At Disneyland, a lot of times I’ll bring a back pack with some granola bars, bottled water, maybe my camera. Backpacks are awesome right?

Ahhhh. So where to put your backpack? You don’t want to carry it around all day, do you? I can’t say that I blame you.

I used to be able to rent a free stroller with the Disney Visa Card by Chase. One of the benefits was at Disneyland and Disney World, that you could rent two strollers per day, absolutely free.

I could stick my backpack on a stroller, push it around the park, park it amonst the strollers by a ride, and there would be my own personal locker, right there at Disneyland, free of charge.

Now the program has changed, strollers at Disneyland are $6 (half of the $12 regular price) with the Disney Visa Card. That’s still a price I’m willing to pay to have a locker that I can move with me, and a little bit cheaper than the lockers available there.

Worried about someone stealing your backpack and waters/ I suppose that’s a risk I’m willing to take - you’ll have to decide whether you think it’s likely that someone will steal your stroller at Disneyland. Personally, I’m willing to trust my backpack tied to a stroller that has my name on it, right there at the park.

You’d be hard pressed to find a less expensive souvenir in the shops of Disneyland than a flattened penny.

Pressed penny machines take a regular penny and squash it between two special plates, each with a special design - Splash Mountain for example, or a character like Mickey.  The Disneyland pressed pennies typically have a desigon on the back (although not always), while Walt Disney World pressed pennies are typically one sided.

 Pressed pennies generally cost just $0.51 each (two quarters plus the penny to be pressed) - a price hard to be beat.  Combine that with the seemingly endless variety, spaced throughout the park, and collecting pressed pennies is something you might want to look into.

Town Hall has a one page, two sided sheet with a listing of all of the available pressed pennies from Disneyland, and on the other side those from Disney’s California Adventure.

Like pin trading, collecting pressed pennies is something that you can do between your run from Space Mountain to Splash Mountain - break up the walk by stopping in to a shop that your list tells you might have another pressed penny you don’t have.

There are enough pressed pennies with unique designs that it’s not easy to get them all in one trip.  Budget your collection over several trips, adding more and more to your collection.  There’s no need to get them all at once, or even to get them all ever!  But collecting pressed pennies is a great activity to add to your Disneyland “Must Dos”.  It’s a relatively inexpensive way to buy souvenirs, and there’s enough variety to keep it interesting.

Some shops sell pressed penny albums, and it’s a popular enough hobby that there are outside providers of pressed penny albums as well.

Megan celebrated her 5th birthday Monday. 

She received a call from Princess Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) at 7:30am, Snow White at 8:00 and Belle at 8:30.  It was a fun surprise for her.  Later in the day when Lela and the girls went outside to play, Megan insisted on taking the cordless phone outside “Just in case somebody calls…”

Disney’s Enchanted Calls allows you to have your choice of princesses (or Mickey, Pooh, or Tigger) to call and give a birthday, congratulation, or “just because” greeting to the phone number of your choice.  You can schedule them far in advance.  The calls run $2.50 each, and you can order as many as you’d like!

Right now, you can earn one free Disney Enchanted Call when you sign up for DisneyMovieRewards.com (which is also free). 

I have to credit this to the forums at DisBoards - One of the best of the Disneyland forums (they’re actually stronger in WDW stuff but have a great Disneyland section)

Mimi’s Cafe is a medium size chain of restaurants that began in Anaheim.  They’re a favorite among Disneyland goers for their proximity to the park, portions, taste, and PRICES!

When you sign up for the Mimi’s Cafe Eclub, you get a thank you from Mimi’s of a Free Breakfast!  From what I understand, each person registered in the Eclub is entitled to one coupon, but no limit per household. 

If you’re staying near Disneyland for a couple days, why not sign up a couple people in your party for the Mimi’s Eclub, eat a great big breakfast at Mimi’s and save some money you can later spend in the park on Vinylmation?…

I’m all about Disneyland savings, so Lela and I are signing up for the EClub and we’ll be using it in just three weeks!  Much needed vacation!