Disneyland must do list for 3 year old

[MiMi76]

My husband and I took our daughter to Disneyland in April. She was 2-1/2 at the time. She LOVED it. We did a character breakfast at the Plaza Inn and went on a good number of rides. She will be 3 when we go again at the end of November. Do you have any MUST DO suggestions... things that a 3 year old enjoy... things that we shouldn't miss??? We have 3-day park hopper passes. I just want to make sure we hit all the things that she will love. Thanks in advance!

 

[Hoku]

I could make a huge list of 3-year old must do's at Disneyland. But, I'll chip in only one thing that I found absolutely essential and let others add to the list. My daughter LOVES, LOVES, LOVES the parades. We went on our second trip about 2-weeks ago and it was the only thing that got her as excited as she seemed to be about everything on the first trip. Maybe all kids don't like Disney parades as much as our daughter, but, wow, she really loves them! That makes them, to me, absolutely essential.

 

[Sparkleshine]

I know the main must do for my 3 year old is going to Mickey's house and the carousel!

 

[smiles33]

What is your DD's personality like? My DD2 LOVED the character Meet-n-greets. We did Pixie Hollow, Tangled (not worth the wait in line, IMHO), Princess Fantasy Faire, and then Mickey and Minnie in Toontown. She didn't really care for the rides that much and seemed ok with watching Aladdin (that was more for DD5).

HAVE FUN!

 

[Pearl_Mirror]

If she is into the Princess' and dressing up what about BBB?

 

[MrsMac218]

My daughter is about the same age.

At Disneyland her faves are the Carousel, Dumbo, and the parades.

At California Adventure her faves are the Disney Jr.on stage show and the Little Mermaid ride.

Have fun!

 

[MiMi76]

Thanks! What is BBB?

 

[smiles33]

Thanks! What is BBB?

Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, where little girls get a Fairy Godmother-in-training to give them a fancy princess makeover (complete with an updo, tiara, makeup, etc.). My 5 year old loved it but my 2 year old was too young as you must be 3 to do it. See post 31 in my TR for pictures and some details.

 

[Disney-Kim]

My Neice will be one month shy of 3 when we go...so I am curious to hear about this too
I am really excited to see her reacitons...she has been to WDW before but was a baby...

she recognizes Jasmine, Cinderlla, Snow White, Teana, and all the princesses...so I can not wait to see her when she sees them IRL

am not sure how dark rides will be...but very excited for Casey Jr's train and Dumbo !!!

 

[mrswh]

Don't forget to check out the Animation Building - the Beast's Library and Ursula's Lair are very fun, and never very crowded. A nice break from the crowds outside! You should also check out the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail in DCA - I think it's so nice for kids to be able to run around and be creative in more of a nature setting after all the overstimulation and long lines. Plus you can meet Dug the Dog - super cute. If she is not overly sensitive, go through the castle walkthrough with the story of Sleeping Beauty. (It's a tiny bit scary because it's kind of dark.) Goofy's Kitchen is a great character meal for a 3 year old. Lots of characters and cute interactive stuff going on. Better yet, Surf's Up breakfast - if she is a Mickey fan. If princesses are what she's after, Goofy's is the way to go. I think with a three year old, they can be very happy and entertained with some of the attractions that have shorter lines - check out the maps and see what there is to discover other than the Fantastyland rides! There are tons of fun things to do and see if you just wander a bit. Oh! But if she likes coasters, go on Goofy's Sky School. It's cute.

Have fun!

 

[calidreamz]

Every child is different someone above said thet their 3 yr old was "ok" with Aladdin, my DD was about one month shy of three when we went in May and she Loved I mean LOVED Aladdin! She had her jaw on the floor in awe about 90% of the time. She could barely contain herself when they flew on the magic carpet. She also loved the characters and carousels but her favorite ride was Small World. I would also try to see turtle talk if you didn't have a chance last time and if she is a Disney channel girl there is always the...hmm I know it's not Playhouse Disney Show anymore (right?) but whatever that is called now.

 

[BecomingObsessed]

When my daughter was 3, she really enjoyed having lunch at Ariel's Grotto with the princesses. She asked for months afterwards if I'd call and make more reservations for our family. The one thing we absolutely can NOT ever miss are the fireworks Those remain her consistent favorite!

3 is such a fun age to be in the parks!!

 

[dnamertz]

I could make a huge list of 3-year old must do's at Disneyland. But, I'll chip in only one thing that I found absolutely essential and let others add to the list. My daughter LOVES, LOVES, LOVES the parades. We went on our second trip about 2-weeks ago and it was the only thing that got her as excited as she seemed to be about everything on the first trip. Maybe all kids don't like Disney parades as much as our daughter, but, wow, she really loves them! That makes them, to me, absolutely essential.

My daughter was 2 and 1/2 on her first trip to DL and while she enjoyed the rides and sites, she seemed more overwhelmed with all the stuff to look at. But on the night of our 2nd day, we saw the electrical parade and she was as excited about the parade as I've ever seen her. It was the highlight of our trip.

 

[Hoku]

But on the night of our 2nd day, we saw the electrical parade and she was as excited about the parade as I've ever seen her. It was the highlight of our trip.

 

[goldies 5]

The Holiday parade, riding the train at night all the way around the park is great during the holiday season, the holiday fireworks and snow, reindeer roundup and picture with santa, climbing the firetruck, a tiger tail or chesire cat tail. haunted mansion is awesome with Jack skellington. Small World Holiday is beautiful. A disney Chrsitmas sweatshirt for this year. An ice cream cone on the Pier at DCA, and Redwood creek Challenge Trail. a photo with the Santa at GCH. This is our favorite time of the year to go.

 

[*luvdisney*]

My idea isn's so much for her as it is for you... When we went last summer I had my daughter sit to have her silhouette clipped out of paper. There is a small shop on main street with some wonderful women who do this by hand! I had all three of my children done and they are keepsakes I will treasure forever. The process is AMAZING and they are so quick I was in and out in about 10 minutes and had 3 done! They were even able to capture my sweet 1 yo double chin, and chubby cheeks!

 

[LisaT91403]

My husband and I took our daughter to Disneyland in April. She was 2-1/2 at the time. She LOVED it. We did a character breakfast at the Plaza Inn and went on a good number of rides. She will be 3 when we go again at the end of November. Do you have any MUST DO suggestions... things that a 3 year old enjoy... things that we shouldn't miss??? We have 3-day park hopper passes. I just want to make sure we hit all the things that she will love. Thanks in advance!

We just went last week with our 3 1/2 year old son. I know boys are different, but here are some things he really enjoyed:

- The Disney Junior Live show at DCA. If your daughter likes to watch Mickey and Friends, Handy Manny, Little Einsteins, or Jake & the Neverland Pirates, she will enjoy this show.

- He loves all of the Main Street vehicles...double decker bus, horse-drawn trolley, fire engine, etc.

- Winnie the Pooh ride, then meeting the characters right outside afterwards.

- Little Mermaid ride at DCA.

- Riding in the very front of the Monorail with the pilot. He LOVED this.

There were tons of rides that he enjoyed, although we did not take him on the "scary" things as he does get scared pretty easily. Here is our DLR list, for whatever it's worth:

it's a small world
Autopia
Monorail
Disneyland Railroad (the section between Tomorrowland and Main Street goes through the dinosaur tunnel...a big hit for us)
Astro Orbitor
Jungle Cruise
Tiki Room (if you want to sit in air conditioning for a 10 minute show)
Tarzan's Treehouse
Mark Twain Riverboat
All of the Main Street Vehicles
Dumbo
Mad Tea Party
Carousel
Casey Jr. Circus Train (the BEST ride in the park, according to DS)
Winnie the Pooh
Peter Pan
Storybook Land

 

[ladeeesquire]

There are the obvious fantasyland rides, small world, pooh, etc but I'll post more about the less well known.

My dd is 3.5 yrs old and her favorite part of the park is toontown. We have APs and she can easily spend HOURS wandering around goofy, minnie and mickey's houses and the boat. She loves minnies house most of all. She also spends a lot of time in the goofy's house playground.

Another area that is often overlooked, which I get because people are usually pressed for time, is the little petting zoo area. Its a nice place for a toddler to have a bit of down time as its quiet in there.

If you have a princessy girl, the PFF area is really fun. Skip the ridiculously long line for the official princess photos and instead go to the coronation and the storytelling. So cute!

have fun! Three is a fantastic age to take a child to DL

 

[MiMi76]

Thank you for all the wonderful ideas!!!

 

[starshine514]

Don't forget to check out the Animation Building - the Beast's Library and Ursula's Lair are very fun, and never very crowded. A nice break from the crowds outside! You should also check out the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail in DCA - I think it's so nice for kids to be able to run around and be creative in more of a nature setting after all the overstimulation and long lines. Plus you can meet Dug the Dog - super cute. If she is not overly sensitive, go through the castle walkthrough with the story of Sleeping Beauty. (It's a tiny bit scary because it's kind of dark.) Goofy's Kitchen is a great character meal for a 3 year old. Lots of characters and cute interactive stuff going on. Better yet, Surf's Up breakfast - if she is a Mickey fan. If princesses are what she's after, Goofy's is the way to go. I think with a three year old, they can be very happy and entertained with some of the attractions that have shorter lines - check out the maps and see what there is to discover other than the Fantastyland rides! There are tons of fun things to do and see if you just wander a bit. Oh! But if she likes coasters, go on Goofy's Sky School. It's cute.

Have fun!

Just a note that the height requirement for Goofy's Sky School is 42". My 4.5 yr old barely made it last trip, so unless you child is very tall... Gadget's Go Coaster in Toontown may be more achievable - 36" HR.

My kids and my friend's kids also loved Bug's Land in CA - and the lines were much shorter than the FL rides.