Disneyland

[Slache]

Three kids, three days. Sunday, Monday and Tuesday a week from tomorrow, ages 8, 6 and 2.5. Non park hoppers. Tell me everything I need to know.

[JennW in SoCal]

Disneyland, yes? Anaheim??  Are you doing California Adventure at all or just Disneyland? And where are you staying??

It's been ages since I've gone with young'uns, but my ds is a cast member, (as is his girlfriend) so I can get answers to any specific questions you have. Below are some rambling thoughts....

Monday and Tuesday morning thru early afternoon should be quite pleasant as people tend to come to the park after school and work. Save the gentle Fantasyland Rides (Small World, Dumbo, etc) for then as both adults and families with young kids like to ride them and they can be the longest lines in the park! Sunday might be a little nuts, but you can get a good overview of the place and pick out the stuff you want to do when it is less crowded. 

It is "off season" but there are thousands upon thousands of annual pass holders in Southern California who will just go for a few hours on a whim, any day of the week. It is their own personal playground! 

Down load the app that has all the ride wait times. Think of some games to play in line, like finding hidden Mickeys. Definitely get fast passes first thing when you enter an area.

California Adventure has much more space -- the walkways are wider and it just feels more open. Carsland is a hit with the younger crowd as is the Little Mermaid ride. 

Some 8 yos do fine on the coasters at Disneyland. There is nothing super crazy like the 6 Flags parks. Can't remember what the height restriction is. Space Mountain is totally cool as is Big Thunder Mountain. Indiana Jones freaked my kids out as did Haunted Mansion -- it was too spooky for them but your kids might be just fine! Our whole family hates Matterhorn since it jerks you around. The yeti is cool, but it is a painful ride.

Stuff my kids liked and that ALL of you can do:

To the left of the hub in the Adventure and Frontierland area:  
Jungle Cruise
Explore the Swiss Family Robinson treehouse (maybe renamed a Tarzan??)
Riding the train around the park
Pirates of the Caribbean -- don't let the line scare you -- it is a constantly loading/unloading ride so the line moves fast.
Riding the boats
Exploring Tom Sawyer Island -- a great place to let kids run and burn off energy. You take a raft to it!
The cute Winnie the Pooh ride that is almost past Splash Mountain. 

Haunted Mansion is a gentle ride but some kids are totally freaked out and spooked by it.

Your older kids might like Indiana Jones, but my kids found it a bit scary til they were older.
Splash Mountain is gentle til that last drop. 

To the right of the hub in Tomorrowland:
The roundy round rockets -- which have a name I can't remember at the moment. You'll know it when you see it, lol!
Buzz Lightyear is great fun for all ages.
Autopia is a classic! The 2.5yo might be able to go with you...

Older kids would like Star Wars and perhaps Space Mountain -- the best coaster in the park!

Fantasyland is great for all ages as is Toon Town.

Can't comment on the current parades and entertainment. There is a Frozen "show", I think still by the castle, and a bigger more Broadway like Frozen show in CA Adventure.

Take time to poke into the fire station near the flagpole at the entrance to the park. On the 2nd floor is Walt Disney's old apartment where he would sometimes stay, and they keep a light on in the window for him. You can't go in, but look for the light!

I can comment more on food and CA Adventure later, if you'd like. And feel free to post or PM specific questions.
 

 

 

[AbcdeDooDah]

There's an app to check for ride wait times. We don't do any sort of plan but just go to whatever ride sounds fun or we have fast pass for. We crisscross the park many times. 😂

 

Edited February 17, 2019 by AbcdeDooDah

[Arcadia]

Bags get checked, makes my kids feel like going through a milder version of TSA. We brought a double jogger as my kids were much younger then and we went to both Disneyland and California Adventures for five days while my husband had a work conference nearby. Hyatt Anaheim where the conference was had lots of issues. We stayed at Marriott and had a great stay in a room with kitchenette and dining area. 

We brought beach towels and change of clothes as my kids didn’t like to stay wet. 

[MercyA]

I only know Disney World, but I hope you have an awesome time!!! 

[Ellie]

3 hours ago, Slache said:

Three kids, three days. Sunday, Monday and Tuesday a week from tomorrow, ages 8, 6 and 2.5. Non park hoppers. Tell me everything I need to know.

Disneyland is my mostest favoritest place. Went there on my honeymoon and have averaged once a year for the last 44 years. 🙂

When you go in to Disneyland, go straight back to Fantasyland and do the rides there. Your dc will be able to go on all of them. There will be a crazy line for Peter Pan, all day, every day. You just have to suck it up.

One day that you're there, open the park and at the end of Main Street turn left, and go to the Jungle Cruise, then Pirates of the Caribbean, then the Haunted House if you think your littles can handle it. Otherwise, continue around to the Winnie the Poo ride. Then you can go back towards Fantasyland and Toon Town.

Go to It's a Small World (it's near Toon Town). Really. And if you're in the park after dark, go over and see it all lighted up.

There will be a line most of the day for the Finding Nemo submarine ride. If you can open the park one day, that's the ride to go to first.

California Adventure has lots of rides for the littles. Radiator Springs Racers is a good ride, but the lines are long. You should get a Fast Pass (and there is a limited number of those, so someone should zoom over there as soon as you arrive and get them), although the height limit is 40", so your youngest dc might not be able to go on it.

The train that goes around the park, and the island formerly known as Tom Sawyer's Island (it might be a pirate something or other now, but it will always be Tom Sawyer's Island to me, lol) are good places to go when you just want to sit for awhile; the kidlets can play all over the island, and even though they aren't actually, you know, resting, they're not having to stand in line, and somehow it seems to help to spend time there.

The security checkpoints have been changed; it used to be such that you had to go through security every time you went into one park or the other (we always do park hoppers, so there could be multiple back and forth and checkpoints), but now they are on the perimeters, so once you go through, you're in like Flint (we were just there in December).

If y'all like popcorn, you can buy it in a souvenir bucket and then fill it up all day for just $1 each time, and you can use it for your whole trip.

Get a locker. Put stuff in it you don't need to actually have on your person all day. Also, I'm iffy on getting a stroller. If you can manage without one, do it, because honestly, pushing that thing around all day really slows you down. Your older dc should be fine; it's your little one that might get tired, but still...

I know that you can check an app for ride times and stuff--Mr. Ellie likes to do that--but you know, then you spend more time going back and forth and back and forth and back and forth...That's why I like opening the park and going *left* (Jungle Cruise, Pirates, Indiana Jones for us--your dc are too little), Haunted House), and sometimes Big Thunder Mountain and Materhorn, all in the first hour, and then hanging around the rest of the day, or in your case, opening the park and going straight back to Fantasyland, then ToonTown and It's a Small World. (I haven't worked out a system at California Adventure).

If you see a particular souvenir that you crave, buy it right then and put it in your locker, because it might not be there later. Ask me how I know this. o_0

We enjoyed the Frozen show at California Adventure.\

Oh, and check the Disneyland site to see if any rides will be closed while you are there.

[Lori D.]

From you saying you do NOT have park hopper tickets, I'm assuming you are JUST doing Disneyland, and NOT California Adventure? My thoughts stem from that assumption:

It looks like if you have tickets that have the "magic morning" option (get an extra hour early), Tues. morning is the day you get into  Disneyland at 8am, rather than 9am. Take advantage of that and go straight to Fantasyland and ride Peter Pan (which consistently has THE longest wait time of any ride, every day, all day).

A few rides have minimum height requirements, so measure before you go, and check the chart at the bottom of this blog article in advance, so no children end up with disappointed expectations.

Each adult wear a small fannypack and carry your essentials, including a water bottle or two.

As you approach the main gates, you have to go through security, so be ready to open up all your bags, packs, etc.

Just beyond the ticket booths, to the left of the entrance turnstiles (before actually entering the park) is a bank of lockers and bathrooms. At lunch, come back out of the entrance/exit stiles (get your hands stamped for re-entry), get your lunch from the locker, and just beyond the lockers is a hedge-enclosed picnic area of benches that is super nice and quiet for eating lunch and calming down.

These are super lockers to rent for the day -- put your backpack with extra clothes, lunch, and other items that you don't need frequently there. Hopefully your stroller has a small storage shelf under the seat so you can bring a small bag of essentials, including snacks and water. Make it a small bag that is easy to take onto the rides with you, as the stroller stays parked outside of the ride, and you don't want to leave personal items unattended.

Once you first enter, go over to the City Hall next to the Fire Station and ask for a FREE Celebration button ( if anyone in your group is having a birthday, or if this is the children's first time to Disney). Wear your celebration button each day, and the employees give you special greetings, and the occasional extra little "freebie".

Hopefully you are staying at either one of the Disney hotels, or directly across the street so that one parent can take the 2.5yo back to the hotel room in the afternoon for a nap. If not, then go to the Tiki-Tiki Room in the afternoon when everyone is tired; go into the courtyard and order a pineapple whip and take it into the theater with you. Sit in the back row, which has cushioned bench seats, and your little one can lay down, and enjoy a relaxing 20 minute show of quiet singing of animatronic birds and dancing waters/lights. If needed, as soon as you exit, go right back around and sit through a second show, enjoying with your eyes closed ("power nap" - LOL!) to get you through the rest of the day.

The parade and the fireworks are free; you'll need to find a good spot a good hour in advance. Send one adult and an older child to get dinner for everyone while the other adult and 2 younger children hold your spot, and eat dinner "picnic style" in your good spot.

Or, eat all together at Alien Pizza Planet in Tomorrowland -- pizza for the kids, generous servings of pasta dishes for adults (and to share with your 2.5yo), and fast service.

Also, when you get your map/schedule when first entering, look for the when/where of the special Princess meet-and-greets for your DD, and the special Sword in the Stone ceremony for your DS. Also, a great sit-down rest for parents is at a bench in Tomorrowland by the big marble ball floating on water that your older 2 will have a blast pushing on it to get it to move/roll. It weighs 6 tons, but physics is such that several kids working together can actually get it slowly rolling in place on its base. Our boys probably spent 20 minutes at that age entertaining themselves while DH and I had a great sit-down break (:D

Speaking of dinner -- if purchasing a meal, be sure to eat at "off hours" to avoid the LONNNNGGG lines and wait times. For lunch, lines are long between 11am-1:30pm; for dinner, lines are long between 5pm-7:30pm. Bringing your own meals makes it easy to just go back to the locker for your food. Or, if you are staying in a Disney hotel or directly across the street, consider heading back to your hotel for a hot dinner -- microwave frozen/refrigerator meals that you brought with you in a cooler and kept cold in the hotel fridge.

Faster wayf getting across the park is to take the train around to your stop across the park. A lift AND a fun ride all in one, lol. There is a "bonus" attraction if you ride the train between Tomorrowland and Main Street Station -- life-size dioramas of the Grand Canyon, and then dinosaurs!

Edited February 19, 2019 by Lori D.

[AbcdeDooDah]

YES to Peter Pan. It's the best.  We always wait about 45 minutes. 

The train ride is great when you just want to rest and eat a snack. The scene with lightning is extremely loud, though, and hurt our ears.

[Lori D.]

Rain jackets. Be sure to either bring these, or stop at your local Dollar Store and buy a bunch of those disposable rain ponchos to bring, as it does sometimes rain, and you don't want to have to buy the Disney disposable ones for $8/rain poncho. The Dollar Store ones come folded up very compactly, so it's easy to tuck these into a fanny pack or small backpack/bag.

And here's a great article on "freebies" in Disneyland.

Edited February 17, 2019 by Lori D.

[Slache]

Oh my goodness! I have to go to bed. Land, yes. We're going to Disneyland on Sunday and Tuesday, but we're going to California Adventure on Monday. Park hopper means we cannot go to both parks in one day, but we can go to any park we want to for the full day.

I will read tomorrow. You guys are totally awesome sauce!

[DawnM]

7 hours ago, Patty Joanna said:

Ok.  One more thing came to mind.  When you get into the park, go to one of the service desks and meet with a cast member and have the cast member tell your kids what to do if they get separated from you.  They will put a sticker on your kids’ backs with your cell phone number so if the kid/s get separated and approach a cast member, a reunion can be effected immediately.  

My 8yo and I went with a friend and her 8 and 4yo.  The 4yo got distracted and my 8yo stayed with him and did as we had been told at the service center and we were reunited within minutes. 

 

 

Good idea.  I haven't had littles in a long time, but I lost my middle child on Tom Sawyer's Island at DL for 20 min.  I about lost my mind with worry.  He was 3.

[DawnM]

7 hours ago, Lori D. said:

These are super lockers to rent for the day -- put your backpack with extra clothes, lunch, and other items that you don't need frequently there. Hopefully your stroller has a small storage shelf under the seat so you can bring a small bag of essentials, including snacks and water. Make it a small bag that is easy to take onto the rides with you, as the stroller stays parked outside of the ride, and you don't want to leave personal items unattended.

I would not use lockers.  If you need anything throughout the day, you will have to go all the way back to the front of the park to retrieve it.

Faster ways of getting across the park include taking the train or the monorail -- both go all the way around the park and have several stops. A lift AND a fun ride all in one, lol. There is a "bonus" attraction if you ride the train between Tomorrowland and Main Street Station -- life-size dioramas of the Grand Canyon, and then dinosaurs!

 

The Monorail at Disneyland does not have several stops in the park.  It stops in Tomorrowland and at the end of Downtown Disney.  That is it.  The train inside the park does have several stops within the park (I think 4.....Main Entrance, New Orleans Square, Toon Town, and Tomorrowland).

Get there at rope drop and do the longer line rides first, utilize fast passes, eat off schedule, bring snacks, keep stuff in your stroller for easier access, take a jacket for evenings.

My favorite place to eat at DL is Blue Bayou.  You will need reservations most likely.  

Edited February 17, 2019 by DawnM

[Lori D.]

3 hours ago, DawnM said:

The Monorail at Disneyland does not have several stops in the park.  It stops in Tomorrowland and at the end of Downtown Disney.  That is it.  The train inside the park does have several stops within the park (I think 4.....Main Entrance, New Orleans Square, Toon Town, and Tomorrowland).

Thanks for the clarification!! 🙂
 

3 hours ago, DawnM said:

My favorite place to eat at DL is Blue Bayou.  You will need reservations most likely.  

Yes, you have to go make a reservation at the restaurant when the park first opens -- all spots are gone by an hour after park opening.
 

3 hours ago, DawnM said:

I would not use lockers.  If you need anything throughout the day, you will have to go all the way back to the front of the park to retrieve it. 

I should have clarified -- I recommend that locker IF you are planning on eating lunch at that quiet spot just outside of the main gate AND if you are doing a park hopper ticket -- it is easier to get to your stuff when it is in between parks. That is what we do and it works great. I agree that with a little one, that perhaps the best thing would be to pack light -- jackets, food and water, plus any diapers or change of clothes for kids -- and take it in a small bag or backpack that fits on the stroller, and that you grab when you leave the stroller to go on rides.

Edited February 17, 2019 by Lori D.

[DawnM]

44 minutes ago, Lori D. said:

Thanks for the clarification!! 🙂
 

Yes, you have to go make a reservation at the restaurant when the park first opens -- all spots are gone by an hour after park opening.
 

I should have clarified -- I recommend that locker IF you are planning on eating lunch at that quiet spot just outside of the main gate AND if you are doing a park hopper ticket -- it is easier to get to your stuff when it is in between parks. That is what we do and it works great. I agree that with a little one, that perhaps the best thing would be to pack light -- jackets, food and water, plus any diapers or change of clothes for kids -- and take it in a small bag or backpack that fits on the stroller, and that you grab when you leave the stroller to go on rides.

 

Disney World does have more Monorail stops.  And the Monorail is much larger, you can wheel a stroller directly onto the monorail at WDW, but at DL it is narrower and they ask you to fold up your stroller before you get on.  I found it to be a huge pain when the boys were still in strollers, but we used it because I would park over at the end of DTD and it was easier than walking the whole way to the parks.

[Ellie]

12 hours ago, Lori D. said:

From you saying you do NOT have park hopper tickets, I'm assuming you are JUST doing Disneyland, and NOT California Adventure:

 

She has a three-day, one-park pass; that means that each day she can go to either Disneyland or California Adventure. Both are part of Disneyland Resort. 🙂

[JennW in SoCal]

Just FYI: The castle is currently under tarps because they are redoing all the roof caps and turrets. (The castle hasn't had any major work done on it since it was built in 1955). The tarp isn't too ugly, though -- it has the castle painted on one side and Malificent and a dragon on the other side. Weather permitting, there will be fireworks on Sunday night, but a light  show only on Monday and Tuesday along Main Street.  

As far as food, we are not fans of Blue Bayou, although the atmosphere is great. We like Cafe Orleans -- sitting outside and people watching while eating. There's often entertainers  performing just outside of Cafe Orleans. We also like the pasta at Pizza Planet. Last December we had a nice and relaxing meal in CA Adventure at the Lamp Light -- a Pixar themed restaurant. We sat outside downstairs where we could watch the coaster taking off -- it was quiet and the food was good. The food and wine festival will be going on while you are there, so there will be lots of little trailers with yummy offerings. 

 

[Ellie]

2 hours ago, JennW in SoCal said:

Just FYI: The castle is currently under tarps because they are redoing all the roof caps and turrets. (The castle hasn't had any major work done on it since it was built in 1955). The tarp isn't too ugly, though -- it has the castle painted on one side and Malificent and a dragon on the other side. Weather permitting, there will be fireworks on Sunday night, but a light  show only on Monday and Tuesday along Main Street.  

As far as food, we are not fans of Blue Bayou, although the atmosphere is great. We like Cafe Orleans -- sitting outside and people watching while eating. There's often entertainers  performing just outside of Cafe Orleans. We also like the pasta at Pizza Planet. Last December we had a nice and relaxing meal in CA Adventure at the Lamp Light -- a Pixar themed restaurant. We sat outside downstairs where we could watch the coaster taking off -- it was quiet and the food was good. The food and wine festival will be going on while you are there, so there will be lots of little trailers with yummy offerings. 

 

Good to know about the Castle!

We like the Blue Bayou, but we hardly ever go there, because expensive. We went there in December (anniversary), but we won't do it again for years. I envy people who feel free enough with their money to take their little children there!

[AbcdeDooDah]

Cafe Orleans is so good. The fries are amazing! 

[Alicia64]

On 2/16/2019 at 11:32 PM, Patty Joanna said:

Get a stroller. Go early then go home or swimming mid day and then go back.  It’s fun to stay onsite but there are decent places offsite.  More later. Gotta run.  

I agree a million percent with Patty!!

Go as early as you can because the wall of people won't show up until around 11 a.m. Also, eat lunch when the crowd doesn't -- like at 11 or 1:30 p.m. -- and, yes, take the afternoon off.

I also highly recommend having a thoughout plan and not crisscrossing the park a million times which will exhaust you. (To me, Disneyland is too expensive to not have a plan in place.)

I wrote this article on Disneyland a few years ago, but it's still current. (To see the entire article you need to click hotels, attractions, planning & tips.

Have a wonderful time!!

Alley

[Ellie]

34 minutes ago, Alicia64 said:

Go as early as you can because the wall of people won't show up until around 11 a.m. Also, eat lunch when the crowd doesn't -- like at 11 or 1:30 p.m. -- and, yes, take the afternoon off.

See, having spent as much money as it costs for a day at Disneyland, I cannot imagine leaving the park for an afternoon back at the hotel. o_0 And I say this as someone who took her children to Disneyland many times when they were young (and who also never took a stroller).

[AbcdeDooDah]

18 minutes ago, Ellie said:

See, having spent as much money as it costs for a day at Disneyland, I cannot imagine leaving the park for an afternoon back at the hotel. o_0 And I say this as someone who took her children to Disneyland many times when they were young (and who also never took a stroller).

Me, too. My kids would be disappointed, too. 

We still love criss-crossing the park, though. 😂

[Ellie]

1 hour ago, AbcdeDooDah said:

We still love criss-crossing the park, though. 😂

I always start with The Plan (e.g., open the park, go left at the end of Main Street and do Indiana Jones, Pirates, Haunted House, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad); once we've executed the plan and done the most important rides, then it's on to criss-crossing, lol.

[AbcdeDooDah]

5 minutes ago, Ellie said:

I always start with The Plan (e.g., open the park, go left at the end of Main Street and do Indiana Jones, Pirates, Haunted House, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad); once we've executed the plan and done the most important rides, then it's on to criss-crossing, lol.

Indiana Jones is always first!

[Lori D.]

Here is the list of Disneyland and CA Adventure height chart for rides. There's a good chance your 6yo is not going to be tall enough for the Indiana Jones ride in Disneyland, or the rollercoaster or swings ride in CA Adventure. And obviously, the 2.5yo is not going to be able to go on a number of rides that have height restrictions or require individual seating.

So with your age grouping, you may need to plan on a "divide and conquer" schedule -- for several hours, one parent takes the older 1-2 children to go on all the rides that require height and can handle "intensity", while the other parent takes the 2.5yo and possibly 6yo and spends that time on the gentle rides. Then meet back up and enjoy doing things all together as a family again.

Also, some rides may be more intense than your children are ready for. Disney does "atmosphere" really well, and even if the ride itself is not fast/crazy, the atmosphere might make it too overwhelming, certainly for the 2.5yo, but also for the 6yo, and possibly the 8yo. Our last trip, I really felt for the 9-10yo boy who was completely freaked out about doing the then-Tower of Terror (now Guardians of the Galaxy). Indiana Jones is pretty intense for kids as well. Also, some children love rollercoasters -- and some hate them. If coasters freak any of your children out, then you'll want to avoid Big Thunder, Space Mountain, the Matterhorn, and Splash Mountain (log ride with a steep drop at the end).

Also: if riding Splash Mountain in Disneyland, or Grizzy Rapids in CA Adventure, you WILL get wet, so you'll want a change of clothes for your kids in the locker, OR, bundle them up well in a disposable rain poncho. Nothing worse than walking around Disneyland being wet and cold!

ETA -- PS
And one last thought: CA Adventure is definitely geared for older kids and adults. They recently closed the one "land" designed for toddler/pre-K ages, so there is even less there for young ones. There are a few little kid rides still scattered here and there, and the Frozen broadway show is a good 40 minutes of sit-down time in a theater. Since that will be your "in-between" Disneyland day, that might be a great day for one parent to take the 2.5yo back for a nice long down time at the hotel room after lunch, LOL.

Oo! Check out this blog article by parents who took their pre-Ker and twin toddlers to Disney and CA Adventure for some great specific tips for your 2.5yo!

Edited February 18, 2019 by Lori D.

[Alicia64]

5 hours ago, Ellie said:

See, having spent as much money as it costs for a day at Disneyland, I cannot imagine leaving the park for an afternoon back at the hotel. o_0 And I say this as someone who took her children to Disneyland many times when they were young (and who also never took a stroller).

Well, the one thing we can agree on is that we all "Disneyland" differently!! 🤣

My mom and dad remember when it opened in '55 -- and how awesome the "E" rides were.

Have fun!!

Alley

[Ellie]

3 minutes ago, Alicia64 said:

My mom and dad remember when it opened in '55 -- and how awesome the "E" rides were.

Mr. Ellie grew up in San Diego. He went with his family to Disneyland the year that it opened; in fact, it opened in July, and he went in August. He remembers because the Dumbo ride opened in August but had some problems the first day, and he remembers the problems. 🙂

All y'all in today's world of passes instead of tickets will not understand when some of us older folks talk about something being an E ride. f:-)

[shawthorne44]

6 hours ago, Ellie said:

See, having spent as much money as it costs for a day at Disneyland, I cannot imagine leaving the park for an afternoon back at the hotel. o_0 And I say this as someone who took her children to Disneyland many times when they were young (and who also never took a stroller).

That is my thought too.  Our Disney World plans are to stay offsite and go to Disney every other day and recover at the pool in between.  Mainly because I am the one that would get cranky when tired.  But, I think I can handle completely full days at Disney with that plan.  

I am following this.   I imagine that most of the hints apply to both.  

[Lori D.]

Raising hand: another person who knows E-ride tickets first-hand from childhood visits to Disneyland. 😉

Yes, you'll have the best time at Disney if you know *you* and *your* children, and know if/when they need breaks and what kinds of experiences *you* and *they* can handle. 😁

Just our experience: what worked for us was waiting until DSs were 5yo and 6.5yo to go to Disneyland our first time. That meant: no need for strollers, everyone had enough energy to walk (no parent having to carry an exhausting wailing child, lol) AND enough energy to last an entire long day (10-12 hours off season, but 12-18 hours in season!).

Also, when we get tickets for 3 days at Disney (I think you have 5-7 days to use up all 3 of your "days"), we stick at least one extra "down day" in there and sleep in, head for the beach, and get to bed early as a recovery day. 😀

We also paced ourselves, scheduling longer sit-down things (shows/bands/stree performances, and longer rides like Pirates, Tiki Room, the Train and Monorail, the canoes or riverboats, etc.) and less popular attractions, to get out of standing in the longest lines at peak park crowd times -- after lunch through dinner hour. We also found it helpful to try and intersperse quieter things to allow us recovery throughout the day. That's why we use the outside main gate lockers and eat our packed lunch in the quiet non-stimulating picnic area, to give ourselves a break. Tom Sawyer's Island used to be a great break -- kids running around in the cave and the treehouse while we sat and watched. I think CA Adventure has a similar sort of outdoor equipment area for kids.

Also, at the start of each day at Disney we all get to set a little goal, and we all work to accomplish everyone's goals, so we all know we had a good time -- because with so much to see/do/experience at Disney, if you don't self-impose a limit, you could still walk away feeling "disappointed" that the trip didn't meet your expectations (because you had vague undefined expectations).

Our goal is usually:
- everyone pick ONE ride you want to make sure you ride
- and everyone pick ONE (snack) food you want to have (like, popcorn, or pineapple whip, or mickey-shaped ice cream bar)

We also negotiate together if this is the day we'll all spend time looking if we want to get a souvenir, or if this is the day we want to see one of the special events (fireworks, Fantasmic, a parade, world of color, show at the Hyperion theater...)

After our morning "huddle", it becomes a fun "scavenger hunt" of getting in everyone's "special thing" for the day interspersed with all the other fun things -- spontaneously jumping into a line that is short, criss-crossing the park to take advantage of Fast Passes and Mouse Wait App short times on lines, or just stopping for an unexpected break to watch a band or street performance, or appreciate the design details and atmosphere that goes into all of park as a whole -- so then whatever else we got to do feels like loads of icing on top of a fun dessert vacation. 😛 

Edited February 19, 2019 by Lori D.

[Lori D.]

9 minutes ago, Lori D. said:

...when we get tickets for 3 days at Disney, we stick at least one extra "down day" in there and sleep in, head for the beach, and get to bed early as a recovery day...

Okay, THAT said, I have to say that one of our funnest trips yet was a few years ago with a mini-marathon trip. Both DSs were over 20, and we swung by and picked up the DS#1 who was away at college for a whirlwind trip: drove in late Wed., went to Disney & CA Adventure all day Thurs/Fri/Sat, drove home Sun., dropping DS#1 back off at college. We calculated that the Parks were open for 44 hours over those 3 days -- and we managed to be in there for 42 of those 44 hours... 😍🤣

[shawthorne44]

I am a bit of a planner.   I've read a few Disney advice books for our trip fall 2020.   I've seen advice which seems helpful here that I haven't read elsewhere.  So, thanks.  
I've wanted to go to Disney since I was a kid in the 70's watching the TV show.  

[Lori D.]

29 minutes ago, shawthorne44 said:

I am a bit of a planner.   I've read a few Disney advice books for our trip fall 2020.   I've seen advice which seems helpful here that I haven't read elsewhere.  So, thanks.  
I've wanted to go to Disney since I was a kid in the 70's watching the TV show.  

Yea! How many of you and what ages of kids will be going? The new Star Wars land in the Disneyland Park will be open by then...!

[Ellie]

6 hours ago, shawthorne44 said:

That is my thought too.  Our Disney World plans are to stay offsite and go to Disney every other day and recover at the pool in between.  Mainly because I am the one that would get cranky when tired.  But, I think I can handle completely full days at Disney with that plan.  

I am following this.   I imagine that most of the hints apply to both.  

Our budget has never allowed us to pay for that many days of hotel. Three days at Disneyland, four nights of hotel, bam. 🙂

[Ellie]

7 hours ago, Patty Joanna said:

I love D-Land but three days is enough.  

FWIW:  I’m not a disser.  I have been there 15 times and have never lived closer than 1,000 away.  I’ve also been to Paris Disney and D-World.  But three days is enough. 

We usually do three days at Disneyland (with park hopper passes); the last day includes lots of wandering around and shopping and whatnot. That last day is still worth it, but yeah, one more day would be too many. Of course, we do this every year. 🙂

We were seven or eight days at WDW, but there are four parks instead of two, so there's that. We've decided we don't need to do that many days next time.

[Forget-Me-Not]

We were just there in January. They have a feature on the Disneyland app that lets you order food from certain restaurants and pay through the app, then you can just walk up and pick up your order. It was amazing for our group of twelve to bypass the looooong line at the Dole Whip counter and pick up our order. 

We skipped paying the $15/ticket/day to manage fast passes and just used our paper tickets, but we were there in the middle of the week when the crowds weren’t quite as bad.  

If you order a soft drink or water anywhere in the parks, you have to request a lid. I thought this was weird, but I’m sure it saves money and trash. 

Consider using your magic morning to do the Fantasy Land rides. I will never understand why Peter Pan has such an absurd line. I mean, it’s cute, but . . .?? 

We were there for the first time without a stroller and loved the lockers. We put our lunch and jackets in them (you may want them for the mornings/evenings but not during the day).  We just sort of planned our route so were back near the front of the park for lunch. If we needed jackets or to put a purchase in the locker someone in our party would just run and do that. 

[Lori D.]

14 minutes ago, Forget-Me-Not said:

We were just there in January. They have a feature on the Disneyland app that lets you order food from certain restaurants and pay through the app, then you can just walk up and pick up your order. It was amazing for our group of twelve to bypass the looooong line at the Dole Whip counter and pick up our order...

Wow! Making note of THAT tip! 
 

..We skipped paying the $15/ticket/day to manage fast passes and just used our paper tickets...

That's what we've always done. One person collects all of our tickets, and while the other 3 go do a few rides, the "runner" gallops across the park or across to the other park (we get park hoppers), gets the Fast Passes, and sometimes stops at the locker (or stop to watch a street performance, lol), and then texts while on the way back to find out where the rest of the group is for meeting up, and returns everyone's park ticket and fast pass. You're limited to just one Fast Pass at a time -- except: you can ALSO pick up and be holding your World of Color pass (and you DO want to do that first thing in the morning, as soon as CA Adventure opens, to ensure being able to go) -- and, you can also pick up a Buzz Lightyear ticket and hold that simultaneously with another Fast Pass.
 

... I will never understand why Peter Pan has such an absurd line. I mean, it’s cute, but . . .?? 

It's because the "boats" only hold 3 people, which is a very difficult combo for loading efficiently -- it means a LOT of boats get run through with only 1-2 people, which means more time waiting for boats.

...We were there for the first time without a stroller and loved the lockers. We put our lunch and jackets in them (you may want them for the mornings/evenings but not during the day).  We just sort of planned our route so were back near the front of the park for lunch. If we needed jackets or to put a purchase in the locker someone in our party would just run and do that. 

That's what we've done, too. Lunch/locker stop can also be a great time for Park hopping. That's when you pull out your Mouse Wait app and check and see which park is more crowded overall, and go to the less crowded Park.

[shawthorne44]

11 hours ago, Ellie said:

Our budget has never allowed us to pay for that many days of hotel. Three days at Disneyland, four nights of hotel, bam. 🙂

I don't know about DisneyLand, but near DisneyWorld you can rent a house a pool for a week for surprisingly cheap.  When I looked into it myself one week of house was cheaper than 3 days of hotel.   Of course by the time we go, that might have changed.  Many people don't have extra vacation days to use for downtime.  

[shawthorne44]

13 hours ago, Lori D. said:

Yea! How many of you and what ages of kids will be going? The new Star Wars land in the Disneyland Park will be open by then...!

DH, DD and I.   She will be 10 by then.   
The plan is to go one year after Star Wars opens, which is supposed to be later this year.   We heard from people that went to Harry Potter soon after it opened, and one year later.   They said one year later was MUCH better.  They'd found the kinks and fixed them.   
We will just go once.   It is too expensive, and we like to go someplace different every year.  I think 10 will be a good age.  Old enough to remember, but young enough to like the Disney-ness.  
It makes sense that Disney would have the food order-ahead app.   Six Flags is doing that this year.   So, I'd expect Disney to already have it.  
 

[rainbird2]

We were there last week, both parks, and had a blast!  Not sure if anyone has mentioned...

If you go to the Frozen Show at California Adventure (I highly recommend you do if you have Frozen fans...it's really well done!!), be sure to sit in the orchestra section, no balcony.  It snows on the audience several times in the show.  Only the orchestra section gets snow, though.  That is a great show!!

Parking on Sunday will be horrible, so plan to sit in line for an hour for parking.  Monday and Tuesday should be better. 

Be sure to find a place to sit on the sidewalk for the Disney Mickey Parade. You don't want to stand for that.

It gets really cold at night, so be sure to bring warm clothes for the kids.  We put coats in the lockers and got them each night.

There's lots of rides that the kids will find scary at Disney.   Be careful what you choose.  I definitely would skip Indiana Jones, Haunted Mansion, maybe Mr. Toad's with that age group.

Run and get Fast passes for your top picks as soon as you get to the parks.  Have fun!! 

[Ellie]

8 hours ago, rainbird2 said:

We were there last week, both parks, and had a blast!  Not sure if anyone has mentioned...

If you go to the Frozen Show at California Adventure (I highly recommend you do if you have Frozen fans...it's really well done!!), be sure to sit in the orchestra section, no balcony.  It snows on the audience several times in the show.  Only the orchestra section gets snow, though.  That is a great show!!

Parking on Sunday will be horrible, so plan to sit in line for an hour for parking.  Monday and Tuesday should be better. 

Be sure to find a place to sit on the sidewalk for the Disney Mickey Parade. You don't want to stand for that.

It gets really cold at night, so be sure to bring warm clothes for the kids.  We put coats in the lockers and got them each night.

There's lots of rides that the kids will find scary at Disney.   Be careful what you choose.  I definitely would skip Indiana Jones, Haunted Mansion, maybe Mr. Toad's with that age group.

Run and get Fast passes for your top picks as soon as you get to the parks.  Have fun!! 

Her dc are too short for Indiana Jones--something for them to look forward to. 🙂

Yeah, Haunted Mansion and Mr. Toad could be scary. My 5yo dgs wouldn't do Haunted Mansion, and that's ok. Something else to look forward to, lol.

You can only get one Fast Pass at a time. If you're determined, you can manage two: If you're supposed to do the first one between, say, 12:00 and 2:00, at 12:01 you can get a second Fast Pass, and then use the first one closer to the end of the time window. We've never felt the need to do that, but it there it is. 🙂

[AbcdeDooDah]

My kids were so funny when they figured out Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. "Wait , we went to hell?!?"

[Slache]

What time should we get there in the morning?

[theelfqueen]

About 25-30 minutes before the posted opening time. 

[Slache]

Okay. Our general plan this to get there 30 minutes before it opens, do a quarter of the park, go to the hotel for quiet time, go back and do another quarter. Will that work well? I listened to everything that you said regarding fast passes and trains but I don't know how that works out with all of the subdivisions. I have never been there.

[Slache]

California Adventure would be half the park, return back for quiet time, then the other half of the park. Disney is Sunday and Tuesday and California Adventure is Monday unless we decide to change it based on closings.

[Ellie]

57 minutes ago, Slache said:

Okay. Our general plan this to get there 30 minutes before it opens, do a quarter of the park, go to the hotel for quiet time, go back and do another quarter. Will that work well? I listened to everything that you said regarding fast passes and trains but I don't know how that works out with all of the subdivisions. I have never been there.

How do you define "quarter of the park"?

For littles, who won't be able to ride some of the bigger thrill rides (e.g., Indiana Jones), *I* would choose one day to enter the park and go straight to Fantasy Land and stay there as long as it takes to do all the rides. I suppose you could go back to the hotel for "quiet time," but I cannot even relate to that, so you're on your own. 🙂 Toon Town and It's a Small World are both littles friendly, so I suppose if you must leave the park (???) you could come back the same day and do those. I guess the other day you could open the park and do the Jungle Cruise and Pirates of the Caribbean, and then across to the other side of the park, Finding Nemo, Buzz Light Year, Autopia.  Not sure of the height requirements of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad or Splash Mountain; if y'all can do those, then do them on the same day as Jungle Cruise and Pirates. Also, the Winnie the Poo ride is next to Splash Mountain. Hint: If you open the park and go left at Main Street, you can do Jungle Cruise, Pirates, Splash Mountain (if the dc are tall enough), Winnie the Poo, and Big Thunder Mountain (etc.) within the first hour or two, and you won't have to worry about Fast Passes. Also, I don't think any of the Fantasy Land rides have Fast Passes, so there's that. Buzz Lightyear does, so if you only get one Fast Pass, do that one.

And don't miss Mr. Lincoln. 🙂

California Adventure is not as big as Disneyland, and we've never figured out a method. 🙂

[Slache]

16 minutes ago, Ellie said:

How do you define "quarter of the park"?

For littles, who won't be able to ride some of the bigger thrill rides (e.g., Indiana Jones), *I* would choose one day to enter the park and go straight to Fantasy Land and stay there as long as it takes to do all the rides. I suppose you could go back to the hotel for "quiet time," but I cannot even relate to that, so you're on your own. 🙂 Toon Town and It's a Small World are both littles friendly, so I suppose if you must leave the park (???) you could come back the same day and do those. I guess the other day you could open the park and do the Jungle Cruise and Pirates of the Caribbean, and then across to the other side of the park, Finding Nemo, Buzz Light Year, Autopia.  Not sure of the height requirements of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad or Splash Mountain; if y'all can do those, then do them on the same day as Jungle Cruise and Pirates. Also, the Winnie the Poo ride is next to Splash Mountain. Hint: If you open the park and go left at Main Street, you can do Jungle Cruise, Pirates, Splash Mountain (if the dc are tall enough), Winnie the Poo, and Big Thunder Mountain (etc.) within the first hour or two, and you won't have to worry about Fast Passes. Also, I don't think any of the Fantasy Land rides have Fast Passes, so there's that. Buzz Lightyear does, so if you only get one Fast Pass, do that one.

And don't miss Mr. Lincoln. 🙂

California Adventure is not as big as Disneyland, and we've never figured out a method. 🙂

The kids can only take a certain amount of hours at the park and I think they will have a much better time if we go home for lunch, rest and then go back. I think if we go there first thing in the morning we're going to end up leaving at 3 in the afternoon. I would rather leave at noon, go back at 3 and stay until dinner.

[Slache]

On 2/19/2019 at 9:59 AM, rainbird2 said:

We were there last week, both parks, and had a blast!  Not sure if anyone has mentioned...

If you go to the Frozen Show at California Adventure (I highly recommend you do if you have Frozen fans...it's really well done!!), be sure to sit in the orchestra section, no balcony.  It snows on the audience several times in the show.  Only the orchestra section gets snow, though.  That is a great show!!

Parking on Sunday will be horrible, so plan to sit in line for an hour for parking.  Monday and Tuesday should be better. 

Be sure to find a place to sit on the sidewalk for the Disney Mickey Parade. You don't want to stand for that.

It gets really cold at night, so be sure to bring warm clothes for the kids.  We put coats in the lockers and got them each night.

There's lots of rides that the kids will find scary at Disney.   Be careful what you choose.  I definitely would skip Indiana Jones, Haunted Mansion, maybe Mr. Toad's with that age group.

Run and get Fast passes for your top picks as soon as you get to the parks.  Have fun!! 

Wait. If I'm supposed to be there half an hour before the park opens am I'm I supposed to be there an hour and a half early for parking?

[Lori D.]

8 hours ago, Slache said:

California Adventure would be half the park, return back for quiet time, then the other half of the park. Disney is Sunday and Tuesday and California Adventure is Monday unless we decide to change it based on closings.

If you have "magic morning" option on your tickets, then you want to be sure to look up when that extra hour before general opening is for each Park and go to that park on that day. (CA Adventure has it on the Sun & Mon, and Disneyland on the Tues.) If you don't have the magic morning extra hour option, then you might want to go to the opposite park, as the magic morning pulls in more people, at least for the first half of the day.

Also, the fireworks + laser show in Disneyland will only be on the Sunday -- on Mon. & Tues. it will just be the laser show. CA Adventure does the World of Color show every night. Remember to pick up your tickets for World of Color (the ticket dispenser is by the entrance to the Grizzly Rapids entrance) within the first hour of CA Adventure opening to ensure that you have tickets to see it.

Edited February 24, 2019 by Lori D.

[Lori D.]

15 minutes ago, Slache said:

Wait. If I'm supposed to be there half an hour before the park opens am I'm I supposed to be there an hour and a half early for parking?

If your hotel is just across the street from Disney, then no need for driving/parking! (:D

But yes, if you want to be IN the park right at the open time, you need to arrive about 30 minutes early, to get through the security check and to rent one of those lockers that is between the parks.

[Lori D.]

6 hours ago, Slache said:

The kids can only take a certain amount of hours at the park and I think they will have a much better time if we go home for lunch, rest and then go back. I think if we go there first thing in the morning we're going to end up leaving at 3 in the afternoon. I would rather leave at noon, go back at 3 and stay until dinner.

It looks like your park hours and event times will be:

Sun:
Disneyland = 8am - 11pm
   Soundsational Parade = 3:30pm; repeats 6pm
   Fireworks + Laser Show = 9pm
CA Adventure = 8am - 10pm
   (magic morning extra hour = 7am - 8am)
   Frozen broadway show = 12pm; 3pm; 5pm -- the earlier you go, the less crowded; arrive at least 45 min. before show time
   World of Color = 10pm

Mon:
Disneyland = 9am - 9pm
   Soundsational Parade = 6pm
   Laser Show only = 7pm; repeats 8:30pm
CA Adventure = 9am - 8pm
   (magic morning extra hour = 8am - 9am)
   Frozen broadway show = 12pm; 3pm; 5pm -- the earlier you go, the less crowded; arrive at least 45 min. before show time
   World of Color = 8:15pm

Tues:
Disneyland = 9am - 9pm
   (magic morning extra hour = 8am - 9am)
   Soundsational Parade = 6pm
   Laser Show only = 7pm; repeats 8:30pm
CA Adventure = 9am - 8pm
    Frozen broadway show = 12pm; 3pm; 5pm -- the earlier you go, the less crowded; arrive at least 45 min. before show time
   World of Color = 8:15pm

Based on that, you can maximize your special events (included in your ticket price) this way:

Sun = Disneyland, open 8am-11pm
   arrive no later than 7am, park car, security, locker
   8am - 2pm = enjoy Disneyland
   2pm - 5pm = down time at the hotel; eat an early microwave dinner in your room 
   arrive back at Disneyland by 5pm to park and get back in for:
   6pm = Soundsation Parade
   9pm = Fireworks + Laser Show (find a good spot to watch by 8pm

Mon = CA Adventure open 9am - 8pm
   if you have the magic morning extra hour (8am - 9am), then arrive no later than 7am, park car, security, locker
   8am (or 7am) - 1pm = enjoy CA Adventure
   11:15 = line up for seating for first Frozen show
   12:00-12:45 = Frozen show
   1pm - 4pm = down time at the hotel
   4pm - 7pm = arrive back at CA Adventure for more fun; bring sandwiches for dinner to eat as you go
   (if you didn't make the earlier show of Frozen, try and get into the final 5pm show)
   7:15pm = go find a spot for watching World of Color (some rides around the lake start shutting down around this time)
   8:15 = World of Color

Tues = Disneyland, open 9am - 9pm
   if you have the magic morning extra hour (8am - 9am), then arrive no later than 7am, park car, security, locker
   9am (or 8am) - 2pm = enjoy Disneyland
   2pm - 5pm = down time at the hotel; eat an early microwave dinner in your room 
   5pm-9pm = arrive back at Disneyland 
   (if you want to see the parade again it is at 6pm -- or, use that time for less crowded rides)
   (only the Laser Show at 8:30pm, so either watch again -- or, use that time for less crowded rides)

If your ticket does NOT have "magic morning" option, then I would switch Mon and Tues and go to the park that does not have the magic morning option that day, to reduce some of the crowds. I would definitely do Disneyland on Sunday -- longest hours for the park where there is the most for kids the ages of your DC, and the only night of your 3 days that the fireworks will be happening.

NOTES:
- Disney parking DOES allow you to leave and come back, so if you have to drive to your hotel, you don't pay to park twice.

- Also: if you want souvenirs, you might shop on your way out at the end of the day, as the park shops stay open for 1 hour after the official close time (all the rides/attractions are closed).

- And finally, since you'll be taking time to rest each day, if your kids just want to keep going back to Disneyland all 3 days, go for it! There is not nearly the amount of things geared for them at CA Adventure at these younger ages, so you can choose to maximize on what they CAN do the most of now, and save CA Adventure for a future trip when they will have "grown in to it". Just a thought!

Have a SUPER time! (:D

Edited February 24, 2019 by Lori D.