First time back since the dark days...

[BradChristian]

Hey Everyone,

I'm somewhat unexpectedly going to Disneyland! The DU team has helped get my family connected to a SoCal city pass with a stay at DLR for 4 nights, and then two days in San Diego for Legoland and Seaworld.

Last time I was at DLR was 2008, and my memories are on the disappointing side. My inexperience had me take the Monorail for Downtown Disney into the park for the first time, so I never have had a right DL experience of walking down main street. Most of my time was also spent in DCA... and lets just say the highlight of DCA at that time was California Screaming - There wasn't much else except for a scaled down version of Tower of Terror. No world of color or cars land or ANYTHING!

Even my room at the Paradise Pier was sad looking... with a theme park view!




I'm now married going with a 2 year old and pregnant wife.

What else do I need to make sure to do (besides the things listed above) to make this a redeeming DLR vacation. We are at the HoJo Anaheim.

Thanks everyone!
-Brad

 

[ADLFAN]

I think you'll like the Hojo, it gets great reviews here, and your 2 yr. old will love playing in the Splash park pool area! The walk is also very manageable, in my opinion.

You should definitely savor your first entrance to DL! I like to pause and read Walt's dedication plaque above the tunnels to Main Street, and there are often characters hanging out around the entrance, too!

A fun and relaxing way to make your way into the park is aboard one of the historical Main Street vehicles! They only run in the mornings and early afternoon and the choices are fun! Your wife will probably want to take it easy, and the vehicles are a fun way to cut out a little walking, especially with the Railroad closed.

I think your 2 yr. old will love exploring ToonTown after you hit Fantasyland and Small World. While there aren't a ton of rides, it can be a good place to meet the classic characters and there are fun interactive buttons to push. ToonTown is also one of my favorite places to take pictures! Mickey and the Magical Map is a fun 20ish minute show near ToonTown and you can bring food in so it's a great place for a rest.

In DCA, the Bugs Land area is fun for little ones and the splash pad area is The Best Attraction when it's hot! Turtle Talk with Crush in the Animation building is a funny, cool place to rest. I bet you could take part in a few drawing lessons at the Animation Academy and your 2 yr. old would like to draw/color, too. Maybe you could pack a few crayons to give to them to color on the provided paper, which is huge and on a clipboard. The Animation building is nice to just sit in and watch the Disneyland movie clips play, though the music can be a bit loud.

The nearby Monsters Inc. attraction is tame and fun to run through, with a short line usually. It used to be Superstar Limo or whatever! So sorry you experienced "DCA 1.0"! It truly looked tacky throughout! The re-imagined version is a lot more tastefully done, in my opinion.

WOC is definitely worth watching and Fastpasses are easy to obtain throughout the day. Grizzly River Run is one of my favorites for cooling off and the FP'S allow you to skip a lot of the line, so definitely grab some when you are getting your WOC FP'S.

The Little Mermaid ride is a newish dark ride nearby Grizzly and it is usually one of the shortest lines in DCA because it uses the Haunted Mansion style loading system. It's a great place to cool off, and the CM'S have let us stay on for multiple rides without getting off!

The FP'S for Radiator Springs Racers go pretty quick, so you'll want to monitor the return times on the app to make sure you don't miss out.

The Disneyland app is super helpful to use as a map (it'll show you as a blue dot in the park!), to see ride wait times, FP availability, bathroom locations, restaurant menus (and you can even make reservations!), and parade/show times! You can even check it out periodically before your trip to get a feel for crowd flow and somewhat plan your route, decide where to eat, etc.

The DL mister fans with a cup of ice water inside are the most refreshing things sometimes, but they suck to lug around, and mine leaked... Stay cool somehow though! We bought some Frog Togg cooling towels and those were also nice.

Have fun planning!

 

[smartlabelprint]

Nap breaks! It's good you're staying so close.

A nice sit down meal like blue bayou, Minnie's breakfast at plaza inn or world of color at wine country trattoria.

 

[Matt892]

I'd say hit all the classics in Fantasyland and then head to Toontown. Just be aware that some of the Fantasyland attractions do have scenes which may scare little ones (Snow White, Monstro on Pinocchio, the hell scene in Mr. Toads). You can also attempt to have your 2 year old ride Jingles on the Carousel. Toon town usually has the fab 5 out and about for meet and greets and you can get some great family photos with them.

Another attraction the 2 year old might enjoy is Winnie the Pooh over in Critter Country across from Splash Mountain.

As has been stated above, Magical Map is a wonderful show and is constantly getting little tweeks to make it better. You might also find the shows at Fantasy Faire fun and engaging.

I'll second pretty much everything ADLFan said as well.

If your young one can stay up long enough, they'll probably be mesmorized by all the lights during Paint the Night, plus all the characters in the parade.

Also, remember that any Quick Service will give you free cup of Ice Water.

Finally, if you are looking for a character or need advice while in the park, ask a cast member. Seriously, we have so many resources available to help out with issues, advice and recovery, it's ridiculous.

 

[peterpanandwendy]

We love the hojo, that is where we always stay when we go. The walk is very manageable, the pool is lovely and the rooms are really clean. The service at Hojo has always been top notch for us, as well, right down to housekeeping. I also love the retro decor they have going on… there is just something about hojo that makes me really happy. I hope you enjoy your stay there

When travelling with a two year old it can be best to let them set the pace. Try to get into the parks early (like at opening) and do Fantasyland first. We went in August with our two little ones and we managed to do a ton of stuff in those first few hours after opening.

My kids LOVED the parades when they were really small, so I would suggest making the time to sit with a snack and watch the parades (this will be nice for your preggo wife too, who will probably look for any reason to have a little rest). My kids also enjoyed all the shows (Tangled, Mickey and the Magical Map etc). For me, the shows are one of the highlights of Disneyland and should not be skipped.

On Main street is a Baby Care Center (sort of behind Starbucks?)

https://disneyland.disney.go.com/guest-services/baby-center-lost-children/

We found this really handy. It is cool, quiet, and has tiny potty's for little ones who are potty training, or it is just a nice quiet place for changing diapers or having a snack. They also have infant medications etc if you need them.

We did NOT try to do any sit down meals or character meals when our little ones were that small… I was concerned about how the little ones would react to the characters at a character meal, at at $50/person it was not worth it to me. We tried a few sit down meals but the kids were just too wound up and cranky that it was not enjoyable, so we didn't do anymore. We just did quick service meals and we ate breakfast in our hotel room, which worked out really well for us and let us carry on with our day with out having to worry about making reservation times etc.

One thing we DID love to do was have a few beers while the kids were sleeping. This strategy is TOTALLY different for each family… some families swear by taking the kids back to the hotel for naps/rests in the afternoon (and your preggo wife may insist on this, which is totally cool). We did that the first few days, but we didn't find it was worth it for us. Our kids were perfectly happy to sleep for a few hours in the strollers, and when they passed out we would run over to Bayside brews in California Adventure and grab some beers and some pretzels and sit in the shade. That was a really nice time of the day for us

Just try to relax and go with the flow

 

[smartlabelprint]

Pooh is the only ride our almost 2 yo rode multiple times. Since we got home it's been pooh & tigger everything.

 

[Ndusmama]

Okay going to dl pregnant yup done that with a 3 year old. So I'm there with you. Baby care center is end of Main Street on right or east side by the corn dog hut behind photo shop. It's really quiet in mornings and it is air conditioned with a few comfy chars to rest pregnant feet. DCA has baby center near ghiradelli. Make sure your wife goes to ask for water at any walk up restaurant cause they will give her HUGE cups.
If you guys are used to early mornings I would suggest getting up and in park early for fantasyland cause afternoons get crowded. Maybe head back for nap and pool time in afternoons. Magical map show is great to sit and rest but be aware it can be loud for the 2 year old, and it is not air conditioned. The tiki room is air conditioned and shouldn't frighten anyone but maybe make sure to watch you tube videos to be prepared.
Now too town has goofys house which has a toddler slide and some fun climbing things for the little one and benches and shade for the mom. Do not let mom climb in chip and dale treehouse. It's tight and she will not be comfortable.

The best advice I or anyone else has said is just try to take your time and enjoy the experience. Traveling with 2 yo can be a challenge so work on their schedule. I hope this trip is better for you.

 

[BradChristian]

I think you'll like the Hojo, it gets great reviews here, and your 2 yr. old will love playing in the Splash park pool area! The walk is also very manageable, in my opinion.

You should definitely savor your first entrance to DL! I like to pause and read Walt's dedication plaque above the tunnels to Main Street, and there are often characters hanging out around the entrance, too!

A fun and relaxing way to make your way into the park is aboard one of the historical Main Street vehicles! They only run in the mornings and early afternoon and the choices are fun! Your wife will probably want to take it easy, and the vehicles are a fun way to cut out a little walking, especially with the Railroad closed.

I think your 2 yr. old will love exploring ToonTown after you hit Fantasyland and Small World. While there aren't a ton of rides, it can be a good place to meet the classic characters and there are fun interactive buttons to push. ToonTown is also one of my favorite places to take pictures! Mickey and the Magical Map is a fun 20ish minute show near ToonTown and you can bring food in so it's a great place for a rest.

In DCA, the Bugs Land area is fun for little ones and the splash pad area is The Best Attraction when it's hot! Turtle Talk with Crush in the Animation building is a funny, cool place to rest. I bet you could take part in a few drawing lessons at the Animation Academy and your 2 yr. old would like to draw/color, too. Maybe you could pack a few crayons to give to them to color on the provided paper, which is huge and on a clipboard. The Animation building is nice to just sit in and watch the Disneyland movie clips play, though the music can be a bit loud.

The nearby Monsters Inc. attraction is tame and fun to run through, with a short line usually. It used to be Superstar Limo or whatever! So sorry you experienced "DCA 1.0"! It truly looked tacky throughout! The re-imagined version is a lot more tastefully done, in my opinion.

WOC is definitely worth watching and Fastpasses are easy to obtain throughout the day. Grizzly River Run is one of my favorites for cooling off and the FP'S allow you to skip a lot of the line, so definitely grab some when you are getting your WOC FP'S.

The Little Mermaid ride is a newish dark ride nearby Grizzly and it is usually one of the shortest lines in DCA because it uses the Haunted Mansion style loading system. It's a great place to cool off, and the CM'S have let us stay on for multiple rides without getting off!

The FP'S for Radiator Springs Racers go pretty quick, so you'll want to monitor the return times on the app to make sure you don't miss out.

The Disneyland app is super helpful to use as a map (it'll show you as a blue dot in the park!), to see ride wait times, FP availability, bathroom locations, restaurant menus (and you can even make reservations!), and parade/show times! You can even check it out periodically before your trip to get a feel for crowd flow and somewhat plan your route, decide where to eat, etc.

The DL mister fans with a cup of ice water inside are the most refreshing things sometimes, but they suck to lug around, and mine leaked... Stay cool somehow though! We bought some Frog Togg cooling towels and those were also nice.

Have fun planning!

This is great! I'm looking forward to experiencing Main Street... The vehicles in WDW run so briefly during peak park time... I have always bypassed them, but I think they will be great in original park.

I'll also appreciate features like Walt's Apartment Window and things I was oblivious to years ago.

Thanks for the all the tips!

 

[BradChristian]

We love the hojo, that is where we always stay when we go. The walk is very manageable, the pool is lovely and the rooms are really clean. The service at Hojo has always been top notch for us, as well, right down to housekeeping. I also love the retro decor they have going on… there is just something about hojo that makes me really happy. I hope you enjoy your stay there

When travelling with a two year old it can be best to let them set the pace. Try to get into the parks early (like at opening) and do Fantasyland first. We went in August with our two little ones and we managed to do a ton of stuff in those first few hours after opening.

My kids LOVED the parades when they were really small, so I would suggest making the time to sit with a snack and watch the parades (this will be nice for your preggo wife too, who will probably look for any reason to have a little rest). My kids also enjoyed all the shows (Tangled, Mickey and the Magical Map etc). For me, the shows are one of the highlights of Disneyland and should not be skipped.

On Main street is a Baby Care Center (sort of behind Starbucks?)

https://disneyland.disney.go.com/guest-services/baby-center-lost-children/

We found this really handy. It is cool, quiet, and has tiny potty's for little ones who are potty training, or it is just a nice quiet place for changing diapers or having a snack. They also have infant medications etc if you need them.

We did NOT try to do any sit down meals or character meals when our little ones were that small… I was concerned about how the little ones would react to the characters at a character meal, at at $50/person it was not worth it to me. We tried a few sit down meals but the kids were just too wound up and cranky that it was not enjoyable, so we didn't do anymore. We just did quick service meals and we ate breakfast in our hotel room, which worked out really well for us and let us carry on with our day with out having to worry about making reservation times etc.

One thing we DID love to do was have a few beers while the kids were sleeping. This strategy is TOTALLY different for each family… some families swear by taking the kids back to the hotel for naps/rests in the afternoon (and your preggo wife may insist on this, which is totally cool). We did that the first few days, but we didn't find it was worth it for us. Our kids were perfectly happy to sleep for a few hours in the strollers, and when they passed out we would run over to Bayside brews in California Adventure and grab some beers and some pretzels and sit in the shade. That was a really nice time of the day for us

Just try to relax and go with the flow

Such good advice! Daniel slept in the stroller at WDW when he was almost 1... it will be interesting to see if he will still do that.

 

[smartlabelprint]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0119...id=1458518739&sr=8-7&keywords=baby+headphones

These noise reducers are awesome too. We used them for road noise on our walk back to hotel too. I havent used this brand but ours got dropped & broke. We lost the piece because it was dark out.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Don't know how this would work with your wife and 2 yo, but look into the Welcome to DL tour. That might be a fun way for you to get into the magic.