Best place for my toddlers first and last trip to DL

[tup1830]

Hello All,

Because of certain circumstances, we're going to make our first and probably last trip to Disneyland next march (i know its a busy time, but i'll take it over nothing).

This will be both a babymoon, toddlers first trip among other occasions all bundled into one 2 day trip to the land.

I've been to disney world a few times and my daughter just goes wild in Disney...how can i not take her to the original Disneyland?

Are there any suggestions to places that we should def eat? (table service, counter service, snacks)...mind you we're vegetarian so that kind of limits our eating options.

To all DL veterans, are there any must-do's? i want to make this trip as magical as possible for my little one, wife and little one-to-be

 

[starjazz]

Sounds like a great trip. Whatever you do, I hope you guys have the time of your lives!

So, you can do some amazing things. Obviously, the limiting factor is cash. But there's some pretty incredible restaurants both in the parks and in Downtown Disney. Our family prefers eating in the parks. Blue Bayou frequently pops up as a great meal both in food quality and atmosphere. In DCA, Carthay Circle is a popular spot, but for our family its a bit too high highfalutin. We like Flo's for the Carsland atmosphere.

Of course, you can always spend money on character meals, which I'd recommend if you'll never be back. Its a pretty great experience to watch the kiddos react to the characters. Just warn the toddlers that super big fuzzy smiley faces are coming their way, so they don't freak out! Toddlers can sometimes be frightened by them.

2 days, spend one in each park (mostly) and take time to enjoy your surroundings. With toddlers, you won't be hitting all of the rides (due to height restrictions) so do stuff like a train ride all the way around DL, ride the Monorail, see the shows, etc.

Best wishes.

 

[Sherry E]

Would you be going in early March or late March (or somewhere in between)?

If it happens to be open during your trip -- and we probably won't know if it will be open until early March -- I would visit the Springtime Roundup in Frontierland, at the Big Thunder Ranch location. The Springtime Roundup is the Spring version of what is otherwise known as the Halloween Carnival in Sept-Oct and the Jingle Jangle Jamboree in Nov-Dec. It was open as of March 28th this past Spring, and it was scheduled to stay open through Easter (which was April 20th), though I think that it actually stayed open a little bit longer than planned.

The Springtime Roundup -- if it returns in 2015 -- could, possibly, open slightly earlier, as Easter will take place earlier in April. At the Roundup were all of the famous Disney rabbits (Thumper, Brer Rabbit, Roger Rabbit, Rabbit, etc.), as well as the Easter Bunny (even before Easter). There were some Easter-related crafts and games. Mickey and Minnie and other characters were there in Spring-ish attire. There were all kinds of lovely flowers, and wreaths decorated with carrots and bunnies.

My favorite part of the Springtime Roundup was the fabulous display of "egg art" -- or eggs of all sizes painted and decorated as Disney characters (see the Olaf egg in my signature below). One of the egg artists also works on the amazing character pumpkins during Halloween Time.

Also, if it happens to be taking place during your trip (and it's hard to say if Disney will bring it back, but I hope so), there could, possibly, be an Easter egg hunt going on in one or both parks. The character eggs are large and easy to find (they are set up for the little ones to locate them, but it's fun for adults too!), and you get a little prize at the end of the hunt when you show your map (you buy a $5 map and apply stickers on it after you find each egg).

The egg hunt took place over 10-11 days or so earlier this year, and started about 10 days before Easter. If the same sort of set-up is taking place in 2015, then the hunt could start somewhere in the range of late March (maybe March 27-ish or so), if I were to guess, because Easter falls on 4/5/15.

 

[DSNY4ever]

Since it sounds like you have been (and will go again to WDW) try to focus on some of the stuff that we have that WDW doesn't.

In California Adventure:
-Make sure to take the time to explore Carsland and really enjoy all the details
- A Bug's Land is fabulous and pretty much everything there is a hit with toddlers (except for the 3-d show that sometimes scares kids, it's the same as the WDW version). Heimlich's Chew Chew train is my DS's favorite.
- The Aladdin Show is FABULOUS!! I am not sure how old your toddler is and if she is able to sit through lengthier shows, but this is a Broadway quality production in a beautiful theater (but it is about 40 mins with no exiting).
- The Redwood Creek trail area is a great place for toddlers to run around and let off some steam.
-The Monster's Inc ride is pretty cute.
- World of Color of course is great, read up on the WOC super thread for great tips.


In Disneyland: (a lot of stuff will be similar to WDW)
- Ride the Storybook land Canal boats, Casey Jr. Circus Train and Alice in Wonderland ride since they aren't in WDW. Small World is also a lot better in DL.
- The Nemo Submarine voyage is a fun one for toddlers.
- I think the fireworks in DL are always the best

We are also vegetarians. Be sure to try the Fried Green Tomato sandwich at the Hungry Bear Cafe in Critter Country. The hardest part will be your toddler because they seem to only offer Mac n cheese everywhere for a vegetarian child and Mac n cheese over and over is just gross! Plus my son isn't super into mac n cheese. Luckily in that aspect your trip is only 2 days Here is a good link to some vegetarian options- http://disneylandnews.com/2014/03/11/vegetarian-and-vegan-food-options-at-disneyland-resort-fact-sheet/

Have fun planning!

 

[DahliaRW]

I can't speak as to the vegetarian entrees, but the food at Carthay Circle, while pricey, was AMAZING! If you can swing the cost, I highly recommend it. If you make your reservation for around 4:45 and request the balcony outside you can watch the Pixar Play Parade at 5:15 while you eat (might be great distraction for a toddler). I do know they have pasta with marinara that is vegetarian for kids (which is at least a bit of a change from mac and cheese!). Your other option, at any restaurant, is to just ask for an extra plate and share your food with your toddler too.

I agree with the PP, focus on what isn't at WDW or what is better at DL (Space Mountain is one of those for sure). There is a thread here that is basically a DL guide for WDW vets, that will outline a lot of the differences too.

 

[SplashMo]

I like the French market for healthy food. They must have some vegie options. I really like Minies character breakfast. I make a reservation for 10:45 or so (Make sure to confirm this will leave enough time with the characters. Then rope drop a park and eat breakfast after that at Minnie's

I would get park hoppers to hop between the parks.

Not really Disney related (in the strict sense) . However Chefs meal at Napa Rose s very nice..

 

[kris14]

i second the fried green tomato sandwich at the hungry bear

 

[tup1830]

Thanks for all the great responses thus far.

I'm going on March 15-17...hoping that even though its spring break, we can beat a little bit of the crowd by doing weekdays.

Thanks all.

 

[TheChapman6]

Where are you staying? If onsite I would try to get there 40 minutes or so before the gates open for the magic morning/early entry. Try showing your daughter some the ride videos online ( I like the fresh baked series on youtube) then you can get a feel for what she seem to want to do.

Use rider switch and the mousewait app to juggle lines and get more done in a day. Bring snacks along with you, but enjoy some meals in the park too.