The Walt Disney Family Museum – not just for kids

My wife, and our two boys (age 1 and 4) visited The Walt Disney Family Museum in 2011 as part of the “Family Magic” package offered by the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in San Francisco’s Financial District. The museum is located in the Presidio and was a quick drive from our hotel. We easily found metered street parking directly in front of the museum (it was a Friday).

Upon entering through the front doors of The Walt Disney Family Museum, my wife and I were amazed by the beautiful entry space. Even in the lobby, the attention to detail is admirable. The Walt Disney Family Museum is more sophisticated than Disneyland (not to say that the happiest place on earth doesn’t have its own unique charm.)

My 4 year old was mesmerized by the museum’s exhibits. He’s not yet familiar with all of the Disney Characters but it didn’t seem to matter to him. The cutting-edge interactive exhibits are especially fun for children. There’s a miniature version of Disneyland on display; it was my son’s favorite. I suppose this was my favorite exhibit too! It brings back memories of my visits to Disneyland as a kid.

Though a little younger than the recommend age to visit, our 1 year old still had fun running around, watching animated shorts on the multitude of screens and, as usual, drooling every step of the way. The Walt Disney Museum is engaging for both children and adults. For example, while kids may enjoy watching the original version of Steamboat Willie, adults would be interested in how Congress has extended the copyright for the film preventing it from entering the public domain. I was pleasantly surprised to find myself enjoying my visit more than I had anticipated.

There is a movie theater in the basement that shows different movies throughout the year. Admission to the theater is free with a paid museum ticket. However, after such an incredible day, my wife and I were too pooped to enjoy the show. We were told we could come back and use the theater tickets on another day. Cool!

The museum has a café with pre-made sandwiches and snacks as well as a gift shop that promises to clean out your wallet if you dare step foot in it. Needless to say, we did not enter the gift shop but we did have a nice lunch at the café. My only regret is our lack of pictures, no pictures are allowed inside the museum

Next stop, Disneyland! Hopefully this visit gave our kids a little background on The Magic Kingdom so they can appreciate it all the more when we make it to Anaheim.

*This review is based on a complimentary visit to The Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco, CA. I received no other compensation besides complimentary tickets to the museum. The Walt Disney Family Museum did not request that I express any particular point of view and my reviews always reflect my honest opinions.

The Mandarin Oriental hotel in San Francisco is a luxury property right in the heart of the Financial District making it accessible to many popular family-friendly attractions, such as Fisherman’s Wharf and Union Square. It’s also a good base camp for families planning to visit attractions in Marin County or the East Bay. Parking at the hotel is valet-only, however there are affordable lots within a few blocks.

If your family enjoys staying in comfortable and luxurious hotels that are still welcoming to kids, you’ll love the glossy yet friendly Mandarin Oriental.

The hotel’s staff warmly greeted me, my wife and our two sons (age 1 and 4) when we entered. After check in, we hurried upstairs to the 41st floor to check out the fabulous view from our room. Even though I’ve lived in the Bay Area for over ten years, I’ve never seen a better view of the city. It was a jaw-dropping experience not lost on our kids who loved looking at the tiny people and cars down below. The next morning, they had fun with the guys who were washing the exterior windows. Our room was a one bedroom suite which is always nice so the kids can go to sleep before we do (yes, they always seem to score the good room). The beds were what you’d expect in a hotel of this level – like sleeping on clouds. There were large LCD televisions and DVD players in both rooms as well as a Wii console in the kid’s room.
My family experienced the “Family Magic” package which includes two spacious adjoining rooms, admission to the museum, and daily continental breakfast.

The “Family Magic” package combines a Golden Gate or Mandarin King room with a Deluxe King room for nearly 1,000 square feet of spacious, luxurious accommodations. It features the hotel’s famous oversized, window-framed bathtubs for a soothing soak while overlooking astonishing, inspiring San Francisco Bay views. It also includes an energizing continental breakfast for four, at Silks restaurant or through in-room dining, afterwards families can zip over to the Presidio for a day of fun at The Walt Disney Family Museum.

The package includes two adult and two children’s Museum admission tickets, complimentary admission to the Museum’s movie-of-the-day, and four box lunches created by the Museum Café, run by Wolfgang Puck’s restaurant division.
If you’d like a list of family friendly restaurants in the immediate area, just ask the front desk. They are happy to offer suggestions. Our stay at the Mandarin Oriental was a welcome respite from our busy lives as a family of four. If you have the means, it’s worth the splurge.

What we loved:

• Unbelievable customer service. A lot of the staff we encountered went out of their way to acknowledge our boys which is a really nice touch.

• The kid amenities in the room were great full-size crib, robes, videos games, take home backpacks, bottle sterilizer, etc.

• The gorgeous rooms have SPECTACULAR views which our kids loved.


Travel hiccups:

• The kid's room smelled heavily like cigarette smoke when we arrived. I understand the previous guest is to be blamed for ignoring the hotel’s strict no-smoking policy but I expected more from a 5 star hotel. We called the front desk to resolve the problem and they sent up a housekeeper who simply opened the windows and left a can of Lysol.

• Our promised Wolfgang Puck box lunches had not been called in so we got a blank stare at the Museum café when we went to eat. I was a little bummed but we still had a great day so I didn’t feel the need to speak to the hotel manager about it later.

*This review is based on a complimentary stay at The Mandarin Oriental in San Francisco, CA. I received no other compensation besides the hotel stay. The Mandarin Oriental did not request that I express any particular point of view and my reviews always reflect my honest opinions.

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