Originally Posted by
ebjw
I haven't a clue about Disneyland, I was a Disney World kid growing up! We haven't made it there yet with the kids, but we are going to California in December so I figured it'll be worth it to spend a couple days there for the kids first Disney experience.
They will be 4, 2 1/2, and 5 months. They are super into Mickey/Minnie & crew and all the princesses of course! We will have Grandparents with us.
Where do we stay? (We have Starwood points- so how are these options- Sheraton Anehiem Hotel- looks old (castle?), shuttle to parks / Sheraton Park Hotel at the Anehiem Resort- looks nicer than other Sheraton?)
Where do we go? Is there just 2 parks- Disneyland and California Adventure? And what is best for toddlers/preschoolers at each?
Hi, my name is Mimi, and I'm in need of a Disneyland Addict group I'm sad that I don't get to go this December so here's my two cents... make that 10 cents. Or maybe my 50 cents. Yeah, it's going to be 50 cents worth of my opinion! LOL
First and foremost, I always recommend www.disboards.com . In the DLR section of the site, they have a "DLR for WDW vets" which is a huge help!
There are some differences to remember with DLR that are different from WDW. First off, DLR is more locals-based. In other words, people live nearby, and drop in randomly for a few hours, which means weekends, school holidays, and after-work hours are the busy times. And while there are two parks, they are VERY close to each other--seriously, when you are in line at the entrance for one, you could turn around and clearly see the entry lines for the other. Also, since it's just the two parks, and placed, esentially, in the middle of a city, staying "off-site" (against reccomendations at WDW I've been told) is the way to go at DLR.
First, as far as the hotel goes, you want one close to the parks, because at your kiddos ages, I'm sure you'll want to do afternoon breaks. My family never does afternoon breaks, but my DD was also 8 for our first DLR trip I think there's a Sheraton pretty close by.
As far as what to do, well.... ooohh my, there's a lot! While WDW is more spread out, Walt packed his Disneyland!
I think I would head for DL Fantasy Land first... The rides there will be all great for the little ones. They can be dark, but, in the case of my scared-of-the-dark kiddo, she was so enthralled with everything that she never noticed the "dark" of the ride--she was just too busy looking at everything. That's also where Dumbo is, and we can't skip Dumbo now, can we? LOL Other fun areas are the Jungle Cruise, Tom Sawyer Island, Pixie Hallow (Hollow? I don't know), Winnie the Pooh, and Tarzan's Treehouse. Oh, and don't miss Buzz Lightyear's Astroblasters!
For DCA, they will LOVE the Bugs area. Everything is meant specifically for preschool aged kids. Also fun is Ariel and Toy Story Midway Mania. Personally, I'd stay away from Cars Land, but that's only because I imagine it will still be packed with long waits.
--Mimi
Mom to Lala (2004), Bonus Mom to Big Sis 1 (1991) and Big Sis 2 (1992)
Grammy to Big Kindy Kid (2011), Big Pre-K Kid (2012),
Grandbaby Appendage (2014), and New Baby Grandboy (summer 2017)