Feeling a bit overwhelmed...

[STMommies]

anyone wanna "adopt" me as their little Sister & mentor me in my planning of our families DLand trip?

here's our specs:

* this will be our girls first trip to DLand (Husband & I grew up in SoCal)
* our girls are 3.5 years old & 1.5 years old. they're allllllll about princesses.
* we're staying at the DLand Hotel for 4 nights.
* we have the minnie 'dine in the magic' 12 meal vouchers; x3 regular character dinings, x1 premium character dining, x4 snack, x4 $15 meal vouchers
* x4 day park hopper tix
* one magic morning
* x1 mickey's morning madness

alright. so i need you disney professionals to school me on how to best get our monies worth & plan the best trip for traveling with littles. how would you plan your trip? please help.

 

[PinkBudgie]

Well, I have 16 year old twin boys, so I can't help with princesses or traveling to DLR with little ones. But I hate lonely threads, so I had to answer. However, I do suggest taking advantage of the MM to see Fantasyland first thing. The lines there get so long in the afternoon. In fact, I would really try hard to be there at gate opening everyday. I know it is hard to get little ones up and ready but that really is best time for the parks. Go back to the room in the afternoon for naps but don't miss that morning prime time.

I remember last year a mom said her family only got a few rides each day the entire trip and turned out she was letting the little ones sleep in and they didn't get to parks until almost 11am everyday. I just felt bad for her because she was disapointed about all the lines. So that would be my number one recommendation- get there early, take naps in the afternoon when it is crowded anyway.

I'm sure someone else will know of good princessy things to do.

 

[Sherry E]

I moved this to the main DL planning forum. You will gets lots of suggestions and help, I'm sure! Have fun planning!

 

[Disney Liz]

My first piece of advice is take a nap, take a nap, take a NAP! Go ahead and get rolling as early as you can and then head back to the DL Hotel for that all important nap. With two little ones, you will need the rest. Also, take a double stroller with you so you don't have to rent one, or take two singles, but do take your own. It is quite a little hike to the hotel after a long day at the park, and you can't take the rental strollers out of the parks.
Since you are staying at DL hotel, ask for a remodeled room. They are super fun with a light-up headboard that has fireworks on it! I would also schedule a meal at Goofy's Kitchen, probably in the morning when little girls are all rested. Minnie has a great breakfast in the park that you should also try and you will see all kinds of characters there. We have also done Ariel's Princess meal and if your girls are into princesses, they will see them there. Try and dress your little angels in princess dresses to get some wonderful pictures of them!
Fantasyland is a little girl's dream place so plan on spending a lot of time there.
And don't forget your first time buttons...you can get them at City Hall or sometimes the hotels have them.
Any other questions? We love DL and are actually going in 5 days...can't wait!

 

[jerbar]

We took our 3 year old daughter last year for our first trip. First of all I used ridemax to plan the trip. It not only told us when to go to which rides, but it also gave hints as to what days to go to which parks and what time to get there. We got there at their suggested time everyday...before opening. On our early entry day we were in line I think 45 min before they opened. We rode some rides. Then we sat at Pixie Hollow's entrance and were the first ones to see Tinkerbell that day. After that we went and stood in line for the princesses at Princess Fantasy Faire and were in line an hour to meet them. You should definitely take them to Ariel's Grotto for a character meal. Our daughter loved it. We always left early afternoon to go back to our hotel and rest/eat before returning that evening.
I can't give much advice on the meal plans, because we did not do that.

 

[cruise cruise cruise]

Here is the info I can give you

Magic Mornings are Tue, Thur, sat and Sun. Since you are staying at the DLH, you are able to take advantage of any MM that fall on your days of stay (including check in and check out days)

Premium Character dining will include Ariles Grotto, which I think with your princess crazed girls will be a must. It is inside California Adventure and they have breakfast and lunch/dinner. I believe breakfast is served family style while lunch/dinner is family style appatizer and dessert with individual entrees off the menu.

With your $15 food vouchers, just be careful because from what I have read, you do not get change.

 

[Flitterific]

Like the PPs said, definitely get to the parks early (at least 15-20 minutes before opening). Princess Fantasy Faire (at the very back of Fantasyland) usually opens an hour after regular park opening. Get there at least 30 minutes before it actually opens and dress your girls in their favorite princess costumes. Once PFF gets close to opening, it gets really crowded and you wouldn't want to be stuck waiting in line. There are usually 3 princesses there at a time, 4 if you are lucky and the princesses rotate so you never know who you get. The regulars are Belle, Aurora, Ariel, Snow White and Cinderella but I have seen Mulan and Princess Minnie there as well. I believe Princess Tiana from Princess and the Frog can also be found there now and occasionally, Pocahontas makes an appearance.

As for the rides, it is recommended that you do all the rides in Fantasyland first thing in the morning before it gets crowded. Some of those rides can be scary for little kids so you may want to You Tube them and see if they are appropriate for your children before taking them there.

If you have character meal vouchers, going to Ariel's Grotto in DCA will enable you to see Ariel and her princess friends. It is considered premium character dining though and so is Goofy's Kitchen. I've never been to Ariel's Grotto but I love GK and I think they have the biggest spread of food and it actually tastes good. Minnie & Friends has the most characters (usually around 10) but it is more like cafeteria style food. Surf's Up with Mickey and Friends in PPH is the only character meal that you can find Mickey and Daisy, as well as a few others. Storyteller's in GCH is with the woodsy/jungle-y characters such as Baloo, Chip & Dale, Meeko, etc.

Have fun!

 

[Dobie]

I wholeheartedly endorse the princess meal at Ariels. In fact, I would rather do that with little little ones than line up for the fantasy faire. I would take full advantage of magic mornings, and make priority seatings for places like Carnation Cafe and Cafe Orleans for lunch--you can have a nice, relaxed meal while the girls relax. I, personally, find Goofy's Kitchen to be highly stimulating, so you might want to avoid that.

Plus, remember that what they will enjoy and remember will be low keyed and unpredictable. It might be the train or the Lego store. For your three year old it might be the pool. They will love the Redwood Creek Challenge at DCA, and riding the raft to Tom Sawyer Island. Watching the fireworks from the hotel might be better than battling the crowds.

 

[kailuagirl]

We took our just turned 2 DD last June and had a blast. I agree naps are extremely important!!! She would fall asleep in her stroller and we went straight to the hotel to nap so it would be a good one. DH would nap with her, I'd get all the clothes out, and what was needed for our "night" experience and then I'd head back and going browse the stores, couldn't do it with her at all. When they'd wake up and get back to the park they'd call me. It worked wonderful.

I agree with getting there as early as possible, although it is so hard with them. We never made it at opening and we paid for it. The one day we got there about an hour after opening we were shocked at how emtpy it was and we were so bummed (of course it was day 4 and our last day).

Take lots of snacks and what they will need. Go by their timing of things. Get autograph books, my DD loved to get autographs. Take your own strollers, take a cooler with water, milk, etc. The princess pink minnie ears are adorable! We tried PFF so many times and the lines were so long (I didn't know about Ariels then), finally one day I went before it was do close and the parade was going to start it the line wasn't bad, maybe about 35 minutes. My Dd was in awe of Tinkerbell, took her breath away, she just keep staring and staring at her, it was priceless!!

Have a wonderful time!! I know you will!! And take all the advice from everyone here, keep notes, the people know so much and are so helpful and awesome!!

 

[VallCopen]

You didn't say when you were going so I will assume it will be in the Summer which can be very, very busy so be sure to use the Magic Mornings to your advantage.
We have taken our almost 3 year old 3 times now (at 18 months, 23 months & 2 1/2). We always go according to her schedule and how she is feeling, after all we are there for the kids. We almost always get to the park by opening, although we do not get there 30 minutes before, that is just to early for our little one, and we still get to enjoy the empty parks for a few hours. We then head to California Adventure, since it usually opens a few hours later, and enjoy Bugs Land, Monsters Inc., Muppets show, Disney Playhouse show, the Aladdin (which is very good and will be leaving this Summer or Fall sometime) and don't forget Redwood Challenge (great place to let them run and expend any energy before a nap. We usually do lunch and then head back for the NAP (around 1 or 2), then we will swim or get ready for an early dinner (my daughter does better at dinner if it is on the earlier side by 5:30), if you are doing Goofy's Kitchen, which is located at the Disneyland Hotel, then after the nap is a good time before they get to busy. Then you could head back to the parks for a few hours before calling it a night and watching the fireworks from your room (if you have a theme park view).
Like other posters have said Ariels is a good place for the lil princesses. We personally don't waste much time getting autographs in the park, unless it is a hard to find character or unless it is in Pooh's Corner (that is what we do the character meals for and like others have said Minnie's Breakfast has the most and Ariels has the princesses). And again as other posters have said, since you are staying at the Disneyland Hotel you can go to all the magic mornings (take advantage of these). All in all I just relax, go slow, and listen to the kids and how they are handling it (my 12 year old @ 2 was able to skip the naps and stay in the park til 10 without any problems but my 2 year old NEVER - every kid is different). Have a wonderful time.

 

[DisneyLovin]

My only advice is to take full advantage of the MM. I noticed a lot of people standing in line for Finding Nemo the whole time while I was able to go on almost every other ride. Get as much done as possible. Enjoy your trip!

 

[HydroGuy]

You didn't say when you were going so I will assume it will be in the Summer which can be very, very busy so be sure to use the Magic Mornings to your advantage.

I have been going in summers for the last 10 years or so and the only time it was very busy was in 2005 when it was the 50th anniversary celebration. I disagree with summer being "very, very busy" but that is subjective. If you read Al Lutz posts summer days are not that bad compared to other parts of the year.

IMO very busy is June on days APs are not blocked. July and early August are busy but not that bad.

 

[STMommies]

thanks everyone! we leave in 2 weeks. i'm putting this all in my iphone for quick reference. i'm sure i'll be back with more questions. DH just got back from deployment & is jonesing to go to lowes for some "man toys". i'll be back tonight :

 

[VallCopen]

I have been going in summers for the last 10 years or so and the only time it was very busy was in 2005 when it was the 50th anniversary celebration. I disagree with summer being "very, very busy" but that is subjective. If you read Al Lutz posts summer days are not that bad compared to other parts of the year.

IMO very busy is June on days APs are not blocked. July and early August are busy but not that bad.

I have only been in June and July, never in August, (except for several years ago when I lived there). Both June and July seemed very busy to me compared to my normal trips in late April, Oct, Nov. and early Dec. but maybe I just hit bad times in June and July (which twice was around the 4th ). I can remember wait times as long as 90-120 minutes in the Summer but in the Spring and Fall I don't know if I have ever/rarely seen a wait time reach 60 minutes. All I was really trying to say was that it would make sense to take advantage of MM because it can get busy. IMO Maybe I should just leave the posting to others that are more informed than I. Sorry for any confusion STmommies.

 

[HydroGuy]

I have only been in June and July, never in August, (except for several years ago when I lived there). Both June and July seemed very busy to me compared to my normal trips in late April, Oct, Nov. and early Dec. but maybe I just hit bad times in June and July (which twice was around the 4th ). I can remember wait times as long as 90-120 minutes in the Summer but in the Spring and Fall I don't know if I have ever/rarely seen a wait time reach 60 minutes. All I was really trying to say was that it would make sense to take advantage of MM because it can get busy. IMO Maybe I should just leave the posting to others that are more informed than I. Sorry for any confusion STmommies.

Not at all! It is always humorous here to see people who were at DL on the very same day and some post it was "really crowded" and others post it was "not very crowded". It is somewhat subjective. I compare to New Years Day and you compare to low season weekdays, apparently. If so, then I am not sure what that makes New Years Day or other days when the parks reach capacity. Very, very, very, very busy?

When I see a post like yours say "very, very busy" I compare that to New Years Eve busy when the parks have to close admission due to capacity limitations. I cannot remember summer days when AP's are blocked ever getting close to closing. In June when APs are not blocked yes, they get close to closing and in fact do close to new arrivals. But not in mid-summer.

Yes, many summer days have mid-day waits of 60-70 minutes for the most popular rides (Space, Splash, Indy) and on occasion up to 90 minutes (Splash in particular). Those waits do not last all day and are far less in the morning and late at night. And other rides like BTMRR tend to max out at 30 minutes mid-day and Matterhorn 30-40 minutes.

The only time I personally have seen wait times in the summer of 120 minutes was right after a new ride opens like Space Mtn in 2005 and Nemo in 2007. Other than that I rarely see waits over 75 minutes. And that is in the middle of the day and only for a small handful of popular rides. Other popular rides like California Screamin seem to rarely get above 30 minutes in the summer and are often 15-20 minutes. ToT sometimes get up to 40 minutes. GRR gets really long on summer days - up to 80 minutes mid-day sometimes. Soarin seems to top out at 60-75 minutes. TSMM often tops out at 45 minutes.

So in my subjective opinion I would say summer days are busy and, yes, crowded. Not super crowded but crowded. If one stays at a walking distance hotel it is fairly easy (in my opinion) to work around the most crowded times and have a great visit in the summer.

 

[specialks]

Have to input checking into the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique in Fantasyland. It is a wonderful experience for little girls! They get made up into princesses by their own Fairy Godmother in Training. There are 3 levels of service. There is a main thread and other smaller postings about the service. See the main thread here:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2153327&highlight=bibbidi+bobbidi+boutique

Info from Disneyland here:
http://disneyland.disney.go.com/dis...etail?name=BibbidiBobbidiBoutiqueShoppingPage

They say they only do 3+ years old but they offered to do my 2 1/2 year old when we went last and seem to base it on if the child can sit still. If you think the 1.5 yr old won't sit still then it may be unfair for her to have to sit out while your 3.5 yr old gets made up, but I wanted to let you know about the service. My girls LOVED it!

 

[heybets30]

Others have posted such great advice - the one thing I would also prepare for is that your girls might not be interested AT ALL in the princess fantasy faire once they actually get there.

Our last trip, my (then almost 3-year old) daughter was completely decked out in her princess gear head to toe, BEGGING to meet the princesses. When she saw the castle upon entering the park, I swear she was going to hyperventilate she was so excited about "being Princess Allison". When we got to the meet-the-princesses-line, we told her we were going to see the princesses. She didn't want to. And the type of "didn't want to" that would've turned into a tantrum had we not removed ourselves from the line. We walked to the side boutique & browsed, and that was enough for her. She was fine meeting Alice as Alice roamed the lands, but really didn't want to see any princesses. We were shocked to say the least. 4 days in CA before we got to DL, and all she talked about day & night was how she was going to meet the princesses. 3 trips to DL with her already, and we have YET to meet any princesses. We tried several times throughout the day. "no, i do not want to see any princesses." She still had a BLAST!!

So, long story short, don't be disappointed if she doesn't want to wait in line to meet them. The place is right by ToonTown, so you can easily distract them with other rides.

 

[Heymy]

As a Disney-obsessed Mommy with 4 & 2 yr old girls, here's what I've observed:

Ariel's Grotto is incredible! We went for breakfast for DD's 4th bithday and it was a little overwhelming, but the baby couldn't get enough. My older girl has a thing about "real" characters...opposite of most kids. But we went back for dinner in Feb and had the most amazing time! One DD dressed as Snow White and the other DD as Belle and we showered with attention from all the princesses. Makes it all worth it!!!

Enjoy being at the DLH! The younger DD would ask to go back to the hotel to take a rest (crazy kid) and then we'd all go down to the pool. These kids cannot get enough of the Neverland pool and it was warm enough in Feb!! Someone mentioned requesting one of the new rooms and I'm sure it would be amazing, but we adore the old rooms! The bedspreads have pictures of all the attractions and that kept the girls entertained for quite awhile.

Take advantage of at least one MM, more if you and the kids can handle it. DH is never thrilled when I drag him out of bed to be in line by 7:30, but we get so much done in those first 2 hours, it's completely worth it! Mickey's Morning Madness is cute too, especially if they love the "traditional" characters. Be prepared to spend a half of day there...we have to drag the girls out of the Toon Town kicking and screaming. It's the one place the little ones have free reign and can wander to their heart's content. But when you're a Mommy that wants to get stuff done, it's a little frustrating. Also at this age, they will be sure to fixate on one or two things. For us it was the Tiki Room...if I had to hear those birds sing one more time

Just sit back, relax and watch your girls have an amazing time! But also know that there will be meltdowns (talk about sensory overload) and go with the flow. Have a magical time!

 

[STMommies]

We took our 3 year old daughter last year for our first trip. First of all I used ridemax to plan the trip. It not only told us when to go to which rides, but it also gave hints as to what days to go to which parks and what time to get there. We got there at their suggested time everyday...before opening. On our early entry day we were in line I think 45 min before they opened. We rode some rides. Then we sat at Pixie Hollow's entrance and were the first ones to see Tinkerbell that day. After that we went and stood in line for the princesses at Princess Fantasy Faire and were in line an hour to meet them. You should definitely take them to Ariel's Grotto for a character meal. Our daughter loved it. We always left early afternoon to go back to our hotel and rest/eat before returning that evening.
I can't give much advice on the meal plans, because we did not do that.

what is ridemax? is pixie hollow in DLand?

My first piece of advice is take a nap, take a nap, take a NAP! Go ahead and get rolling as early as you can and then head back to the DL Hotel for that all important nap. With two little ones, you will need the rest. Also, take a double stroller with you so you don't have to rent one, or take two singles, but do take your own. It is quite a little hike to the hotel after a long day at the park, and you can't take the rental strollers out of the parks.
Since you are staying at DL hotel, ask for a remodeled room. They are super fun with a light-up headboard that has fireworks on it! I would also schedule a meal at Goofy's Kitchen, probably in the morning when little girls are all rested. Minnie has a great breakfast in the park that you should also try and you will see all kinds of characters there. We have also done Ariel's Princess meal and if your girls are into princesses, they will see them there. Try and dress your little angels in princess dresses to get some wonderful pictures of them!
Fantasyland is a little girl's dream place so plan on spending a lot of time there.
And don't forget your first time buttons...you can get them at City Hall or sometimes the hotels have them.
Any other questions? We love DL and are actually going in 5 days...can't wait!

thanks for the hotel room heads up. Is Minnies breakfast in the dining package?

I moved this to the main DL planning forum. You will gets lots of suggestions and help, I'm sure! Have fun planning!

thanks! i'm on a few smaller boards, MUCH smaller, so this whole giant, mini boards within a HUGE board is confusing.

Here is the info I can give you

Magic Mornings are Tue, Thur, sat and Sun. Since you are staying at the DLH, you are able to take advantage of any MM that fall on your days of stay (including check in and check out days)

Premium Character dining will include Ariles Grotto, which I think with your princess crazed girls will be a must. It is inside California Adventure and they have breakfast and lunch/dinner. I believe breakfast is served family style while lunch/dinner is family style appatizer and dessert with individual entrees off the menu.

With your $15 food vouchers, just be careful because from what I have read, you do not get change.

sweet! so since we are staying at the DLand hotel, 4/20-4/24 we can get into the park early everyday except friday? does that work for CAdventure too?

I wholeheartedly endorse the princess meal at Ariels. In fact, I would rather do that with little little ones than line up for the fantasy faire. I would take full advantage of magic mornings, and make priority seatings for places like Carnation Cafe and Cafe Orleans for lunch--you can have a nice, relaxed meal while the girls relax. I, personally, find Goofy's Kitchen to be highly stimulating, so you might want to avoid that.

Plus, remember that what they will enjoy and remember will be low keyed and unpredictable. It might be the train or the Lego store. For your three year old it might be the pool. They will love the Redwood Creek Challenge at DCA, and riding the raft to Tom Sawyer Island. Watching the fireworks from the hotel might be better than battling the crowds.

are carnation cafe & Cafe Oleans on the dining package? or is that where we'd use our $15 vouchers?

Have to input checking into the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique in Fantasyland. It is a wonderful experience for little girls! They get made up into princesses by their own Fairy Godmother in Training. There are 3 levels of service. There is a main thread and other smaller postings about the service. See the main thread here:

Info from Disneyland here:

They say they only do 3+ years old but they offered to do my 2 1/2 year old when we went last and seem to base it on if the child can sit still. If you think the 1.5 yr old won't sit still then it may be unfair for her to have to sit out while your 3.5 yr old gets made up, but I wanted to let you know about the service. My girls LOVED it!

holy wow! their heads will explode. i'm gonna check out those links next. thank you!

As a Disney-obsessed Mommy with 4 & 2 yr old girls, here's what I've observed:

Ariel's Grotto is incredible! We went for breakfast for DD's 4th bithday and it was a little overwhelming, but the baby couldn't get enough. My older girl has a thing about "real" characters...opposite of most kids. But we went back for dinner in Feb and had the most amazing time! One DD dressed as Snow White and the other DD as Belle and we showered with attention from all the princesses. Makes it all worth it!!!

Enjoy being at the DLH! The younger DD would ask to go back to the hotel to take a rest (crazy kid) and then we'd all go down to the pool. These kids cannot get enough of the Neverland pool and it was warm enough in Feb!! Someone mentioned requesting one of the new rooms and I'm sure it would be amazing, but we adore the old rooms! The bedspreads have pictures of all the attractions and that kept the girls entertained for quite awhile.

Take advantage of at least one MM, more if you and the kids can handle it. DH is never thrilled when I drag him out of bed to be in line by 7:30, but we get so much done in those first 2 hours, it's completely worth it! Mickey's Morning Madness is cute too, especially if they love the "traditional" characters. Be prepared to spend a half of day there...we have to drag the girls out of the Toon Town kicking and screaming. It's the one place the little ones have free reign and can wander to their heart's content. But when you're a Mommy that wants to get stuff done, it's a little frustrating. Also at this age, they will be sure to fixate on one or two things. For us it was the Tiki Room...if I had to hear those birds sing one more time

Just sit back, relax and watch your girls have an amazing time! But also know that there will be meltdowns (talk about sensory overload) and go with the flow. Have a magical time!

thanks! would you recommend that we plan to do Ariels Grotto for dinner then? an early dinner, say 6ish?


THANK YOU EVERYONE!!! DH just got home from Iraq, so he's totally not into planning all this with me. He is stoked to see the girls see the park for the 1st time, but could care less about where we have our meals & what i dress them in.

 

[HydroGuy]

what is ridemax?

RM is software you can buy that creates itineraries for you. See www.ridemax.com.