10 Day Countdown...toddler suggestions

[Bread&Butterflies]

I have never brought a toddler to Disney.
Looking forward to it. And have learned great tips from all of you.
I have an ERGO carrier on the way too!
My older son and I usually focused on certain aspects of the park @DL when we have gone in the past.(FAST, fun rides)
SO I am trying to shift my focus and learn more about the park for my little one.

I have a couple of questions to help me complete our plans.

We arrive on Wednesday Mar 19, and plan to do about 2 1/2 days there.
Staying at the Carousel. It will be me, my 21 year old son , his 18yr old GF and my almost 3 yr old toddler.

Wednesday afternoon/night is our start in the Parks.
I was thinking we could see some of DCA &the Electric Light Parade (A MUST) and get back somewhat early so we can do EE on a Thursday.

*What is in CA that a toddler would enjoy earlier that day before the ELP? (I do not know this park really at all, other than that awesome roller coaster, which I think I rode 8 times last time we went.lol Didn't see much else.)

*Also where is the BEST place to view the ELP so we see it at the start of the parade and the best route to take to get out of the park before it ends? Maybe to hit the fireworks at DL.(I think I remember some mentioning a back way around a ride to get out fast?I am not that familiar with DCA layout)

*Should I even try to squeeze the fireworks in that night? and Maybe Nemo? My 3yo would really love Nemo I think.

On EE we will hit up FL in the correct order.(another great tip) And the Older kids (21 & 18) will collect fast passes all morning.
We can take advantage of some child swap passes (great tips/never knew about these)so I can get on some rides that evening after toddler nap.

Friday we do a Character Breakfast at 10am in DL @ Plaza Inn.

*What are some MUST do things with a toddler @ DL as far as shows and attractions other than the ones in FL? I think she would like the Tiki Room. She loves animals, so the jungle Cruise would be fun. But what else is there that I cannot think of?

*I have never done ToonTown so not sure what to expect and how much time we need for it.

*Also, something I heard about and would LOVE to know the when and where.Alice and the Mad Hatter do some kind of musical chair thing in the park?

Any details from the experienced ones would be much appreciated.

 

[Monkey Monkey]

At DCA, the Monsters Inc. ride and all of A Bug's Land are great for toddlers. Be sure to expose your child to A Bug's Life before going.

My son could ride Heimlich's Chew Chew Train all day long!

We haven't gone on fireworks days yet, so I can't comment on that.

If your little one likes princesses, take her to the Princess Fantasy Faire! She can get her hair done like a princess and her face painted. Tip of the day - bring your OWN princess dress. Buying one there will run you $50+!

Make sure you make time for downtime. Even a ride around the park on the DL RR is a good, relaxing timekiller.

Have a great time!

 

[bumbershoot]

I have a 3 year old who loves the Chew Chew Train, too. Our record was 8 time *in a row* one day. The CMs are wonderful at that attraction about letting you go on again and again, assuming there's no line.

Unless your toddler is very brave, don't do It's Tough To Be A Bug, though. It's in bug's land so you think it's for little ones, but many parents of freaked out little kids say different.

Watch the Elec Parade back near Jumpin Jellyfish. It starts near there, so when it's done, walk briskly to Golden Dreams, turn left, left around Grizzly River Run, past Soarin', and out of the park.

My 3 year old, who has been to DLR 4 times, would flip out if we saw elec parade, fireworks, and then did Nemo. And I don't mean flip out in a good way, LOL. I'd try for Nemo on a day without Magic Morning, making sure that you are there well before the park opens. Try to be among the first to the ride.


As far as I've noticed, Alice and MH just roam around, being silly in whatever way comes to mind. I've never seen a musical chairs sort of thing.


You don't have to wait to use child swap stuff, you can use them during the day as you go, for those big rides. You can even use them in conjunction with the FPasses...

 

[Monkey Monkey]

Oh yeah - good point about It's Tough to be a Bug.

We haven't tried it yet because of all the horror stories I've heard! So I don't even think about it when we go.

 

[grizbuzz]

I've gone with active toddlers (sons) and have really relied on the Redwood Park area at CA for runaround time. When we arrive mid day, we usually start there, as the kids have been cooped up all day in car or in plane. Somewhat boring for the older kids, but really fun for my little ones and then they are more patient and ready for the inevitable lines for rides.

I'd agree that Tough to Be a Bug is a bit scary to the little ones. My now three year old took off his 3D glasses in the show as he was too scared, but right afterwards he wanted to do it again. Go figure.

My little ones love the Monsters ride. They also really liked the Aladdin show. We always mean to do the Playhouse Disney Live, but for some reason or another, it never works out (though we've done it at Hollywood Studios in WDW and they love it).

I'd save Nemo for an early morning entry - first ride of the day.

Have fun! It's so wonderful going to DL with the little ones. Less rides, more naps -- but oh the magic!!

 

[mommyof2boys1girl]

Try the Playhouse Disney show in DCA if your DD is a fan of Mickey Mouse clubhouse, Little Einsteins, etc...that is a MUST for my 3 yr old on his list! The Little Einsteins are his heroes!!

 

[Yakety76]

*What is in CA that a toddler would enjoy earlier that day before the ELP? (I do not know this park really at all, other than that awesome roller coaster, which I think I rode 8 times last time we went.lol Didn't see much else.)

[:

I wanted to share a tip that I learned from this board before our trip. My husband took our two little ones to ride King Triton's Carousel while I rode California Screamin'. This worked out perfect for us. They just stayed on the carousel until I was finished. Of course we did this when the stand-by line for California Screamin' was only 5 minutes.

 

[Monkey Monkey]

Another tip I have, which is really not my best parenting tip , is to let your toddler watch several Disney movies before the trip.

It is so fun to watch DS get excited when he sees a character that he "knows". It makes the whole experience even more magical for both of us I think.

And it also makes it easier to get him to get back in his stroller! When we get off a ride and I try to put him back in, he usually freaks out, so lately I've been telling him "You need to sit in your stroller so we can go on the Buzz ride" or Monsters, or to go meet Mickey in his house. This has been working like a charm because he can look forward to seeing those characters that he likes.

And if you're at DCA and want to go on the Sun Wheel, go on the non-spinning gondolas. Trust me.

 

[mommy2kande]

Watching Disney movies before hand is a great tip!

We did DL in September with a 4 year old and an almost 2 year old. My best advice is to not have TOO much planned. They can easily get overwhelmed, so I tried to let my kids play it by ear.

Pirates Lair and Tarzan's tree (not sure of the exact name) are super fun places for kids to just get out some energy. Also, Toon Town is awesome for little ones, because it is so silly and fun.

I am sure you will have a blast! We are headed back to DL next month and my kids are pumped!

 

[bumbershoot]

I wanted to share a tip that I learned from this board before our trip. My husband took our two little ones to ride King Triton's Carousel while I rode California Screamin'. This worked out perfect for us. They just stayed on the carousel until I was finished. Of course we did this when the stand-by line for California Screamin' was only 5 minutes.

To piggy back on this one, try the Single Rider line at Screamin'! Go to the CM at the line, ask for a Single Rider pass. They'll give you a slip of paper and tell you where to go, and it can make things SO fast. When I did this in January, the line was the wheelchair accessible gate, then I stood behind ONE person, waited perhaps a minute. The CM was signaling the person in front of me to get in, and she told me to go b/c she was waiting for someone (thereby defying the single rider concept, but I digress). So with about a half hour standby line, I was on inside of approximately TWO minutes. (no time to chicken out!!!!)

 

[Bread&Butterflies]

You guys are getting me SO excited. I just bought our tickets online yesterday and got the 5 day park hopper for the price of a 3 day, so we can get in some last minute time on Saturday Morning before we head home, when I had planned Friday evening as our last day.

Woot! lots of great tips.Single rider line at Calif Screaming with a Carousel nearby, that will work for us , oh yeah, mama is gonna get some roller coaster time.

Yes I think some running around time after the drive there will be necessary(about 6-7hrs from SF Bay Area), thanks for that tip about the Redwood Area in DCA. Didn't know Little Einsteins were there in a show DD adores them.

My sister is sending over Monsters Inc, and a Disney plan your vacation DVD she says is great. I am borrowing Peter Pan from Grandma (dd's never seen it but says "Snow White too scary", so we won't be watching that one... lol) She LOVES Alice and recites the dialog... lol We won't need to brush up on that one. We have some Mickey& Minnie DVD's with the other's Goofy, Pluto etc on them , so she knows them. She know's Cinderella and Aladin characters too. I think she will be watching more tv in the next week than ever before... lol

We've also been watching videos of the rides on YOUTUBE, to get her prepared for the sounds and whatnot. I was laughing when she said the scary voice in the HM elevator was " a DUCK... it's being silly!"
I guess she won't be as terrified as my son when he went on when he was about 10yrs old.

Thanks again everyone...
oh! I found the Thread I was looking for about seeing the Electric Parade, Fireworks and Fantasmic! in one night... ha ha "The Trifecta" as it is called by Danger Mouse... My post count is too low to post a link so I will bump it for others.

 

[Bread&Butterflies]

And if you're at DCA and want to go on the Sun Wheel, go on the non-spinning gondolas. Trust me.

I wasn't sure what ride you were referring to, so I looked it up!
Ok that ride scares the heebie geebies out of me. I went on it last time with my cousin (and I am SO scared of ferris wheels, but was trying to be brave cause it looked so pretty at night) when we got to the top she was rocking it SO BAD I was crying and so upset at her. I will never, EVER go on that thing again.

 

[Leofoenget]

When I went solo with my JUST 3 year old, he did NOT want to stop. He LOVED everything. He was old enough to go on Matterhorn, Pirates, Splash. Don't underestimate the staying power of a 3 year old. There is a lot to do in DCA. The brother bear area is great it's tough to be a bug, Aladdin show.
He never pooped out and it took him awhile to drop off in the car he was so jazzed. I think he really remembered this trip. I brought with me a bunch of Uncrustable sands, Capri sun juice, apple slices. He did great

 

[Alex2kMommy]

Try the Playhouse Disney show in DCA if your DD is a fan of Mickey Mouse clubhouse, Little Einsteins, etc...that is a MUST for my 3 yr old on his list! The Little Einsteins are his heroes!!

Even if they're not fans of those shows, I recommend you go! We went on our first trip (boys were 6yo and 2yo), and they loved it!

ToonTown is a lot of fun for little ones. We easily spend a couple of hours there. My DS3 loves to walk through the houses (Mickey's, Minnie's, Goofy's, and Donald's boat, even Chip & Dale's treehouse.) He also loves Gadgets Go Coaster, the gas station, the post office, the jail... But he is not a fan of the electric company or the glass manufacturer.

 

[bumbershoot]

He also loves .... the gas station, the post office, the jail... But he is not a fan of the electric company or the glass manufacturer.

To the OP (and anyone new to ToonTown), don't forget to try to open doors, to pick up the phone (I still don't know what was said, but DS was enthralled for almost 2 minutes listening to whatever was on that phone!), to push buttons next to doors. Try to open boxes, too, and try to set off the TNT a few times.

Though the electric company is a bit freaky, I'll admit.

 

[DisneyLover4Ever!]

At DCA, the Monsters Inc. ride and all of A Bug's Land are great for toddlers. Be sure to expose your child to A Bug's Life before going.

My son could ride Heimlich's Chew Chew Train all day long!

We haven't gone on fireworks days yet, so I can't comment on that.

If your little one likes princesses, take her to the Princess Fantasy Faire! She can get her hair done like a princess and her face painted. Tip of the day - bring your OWN princess dress. Buying one there will run you $50+!

Make sure you make time for downtime. Even a ride around the park on the DL RR is a good, relaxing timekiller.

Have a great time!

I bet that your toddler would love everything in A Bug's Land there is also the Jumping Jellyfish, Princesses Fantasy Faire, If you want to take your child to see the fireworks (which is a GREAT show) have them take a nap before hand so they'll be able to stay up. There is Turtle Talk With Crush and it is great because they'll be able to actually ask questions and get answers from a real Disney character. STORYBOOK LAND is a must for a young child. (I don't want to ruin the experience if you haven't already been on it) but I'll tell you that it incoorporates a lot of Disney movies. There are probably a few more that I can't think of but I'm sure I'll figure 'em out.

~Hope This Helps

 

[bumbershoot]

DisneyLover4Ever, have you found the height measuring stick at JJ to be accurate? I've heard so many reports of it measuring children smaller than they are, or more importantly, than they are measured all around DL and DCA, that we didn't even go near the ride, even though DS was a bit over 40" (enough so to go on Star Tours). I didn't even want him to see it, just in case the reports of it being "off" turned out to be true, until he was well over 40".

 

[CrAzY4DL]

For the musical chairs thing, go to City Hall when you get to the park and ask where Alice will be during the day and if they don't tell you then that she will be doing musical chairs at such and such time ASK if there will be any musical chairs at any time. This was SUCH a highlight of our trip!!

PS-the link down below is for the trip report of me and my 3 year old and it was a truly amazing trip!! Lots of pics (especially of the musical chairs event!)

 

[MaiynaMouse]

My little ones (3 and 5 at the time) LOVED Flik's Fun Fair (the Bug's Life area). They wanted to go on the rides over and over and over again. The beauty of it was that the lines were short and they were HAPPY!

They also loved the Redwood Creek Challenge trail (across from Grizzly River). That was a great place for some down time before we walked up the path and into the hotel!