We just got back from our first trip to Disneyland as a
family. My husband and I were there 5
years ago, but it is a way different experience with kids. We took our two girls, ages 5 and almost 4
years old. The trip was wonderful and went very smoothly. We went in February during their
"off" season, so it was less crowded. We also chose Disneyland because it was much
cheaper then Disneyworld, and it is a smaller park so much more manageable with
small children. I have compiled a list
of tips and tricks for first time travelers to Disneyland. Hope these help.
1. Stay at a neighborhood hotel. We stayed at the Best Western ParkPlace Inn & Mini Suites directly across the street from the main entrance. It was less than a 5minute walk to the park entrance,
was much cheaper than "on-campus" hotels, included a decent hot
breakfast buffet daily, and was quite clean.
2. Bring water bottles. Water is super expensive in the
parks, but if you bring in your own water bottles it is free! Just fill up at a drinking fountain and if
you want super cold water like I do, just ask any concession stand for a cup of
ice. I filled up the water bottles at
the hotel breakfast before we went to the parks every morning.
3. Buy glow sticks, bracelets, necklaces,
etc at dollar store before the trip. Rather
than buying the overprices flashy stuff from the vendors on Main Street, bring
in your own glow sticks. I stocked up at
the dollar store. They had bracelets,
necklaces, and fairy wands. I was even
asked by a few people where we got our glow sticks! Saves a ton of money. I spent a total of $10 on glow sticks that
lasted us 3 nights for the parades and World of Color.
4. Buy all your Disney apparel at Wal-Mart
or JC Penny. Wal-Mart has the
cutest Disney clothes online and in the store.
Since I get anxiety from shopping at Wal-Mart sometimes, I decided to do
all of my ordering online. T-Shirts were
between $5-$7, and outfits were between $12-$15. Again, I was complimented on
the adorable clothes my 2 girls wore all week!
JC Penny also had super cute Disney apparel, but we got all of ours from
Wal-Mart.
5. Buy a box of Uncrustables from Costco. Since breakfast was included in our
hotel stay, we took full advantage of stuffing our faces so my husband and I
could skip lunch. I packed a lunch for
the girls everyday in brown paper bags I brought with. I packed an Uncrustable, a squeeze tube
yogurt, fruit snacks, veggie straws, and a granola bar. They snacked on their lunch all afternoon
while in the stroller and in lines. I
packed a few extra granola bars for my husband and I as well as bananas and
apples from the breakfast buffet.
6. Bring your own snacks, brown bags, and Ziploc
bags. I stocked up at Costco on
Veggie Straws, Granola bars, fruit snacks, and yogurt tubes before we
left. I actually brought an extra
suitcase and filled it with all our food, brown bags, and Ziploc bags. The Best Western has a fridge and microwave
in all the rooms. I packed a brown paper
bag each morning and brought a few extra empty bags to breakfast and stocked up
on bananas, oranges, and apples.
7. Rent a stroller from City Stroller. For $65 for the week, we got a City
GT Double. They deliver it to the hotel
and it is ready when you arrive, and you leave it at the hotel when you check
out. Well worth the money and much
easier then traveling with our double. http://www.citystrollerrentals.com/Disneyland-Stroller-Rentals.html
8. Wear comfortable shoes. I know this goes without saying, but I
thought I would make sure to mention it. The first day we got there was in the
afternoon. We weren't going to the parks
until the next morning so we walked around Downtown Disney for that afternoon
and then had dinner there as well. I
wore my Sperry's and thought they would be comfortable enough, but let me tell
you how much my feet were hurting by the end of that day, and we barely walked
that much. The next 3 days, I switched
to my lightweight gym shoes and was WAY more comfortable the rest of the
trip. We walked on average 7-9miles a
day!
9. Dress in layers. We went in February and it is still
cool there in the morning and evenings.
We made sure to bring a light sweater as well as a fleece for the
parades and shows at night.
10. Download apps. We used MouseWait and DL Maps. Those we found most helpful. They have wait times as well as maps,
restaurant locations, bathroom locations, etc.
11. At Disneyland park, do not bother
waiting in line for Anna and Elsa right when park opens. Wait in line anywhere between 1-4pm. The line will still be anywhere between 50-60
minutes. We, I mean my dear husband,
waiting in line from 10am until 12:40pm!
The Frozen characters don't get there until 11am due to scheduling
conflicts with the restaurant next door.
We saw many people in line from as early as 9am. So we got nervous and sent my husband in line
at 10am and we didn't get to see them until 12:30pm. 2 1/2 hours of waiting in line! Later that day and the rest of the week, we
kept checking MouseWait and the average wait time was between 52-62
minutes. So go a little later and have
the hubs wait for you while you take the kids on Dumbo, teacups, and Alice and
Wonderland.
12. At Disneyland, go to Peter Pan right
away. Preferably during your
Magic Morning hour. That line gets long
and almost never dies down and is worth the wait. We got there first thing for our Magic
Morning hour and waited about 20 minutes to ride.
13. Go to one of the first two shows of
Tangled in the Royal Theater. Rapunzel
only does a meet and greet after the first two shows. We went to the third show and had to come
back at 3:30pm near the theater to meet her.
If you just want to do that, make sure to get in line around 3ish.
14. Splurge on Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique
package. This is one of the
cutest things we did for our girls. It
is a salon in Disneyland Park in Fantasyland.
The girls are treated to a makeover complete with a hairstyle they pick,
makeup, and nails. There are a few
different package options you can pick from, the one we got was $60 for the
hair, nails, and makeup. They are
treated like a princess, addressed as a princess, and treated like royalty. Make sure to being your own crystal tiara
from home because theirs are pretty pricey and pack a princess dress to put
them in during the makeover. They also
have a package for a boy for a Knight make over. We saw one of them and it was pretty
adorable. Well worth the money. Get an appointment early in the day so you
can enjoy their hairstyle all day. Go
immediately to a photographer in front of the castle and take pictures of them.
15. Get
a Photo Pass Plus before you go. Probably
one of the best $69 we spent. Buy the
pass a head of time here https://mydisneyphotopass.disney.go.com/ For $69 you get unlimited images uploaded to
your account. This also includes all the
images on a disk with full printing rights!
Absolutely worth the money, because photos are how memories are
remembered. Don't wait until you get to the park because the price goes up to $99 https://disneyland.disney.go.com/guest-services/photo-pass-service/
16. Do a Mickey Breakfast at PCH Grill in
Paradise Pier and a princess lunch at
Ariel's Grotto. We did both
these character dining experiences and thought they were great. the Princess Lunch was a little fast and
overwhelming. The princesses come out
right when you sit, come to your table for 30 seconds and leave. They do this one after the other. So you are done with pictures and meet and
greet within the first 10 minutes of sitting down. Then it is just a normal meal because they
characters leave. PCH Grill was way
cooler and the characters stayed longer and Mickey had a dance every 15 minutes
in the front of the room for all the kids.
It was super cute and a little more entertaining.
17. Get a Dole Whip Ice Cream outside the
Tikki Room. This pineapple ice
cream is FANTASTIC!
18. See World of Color in California
Adventure and make sure to get a Fastpass for it. The World of Color Fastpass does not
count against the other Fastpasses, so you can get this one in conjunction with
another Fastpass. We got the early show,
which is what I wanted because we have young kids. The Fastpass basically gets you into the roped
standing room only areas. This show is
amazing and is a must. We stood on the bridge,
which is where one of the cast members said was one of the best views for blue
seating. If you get red seating, get
there at least 30-45 minutes early to get right in front. They let in red first, then white, then blue
Fastpasses.
19. Get a Fastpass for Radiator Springs
Racers. Right when we got to
California Adventure Park, my husband went immediately to get a Radiator
Springs Fast pass. While he was in line
he learned that since our Fastpass would be late in the day (around 1:30pm), we
were allowed to get other Fastpasses at the same time. As soon as he learned this, I took the girls
into Disney Jr. Live show while he ran around the park collecting Fastpasses
for Soarin' Over California, World of Color, and Goofy's Sky School. Again, he was a saint for doing this and then
we were able to relax and enjoy our time on other rides and shows.
20. Go to City Hall on Main Street and get
buttons. My girls got 1st Time
Visitors buttons and got lots of special attention because of them. My husband and I celebrated our anniversary
while we were there and we got buttons for that as well. They also have birthday buttons.
Hope these tips and trick can help you with planning your
Disneyland trip. Hope you have a magical
trip!
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