First time at Disneyland with kids

[lunaland]

I have been to DL many, many times and feel very confident in my ability to plan a great trip. However, I have spent pretty much zero time around small children and just booked a trip for myself, my friend, and her 8 and 6 year old grandchildren. We are staying at PPH for 4 days in October. Rough plan is 1 day DCA, 1 day DL, rent a cabana at DLH one day, and a Halloween party. This trip is 100% for the kids and I want to make it as special as possible. But.... I'm pretty clueless!

They are both boys. I know Jedi training and a character meal or 2 are for sure. Best character meal for the boys to just have a blast? Again, adult experiences don't matter. Both of us have been to DL a lot and just want them to have fun. Anything else special that we can Do? BBB has a pirate makeover that I thought might still be fun for the 6 year old but not sure since I think the whole thing is so girl focused?

Any advice is greatly appreciated!!

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

If the boys like Star Wars (and it sounds like they do), I would carve out some time to visit the Star Wars launch bay and meet the characters (Darth Vader, Kylo Ren, Chewbacca, Rey if she’s still there). There are also some Star Wars video games in there. This is nice to do as an afternoon break when it’s hot as it’s nice and cool in there. The Path of the Jedi movie is also great for Star Wars fans, plus Star Tours of course and storm troopers patrolling around Tomorrowland.

 

[becks59]

At DL BBB it’s a Knight/prince makeover, not pirate. They also get a sword and shield. We are trying it out for the first time with my 7 & 4 yr old boys.

Are they both over 48 inches? If so, then they can ride on everything at both parks. If not, see what rides they wouldn’t be able to go on and prepare for that by not hyping up a ride that they can’t do.

Just keep them fed and hydrated, taking breaks if needed and they won’t get tired and cranky.

 

[RainyDayPixie]

I have boys 2, 10, 12. They never want to do anything but rides, LOL. I would do a character meal at one of the hotels on a non-park day.

My 2 biggest pieces of advice:
No souvineer shopping until the last day (so much time can get eaten up shopping and they want EVERYTHING).

Don't give them much choice. Asking "what do you want to do next?" Has always been paralyzing for my kids at that age. And it leads to lots of criss-crossing the park!

Making your own lightsaber was a favorite for my kids at that age!

Have fun!! It's such a fun age to take kids!

 

[Abbey1]

My son is almost 7 years old, so very close to the ages of your friend’s grandsons.

For a character meal, I would probably choose to do Goofy’s Kitchen on the day you plan to rent a cabana at DLH. Minnie’s breakfast at Plaza Inn is great too, but with only one morning in Disneyland, I’d rather dedicate that time to going on rides with shorter wait times.

My son has zero interest in doing any of the makeovers, even though I always try to talk him into one. Every child is different though. For my son, our money is better spent doing something like the build-your-own-saber at Star Trader. He is a big Star Wars fan and really enjoyed this.

He also really loves exploring Pirate’s Lair on Tom Sawyer Island and the Shootin’ Exposition in Frontierland. Definitely plan on Jedi training if they are big Star Wars fans.

 

[peterpanandwendy]

I have boys 2, 10, 12. They never want to do anything but rides, LOL. I would do a character meal at one of the hotels on a non-park day.

My 2 biggest pieces of advice:
No souvineer shopping until the last day (so much time can get eaten up shopping and they want EVERYTHING).

Don't give them much choice. Asking "what do you want to do next?" Has always been paralyzing for my kids at that age. And it leads to lots of criss-crossing the park!

Making your own lightsaber was a favorite for my kids at that age!

Have fun!! It's such a fun age to take kids!

THIS! I was also going to say that any dining packages are almost ALWAYS for the adults. Kids, especially those ages (8 and 6) do not care one bit about dining packages. They are more happy munching on a hot dog and fitting in more rides, or doing character meets around the park. Maybe do one character meal as a special thing, but I agree, don't do it on a park day, and don't waste to much time fussing around with worrying about meals.

The souvineer shopping is a big one too. We have the same rule. We don't buy anything until the last day. Set that rule up early. They may look at toys, but no one is buying anything until the end of the last day.

Yep, the choice one is also a good one. In some ways you want to relax your adult agenda and let the kids pick the flow of the day, but in other ways, giving them too much choice is a recipe for fights among siblings and running around all over the place.

Pack lots of snacks and water. Kids have small stomachs and get hungry often and everywhere. Make sure you have crackers and stuff available all the time as well as water.

Pirate Lair Island is the PERFECT place to have a shady break for the bustle of all the people. Boys that age will love playing the caves while you ladies have a break on a bench.

Yeah, I have a 7 year old boy and there is no way in he!! he would sit for a pirate makeover. Just no. He would be so mad at me.

 

[chickapin parterre]

have the boys been to disneyland?

 

[theluckyrabbit]

have the boys been to disneyland?

This is an excellent question and a very good place to start. If they have been to DLR before, how did it go and what did they like? If they haven't been before, what are their favorite characters and movies?
Next, do the boys have any allergies or medical issues that will affect their visit? For example, will you need to note any allergies on your restaurant reservations, avoid any foods at CS locations, or bring their own food into the parks? Will they need naps or an afternoon break scheduled into each day? Know their bedtimes so that can be scheduled for each day, too. DLR is special and exciting, but overtired, drained kids make for cranky, unhappy kids.
Redwood Creek Challenge Trail! Happy times there!
Do they like to get wet? Our youngest loved, loved, loved GRR at that age. Bring extra clothes and shoes!

 

[HydroGuy]

Wow, so much good advice here. I had four boys who now in their 20's but started going when they were in the age range of 3-6.

My boys were always into Pirates and Star Wars from a young. LOL, even now they still want to buy or build light sabers and swing them all around EVERY SINGLE EVENING AFTER DARK.

So make sure...

- you provide time for Pirates, Star Wars and probably Cars Land.
- they know what to do if they get lost - Specifically, they know that Cast Members are safe adults
- you ride the pirate ship Sailing Ship Columbia around the Rivers of America
- you have time to visit TSI Pirates Lair
- you hang around New Orleans Square and watch some pirate shows/sing alongs/etc.
- you visit Star Wars Launch Bay
- you see March of the First Order (if it continues on)
- at DCA you offer a chance to do a meet and greet with Lightning McQueen or something along those lines
- you give them a chance to ride the DLRR (may or may not be their thing)
- you make time for breaks back to the hotel

 

[theluckyrabbit]

... they know what to do if they get lost - Specifically, they know that Cast Members are safe adults...

Absolutely! And to know what CMs look like -- they look different at each ride, shop, land, etc. Looking for the CM pin is a good game. At that age, we had a meeting place set up in each land. Pointed it out and went over the "what happens if we get separated" scenario every time we entered a new land (we did the parks land by land). Some people write one parent's cell phone number (don't forget the area code!) on tape, then put it inside the shirt or shorts hem where it won't show. (Use a waterproof pen and waterproof tape.) Teach the kids to show this only to a CM and only if they get lost. And take a photo of the kids each morning, full body and clear face view, showing what they are wearing. That way if they do get lost, you can easily and quickly show CMs what they look like and what they are wearing. It's so easy to forget that and to get flustered with descriptions when we panic.

 

[HydroGuy]

Absolutely! And to know what CMs look like -- they look different at each ride, shop, land, etc. Looking for the CM pin is a good game. At that age, we had a meeting place set up in each land. Pointed it out and went over the "what happens if we get separated" scenario every time we entered a new land (we did the parks land by land). Some people write one parent's cell phone number (don't forget the area code!) on tape, then put it inside the shirt or shorts hem where it won't show. (Use a waterproof pen and waterproof tape.) Teach the kids to show this only to a CM and only if they get lost. And take a photo of the kids each morning, full body and clear face view, showing what they are wearing. That way if they do get lost, you can easily and quickly show CMs what they look like and what they are wearing. It's so easy to forget that and to get flustered with descriptions when we panic.

Also, take a photo of each child each morning so you can remember what they were wearing and can describe that and even forward it to the Disney search crew.

We always dressed our four in matching shirts each day. They liked being dressed the same (at that age LOL) but it made it easier to keep an eye on them. I counted one-two-three-four at least 10,000 times while at Disney parks. Having to only count to two would have made each trip more relaxing for sure.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Yes, the photo lesson was learned the super hard way by a friend. Her 3 yo boy wandered off from TT (very happily it turned out -- didn't even know he was lost!) and wasn't located for almost an hour. She was so upset (sobbing uncontrollably) that she couldn't give security a coherent description of what he looked like or his clothing (she said she completely blanked on his outfit she was so upset!). Her description was so muddled that security was looking for a girl (!) for the first half hour, which is why it took so long to locate him. And when they found him, he was over by Pizza Port, by the marble ball, having a blast all by himself!
Now I tell everyone about taking a photo!

 

[Disney_Alli]

A great tip if you're driving is to take a picture of your child/ren WITH the location you parked. Each day you'll have both your child/ren's full clothing description and your parking location all in one place. These pictures can also make a fun way to start each day of your trip in future photobooks/slideshows/whatever.

 

[lunaland]

have the boys been to disneyland?

They went 3 years ago for a family reunion where it was one day in the park with 20 or so adults and very few rides. So yes....and no! We want to do it right

 

[lunaland]

This is an excellent question and a very good place to start. If they have been to DLR before, how did it go and what did they like? If they haven't been before, what are their favorite characters and movies?
Next, do the boys have any allergies or medical issues that will affect their visit? For example, will you need to note any allergies on your restaurant reservations, avoid any foods at CS locations, or bring their own food into the parks? Will they need naps or an afternoon break scheduled into each day? Know their bedtimes so that can be scheduled for each day, too. DLR is special and exciting, but overtired, drained kids make for cranky, unhappy kids.
Redwood Creek Challenge Trail! Happy times there!
Do they like to get wet? Our youngest loved, loved, loved GRR at that age. Bring extra clothes and shoes!

They did go to Disneyland once 3 years ago but it was a one day thing that was focused on a large group of adults. Their Grandma and I have gone twice in the last few months and they have been sad to be left behind so this trip came about.

No allergies or medical issues for either of them and their Grandma lives with them so she will have breaks/naps covered. When we go we usually go from after breakfast to lunch time, then have lunch and some pool time at the hotel and go back in the park at night. I assume we will do something similar with the boys.

They like Star Wars, Stitch, and Mickey for sure. At least those are the characters they have requested we bring back souvenirs of on our recent two trips.

 

[lunaland]

Thanks everyone for all the great feedback!!!!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

... They like Star Wars, Stitch, and Mickey for sure. At least those are the characters they have requested we bring back souvenirs of on our recent two trips.

For Jedi Training, make sure to have both boys with you when you sign them up. The CM at the podium will want to see them both in person. Meeting Mickey will be easy -- TT or Town Square or BVS in DCA. For Stitch, since you'll be staying at the PPH anyway, you can do the character breakfast there with Donald. Stitch should be there, too. For MHP, dates should be announced in July. Not official yet which park it will be in. Make sure to get your tickets early since most/all parties sell out. Think about doing a group costume -- the photos will be so fun!