One Week to Disneyland, and counting!!! - Help with trip plan please

[azzeps]

We're going NEXT WEEK!!!! AHHHHH! I'm so excited!!!

If you have any tips for our visit, throw 'em at me!

Here's the plan so far.....

Thursday, June 12:
- 11:30 am - Arrive and drop off luggage at Disneyland Hotel
- 12:40 pm - Reservation for lunch at Ariel's Grotto (how much time will this take?)
- Spend the rest of the day at California Adventure, since we're already there to do the princess lunch at Ariel's Grotto

Friday, June 13:
- DCA has early morning...

Saturday, June 14:
- Disneyland has early morning... will probably head straight for Fantasyland and do the "Dumbo or Die" plan (from the Unofficial Guide to Disneyland book), as we have younger kids (6 and almost 3)

Sunday, June 15:
- Goofy's Kitchen breakfast before heading to the airport


Can you help me fill in this outline please? Generally speaking, we probably won't be headed for anything remotely scary or intense, because we have the 2 year old... so I'm thinking on our must see/do list is the following:
Disneyland:

Peter Pan
Carousel
Dumbo
Casey Jr. Train (DS LOVES trains)
Storybook boats
Autopia
Buzz Lightyear
Mickey's Toon Town to see Mickey and Minnie and their houses
Winnie the Pooh ride (and meet those characters)
Get mouse ears for DS with his name on them



California Adventure (I have never been here, so need suggestions for the "don't miss it" rides for littles):

Bugs Life area - which rides?
Carsland - Mater's ride, Luigi's tires, probably won't try to do RSR just because that will exclude DS, and may even be a bit too intense for DD? not sure
Toy Story ride
Disney Junior show
Ariel ride



Other questions:
I would like to see at least one parade while we are there... in either of the parks...

We have not purchased our tickets yet... planning on 3 day Park Hoppers... any tips for this? Buy in advance at our local Disney Store?

Is there an app for this?? ha ha!

What am I missing?

THANK YOU!!!

[SnuggleBuggles]

FYI- we went to DL when both kids were 5yo. They were afraid of Peter Pan (too dark), Buzz Lightyear (too intense- that I've surprised me) and Winnie the Pooh (I hated that one too!). So, you might want to research those if you're worried.

[♥ms.pacman♥]

I agree with Snuggles. Id skip Peter Pan and Buzz. Esp with only 3 day hoppers. We went last month and did Buzz but I think my kids were way too young to appreciate it or to shoot at anything by themselves and they got scared toward the end. We didn't do Peter Pan bc rhe line is LONGGG (like an hour) and this was a month ago when im sure it was less crowded.

We did Ariel's Grotto lunch and I would say it probably took 1.5 to 2 hrs total. First 20 mins or so we waited in line to see Ariel and take picsthen we were seated at our table and met the other princesses. It was a 3 course meal andwe didn't feel rushed. My DD absolutely loved it and it was so well worth it. We did spend the rest of th e day in DCA after that.

As for Disneyland I wouls highly recommend seeing the parade..both my kids absolutely loved it. My kids also liked both shows at the Royal Theater (Tangled and Beauty&Beast). We found that while the rides were fun, at this age there is only so much standing in line they can take esp after a few days so we really liked doing nonride stuff (character meals, parade, riding the train, royal theater etc) throughout our trip.

Oh and my 3yo DD really loved the Luigi tire ride! And I got a train lover too..if u ever eat at the Mexican place un Frontier land therr is a table that is right next to Big Thunder Mtn Rail road..my ds loved watching thw trains go by!

[lkoala]

I think Toon Town and Bugs Life are going to both be great for your DC. If you can split the kids up, you may want to take your DD to Peter Pan but I'd do that first thing in the morning.

The Monsters Inc ride in California Adventures is fun too and didn't have much of a line when we went. The ferris wheel is great but we preferred the ones that didn't swing and there is the zephyr and you could take them on the monorail.

[TwinFoxes]

I doubt RSR will be too intense, unless she doesn't like speed. It's not scary. Our whole family loved that ride, and my daughters are notorious wimps (afraid of the Pooh ride...the storm scene got them). If your kids can't or won't do it, you might consider single rider for you and or DH. It's really my favorite ride, other than Soarin'. Wait, you don't have Soarin' on your list! How tall is your 3 year old? The girls love that ride!

On your list...Bugs Life - all rides. Your kids are the perfect age. Oh, there's one with the centipede, I can't remember the name...that line seemed to take a long time, I'd skip it.
Carsland - try to be there at right at sundown. It's very romantic. :) If you've seen Cars, you'll get it. Are you going to do World of Color? You can FP it, and the FP is not attached to the other rides so you can get others. Also, there's a play area over near Grizzly Rapids, I can't remember what it's called. The girls liked it. And keep an eye out for characters, they have great costumes at DCA, Aviatrix Minnie is my favorite.

For DL, I think your list looks good. My kids are in that small subset that hated Pooh. They loved Peter Pan though. You need to add it's a small world, jungle cruise, and maybe Splash Mountain, depending on your kids. My girls loved it, although the picture at the end they are super tiny, we look like the worst parents for taking eensie kids on! DO NOT GO ON SNOW WHITE'S SCARY ADVENTURE. If your DS likes trains, you have to take the Disneyland Railway. DDs went on Pirates of the Caribbean, and liked it (go figure) although we had to really talk up the fact that it was all going to be pretend. Tom Sawyer's Island is fun too.

I'm jealous. :) I miss DL!

[Tenasparkl]

Also, there's a play area over near Grizzly Rapids, I can't remember what it's called. The girls liked it.

Redwood Creek Challenge Trail - my DD loves it. She's around the same age as your DD OP and she also loves the ferris wheel, Soarin', RSR (the beginning is a little scary for her but she loves it), the Mater ride and Goofy's Sky School. At this point I think she likes CA better than Disneyland.

The Aladdin show is supposed to be great, but we can never manage to time it right. Both of my kids love the Disney Jr. show.
The parades in both parks are great and a good chance to sit for a little while with a snack. Have fun! We'll be there on the 12th too : )

[YouAreTheFocus]

We are just back from our first trip! We were there Thursday night through Monday afternoon (3.5 days in the parks). I started to write a reply, which then morphed into a full blown trip report. I will post it separately and come back and update with a link. DH is reviewing it right now :)

ETA: Warning...it's a long one! http://windsorpeak.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?477413-Disneyland-Trip-Report-%28LOOONG!%29

[♥ms.pacman♥]

oh as for tickets, we got ours from aRes...there is a link to it from Mousesavers. the best deal we could find is buying 3 day park hopper tickets and getting 4day free..this is what we got. That does mean an extra night hotel though...so if you don't want to do that they had a deal where for 3 day hopper adult ticket you could buy it for the child price..it was similar savings.

and i just bumped my trip report in the Disney forum (we went about 4 weeks ago)..we did Ariel's and lots of Bugs Life rides, etc.

[YouAreTheFocus]

oh as for tickets, we got ours from aRes...there is a link to it from Mousesavers. the best deal we could find is buying 3 day park hopper tickets and getting 4day free..this is what we got. That does mean an extra night hotel though...so if you don't want to do that they had a deal where for 3 day hopper adult ticket you could buy it for the child price..it was similar savings.

and i just bumped my trip report in the Disney forum (we went about 4 weeks ago)..we did Ariel's and lots of Bugs Life rides, etc.

We got the same tickets from the same place. You print out a voucher and bring it to the front desk when you check in and they will give you the real park tickets.

[azzeps]

Thanks for all the advice! I'm studying your reports alongside my Unofficial guide and my wish list for things to do. I think you all are right about the approach for doing this with little kiddos - to see more shows, ride the train, monorail, etc. I do love the Peter Pan ride.... mostly because it takes me back to my own childhood visits to WDW. We went to DL when DD was barely 2.5, and I don't remember that she was terribly scared of Peter Pan, but we made the mistake of taking her on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, and that was a big mistake. I see the point about avoiding it because it will be a long wait. It sounds like we'll be able to fit in a lot more that won't involve as much waiting. And I'm all for reducing the waiting!

[SnuggleBuggles]

Peter Pan wasn't a total flop (he was more scared on other stuff). I'd try it. But do it ASAP. Our line was only 20-30min the first hour the park was open.

[twowhat?]

Disneyland:
Expect to not get a whole lot done with the extra magic hour unless you get there and are among the first to get into the park at rope drop...DL crowds are high on EMH days and we've been there on multiple EMH days and still hit a 40 min wait for Dumbo! A nice time to ride Dumbo is evening/night when the lines often drop to 20 min, if you think the 2yo will be able to nap at some point during the day and then stay out late.

Skip Buzz. My sensitive 5yos HATED it - it's very loud and intense even though it's not conventially "scary". Consider skipping Peter Pan if the lines are long - my girls love it now but the first time on the ride they were terrified of the dark and Captain Hook. However, it's milder for one of the dark rides and I'd consider jumping on it if the line is reasonable (that'll be the deciding factor!) Everything else on your list is good! Winnie the Pooh is quite loud at some parts, but not conventially scary and the colors are brighter/inside is lighter than the darkest of the dark rides. My girls love it. Do NOT go on Mr Toads or Roger Rabbit!!! We learned that the hard way! Yikes!

The storybook land canal boats are really nice and mild but YIKES the line moves VERY slowly. I would actually pass if the line isn't short.

Don't forget the teacups if they're open! This is another nice ride to do at night - the lanterns above are so pretty lit up.

I second watching the Parade - it is truly magical!!

California Adventure:
Crowds tend to be less here, so expect to get a LOT more out of your magic morning!! I recommend going to Toy Story first (everyone else will be running for RSR), and then after toy story hit the carousel (we rode the carousel 2 or 3 times because there was basically no line and DDs wanted to get on different sea creatures!), and then head back to get RSR fastpasses depending on the time. The fast pass line will have died down a LOT by about 30min-1 hr after park opening and you should only have to wait a few min - you'll probably get a late afternoon return time. Remember that the fastpass line doesn't open until REGULAR park opening.

Your 2yo won't be able to get on RSR due to the height limit but your older one will - just be warned that it can most definitely be scary for very sensitive kids - there is speed, and there is one dark part where a car comes at you that is scary. My kids didn't enjoy it, unfortunately. If you get fast passes, I would have one adult go with your older one, and then once done let the other adult go ride single rider while the first adult takes the kids to get a cold treat, that way you can all enjoy it cuz it's a COOL ride. Single rider line goes fast.

Monsters Inc is really great! And lines are typically short - I loved it too - it was a really well-done ride, and not TOO scary (again, one part where a car comes at you but it's very short-lived)

ANYTHING in Bug's Land will be awesome. My kids LOOOOVE Bugsland's mild rides. And most everything else in carsland is awesome too! My absolute favorite is the Mater ride - that is one freakin' cool engineered ride, and the kids love it too.

Toy Story isn't scary and would probably be enjoyed - you wear 3-D glasses and shoot things (like eggs).

The Ariel ride is one of the less-scary dark rides but my kids were scared of Ursula at first. After that initial hump, then they loved the ride.

And finally, just enjoy! These parks are totally do-able without a plan so be flexible and have fun!

[azzeps]

Thanks, good feedback. Will try not to be a drill sergeant around Disneyland. ;)

[SnuggleBuggles]

Thanks, good feedback. Will try not to be a drill sergeant around Disneyland. ;)

Compromise. I informed my family that I had a punch list and as soon as it was done, I'd mellow out and stop bossing them around. By 11am, they were free of (most of) my directing. :)

[lalasmama]

Thursday, June 12:
- 11:30 am - Arrive and drop off luggage at Disneyland Hotel
- 12:40 pm - Reservation for lunch at Ariel's Grotto (how much time will this take?)

Expect it to be about 1.5-2 hours, depending on how fast your kids eat. My DD got so distracted at character meals that we eventually stopped doing them! She'd be there for 2 hours, and eat one Mickey waffle. But other kids can do the "eat-n-greet" better than my DD, and, honestly, we'll pay the outrageous prices to take the grandbabies to character meals too ;)



- Spend the rest of the day at California Adventure, since we're already there to do the princess lunch at Ariel's Grotto


Your kids are at the perfect age for Bug's Land (everything here is basically for the under-10 set). Lines are typically short, less than a 15-minute wait. I'd also try to get into Cars Land to ride Mater and Luigi. Both very cute rides, and the theming of Cars Land tends to blow adults away :) Oh, and the evening Pixar Parade can.not.be.missed. OMG, I'm usually ho-hum about Pixar and about the parades, but this one was great! And it will have a lot of characters your kids are likely familiar with (Toy Story, Monsters Inc/Monsters U, Nemo, Cars, and other Pixar characters).



Friday, June 13:
- DCA has early morning...


I'd start at DCA and get done what you can in that first hour, then head over to Disneyland proper. Try to knock out Fantasy Land depending on what your kids will like. I'd also try to get to things like Haunted Mansion early on. The parks are mere steps from one-another, so it's not tough to hop back and forth. Since it's a Friday, and a Friday the 13th as well, lines are going to be longer than normal for Haunted Mansion the later you wait. (I'm willing to bet your kids are probably too young to really "understand" the ride, so they may not get spooked by it.) When it starts getting crowded, I'd start thinking about non-rides: namely, shows like It's Tough to Be a Bug, Pirate's Lair (Tom Sawyer Island), Jedi Training Academy, etc.


Saturday, June 14:
- Disneyland has early morning... will probably head straight for Fantasyland and do the "Dumbo or Die" plan (from the Unofficial Guide to Disneyland book), as we have younger kids (6 and almost 3)

I'm not a huge fan of touring plans, beyond a rough idea of where to go in what order (ie, knowing that everyone heads to Fantasy Land at rope drop, so lines will stack up quickly). If you do the D-o-D plan, I'd love to hear how it goes! Honestly, we tried to do a touring plan one time, and I missed so much enjoyment just letting things happen as we wanted them to. I'd make a point to hit favorite rides for a last goodbye!


Sunday, June 15:
- Goofy's Kitchen breakfast before heading to the airport


Can you help me fill in this outline please? Generally speaking, we probably won't be headed for anything remotely scary or intense, because we have the 2 year old... so I'm thinking on our must see/do list is the following:
Disneyland:

Peter Pan
Carousel
Dumbo
Casey Jr. Train (DS LOVES trains)
Storybook boats
Autopia
Buzz Lightyear
Mickey's Toon Town to see Mickey and Minnie and their houses
Winnie the Pooh ride (and meet those characters)
Get mouse ears for DS with his name on them



Explore all of Toon Town! :) BFF and I even had fun there as adults. (And yes, at 26 and 35, we even rode Gadget's Go-Coaster!).... Since DS loves trains, make sure you go for a few rounds on the Disneyland Railroad and the Monorail. And don't forget the happiest cruise in the world (It's a Small World After All!).


California Adventure (I have never been here, so need suggestions for the "don't miss it" rides for littles):

Bugs Life area - which rides?
Carsland - Mater's ride, Luigi's tires, probably won't try to do RSR just because that will exclude DS, and may even be a bit too intense for DD? not sure
Toy Story ride
Disney Junior show
Ariel ride


All of Bug's Land is going to be safe/good! Don't forget the carousel and other rides on Paradise Pier (Golden Zephyr, Jumping Jellyfish). I wouldn't necessarily recommend Goofy's Sky School unless your DD is a adrenaline junky already ;) I hate that ride so much, but my DD has no fear, so I'm dragged on it every day we are in the parks... and every time, I swear our car is going to go right over the edge! There's a cute Goofy Symphony at Paradise Pier a few times a day. Oh, and if the kids just need to run/climb, take them to the Redwood Challenge area. It's going to be a little tougher for your DS, but he'll love it just as much as DD does... (DH and I love it, and our DD could spend hours there.)


Other questions:
I would like to see at least one parade while we are there... in either of the parks...


I already touched on the Pixar Parade, which I enjoy much more than Mickey's Soundsational Parade. But, your kids will love *any* parade, I am sure! They also do Pixar Play Parades where the kids get to be a part of the production.


We have not purchased our tickets yet... planning on 3 day Park Hoppers... any tips for this? Buy in advance at our local Disney Store?


I'd look at your nearest Safeway/Vons to see if they have any at the old rates... Other places with good prices are aRes, velocity.com, orbitz.com, and way.com. All of these sites have been used happily and successfully by disboarders.



Is there an app for this?? ha ha!

Of course there is! There are many, but the most helpful ones are not by Disney, IMO. I have the Mousewait app (free, my favorite!), and Disneyland Wait Times (also free). Mousewait seems to be the most popular one. I like it's red/yellow/green system, and, since it's the most popular, it also has the most people using it, which means the most accurate wait times.


What am I missing?

THANK YOU!!!

Seriously silly thing to think about--where to eat! You've got 2 character meals. I'd suggest making sure to hit the corn dogs at some point (Red Wagon in DL on Main Street, or Corn Dog Castle in Paradise Pier in DCA). And don't forget the sweet treats! Dole Whips, churros, popcorn, Mickey ice cream sandwiches, frozen bananas, a million ice cream flavors! Yummy!

We also like heading over to DTD for the Build-A-Bear location. DD loves her BABs, and they have Disney-only ones that are cute.

Bring a stroller or two! Yes, I said 2. Your DD may be wanting a ride by the end of the night! (My DD was 8yo on her first trip, and begged to be carried back to the hotel.)

Forgot to mention World of Color and Fantasmic! Both are awesome, but could be a little scary. WOC has fire, and if you aren't close enough, you'll miss the best parts anyway, so either catch it on Thursday if its going, or just wait until they are older for it. Fantasmic! has Malificent in her dragon form fighting Mickey, so it's another one that can be quite intense. ( :bag I'll hand in my Disney-lovers card for admitting I just really don't care for F! anyway...)

Don't forget to go with the flow and just enjoy all DL/DCA have to offer! Have fun and take lots of pictures!

[Tondi G]

don't forget the Toy story midway mania and the carousel in DCA and then across the bay the Ariel under the sea ride. The Redwood Creek Challenge is always fun. Soarin over California is also great but not sure if your little one is too short.

I LOVE Peter Pan .... and we are always disappointed that the line is so long. If you want to, I highly recommend doing a "Child Swap" and ride Big Thunder Mountain ... they just re did the tracks.... it is SO smooth and the effects in the mine tunnel/climb that they put in are awesome! Both of my kids loved Pirates of the Caribbean even when they were really little. Over on that side there is also the Jungle cruise and the Tarzan's treehouse to walk though. Don't forget Toontown as well and then of course It's a small world is right over there. Oh and don't forget the Autopia ... my boys always loved "driving".

[azzeps]

Since DS is too short for almost everything, at 36", we will probably be skipping a lot... but if DD is interested in Big Thunder, well, that's my favorite, so maybe we'll do it.

[Nooknookmom]

I really wouldn't "plan" too much. It's Disneyland and supposed to be fun and stress free right? Just grab a map and enjoy!

Fast passes are there for a reason and let the kids have fun and explore the whole place :)

What stinks is when the ride you desperately want to go on is down! Thats annoying.