Metrolink to Disneyland

We had the best time on our first visit to Disneyland! Imagine Key Pass (for SoCal residents) has a lot of blackout dates, but since the university lets out before the public elementary school, it was a perfect time to squeeze in a visit. Children under 3 are free to Disneyland with a paying adult. Due to COVID, once you buy your Disneyland pass, then you must make a reservation. This will determine if you enter Disneyland first or California Adventure first. After 1pm, you can "hop" from one park to the other.

Arrive early to buy the ticket(s)

Stand where you think the train will be

Use the rock back then lift strategy

Plan to arrive at the station 15 minutes early. Purchase your ticket using the mobile app or the ticket vending machine (TVM) located at the Metrolink station – tickets are not sold on board. It is a challenge (as always) to stand in the right spot on the platform. We had to run to make it to the bicycle car. On the way back we accidentally boarded the quiet car, which is not good with a cranky two year old. This is something we've been trying to advocate for: paint on the platform where people should line-up for the specialized cars.

From Northridge, it was $51 for a round-trip ticket on Metrolink. We got two free trips by clicking on a Facebook ad for Metrolink. Up to three children ages 5 and under ride free with an adult using a valid ticket. You cannot buy your ticket ahead of time, it must be purchased on the day of your trip. Doing a comparison, if you prefer the Amtrak schedule, the cost was $62.24 for an Amtrak round-trip ticket for 1 adult and 1 child. Children 2-12 years get a 50% discount on Amtrak. Children 2-12 years must travel with an adult passenger. You can buy an Amtrak ticket ahead of time. You cannot ride Amtrak trains with your Metrolink ticket. Amtrak has an on-board café where you can get food and drinks. Both trains have bathrooms on board. Metrolink has a Bicycle Car where you can put your stroller without having to fold it. Not sure about Amtrak, but most likely it would have to be folded and stored in a luggage rack.

The stroller has a brake that keeps it in place

With gas prices what they are right now @ $5.90 per gallon, and our minivan gets 25 miles per gallon, the park is 60 miles (one way) that would equal to $28.32 in gas + $25 parking fee = $53.32 total cost to drive. So you can see that the train is approximately equal in cost. All three (Metrolink, Amtrak and driving) take about 2 hours. I would say that the train was a HUGE advantage since it had on-board restrooms and my kid could get up and wiggle, switch seats, go upstairs and sit at a table. If we were in the car, we would be stuck in that one seat and I would have to pay attention to the road. On the train, my kid could sit in my lap and we could talk and laugh and play games and interact with each other. The train has a water-bottle refill station on each car. There are trash cans so we definitely enjoyed having a picnic en route.

Waiting in the shade at ARTIC station

The Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center (ARTIC) station offers lots of amenities, but we didn't stay there more than a minute. We walked right down to the bus terminal and within a few minutes the OCTA 50 bus arrived. I learned that your child cannot be IN the stroller when you board the bus. That was pretty much the only thing I did not know ahead of time. Ride seven stops and exit the bus at the Katella-Harbor Boulevard stop. Walk North along Harbor Boulevard (approximately 3 blocks) to the Disneyland Resort. The trip takes approximately 30 minutes. The bus is free. Just show your Metrolink or Amtrak ticket to the bus driver when you board. Call 888-364-2787 with any questions, or use Text2Go (code 15) to receive a real-time bus arrival time by text message. Buses should arrive/depart every 20 minutes. You can also use Google Maps set to public transit to help you navigate and retrieve real-time bus information.

Strollers roll onto the bus without kids inside

We were queued up at 7:40am to enter the park right at 8am when it opened. We got to experience the "golden hour" of rides with no lines and the cool morning weather was fantastic. Little guy took a nap in the stroller around 10am and slept for about 45 minutes. It gave me time to recharge myself with some snacks, and recharge my phone battery. Using the Disneyland app is power-intensive so plan to bring a backup battery. Also, Disneyland is serious about where you can park your stroller. If you leave it in an area that says "No Stroller Parking" your stroller will be moved to an appropriate location by a cast member. Also, it's not useful if your stroller is decorated with Mickey Mouse stuff, so is everyone else's. If I had a do-over, I would have put a sign with our name or something very distinctive. Not a dork-flag but some other identifying feature. There are SO MANY strollers and many of them look alike, and it is very alarming when you go back to where you left your stroller and it's been moved.

The stroller reclined for a mid-morning nap, wagons are not permitted

You might be wondering what we brought with us. I had 4 bags. The first bag was a very thin, very small lunch tote. It worked for packing mixed fruit and watermelon and egg muffins that I planned on eating right away on the first train. After that I used it as a stroller organizer. The second bag was an insulated bag used for storing baby bottles. In there I put the strawberries, cottage cheese, peas, corn, grapes, cucumber and bell pepper. I also included a variety of utensils, but I forgot a knife to cut the apple. Another mom gave me one, I told her that she was my Disney angel. The third bag was a small backpack. In there was a quite random assortment of items. I had a flour sack towel, a Bumco Airtight Wet Wipes Pouch, three fruit pouches, my battery recharging pack, a toy car, two hats, two pairs of sunglasses, four masks, a change of clothes for kiddo, a few diapers, an apple, a banana, a granola bar, a protein bar, goldfish crackers, cheerios, sunscreen, parm crisps and two packages of peanut butter crackers. Our fourth bag was a Munchkin Designer Diaper Change Kit, which had 2 diapers in it, wipes and poop bags. This way I could leave the stroller but take the backpack and I would always have diapers and wipes and a place to put my kiddo while the diaper change was happening.

Coolers larger than 6-pack sized are not permitted into the theme parks

I'm bringing up the bag situation because when you go through security, you have to let them search all your bags. Loose ice and dry ice are not permitted, reusable ice packs are recommended. You must be prepared to empty out your stroller completely and let them search. I ended up storing the lunch bags under the stroller together with our two long-sleeved shirts and a Lillebaby Carryon toddler carrier. I believe this was just the right amount of stuff without being too much. I brought a 500mL (16.9 fl oz) water bottle that I kept refilling. It was small enough for kiddo to drink out of without difficulty. A water at Disneyland is $5 so bringing your own refillable container is great. There are drinking fountains everywhere. I found a stroller hook useful. I also had a stroller organizer with drink holders and a snack tray for my kiddo. We took our BOB Revolution CE (2011) which was great for maneuverability in tight spaces. It was easy to load and unload from the train. The last thing I will add is that I did bring a battery-operated stroller fan. I was on the fence about it, but I did use it during kiddo's nap and I think it was nice for him to have a steady breeze.

MyFitnessPal nutritional analysis of our day

It turns out we brought just the right amount of food. The rides we got to ride at Disneyland were as follows: The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (Critter Country), Jungle Cruise (Adventureland), King Arthur Carrousel (Fantasyland), Disneyland Monorail (Tomorrowland), and "it's a small world." The experiences we got were: Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough, Dapper Dans and Mickey & Friends riding in Main Street Vehicles, Disneyland Band and Mary Poppins, Meet & Greet with Mickey, Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer Island (Frontierland). Our snacks were: Mickey-shaped beignets 3-pack for $5 at Mint Julep Bar (New Orleans Square) and the classic Disneyland popcorn (Main Street, U.S.A.). 

What I think we will try next visit: Casey Jr. Circus Train, Dumbo, Sailing Ship Columbia, Disneyland Railroad, Mark Twain Riverboat, Disney Junior Dance Party, Guardians of the Galaxy Dance Off, Radiator Springs Cars Land, Little Mermaid. We didn't make it to Toontown (closed) or Star Wars Galaxy's Edge. If I were going to have a snack next time, I would try a churro, a Mickey pretzel, a Dole whip or a Mickey (ice cream) Bar. If my husband is with us, we will definitely need to get a Matterhorn macaroon. For myself, I would choose Bengal Barbeque for some meat since I didn't get enough protein. If I were going to pack one or two more items, I would have brought lens cleaning cloths because my glasses and sunglasses got pretty dirty. I would also consider a silicone push and pop bubble fidget sensory toy. They're quiet and calming and reusable.