º•º YEAH...New Member! º•º

connie826

Earning My Ears
Joined
Jul 5, 2005
Hi All!

I am new to this board...just saying Hello!

I am going to get to Disneyland Next Week. I am only going for one day and bringing my 5 year old princess for her first time. I am excited to go back. I used to live there (HB) and had annual passes a few times.

I have a few Questions:

:earsboy: We are staying at the Ayers Inn - Orange. Looks Nice. Has anyone stayed there before? How is the shuttle to Disneyland?

:earsboy: Never been with a child before. I am sure there are many suggestions! I am up for all of them!

:earsboy: Can you still get the Apple Fritters in Frontierland?

:earsboy: Is it REALLY less crowded now on a Wednesday?

Thanks!!! :wave2:
 
Welcome to the Disboards............


I don't do DL, I only do WDW. Maybe someone else can help you.
 
Ayres Inn gets good reviews on Trip advisor and rates second best in Orange - http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Re...Suites_by_Ayres_Orange-Orange_California.html

- We went with a 5YO and she loved everything about the DL. Get to tghe park before opening, then go straight to Fabntasyland when you arrive. There's always a big queue for Peter pan and Dumbo so do these two first.

You'll find others like Snow White and Pinocchio are never that busy so leave these until later. Small World was another huge hit, as was Pooh and Gadget Coaster.

My daughter is very easily frightened but loved Haunted Mansion and Pirates, so don't be afraid to go on these. She was desperate to do Splash, but found it too scary when she did do it. However she loved Grizzly River Run in DCA and California Soarin.

Most of the Bug's life rides in DCA are very dull and not worth it even for small kids.

Wednesday was certianly the least crowded day we were there - but come summer holidays and the 50th anniversray I suspect this will be relative - it will probably be crowded, but less so than other days.
 
Well, I don't travel during the summer, but I'm going to venture a guess that it's going to be busy during the week right now because of summer vacation. Not as busy on the weekend, but I feel confident in saying take advantage of the FP system. If you had more time, I'd say hang out and read posts, but since you're short on time, I'll bestir my lazy hide to offer advice. Of course, the only thing I actually know about is traveling with a 5 yo princess.

Make sure that you have a flexible plan. It's going to be tiring for her, and nothing will make you more miserable than trying to haul her around if she's tired. Have an itinerary of some sort, even if it's just a list of the "must-do" rides. Without an itinerary, we found ourselves wandering from land to land in a very scattered way. Figure out whether she's going to want to stand in line for autographs or to meet characters. I like to plan at least one character meal during a trip, so that I can cheat--my kids get to meet characters while I laze about. Don't be afraid to plan some pool time--I was amazed how important a pool is to my kids. DO touch the golden apple at the entrance to Snow White's Scary Adventures, and listen. Look up at the window above the ride, and wait for a while if you don't see anything. (Someone's up there!) Make sure to do Fantasyland early, because the lines build up VERY quickly. ESPECIALLY Dumbo. Toontown is a great place for her to run around if you're tired and want to rest--let her explore Donald's boat, or jump in Goofy's bounce house. It's probably the last year that she'll be short enough to go in Goofy's bounce house, too. Toontown is a great place to get video, too--I love the video I got of my kids pretending to be electrocuted when they tried to open the Electric Company doors. Hey, she should be big enough to drive on Autopia. She'll probably be too short to go on Indiana Jones. She'll most likely be tall enough for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

In DCA, there's a water area, so if you go, have a contingency plan! My kids get soaked to the skin, and there's nothing worse than sloshing through the park in wet sneakers. Do It's Tough to Be a Bug before you let her go through the water, or she'll freeze to death. Definitely do the tortilla factory tour--she may not care about the whole thing, but parts will be interesting, and fresh, warm tortillas are YUMMY. She should be big enough to go on Grizzly River Rapids and Mulholland Madness, but not Orange Stinger. She'll be big enough for Tower of Terror, but definitely use parental discretion for that one!
 


Hi I am also a WDW expert, but for the past 3 months I have been on this board planning our trip for July. The one thing I can tell you is that with a 5 year old princess: you are sure to have a GREAT time! Go to the nearest bookstore ASAP and buy Birnbaums Official Guide to Disneyland. READ IT!! And then go over the ride sections with your princess and have a PLAN! The park has been VERY crowded lately. Arrive EARLY and get right to Fantasyland, this is sure to be her FAVORITE spot! Mickey's Toontown should also be a big hit, but again HAVE a PLAN!! Another suggestion is to do a Character meal if possible.The Plaza Inn has a Character Breakfast until 11am.If you do Fantasyland until 10:30 or so this could be a Brunch for you.Hope this helps a little! One word of CAUTION,if she is afraid of the dark read up on which rides in Fatasyland she may get SCARED on. Joan
 
Wow! Thanks for all the info.
I was wondering about height for th rides. She is on the smaller side of 5, but I dont know exacly. What are the restrictions for the more "intense" rides?
Also, I will be there on the 20th. Is that the 50 yr ann???
 
we'll be there next week as well. looks like it's going to be a busy time at dl. the 17th is the ann.

we're all looking forward to our trip as well. we're not spending much time there though. only 2 days.
 


I was wondering about height for th rides. She is on the smaller side of 5, but I dont know exacly. What are the restrictions for the more "intense" rides?

You'll probably want to check out her height, exactly, so that you can plan. I based my estimates on how tall my average then-5-year-old Sweetpea was last year.

Indiana Jones has a height requirement of 46", which Sweetpea missed by an inch. Star Tours is 40", which Sweetpea easily met. She also was able to ride Mulholland Madness, which has a 42" height requirement. Of course, each ride has its own measuring stick, manned by CM's whose opinions on height vary greatly. If you think your princess is close, she may or may not make it. You can also look at height requirements by going to disneyland.com and looking up the ride itself; the height requirement is listed in the information for the ride. Some more requirements are:

40": Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Splash Mountain, Soarin' Over California, Tower of Terror
42": Grizzly River Run
 

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