A little Disney Help Pls.

[myfairyprincess]

Hello all.
I am very new to this board and I am planning to go to DLR this next week , 7/7 and I am traveling with a little one, 2 yrs old. It is our first Disneyland family reunion trip and my daughters first trip to Disneyland. We are flying into SNA and it will be about a 1.5 hr flight. We are staying at GCH and will be there for 3 days.
My question for you is
1. Any suggestions for airline traveling with a lil one alone. Just me n her.
2. Any thing you know of that is age appropriate for two?
I have Playhouse Disney but I havent been to Disneyland that much, the fever just hit, and I want it to be a pleasant experience for her and I.
Any advice about flying, Long days at the park would be great I feel like I am going into this blind.
Thanks!

 

[Disneylvrforever]

Hello! Since you mentioned Playhouse Disney, I'll start there. There is a Playhouse Disney Live! Show in DCA that has Mickey Mouse Playhouse, Little Einsteins, My Friends Tigger & Pooh, & Handy Manny. DCA also has things for little ones like A Bug's Land, Mike & Sully to the Rescue (dark ride), Muppets 3D, King Triton's Carousel, etc.
As for DL, there's Fantasyland, the Winnie the Pooh ride, Jungle Cruise, Princess Fantasy Faire, Toontown, & Big Thunder Ranch. There are also lots of shows & parades you both can enjoy together in both parks. This is just my 2 cents. I suggest you take your time & enjoy yourselves. Have fun!

 

[Willow25]

I traveled a year ago with my 16 month old daughter from Australia whilst 6 months pregnant. Your 1.5 hour flight will go by fast the worst parts of the flights for us were always take off. It is such a strange new environment it took her some time to get used to it. I brought a lot of snacks, a lot of new toys (stickers, pipe cleaners, doodle pad, crayons). Also at some point she is going to cry and be unhappy. I counted on it so that when it happened I was not uncomfortable and was able to distract and comfort her until she calmed down. But really 1.5 hours will be quick. Good luck and have a lot of fun!!

 

[Cali_Sparrow]

At 2 she can enjoy pretty much everything in Fantasyland, and most of the stuff in ToonTown. I gotta warn you that Snow White's ride is pretty scary, and there's a part in Pinocchio's ride where Monstro the whale appears that scared me as a child. It just depends on how brave she is.

If she likes princesses, take her to the Princess Fantasy Faire near the entrance to ToonTown. Or if she likes the fairies, Tinkerbell has her own meet and greet area.

In California Adventure, she can go to the Bug's Land area, the Monster's Inc ride, and some of the smaller rides on the boardwalk.

I don't have kids, but I just spent a week with a 2 year old girl and if she didn't get her naps on time (even though we were traveling) she was VERY unhappy. So since you'll be staying on-site you should definitely return to the hotel for a nap at the usual time if you have one. It'll hopefully save you, and her, a lot of cranky moments!

 

[amym2]

Hi, I flew a lot with my kids when they were little and found that having them in a car seat on the plane made a big difference. Since they were used to being in one in the car, they understood that they had to stay in it on the plane. We were on a flight one time when the little one in front of us didn't have a car seat and discovered that he could look over the back of the seats. He was fascinated with my daughter and spent the whole flight leaned over the back of the seat, drooling on her. It was cute at first but then became very annoying! Moral of the story- car seat or not, explain to your daughter that she has to stay seated the whole flight. That shouldn't be too hard with a 1.5 hour flight. Also, make sure you bring a sippy cup (empty through security) and snacks. If you are comfortable giving your daughter lollipops, they are a great distraction and help the ears on take-off and landing. I wouldn't bother bringing too many toys, maybe something to color and a little Magna Doodle. The flight will go fast.

In terms of long days at the parks, stick with her nap schedule!!! We haven't done DLR yet (we'll be there next week, too!), but at WDW we always made sure we left the parks for lunch/naps/swimming in the afternoon. I was always the one who needed that nap most!

It sounds like WOC probably won't be worth the hassle and late night for you, and I know F! would have scared my kids when they were 2. I'd just plan lots of time in Fantasyland, meeting the characters, enjoying the Disney "magic." If you can do a character meal, that would be fun and your daughter would be free. I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time!

 

[QueenDoOver]

I will second the Lollipop idea. Even if you think you would never give your 2 year old a lolli, after 30 minutes of screaming on the airplane, you will change your mind Truly a lifesaver for you, if needed.

I am a big believer of the stroller with little ones that age. Bring a favorite blanket, and as bed time approaches, settle the little one in the stroller wrapped in the blanket. They will go to sleep, and you can then stroll, watch Fantasmic or Fireworks (my son always slept right through everything) go shopping, or just in general enjoy the ambience that it is hard to take in when you are in toddler mode.

I will also second the idea of taking it easy and following little one's lead. Don't worry about missing stuff, just enjoy the stuff you get to experience.

Have a wonderful trip.
Tracey

 

[sandgrace]

I agree with the lollipop idea, and also make a little bag of cheap new little toys and surprise her with them when you get on the plane. My daughter loved this and now I do it all of the time when we fly and she's 5 now! It's a Small World at that age is great ride, also The Jungle Cruise, carousel, really any ride in Fantasyland except Snow White if she gets scared easily.

Also, I recommend heading back to the hotel in the afternoon for a nap for the little one and you, we've done this with our child and it really helps us get recharged for the rest of the night at DL. Have fun!

 

[DisneyMomma81]

Yay for the 2 of you ~ you'll be there right after us *our last day is the 6th* Spend some here and you'll get the hang of things.

Have fun!

*My DD's 1st trip was when she was 2 ~ we all had a great time.

*You'll have other adults with you so take advantage of child swap so you can ride rides she's too little for.

 

[myfairyprincess]

Thank you for all your ideas and responses. I will definately be using the lollipop one.

 

[3TinksAndAnEeyore]

If your little one isn't the type to stick things in her mouth, little containers of playdough have worked really well for my two DDs while on an airplane. I like to get the plastic tube that contains about six small containers of different colors. They are compact, pack easily, can be used to make pretend food or different animals, and are easy to clean up. We use them when we go to restuarants, as well, and DH and I have fun coming up with different creations to make for our DDs.

I second Sandgrace's advice about the naps. We had one trip when our older DD was age 2 and then another trip when younger DD was age 18 months, and going back to the hotel for a nap and then hanging out at the pool between nap and dinner made for much happier children. We avoided the busiest time of day in the parks and went back for the cooler evening hours with refreshed kids and parents. This made it much easier to get up the next morning and avoid the crowds and we got several good hours in before leaving for lunch and naptime.

My DDs both really liked Jungle Cruise when they were younger. My older DD liked Pirates at age 2, but it scared my younger DD when she was 18 months. The DLRR and Monorail were both huge hits as was the Nemo ride. It's a Small World is a must do with a two year old! The carousel and Dumbo were rides we did over and over. And over. You might want to wait until you've done a lot of the "open air" rides before doing any of the inside "dark rides" like Snow White or Pinocchio. Winnie the Pooh is definitely a good dark ride with which to start.

If your DD likes the characters (some kids adore them, but they scare others), you might want to consider doing a character meal. DGC has a character meal at Storyteller's Cafe, but there are a lot of people who prefer the characters at Goofy's Diner (at DLH) or Minnie and Friend's Breakfast (in DL) over Storyteller's. If your DD is into princesses, you might want to consider doing a character meal at Ariel's Grotto. Just make sure you're booking a character meal at AG, not the World of Color meal since that one doesn't have any princess interaction.

Have a grand time!