Do you guys remember that song? It's been playing in my head all day.
As you can guess from the title, we are going to Disneyland in a few days. We've talked about it off and on for months and finally decided last week that instead of San Diego for the 3rd year in a row, we would head to the Happiest Place on Earth for a few days. Yes, we picked a horrible time to be going with it being Spring Break and Easter weekend, but it is also my birthday, so we are going and we are excited.
Andrew and I are not what you would call 'experts' when it comes to Disneyland. In fact, to show you how pathetic we are, I can count on one hand how many times Andrew and I have been to Disneyland in our entire lives combined. This will only be our second time going together as a family. The last time we went was December of 2005 when Mason was about 3 months old.
This is where all of you come in. I know there are many of you who have been to D-land more recently or go quite often, like once or twice a year. I know they have added new shows and rides like the Nemo submarine and the Jedi Training, Talk with Crush, etc. We want to make the most of our time there, so I need your help.
What are some must-sees?
What shows or rides are worth waiting in line for?
Anything dumb or a waste of time that we should avoid?
Any great eating places or food we definitely have to try?
What are some good attractions for little ones? Would Tanner (who is 18 months old) be big enough to ride anything like the Dumbo ride or A Bug's Life?
Best place to shop for souvenirs?
Anything good in Downtown Disney?
We have a couple of must-sees already planned. Of course the boys want to see the Jedi Training and Taylor wants to see the HSM Pep Rally show. We have reservations for a character breakfast and will definitely be stopping at the corn dog stand at least once or twice while we're there. The kids really liked getting autographs last time, so I think we'll try to do that again.
Any tips or ideas you have to make our trip better, please share - Thanks!!
14 comments:
for sure hit the new toy story ride in california adventure, it's so worth the wait. The kiddies will love it. And as food goes, you HAVE to have the corn dogs! They're life changing. MY family will be there this week too, they are dland experts so just tag along. I'm SO jealous! You'll have a blast!
Okay, some tips from me...
FAST PASSES - you can get them for just about all of the big rides. They give you a certain time to come back and go to the front of the line. But I just found out that you can use them anytime after your time slot, so pick them up for all of the rides you want, then go to the front whenever you want to!
They also now allow you to bring in your own food (YEA!!) so, if you are cheap like me, pack a lunch in a small cooler and forget about buying their expensive food (unless you want a corndog. Those are really good...)
If you are going multiple days, and have a park hopper pass - go back to your hotel (or where ever you are staying) and take a nap midday. Trust me... it helps.
Most of all - HAVE FUN!!! You'll love it!
We've only been once, but the character breakfast was wonderful, and have a GREAT time! We're jealous.
We have been Disney-Junkies for almost 5 years now (first LA and now Florida). 2 words to make your day easier... FAST PASS!
As soon as we enter the park, my husband runs to get fast passes for the best rides. We also usually hit the kiddie rides first, so that by time nap time comes, the big kids (and dad) can ride the big stuff. We don't ever wait in the "stand-by" lines anymore. You can get a fastpass for anything that's worthwhile.
Also, do you know about what they call "the Disney secret"? The Stroller Pass?
Have Andrew take three fast passes (for him and the two older kids) and go up to the Fast Pass line, then tell the worker that you need a "stroller pass" (which is for an adult that can't ride the ride because they are watching smaller children). What that pass does is allows you and two others to go through the Fast Pass line without a fast pass ticket (have I confused you yet). That way you and Andrew can take turns taking the kids on rides...sometimes it's hard being the Mom always just sitting on the curb with the little ones!
Hope that helps...have fun!
That sounds so fun. I think its funner as kids get older and understand it more. We all love Soaring over California at California Adventure. I think that is the best ride in the park, but not for small kids I guess.
Have a great time!
We miss being so close to Disnyland! There are quite a few rides in Fantasyland that have no height restrictions, and Bugs Land has a few also. I don't know how brave your kids are about rides, but mine will go on anything! Their fav's are Space MOuntain, Screamin', and of course all the new rides. We missed out on the Toy Story ride- we used our early morning pass to do Nemo instead.
We always stay at a hotel that offers breakfast for free, then take snacks for around 11ish, then eat in the park around 2. Dinner we always eat at one of the resturaunts across the street- IHOP has kids eat free with entree, Capn Kidds has the same thing. For lunch we have done corn dogs in california, they are really good- and HUGE! If we are in Disney we usually go into fantasy land where they have pizza with a salad- kids get pizza and adults eat the salad, and left over pizza too! Measure your kids before you go!!! Then you will not be upset when one of your kids is a half inch too short for all the rides- prepare yourself for that- it sucks! Ashlee has to wear taller shoes- I know it's a little dishonest- but sorry! My sister put a water bottle cap in her daughters shoe and covered it with a sock- it took her up almost 2 inches and she rode everything! We found a lot of fun rides on the Boardwalk in Claifornia- we just never went that far- quite a few with out height restrictions so I took Carly and Ashlee while Darrell and Lexi did the bigger rides the others weren't tall enough for.
Have fun guys!! The Wiser's are very jealous of you right now!
One more thing- the gift shops are really expensive- so we always plan ahead and order shirts and stuff from disney.com to take with us, then the kids get to choose a few things on our last day from the gift shop- for some reason they choose random things like cups- they are pretty decently priced, and piggy banks- I think my kids have a little of their dad's frugalness- they always look at the price before they ask for it!! I know I have strange kids!!
Fast passes are they key!! The Buzz Lightyear ride is the best!
The Fantasmic show at the end of the night is pretty cool, but Caleb got scared halfway through ... It gets pretty intense.
Billy Hill and the Hillbillies is pretty good too. At the very least its a good place to sit and rest for an hour if the lines are really long.
I second the vote for the Toy Story ride in California Adventure ... it's WAY better than the Buzz Lightyear ride.
The Alladan Show in California Adventure is pretty good too. About as close to "broadway" as you can get at Disneyland.
The River Run at Cal. Adv. is fun ... but plan on wearing a poncho, because you WILL get wet.
And Last but not least... PIRATES!! Over and over and over again! The best!
Oh ya! and a PINEAPPLE DOLE WHIP ... You get them by the Tiki Room ... SO GOOD!!
You should just call my mom. I swear she goes like once a month.
Oh ya, one more thing... The boys will have a BLAST with the Jedi Training. But there are only so many kids that get to go up, and its not like you can get there early to make sure you get to go up. The cast members just chose the kids at random. I saw some pretty upset little kids after they realized the weren't going to get to go up.
These are all great tips - thanks guys! I knew asking for help was a great idea. Hopefully we will have enough time to do everything!! I'm definitely getting a Dole Whip though and asking about that secret "Stroller Pass"
Keep the ideas coming!!!
It sounds like you have all the secrets. Just relax and have fun. Smart move to set up the breakfast. The characters come to you.
Make sure you go see Billy Hill and the Hillbillies. It's at the Golden Horeshoe. They are amazing.
We just went in February and I would say that Buzz Lightyear was my most favorite ride, but then Finding Nemo was great too.
The Fast Passes are WORTH IT. My kid liked the play area of Mickey Mouse land where his house is, and Donald Duck's house (boat) and Goofy etc. It is a nice break from rides, maybe when you take older kids on something, take younger ones to run and play.
Also, Star Tours was cool and that one goes super fast.
Just tell Andrew to call Jason- trust me, you'll need nothing more.
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