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Email a FriendI’m sure that you will have a great time! We are fortunate to live very close to the Disney World Parks in Florida and visit them often. I have 5 young children seven years old and under and we love just going out to the parks for a couple of hours. We are big Disney Fans! I love the Parks, they are definitely a great time for families to reconnect and forget about all the stuff going on out there. Some suggestions that I would offer is definitely make use of the Fast Pass System for those popular rides- it really cuts down on your wait time and you get to ride two rides for the wait time of one. Also, we always try to do what the kids want to do because they usually know how to have the most fun in the parks. And when everyone starts to get tired and cranky we like to get some ice cream or popcorn and sit on a bench to take a break or stopping to catch a show or parade is fun too. I’ve never been out to Disneyland but we are hoping to plan a family vacation out that way when the kids are a little older. But no matter what Disney park you visit, it really is a happy place and a fun place to go with your family! Have a great time!
Disney DOs and DON’Ts
Posted by Lisa Hendey in Just me on Friday, November 14, 2008 11:00 AM
As you read this, my mom and I will be traveling five hours south of my home in Fresno to spend Saturday at Disneyland with my brother, his wife and my adorable nephews.
Even though I live within driving distance of the “happiest place on earth”, it’s been several years since I last visited Disneyland. We made a few trips to Disneyworld in Florida around in the late nineties and in 2000 for medical conferences, but haven’t been down to Anaheim in at least ten years.
On Saturday, we’ll be visiting the park with a cast of characters - Nana is 68 and gets around really well, but needs to go at a gentle pace. Justin is an exuberant fourth grader and little Patrick is a three year old. I remember when visiting the parks with my own boys that it works best if adults suspend all desires to have a plan and just go about trying to make this an enjoyable day for the children.
When my own boys were little, that often meant riding a certain attraction four times in a row if that’s what pleased them, even though Mom really wanted to head over to the latest roller coaster. I’ve seen to many families at amusement parks, standing in long lines and screaming at their children… what’s fun about that?!
In fact, the thing I most love about being in the Disney parks is the landscaping - I’m a sucker for a beautiful garden, and I’ve seen many of them in the Disney resorts. At this time of the year, even though we Catholics haven’t even begun to celebrate Advent, I expect Disneyland to be all dressed up for Christmas.
I’m hoping to make this a special day with my nephews, so I’ll be thrilled to do whatever they want to do on Saturday. But I’d love to get a few tips from those of you who have visited Disney parks lately - what do you do to maximize enjoyment, minimize expense and make the day fun rather than frustrating?
I’ll try to report back next week on our trip and hopefully share a photo or two. In the mean time, please do share your suggestions for making this a special family day!
Comments
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my SIL briefly lost one of her 10 kids there last year and discovered that if you go to a lost and found, you can get register your name and cell phone # and they give you bracelets for each of your kids to match up with that info. so, if anyone gets lost (hopefully not!) they can go to a lost and found, and the people there will call you!
Despite spending almost my entire life in CA, I have only been to Disneyland once. I had dreams of taking my children there one day (or to Disney world) but then I found out that I have a couple bulging discs and I can’t ride amusement park rides. Since my husband has zero interest in going to anything Disney, there wouldn’t be anyone able to go on the rides with my children, so I have sadly resigned myself to never going back. I have heard that there a lot of other things to do/see at Disney World, so maybe if we are ever in Florida we can still go there.
Go early and stay late! The electric parade and fireworks are not to be missed, and don’t try to watch from a distance so you can make a break for it when it’s over hoping to bypass the crowd. Watch from as close as you can get to the castle it is so worth it! Have a great time!
I recall as a child visiting Disney World in Orlando that we children could not get lost at Disneyworld, only parents could get lost and that we need not be afraid but only go to the nearest Disney employee for help in locating our lost parents.
My mother always pinned a list of all adult family members who were at Disneyworld and their room numbers into the waistband of each of our outfits just in case we needed it. Today’s equivalent would be the names and cell phone numbers.
I like the idea of wrist bands.
Hi Lisa,
I grew up in So Cal and have great memories there as a kid. Now that I have two kids of my own (first grader and a toddler), I enjoy it even more! Although we live in the Monterey Bay now, we still get to DL a few times a year when we visit my family. (In fact, we just returned a couple weeks ago.) Here are tips that helped me:
1. Get to the gate early. Assuming you have already bought your tickets, plan to be in line 45 minutes before the park officially opens. The gates will open ½ an hour early and you’ll be allowed to browse Main Street. Then when the ropes drop and the park is open, you can make a run for it.
2. If you have a large crowd, assign some as runners to grab fast passes for the big ticket rides or let the bigger kids go straight to their top rides. Take the youngsters to Fantasy Land and do Peter Pan or Dumbo first since those lines are the longest. (Or Nemo if they are too old for Dumbo.) The main thing is to get to your big stuff done first b/c the lines will get crazy as the day goes by. After a couple hours when the kids need to wind down and grandma needs a rest you can stroll or find a shady spot and enjoy the sites or some shows. You don’t want to be a slave to a schedule but if you only have one day you have to figure out what is a must and plan a little so you can get it in.
3. Speaking of shows, check the schedule and time your rides/walking around so you’ll be in the area when you need to. My mom can’t miss Billy and the Hillbillies singing so we always go there around lunch. Sometimes we take our own snacks to eat. Other times we splurge and get lunch there. (This too fills up fast so grab a seat at least 20 minutes before the show.)
4. If you plan to watch the parade, schedule an ice cream break an hour beforehand. Have some of your group save spots for the parade while the others get the goodies. Enjoy while you are waiting.
5. Things to bring: water bottles that you can refill at the park. Snacks. Sunscreen/ hat/ glasses. A windbreaker/ sweatshirt for the cool evening. A blanket for the parade. A cheap umbrella stroller. (Beats standing in line for one and you’ll be glad you did at the end of the day when your little ones won’t walk a step more, especially if you have to walk back to a hotel. I tied a colorful ribbon on mine with our name so it would be easier to spot when you park it.)
6. Take lots of pics!
Of course there are tons more things I should say but I have to stop here. If you have specific questions, I recommend the discussion board for Disneyland trips at http://mb.laughingplace.com/MsgBoard-S-20.asp. You’ll find posts covering just about everything. Have a great trip!
One thing I never knew in my many visits to Disneyland (I’ve lived in SC all my life) until recently was the bargain that eating at the Blue Bayou Restaurant is. It’s the restaurant which can be seen while riding the Pirates of the Caribbean. It’s a great sit down restaurant that is very nearly the same price as all the other kiosk style eateries; however, you get free drink and bread refills. Given the cost of a soda or iced tea is over $3, this place is a real bargain. Though it looks quiet and high end, we ate there when our children ranged in age from 18 mos. to 11 years and we fit right in. Have fun!
I recommend a book called The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland. They give you all kinds of tips including ratings of the attractions and restaurants,which days of the year have the biggest/smallest crowds, and which rides to hit at what times of day to avoid long lines. This book is updated frequently as new attractions are added. It is definitely worth the price.
It is so easy to lose a child at DisneyWorld. We wrote my cell phone number in pen on each kid’s arm.
Each kid had their own fanny pack (except for the youngest) They had snacks, disposable camera,trading pins and water. No meltdowns while waiting for rides.
One of my kids favorite things to do was pin trading. Each employee of Disney has a lanyard with different pins. They are expected to trade with visitors. Don’t buy the pins in the park. They cost anywhere from 5-8 dollars. On e-bay you can buy them for 1.25 a piece. You don’t care which ones they send you because you’ll be trading them later on.
Finally just enjoy the park. We went in with a laid back attitude and decided we did NOT need to see everything. We enjoyed what we saw and what we couldn’t get to was o.k. That attitude took a lot of pressure off the trip.
We do everything wrong in my family. I don’t dig crowds or slow walking people, so I like to get there, do a couple of rides, and leave. I don’t expect to see everything or experience everything. Actually, my favorite thing to do at DL or DW is to people watch. So I’m happy just watching the stuff while my husband and kids do the rides.
Now we always go in the fall or winter to avoid the lines. We are on our 2nd set of kids and did it all wrong (only staying 1 day - going in summer - waiting in line - yelling at everyone due to heat overload) with the 1st set. Live and learn. Our recommendations: Stay at least 3 days for the cheaper tickets and to have time to see it all at both parks, Stroller, ID’s on the kids w/cell phone #s, harnesses for the little guys to be able to stretch w/o taking off on us, and getting a sitter from Disney’s referral service for an evening out for the adults while the kids stay at the hotel and have fun.
Was hoping to hear more about your visit to the Mouse House, but can’t seem to find a follow-up post :(
And when everyone starts to get tired and cranky we like to get some ice cream or popcorn and sit on a bench to take a break or stopping to catch a show or parade is fun too. I’ve never been out to Disneyland but we are hoping to plan a family vacation out that way when the kids are a little older.
My daughter just turned one. I can’t wait until she is old enough to go to Disney Land.
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