Speed traveling: Kansai in five days or less!

After a series of "speed traveling" posts, I thought I would attempt to (theoretically) condense our 9-day Kansai trip with toddler in tow, to a much shorter version for the solo traveler (or those traveling without little ones).

Here's how to see the best of Kansai in half the time needed compared with what we did. For the details of each sight, check out the specifics in my "Kid in Kansai" series.

Day 1: Kuromon Market (lunch), Osaka Castle, either Shitennoji or Sumiyoshi Taisha, Dotonbori (dinner). Overnight in Osaka.

Day 2: Himeji and Kobe (or replace with Universal Studios in Osaka). Overnight in Osaka. Check out of Osaka hotel the next morning.

Day 3: Nara half-day (leave luggage at the station locker), then onward to Kyoto (Arashiyama, Tenryuji, Bamboo Grove, Kinkakuji). Overnight in Kyoto.

Day 4: East Kyoto (including Kiyomizudera, Sannenzakai, Ninenzakai, Ishibe Koji, Maruyama Park, Shoren-In, Chion-In, Nanzenji, Path of Philosophy, Ginkakuji). Then Pontocho and Gion in the evening. Overnight in Kyoto.

The lovely Ishibe Koji

Day 5: Fushimi Inari, Uji (if you like green tea), then back to Nijo Castle and some shopping at the Kyoto Station area thereafter. Take a night flight out, or overnight in Kyoto.

It's possible! :)

Speed traveling: Anaheim Disneyland in five hours or less!

And while I'm in the mood of speeding through Disneyland, here's a tip on whizzing through Anaheim Disneyland... the original home of Mickey Mouse!

Unlike Tokyo Disneyland, Anaheim doesn't have an After 6 passport, but the good thing is, the park remains open till midnight during summer hours.

I was there from 6.30pm to 11.30pm (couldn't go earlier for various reasons), but still managed to see what I set out to do. And because there is no special After 6 passport, the crowds are just everywhere, sadly so.

In terms of chronology, I went to the Anaheim one about half a year before I went to the Tokyo one, which explains why I was more precise in what I wanted to see in Tokyo.

Here goes:

1. Jungle Cruise (Adventureland): 6.45pm - 7.35pm
This is the first "major" ride as you exit left of Main Street (the shopping street). Be prepared to wait. The queues look deceptively short thanks to hidden winding lanes and clever queue designs. But yes, wait you must, and wait a long time. Thankfully, the queue keeps moving, so you don't feel like you want to dive into the river to escape.

2. Pirates of the Caribbean (Adventureland): 7.45pm - 8.35pm
Very close by to Jungle Cruise, so this is the natural next stop as you move in a westerly direction. Be prepared to wait again, but not as bad as Jungle Cruise.

3. Haunted Mansion (New Orleans Square): 8.45pm - 9.30pm
Move in a westerly direction from Pirates to the home of 999 ghosts.

4. Fireworks (Fantasyland): 10pm - 10.30pm
The whole of Fantasyland will be closed about 20 or 30 mins before the fireworks show, and re-opened about 15 mins after that for safety reasons, as the fireworks are situated in the castle area. You can take the time to visit other hot spots like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad or the likes of it, but I took the time to do some shopping at Main Street instead, since the best view of the fireworks was at Main Street.

5. Snow White's Dark Adventures (Fantasyland): 10.30pm - 10.45pm
Once the fireworks subside, the crew will progressively re-open the Fantasyland rides. As It's A Small World wasn't ready, I went to Snow White first. This is definitely one of my favourite fairytale rides as it has a number of dark elements to it (the witch at the mirror was definitely scary!)

6. It's A Small World (Fantasyland): 10.50pm - 11.10pm
On to my favourite ride with the "can't get you out of my head" song.

7. Pinocchio's Dark Journey (Fantasyland): 11.10pm - 11.30pm
The last ride before some additional shopping!

So the tally is...
Anaheim: 6 rides, 1 show, 2 shopping sprees in 5 hours
Tokyo: 6 rides (since I was on Small World Twice), 1 show, 1 glimpse of a show, 1 shopping spree in 4 hours

Maybe one day I'll try Disneyworld in six hours! By the way, regarding the Hong Kong one, it's really small compared to the others, so you can easily finish everything in four or five hours... no need for any speedy traveling :)

Speed traveling: Tokyo Disneyland in four hours or less!

I am a big fan of Disneyland thanks to various experiences with it as a child, and have been able to visit all the Disneyland / Disneyworld resorts except for the one in Paris (which for some reason, I have no strong desire to do so) and Disneysea in Tokyo (as I prefer the traditional Disneyland).

While Disneyland should be enjoyed by making use of a full day, the After 6 passport, offered in the Tokyo Disneyland / Disneysea resorts, is a great way to see the main attractions on a ticket that is 60% of that of the full-priced one. The downside is of course, you only have 4 hours in the park at most, from 6pm till closing time at 10pm.

But it's completely doable, provided you have already been to a Disneyland resort and been through it for a full day at least once (either Anaheim, Florida or Tokyo - not the Hong Kong one). The trick is, you need to know which rides you want to go for, and which to prioritise.

One thing you need to know... the After 6 passport is popular! When I got to the gates five minutes before 6pm, there was already a huge crowd waiting for the clock to strike 6 and the gates to open. But thankfully, the crowds were moved in very quickly.

Tokyo Disneyland is laid out fairly similarly to the Anaheim one, so that's good to remember when you are rushing for time and don't have time to consult the park map (except for the Haunted Mansion which is situated at Fantasyland for some reason in Tokyo).

Here's my route to see the main attractions. All times indicated below include waiting time but not the time walking between attractions. Oh and don't forget to buy your ticket online in advance to save time.

1. Pirates of the Caribbean (Adventureland): 6pm - 6.30pm
After you get pass the gate and long row of shops in the area known as "World Bazaar", head left and charge towards this classic ride. It should be the first ride you see after you head left from World Bazaar. When I was there, the queue was reasonably short, perhaps because the 6pm crowd just started to come in (and the people with the full-day pass should have finished this ride long ago earlier in the day. Based on this logic, you should run for your biggest priority ride first once you get in at 6pm). One interesting thing is (for people who hate "heights" of any kind, like me), the Tokyo version of Pirates only has one "waterfall slope" instead of two like Anaheim.

2. Haunted Mansion (Fantasyland): 6.40pm - 7.20pm
The queues would have started to build up by now, and the logical "route" would have been to go on to Jungle Cruise, which is also within Adventureland, rather than to head up north towards Haunted Mansion. But there are two good reasons. Firstly, Jungle Cruise tends to have a longer waiting line. Second, by the time you are done with Haunted Mansion, you have just the right amount of time to come out and secure a nice spot for the Nighttime Parade (7.30pm), which passes by the front of the Haunted Mansion.  

3. Nighttime Parade: Electrical Parade Dreamlights (Fantasyland): 7.30pm - 7.45pm
Do not miss this parade... it is truly spectacular! Mickey, Minnie and many Disney characters come out on trains, horses, floats etc, all lit up in hundreds of thousands of lights!

Now here's a trick. DO NOT stay until the parade is entirely over. It's ok, since after a while, you would have seen enough. Instead, run over to It's A Small World, which is usually packed.

Tokyo Disney Electrical Parade

4. It's A Small World  (Fantasyland): 7.50pm - 8.20pm
Some adults will refuse to go in because they cannot get the song out of their heads after that. For me, this is one of my favourite rides as a small child... and still remains so. It makes me happy seeing the little children (dolls) of the world sing and dance a happy tune. It's almost a way of "escaping" the real world of strife, poverty, war, ethnic persecution and being transported into a utopian and childishly naive, but happy, world. Anyway, at this point, people are still finishing up the Electrical Parade, so there should be no queues. I tried this trick and managed to take this ride not once but TWICE in succession... without queuing up either time!

5. Peter Pan (Fantasyland): 8.20pm - 9pm
It's on to another nice ride. As I explained, I don't like heights, so none of the roller-coasters / drop-from-the-high-heavens type of rides for me please. At Peter Pan, the number of people queuing is not long, but the waiting time is long because each car can only take 2 at a go, compared to some other rides which can take more. Oh and yes, the Peter Pan ride takes you "flying" over the city of London, but the heights here are still manageable as there is no sudden drop.

6. Once Upon a Time (Fantasyland): Starts at 8.50pm, but I was there at 9.10pm
Now, it's time to head back for some fun. But not before we catch a quick glimpse of the light projection show at Cinderella's castle, showing scenes from beloved Disney cartoons projected against the castle, set to the Disney tunes.

7. Jungle Cruise (Adventureland): 9.15pm - 9.40pm
Now, the crowds should have thinned pretty much. You can use this time to go to your favourite adventure rides like Splash Mountain (Critter Country), Big Thunder Mountain (Westernland) or Jungle Cruise (Adventureland). I chose the last-mentioned as it was a childhood favourite. The waiting time was only 15 mins now, compared to if I had taken it after Pirates... which would have been 50 minutes!

I finished the above at about 9.40pm, giving me some extra time to grab some snacks and decide whether to try one more ride. In the end, I decided to hit the shops instead, thinking I would need at least 20 minutes. The good thing was... the shops at World Bazaar don't really close at 10pm if there are customers already in the shop by 10pm. I finished shopping and left at about 10.20pm.

So there's my 4-hour whirlwind visit to Tokyo Disneyland!

Some tips to remember if you are using an After 6 passport:

• Before you go, identify which rides you want to go for, and among those, which are the must-go and which are the nice-to-go
• When the gates open at 6pm, go straight to the ride of your topmost priority. The crowds will be the least now, because the 6pm crowd has just come in, and the full-day passport folks would have long finished that ride earlier in the day, especially if it's one of the popular ones
• Watch most of the Electrical Parade, but LEAVE before it finishes. The crowds at so-called popular rides would have thinned out as everyone is watching the parade, so go and take your 2nd biggest priority ride now if you couldn't do it earlier
• Skip the Once Upon A Time light projection show if you're not super keen on it. I only took a quick glimpse as it wasn't as spectacular as the Electrical Parade. Use this time to go for super popular rides, as the waiting time would be way less

Tokyo Disneyland can be reached by subway (Maihama station). Upon exiting the station, do not worry about getting lost. Simply follow the crowds and walk - you'll reach the Disneyland entrance between 7 to 10 mins later.

For tips on how to get through Anaheim Disnelyand in five hours, click here!

Traveling with kids: My packing list

Since the holiday season is coming up, plus we have scheduled a couple of family vacations coming up, I thought I would share my usual packing list here in case anyone is looking for one (partly to help me remember better as well).

Here goes!

This is in order of how I pack, assuming you are staying at a three-star and above hotel with standard amenities. All go into the check-in luggage except for the ones specifically marked out as in the carry-on bag.

(A) Clothes
1. Outdoor clothes: 1 set per day + 1 or 2 extra sets just in case
2. Sleepwear: 1 set for every 2 days
3. Underwear (if needed): 1 piece per day, or bring kiddy detergent to wash if insufficient
4. Shoes: You might want to bring an extra pair of shoes or slippers / sandals
5. Kiddy socks: 1 pair for every 2 days

6. Swimwear if needed

(B) Pee, poo & bath-related
1. Diapers: Depends on your child + 2 - 3 extra pieces just in case. If traveling for a longer time, you can just buy it at your destination and bring along one or two day's worth
2. Portable potty / auxiliary toilet seat (if child is potty-trained)
3. Small-sized "no tears" shampoo + bath 
4. Wet wipes: 2 small packs
5. Plastic / trash bags for soiled diapers

(C) Comfort-related
1. His / her pillow and / or well-loved toy
2. Entertainment: A couple of books, one or two other toys that the child chooses (and pack in a couple more as "surprise" without telling the child)

(D) Medicine
1. Fever, high fever, flu / cold, cough, diarrhoea medicines are my must-haves
2. Anti-vomitting medicine for countries with lower standards of hygiene

3. Anti-septic cream which usually also doubles up as nappy rash cream

4. Mosquito bite cream to relieve the itch, though the anti-septic cream will work on reducing the bite as well

(E) Food-related
1. Milk (my kid likes drinking fresh milk) and any other beverages (eg. milo which my kid loves). A cooler bag is useful if you're bringing fresh milk, but do check on the destination's restrictions on bringing food and beverages in (eg. Australia)
2. Biscuits, raisins and any other products that can be stored easily

(F) Sun-related / elements-related (if going to a hot / beach destination)
1. Kiddy sunblock
2. Aloe vera gel
3. Kiddy body lotion
4. Mosquito repellant (spray, gel, patch etc)

(G) In the carry-on bag:
1. One extra set of outdoor clothes
2. One or two diapers
3. Wet wipes and tissue paper
4. Hand sanitiser
5. One small face cloth
6. One or two small plastic bags for soiled diapers, wet clothes etc
7. One small pack of biscuits / raisins / snack
8. Kiddy sunglasses (if needed)
9. Kiddy cap (if needed)
10. Toddler carrier (if needed)
11. Kiddy utensils (if visiting a country of lower standards of hygiene that you don't trust)

12. Kiddy food scissors
13. Kiddy waterbottle
14. One or two small toys / books etc as needed
15. And of course, don't forget kiddy's passport!

If it sounds like a lot of stuff in the carry-on bag (it is), make sure you get a lightweight but sturdy shoulder bag / baby bag to chuck everything in. I like this one here from Kate Spade, which also doubles up as a good travel bag for business trips as it can take a laptop and other stuff. Compartmentalise using smaller bags if needed to find things easily.

All the best!

Traveling with kids: My tried-and-tested tips

I can't say we have traveled super frequently with our little one (henceforth referred to as Cheeky Lamb), but we have been blessed to be able to fly quite regularly since his first trip at 10 months old. More importantly, these trips have given us some great insights on how to make the next family vacation better, even as his needs are ever-changing and his curiosity ever-growing.

Here are my tips geared for parents with children below 3. Some are obvious of course, but hopefully others are of use to someone else. Do note that the maximum duration we have flown with him is 8 hours (including over-nighters), so it might be different if you're flying longer than that.

1. Prioritise your objective especially when you are used to a certain style of traveling without kids
The type of vacation that I used to enjoy the most before kids, was one which had lots of historical / cultural sights, lots of fantastic food, and / or lots of fun activities by the beach. Vacations were always fast-paced because both my husband and I liked that type of pace, rather than dwelling on one place for long.

When the Cheeky Lamb came along, things changed up quite a bit, even more so when he was able to walk, had a mind of his own and did not simply like "tagging" along with Mama and Papa Lamb.

If you're like us, assess your objective first - is this vacation more for the little one? Or is it more for the parents, with little one tagging along? Or try to be a best of both worlds? Some destinations are a either-or when it comes to kids or parents.

For instance, when we went to Brisbane / Sunshine Coast / Gold Coast, we knew it was a vacation primarily for Cheeky Lamb, with things that the parents could enjoy. (On that note, I guess if the little one enjoys it, the parents usually enjoy just seeing the kid enjoy).

But when we went to Kansai, we knew it would be a vacation for more the parents, with little things thrown in here and there for the little one to enjoy.

2. Slow down... and be flexible
We were used to packing 10 activities on our itinerary each day when we hadn't had our kid... and we could do it with time to spare. With the kid, we would cut that down to about half. 

I usually like to plan out my itinerary in advance (being a travel planner is my secret ambition), but with the kid, I always make a mental note to be flexible to change up things at the last minute (kid needs a nap... kid needs to poo... kid needs to throw a tantrum etc).

3. Night flight or day flight?
A night flight is great as the kid is knocked out and sprawled across the parents' seats. You don't need to think of how to entertain the restless one. Plus, you "save" some time for those who don't like "wasting" precious time on the plane doing nothing.

But if the parents don't sleep well on the plane (especially a medium-haul flight which is neither here nor there in terms of number of sleeping hours), it can be tough. Just be mentally prepared if you choose this option.

A day flight is less disruptive to sleeping patterns, but do be prepared to entertain the little one... especially during the all important take-off and landing times when he / she HAS to sit down belted up, tantrum or not.

4. Kiddy meals are not always good for kids
Isn't it obvious that I should pre-book a kiddy meal? Well, Singapore Airlines - which I take the most frequently over other airlines - has an odd definition of kiddy food sometimes. For breakfast, my friend's toddler was served spaghetti (who eats spaghetti for breakfast???) while the adults got omelette and bread rolls (much more suitable for toddlers in my opinion). Another time, my kid got nuggets for lunch (which parent gives a toddler unhealthy processed mystery meats?) while adults could have a choice of western or Asian meal, the latter of which was more like what my kid was used to in pre-school.

We stopped requesting for kiddy meals since he was 1.5 years old, and now he eats (or shares) the adult meal.

5. Must-haves in the bag
My must-haves include a spare change of clothes, water-bottle, wet wipes, hand sanitiser, tissue, antiseptic cream, one or two piece of diaper and plastic bags (to dispose of soiled diapers if still at the diaper age)... or a portable auxiliary toilet seat / potty (if already potty-trained). Thankfully, my kid has never had the problem of ear pressure (take-off / landing) but I heard sucking on sugarless lollies can be helpful. 

Do also remember that airlines don't usually have fresh milk onboard, so bring along your own if the kid needs it. Pre-boarding screening usually has no problem with fluid restrictions if the toddler is coming along. Do note that fluids here refer to fluids relevant to a toddler's immediate use on the aircraft. Beer for Papa does not qualify, nor do large bottles of toddler's soap or shampoo even if it's for his use after landing.

6. Time long drives with his nap
If you're driving, like we did from Perth to Margaret River, or Sunshine Coast to Gold Coast, which takes about 3 hours, time it for his nap so that a) he doesn't get bored and restless during the drive and b) you don't waste "double" time by driving 3 hours, then having the little kid nap at the hotel for another 1 or 2 hours.

More tips on packing can be found here.

7. Things that "imitate" adults
Our kid likes to imitate us (I guess most kids will do so of their parents?) so we try to give him a pretend wheel (something round) to drive as Papa is driving... or a "microphone" to sing as the radio is playing his favourite song. I read on another website that there are kiddy cameras available, and I have just placed an order for a VTech Kidizoom Camera Connect as we have two upcoming vacations with the little one. It could be fun especially in places where it's not "typically fun" for him... and an alternative way to express himself.

I will add more tips as go we along... and perhaps a review, with photos, of the kiddy camera when it comes!