Adventure Woman & Disneyland

Visiting the "Happiest place on Earth" is not for the weak of heart. It is a real expedition and one that should be taken seriously. First of all, be prepared. Wear comfortable clothes, and even more importantly comfortable shoes. You'll be walking and if not walking, certainly standing, so put "comfort above aesthetics."

Disney is fun - a lot of fun but it takes effort. The other thing it takes is money. Water cost you at least $3 a bottle and you'll be swayed to buy frozen lemonade, cotton candy, ice cream bars and all of the other wonderful goodies that make the day at the theme park just plain fun. The tickets for two parks for two adults and one child (for the day) was almost $300. This is steep for most people who are on a budget in an unforgiving economy. However, if you have AAA you can get discount tickets (other organizations can give you discounts as well and Disney offers it own program to acquire tickets on the cheap such as doing volunteer work). Again, check it out before you go.

The Fast Pass tickets (free) are a good option. You register with your admission ticket for a ride and return at a given time a hour or so later to avoid long lines and waits. This is great in theory, but be prepared to walk to one end of the park and then back to the other to use the fast pass tickets.

Disney is one big photo opportunity and there are Disney Photographers everywhere. The photographer will give you a card (PhotoPass)that you can use over and over again at every official photo op. However, for some reason our photos with Mickey did not load on the Disney Card so we lost them. Lesson? Always take a back-up photo with your own camera (or at least cell phone). The Disney photos are easy, and good quality. When you log in to the site to look at your photos you can add boarders and personalize the photos (you can collect your photos at the park or online for 30 days). They look fantastic - but they are expensive, too.

One experience at Disney that I thought was very reasonable was the wine tasting. You receive three small glasses of wine and paired three cheeses (with crackers) for around $12. Go to the Wine Country Trattoria in California Adventure Park.

We spent about 14 hours at Disney and did so many fun things together - the roller coaster (Scream) the Mickey Mouse Fun Wheel, and the Maliboomer (set to come down Sept. 16), etc., etc., etc. We got the requisite Disney ears and came home totally exhausted.

I got a hotel room at the nearby Hyatt for about $80 a night with free breakfast (good buffet) and a complimentary shuttle. I recommend it.

Yes, it really is the "Happiest place of Earth" - even if it is hard of the feet and the wallet.