DCA: a full day w/ 3 young children?

[PineapplePrincessCA]

I just read in another thread that there might not be enough to do at DCA to fill up an entire day. We were planning on spending a full day here and then DL the next day.

My kids are 3, 4, and 5 years old.

I was thinking...

Toy Story Mania, Jumpin' Jellyfish, King Triton's Carousel, Soarin’ Over California (not sure if my 3 year old will be tall enough), It’s Tough to be a Bug, Heimlich's Chew Chew Train, Monsters, Inc.,Turtle Talk with Crush

The Pixar parade (early evening) and lunch at Ariel's Grotto.


Is this going to fill up an entire day???


Because we'll be walking at a snail's pace, I really wasn't planning on park hopping. Saving DL for the MM entry and then just spending all day there.


Maybe we should plan on park hopping over to DL later in the day and taking the train around the park to get the kids more excited for the next day (??)

I just never even thought that DCA wouldn't fill up the entire day.

 

[iheartdisney]

my kids could always ride the little rides at Bug's Land over and over (and over...and over...) plus the water play areas. Also in PP area, don't forget the Golden Zephyr and the Fun Wheel. Mine also love the Tortilla factory and the Bread factory tours- they even make us watch the silly movies every time. I just go for the free samples!
so a full day is doable, and then you'll be all rested for the next day at Disneyland!

 

[DTDkettleCORNfan]

Hmmmm.....I say play it by ear. If you guys do all that you want to do, then hop over to DL. Riding the train around is a great thing to do, as its right by the entrance.

Your kids are great ages for the whole Bug's Life area....it is so cute over there.

Will the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail area be open when you are there? It is currently closed for refurb. My kids could spend at least an hour, if not more, in there. Its sweet and relaxing....and has great areas for the kids to run and climb. Even your youngest. And if your oldest it tall enough for the Smoke Jumpers rope swing - well, my kids cold do that forever.

If you are really relaxed about it, and not rushing from ride to ride, I think there is enough to do. There is a neat little metal sculpture/instrument thingy that kids can bang on....between bugs life and the tortilla factory tour. That is something that is fun to do, and can occupy some time. Many people might just rush by that.

Don't miss the Toy Story Zeotrope (I might have spelled that wrong) in the animation building by Crush. It spins around and brings solid figures to life with a strobe light. Its amazing.....I hope its still there.

If you are going in the warmer weather, there are a couple of splash play areas in the park. One in Bug's Life land, one near the farm area (????), and the new one in the recently opened Paradise Park. That one hasn't been turned on yet, as far as I know, but if its warm - you kids would probably love running through the splashy water. Let them get soaked and bring a change of clothes. We always go in the winter, so we haven't been able to enjoy them.

Have a wonderful trip!

 

[specialks]

DCA is really good for young kids. My girls love the rides in Bug's Land and we typically go on them over and over again. FYI, the show "Its Tough to be a Bug" can scare young kids. You might want to talk over it with your kids in advance. There is also Aladdin to watch and LOTS of character sightings in the Backlot area. If they watch Playhouse Disney then don't miss out on the Playhouse Disney show. We have NO problem spending a whole day here.

 

[LuLusApple]

For me I could never spend an entire day with little ones. What you have listed looks like a few hours at best. Soarin and TSMM are the only rides with a line.
Even for a snail lol
I take DGD2 and we hit playhouse Disney, Aladdin, monsters, king triton, bugs land, and animation academy, mickeys funwheel (rarely lol) and it only takes a 1/2 day with lunch.
The thing that bothers me with little kids at DCA is the lack of small dark rides like at DL. The loud loud music at the entrance puts me in a bad mood the minute I walk in so I am already negative. The lack of detail, I know they are working on this, but it really makes for a less than magical experience for little ones.
My thought would be hop back over to DL

 

[Sherry E]

my kids could always ride the little rides at Bug's Land over and over (and over...and over...) plus the water play areas. Also in PP area, don't forget the Golden Zephyr and the Fun Wheel. Mine also love the Tortilla factory and the Bread factory tours- they even make us watch the silly movies every time. I just go for the free samples!
so a full day is doable, and then you'll be all rested for the next day at Disneyland!

I agree. I can easily see how you could spend almost a full day in DCA, especially taking advantage of all the things available in A Bug's Land. The Animation Building alone (where Turtle Talk is located) has quite a few cool things to see. The line for TSMM will be long (I have found the shortest wait time for it to be right when DCA opens, but it differs), and there is no Fast Pass for it, so that will take up time. If this trip is happening when the Aladdin show will still be running (it closes in August), then that could be an option as well, and that takes up time.

 

[AmericanItGirl]

I think it depends. For people who always hit up DCA, I can see how they'll go for their few favorites and then go back to DL, but when I went (for the first and only time so far), it took all day for me to do almost everything that I wanted to do.

 

[LuLusApple]

I think it depends. For people who always hit up DCA, I can see how they'll go for their few favorites and then go back to DL, but when I went (for the first and only time so far), it took all day for me to do almost everything that I wanted to do.

I can easily spend a whole day there and have with anyone but my DGD there really is a ton for older kids and adults to do and we enjoy it.
Except the dang loud music at the entrance for me. I seem to be the only one in our group besides the toddler that it bothers! I guess I have more in common with the baby lol!!
but our strategy is to hop back and forth almost everyday. We spend a few at DCA and the bulk at DL

 

[PineapplePrincessCA]

If this trip is happening when the Aladdin show will still be running (it closes in August), then that could be an option as well, and that takes up time.

We'll be there May 10th, but according to the calendar http://disneyland.disney.go.com/dis...ly/daily?name=CalendarDailyPage&date=20100510 Aladdin isn't running. (???)

Will the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail area be open when you are there? It is currently closed for refurb. My kids could spend at least an hour, if not more, in there. Its sweet and relaxing....and has great areas for the kids to run and climb. Even your youngest. And if your oldest it tall enough for the Smoke Jumpers rope swing - well, my kids cold do that forever.

I don't know anything about this. Sounds like fun, though! I'll check to see if it'll be open, but according to the website http://disneyland.disney.go.com/dis...name=RedwoodCreekChallengeTrailAttractionPage its only open to kids 42" and up. DS is just a hair over 39".







OK, well I'm more confused than ever now. I'm glad I'm finding this all out before we go, though.

I'm only margainly looking forward to DCA. I went there a long time ago. Actually, right before they opened. (10 years ago maybe?) I liked it alright, but wasn't overly impressed. But we didn't have kids then and didn't look at it through the eyes of children. Obviously it has changed tons since they first opened it. Lots of stuff I think my kids would like (Ariel's Grotto... Toy Story, Monsters Inc, Pixar parade, etc.)

Anyway... I'm REALLY looking forward to DL. I"m SO excited to finally be able to take my kids here. I could spend the entire week at DL! Tons for us to do and I really think my kids will LOVE it.

We'll have 2 days here. I've been reading about "park hopping" and now I'm wondering if we should just start Day 1 off at DL and park hop over to DCA for the afternoon on Day 1 and that'll be enough. Then on Day 2, hit DL on MM and spend the whole day there.

So 1 1/2 days at DL and 1/2 day at DCA.

Sounds like some of the above suggestions were to just "kill some time" at DCA. That's really not what I want. I'd much rather spend time at DL! But starting the day off at DCA, then headin' over to DL when we're done w/ DCA doesn't sound like a good idea, according to the "park hoppers".


Argh! What to do... what to do..

 

[LavenderPeach]

We can easily spend the day there (and have when we've gone with family that had 2fer tickets). There does seem to be less stuff for little ones but DS(4) loves it over there. He loves the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail, he loves watching the roller coaster take off (he would spend an hour doing this if i let him,lol) and he loves to get splashed by the boats going down GRR. Those are just some things he likes to do that aren't rides. But if you're only going to be there for 2 days it makes sense to me to spend more of that time at DL since there's a lot more stuff to see.

And don't worry about what the "right" way is to parkhop. Just do what you want to do. I would say though that if you want to ride the FL rides both days you should start both days at DL and then you could hop over to DCA one of the days to see what you want to see there and then hop back over to DL when you're done. Whatever you decide, you will have a great time!

 

[DTDkettleCORNfan]

Redwood Creek Challenge is perfect for all little kids.....the height requirement is just for some rope swings and a small climbing wall. The majority of it (slides, climbing forts, etc.) is for all heights. Unfortunately it doesn't re-open until May 20th, but there is plenty do to elsewhere at DLR.

Disneyland is at least a 2-day park for us. That definitely changes things if you are only going to be there two days.....as far as park hopping goes. I would probably just spend part of an afternoon in DCA then, rather than a full day.

Happy planning and have a wonderful trip!

 

[TSRE]

We could easily spend a whole day at DCA when ours were that little - mostly because they loved Flik's Fun Fair so much and wanted to stay there forever. I like having a whole day planned at DCA so we can let them go at their own pace without feeling like we are "missing" something. Especially if it is warm and they want to play in the wet areas.

I second the pp's idea about starting the day at DL for an hour or so if you want to do Fantasyland both days, but other than that, I would just keep your DCA day as planned, and know that if you run out of stuff to do & get bored, you can hop over to DL so easily.

The other thing that makes it a whole day for us is that one ride on Toy Story is NEVER enough for my kids - even if the wait is 45 minutes or more!

 

[pixarmom]

I love this thread!!! We're the WDW vets with 3 boys going to DL in August right as the AP blackout starts to lift. We are super excited about DCA - all the Pixar stuff seems to be there (except for Buzz.) So we are hoping crowds aren't too bad, even with WOC. DHS is our favorite park at WDW, and the discussion here reminds me of the DHS discussion on the WDW boards about filling a day there. So this all looks very promising for us!

Just one question - any character meet and greet spots at DCA like at DHS?

 

[disneychrista]

I would play it by ear. Since your tickets will allow hopping, if you feel the need you can.

 

[Sherry E]

We'll be there May 10th, but according to the calendar http://disneyland.disney.go.com/dis...ly/daily?name=CalendarDailyPage&date=20100510 Aladdin isn't running. (???)

Hmmm.... well, you are absolutely right - it does not show Aladdin as playing at that time. I wonder why. Aladdin closes down for good in August (which is too bad, because it's a really good show for kids and adults, with lots of current/topical humor and references to keep the adults happy), so I would think that it would be running pretty consistently up until then to give everyone a chance to see it before it leaves. Hopefully that will change and it will be open when you go - just so you can have it as an extra option in case that's something everyone wants to do. The show itself is roughly about 45 minutes long.

 

[Kayla's Mom]

Just one question - any character meet and greet spots at DCA like at DHS?

There are lots of characters at DCA. We see quite a few on Hollywood Boulevard (Sully, Goofy, Mickey, Incredibles characters, etc.), right when you walk in straight ahead there is a fountain where lots of characters hang out. We have seen Stitch, Mickey and Minnie. Woody and Jessie were doing meet and greets over by TSMM on our last trip.

At the Drawn to Animation show we have seen Mickey, Woody and Cinderella.

Koda and Kenai do a little show over in the Redwood Challenge area.

 

[bumbershoot]

I've said it before...we love DCA pretty much equally to DL, and bug's land is WAY better for a skittish kid than all the scary dark rides (and dark lines on non-scary rides like Peter Pan) in Fantasyland!

We could spend an entire VISIT in DCA if we felt like it.

So just play it by ear! You've studied the concepts, you'll remember it when you're there...if you find that everyone is done with DCA, just hop, knowing that lines in FL will be long. Knowledge is quite a bit of everything!

But since your oldest isn't even 40", forget Jumpin Jellyfish. That ride is 40" and it's a hard 40"...some kids who hit every other 40" ride can't get on that one for some reason. It seemed ridiculous to me until I went on it...it goes much higher than it seems from the ground.

 

[skiingfast]

I've said it before...we love DCA pretty much equally to DL, and bug's land is WAY better for a skittish kid than all the scary dark rides (and dark lines on non-scary rides like Peter Pan) in Fantasyland!

QUOTE]

This quote is well put. What kids find scary are fears that are all thier own and many don't like the dark.


I think an hour in the AM then going to DCA is the best plan. I'd hit Autopia and Jungle cruise early in DL. Kids like them and they can get big lines plus they aren't bad for parents either. But I think DCA has just as much for little kids as big kids.

 

[disneychrista]

We'll be there May 10th, but according to the calendar

Hmmm.... well, you are absolutely right - it does not show Aladdin as playing at that time. I wonder why..

Is Aladdin closed Mondays & Tuesdays? I know it was closed two days per week, just don't remember which days

 

[kristie73]

Isn't there also the MuppetVision 3D show in DCA? I think I remember we did that one day when it was sprinkling a little. The little kids liked it all right.