the front seats had a table so we wanted to make sure we got those seats.

As boarding time neared, a Megabus employee checked our confirmation number and then issued us a number based on our place in line. JAM and I ended up being #1 and #2. Yippie! Just a little FYI, you must buy your ticket for the Megabus online. Some people showed up to the bus station thinking they could purchase a ticket there, but Megabus only uses the Terminal Bay to board passengers, not sell tickets. Anyways, once it was time to board, I handed our luggages to the helper loading them under the bus as we boarded. The luggage rules are similar to airline regulations. Each passenger is allowed ONE 50 lb. luggage and one personal item that must fit under your seat. Shh, I brought a personal bag and my purse. It fit under my seat just fine. A carry-on sized luggage is still considered part of your one luggage allowance since it's too big to fit under your seat on the bus.

We headed inside to the front of the bus and there the table seats were. The front two rows were facing each other in a quad format with a table in the middle. As I was previously standing in line, I chatted with the lady behind me and she decided to sit across JAM and I. Across the row, the seats were set up similarly with a table as well. The bus appeared to be very clean. No odd odors or stains on the seat or floors. The overall space on the bus is similar to a Southwest airline airplane. Seats are set up two to a row. The aisles are just big enough for you to maneuver through. The stairway to go upstairs seemed a little snug as I watched passengers head to the second floor. The seats are comfy and averagely sized just like on an airplane. Having a table seat gave us a little extra leg room. I even was able to put my feet up on the seat across from me since no one was sitting there. If I remember correctly the driver said the bus holds 59 passengers and there were only 33 on this trip. The lady across from me said that for the night trip, low passenger count is common which is why she loves traveling at night.

Each row is equipped with outlets overhead near the A/C controls (similar to a plane). Free wi-fi is provided, but as the reviews I read advised, it never connected. My kindle and phone showed strong wi-fi connection but for whatever reason the wi-fi didn't want to connect. Luckily the app JAM uses on my kindle didn't need wi-fi to use. Maybe I'll bring my laptop next time to try again. As we waited for others to board the bus, I continued to chat with the lady across the table. She explained that she was basically a veteran Megabus rider. I asked how it's set up on the second floor since I didn't get a chance to check it out. She explained that the front row has nothing but a big window in front so you can see nothing but road and scenery in front of you. Behind the front row was a split for the front staircase, and then there were table seats set up just like the ones were were sitting at on the first floor. JAM and I thought that was neat and agreed that we'd try out the second floor next time.

The night bus route required a driver change about halfway through so we were informed that we'd be making a 10 minute stopover to do so. The back-up driver rode in the back of the bus with us. I also knew that there was a passenger drop-off in Riverside, CA before making our final destination at Union Station in Los Angeles. Since it was the night route, they dimmed the lights so passengers could get some shut eye. There was lighting available overhead if needed though. Another convenience that I noticed was a bathroom at the back of the bus. JAM and I never needed to use it, but I did see parents bring their child in the bathroom with them so I'm assuming it's big enough for that.

             Dim Lighting                 Personal Overhead Lighting

We made our 10-minute pit stop in Yermo, CA to do our bus driver change. JAM and I used that time to get off the bus and stretch. We also ran into the gas station to grab a few snacks for the remainder of the trip. Once we all boarded back on the bus, JAM and I managed to get a little sleep before arriving in L.A. Overall the bus ride was great! Previously roadtripping this route in my car, I knew that this route was a bumpy one so it wasn't a surprise when we hit bumpy patches on the bus. I'd definitely recommend trying out the Megabus, especially if you're on a tight budget or traveling last minute. Next time I'll try to plan my trip a little better to take advantage of the $1 one-way ticket. Regardless, they exceeded my expectations. It beats me having to make the 4 hour drive myself and it saves me a ton of money on gas. Our luggage was waiting there curbside by the time we got off the bus and we had no problem gathering our items. My uncle and cousin were there waiting for us at Union Station to begin our fun California adventure. Stay tuned for my future posts on the fun places we visited while in Cali! *hint hint* we may have visited a famous mouse couple ❤.

Have you ridden the Megabus before? How was you experience?