First Time, Need All sorts of Advice/Tips

[macieroo]

This will be our first time to Disneyland. We will be traveling from TX thru LAX the week after Thanksgiving with a 4 yr old girl and 9 month old girl. All the resort hotels are booked, so we need suggestions on where to stay. And, how many days should we try to spend in the park? Also, do we go to California Adventure too? AND... we wanted to do a few other things, non-theme park related while in the area. We considered the beach, but thought it would be too cold that time of year. Any suggestions? Any general tips for traveling with little ones would help too. Hope this wasn't too much. Thanks!!

 

[dizneekrazee]

Of course you should go to CA Adventure!!! There are alot of fun things there for little ones.
Regarding the beach, you never know with SoCal weather, it might surprise you and be quite warm.
For hotels, start looking on Harbor. Look at the Hojo, Tropicana, Candy Cane Inn, Carousel, Desert Inn and Suites, Ramada Inn, Best Western. There are tons, Im sure you can find one.
Since this is your first trip, and I dont know when you plan on visiting again, and since I am assuming with 2 little ones you will be taking breaks during the day, I would recommend 4 days in the parks.

HTH!!

 

[Marciern22]

Don't look at the HOJO, it is far. The Tropicana is right off the crosswalk and the Best Western Park Place Inn is too. Ramada Maingate is close. Candy Cane is on same side of street as DLR but still farther. If you have any specific questions you need help with, just PM me and I will find the answers for you. I was just down there the other night and wrote down all of the hotels for another thread.

 

[Marciern22]

This year is pretty extra warm out. You could still go to the beach, it just may be windy.

 

[PhatalFool]

In case you dont know the water is always COLD COLD COLD.

 

[cruise cruise cruise]

This is the hotel map I like
http://www.geocities.com/ashpsyche/DisneylandLinkMap.html

 

[cheshiregirl]

Don't look at the HOJO, it is far. The Tropicana is right off the crosswalk and the Best Western Park Place Inn is too. Ramada Maingate is close. Candy Cane is on same side of street as DLR but still farther. If you have any specific questions you need help with, just PM me and I will find the answers for you. I was just down there the other night and wrote down all of the hotels for another thread.

Despite what PP said about the Hojo being far, I would not immediately rule it out, as you will find that it is a favorite amongst many of the people on the boards.

By far, she means a 7-10 minute walk to the entrance turnstiles as opposed to a 5 minute walk from the closest hotels.

My family loves the Hojo. Once we discovered it, I have found it hard to even look at other hotels because we know that we are getting a clean, well kept up room on a safe property. And, depending on your dates, you may be able to get the entertainment rate where you room is only $59 or $74 per night!

 

[TheAXIOM]

I would recommend the Desert Inn, as it is almost directly across from the notorious crosswalk that I am sure ALL of us in this forum have encountered.

Many people complain about its dirtiness, but I never see anything wrong with it; it looks like any other hotel room I've stayed in. And besides, I usually never spend more time needed than a night's sleep and a nap per day of use, so I didn't stay in the room enough to complain about anything.

As a rule to myself, I find that I cannot get everything I want to do done in a day. I say 3 days is time to do plenty (although I STILL seem to have several things left that I wanted to do on my list when I fly home...)

And I would DEFINITELY look into a park hopper for DCA. There are rides there that are worth looking into, although of course Tower of Terror and Screamin' may be a bit much for a 4 year old. Definitely look into the Monsters, INC. ride, Talking with Crush, and Toy Story Mania... Everyone in your group will LOVE those midway games . The Pixar Parade I've heard is fun too, though I've never seen it.

Hope that helps!

 

[LuvDaVillains]

HOTELS:
The Harbor Blvd. hotels are good recommendations. If you can afford to go a bit more upscale, try the Hilton or the Marriott and use Anaheim Resort Transit to go to and from the parks, especially if you want it to be a bit quieter when you are away from the parks and you want to be assured of a good bed.

KIDS:
Check out the height requirements online before you come. When I was your older daughter's age (and even today) I loved the Peter Pan ride. Snow White can be scary, so if you ride it, remind her that it is called Snow White's SCARY Adventure, and than the witch jumps out A LOT!

Take it easy, and definitely take rest breaks. I saw a mom on Sunday sitting on a bench at the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail with her sleeping daughter (about 5 years old) stretched out next to her. Much better to take a break and let everyone rest than to deal with overtired, cranky kids.

You can change diapers in any restroom (mens or womens), or you can go to the baby care centers (in DL, as you are walking toward the castle, make a hard right at the end of Main St. and it will be on your right). I used to take my son there when he was little and we needed a bit of quiet time or a child-size toilet. You can heat up baby food there, too. They have baby care stuff for sale in case you run out (albeit at Disney prices), but they're a good safety net.

There is also a center at DCA, back by the Mission Tortilla Factory, right next to the first aid station. My son, now almost 15, points out that first aid station every time we go to DCA...ever since he was 8 and we made a 3-day birthday trip to DCA for his birthday. He and his friend were in the waiting area for A Bug's Life, and some other kid bumped against him. He skinned his knee on one of the fake rocks and was bleeding all over, so off to first aid we went. (Yes, accidents happen even at DLR)! They treated him so nicely that he actually has fond memories of his accident!

OTHER STUFF TO DO:
Depending on the weather (as stated previously, it could be warm or coolish, but the water will be cold) head for the beach, even if it is just for a walk. There are tide pools at Doheny State Beach at Dana Point that are kind of cool. In Santa Ana, there are the Kidseum and the Discovery Science Center. My son always loved the fountains at Fashion Island (Newport Beach area). A bit farther away is the Aquarium of the Pacific at Long Beach.

All of them should have websites if you do a Google search.

 

[DahliaRW]

I would do 5 days and take lots of breaks. The price difference between a 4 day parkhopper and a 5 day is something like only 10 or 15.

Also, utilize child swap! My 3 1/2 year old loved that because he got to go on a bunch of rides twice in a very short period of time. His favorite at DCA was soarin'.

 

[Super Excited]

I've been planning our trip to DL FOREVER!! So I've done tons of research. We will be there Dec 5-12th - We got the 3 day hopper and have reservations at the Cortona Inn - looks clean and has good reviews - its about a block and 1/2 away from DL - this is our first trip out to DL from MN and we have a couple days set aside for beach/ocean activities ... its got to be warmer out there then here in MN in Dec.. we figure even if we are just building sand castles we are at least at the ocean. We also plan to go the the Aquarium of the Pacific - I've been told its a amazing place - check out the website .. its a hands on aquarium - and in Dana Point the have dophin excursions we plan to do - although we have a 16yr old and a 4 yr old .. its easier then two small kids ..

 

[mariezp]

Howdy from another Texas Disneyland fan! I agree with 4 or 5 days in the parks. I can recommend the Desert Inn which is not fancy but affordable, clean and very close to the park. My best tip would be to make sure and go back to your room everyday for naps and well needed rest. Kids can get so miserable without a good break, not to mention that it's also great for mom and dad! Then you can head back to the park in the evening recharged and, hopefully, some folks have left for the day. Be sure to use a stoller, and possible a double because even your 4 year old will get tired with all the walking.

You gotta take in all the Fantasyland rides, everything in Toontown, the Tiki Room, Jungle Cruise, Small World, Pooh, Buzz Lightyear, Nemo and the train. Autopia can be fun but the pedals are HARD to push. Haunted Mansion is fun too but is scary to some. My DD loves it now that she is 8. I think she finally was distracted by the snappy music playing while it had Christmas overlay. It seems to make it less scary. Pirates is THE best ride in the whole park and even good for little ones unless she is scared of the dark. You might want to ride the Mark Twain and even head over to the Pirate Island so your DD can run around a bit.

Since your children are younger I know that you may not plan on staying at the park late so it may not be an issue but if you do not plan to watch parades, fireworks or Fantasmic avoid Main Street and New Orleans near showtime because it is a madhouse and becomes very difficult to navigate a stroller through the crowd. If you do decide to stay late you will enjoy the parade and fireworks but Fantasmic might be a bit intense for your DD. Atleast it was for mine. There is a parade earlier in the day which may be all you need.

Be sure to take lots of pictures! Character photos are so cute and make wonderful souvenirs!

California Adventure has lots of fun stuff too. They have Bugsland which has several different rides and is geared towards kids just your DD's age. Some of our other favorites are Jumping Jellyfish, King Triton's Carousel, Monster's Inc and Soarin Over California. Of course, there's the new Toy Story Mania. For a good break off your feet, take your DD to see Playhouse Disney and Turtle Talk with Crush in the Animation Building. There is also a fun play area called Redwood Creek Challenge.

There are lots of other things to do in southern California. We prefer to stay in the park and not hassle with the traffic. I don't know that I would recommend Knott's because after going to Disneyland it is rather disappointing. We did enjoy Legoland in San Diego when my DD was about the same age as your DD. It is not a long drive and you can stop off by the ocean along the way. Also, there is the San Diego Zoo.

I hope you enjoy your first trip to Disneyland as much as we did! It has become an annual trip for us. I can't think of anywhere else I would rather go!