Help Please!

[DisneyMommy403]

Hello Fellow DISers!

I'm turning to you all to double check my plans. I'm super busy with work, a recent move, and I have four kids... so I know I'm forgetting things! Please help me with any tips about recent things I may not be privy to, any items I should pack, and any suggestions you may have!

Adults are outnumbered. It's Me and My Husband, and our 4 kids. The youngest is 1, so please help me figure out how to maximize the park times with a baby. I'm down to carry him in an ergo, and we have rented a double stroller for the 1yr old and the 4 yr old. Oldest girls are 8 and 7, they're walking.

We are going for 4.5days. Not park hopping... thinking of rethinking that, since Friday is a DCA day, and DL will be open late. We're doing mid-day hotel breaks at DLH, so staying late shouldn't be too gnarly.

We're flying from Hawaii, and only bringing carryons suitcases, but I'm still going to pack an extra pair of shoes for the midday swap.

Our touring plan is this:

Mar 1, arrive at Disneyland around 4:30pm
Grab dinner at Jolly Holiday and ride whatever we can till closing, maybe catch fireworks

Mar 2
Grab and go breakfast from DLH/DTD to eat in line
Arrive at DCA 45 min prior to EMH (too early?)
TSMM
Paradise Pier rides
Carsland
FP for RSR
bugsland
WOC lunch at Wine Country
Hotel Break
Eat dinner at Flo's
Tour the park till WOC

Mar 3
Arrive at DL gates 45 prior to EMH
Peter Pan
Dumbo
Matterhorn
Alice
Register for Jedi Training
Grab FP for Space and Buzz
Breakfast with Minnie
Finish fantasyland and tomorrowland
Lunch at Rancho
Hotel Break
Come back for Jedi Training
Dinner at BB for PTN package
tour that side of the park till PTN and Fireworks

Mar 4
Arrive for EMH
Carsland
Breakfast at Flo's
tour the park
Afternoon Tea at DLH
Hotel break
Dinner at Carthay Circle

Mar 5th
EMH
Fantasyland faves and tommorowland faves
Indiana Jones (it's closed the beginning of our trip)
Lunch at Cafe Orleans
Hit what we've missed
Pictures with characters
hotel break
Dinner at Carnation Cafe

catch fireworks

Mar 6th

DTD shopping and eating
Catch the DLR bus at 1 or 2 (which would catch for flight departure at 5pm?)
Cry profusely that it's all over.

Other things:
How long are the wash and dry cycles at the hotel laundry rooms?
How much are the baby foods and such at the baby center?
What would you pack that isn't on the standard packing lists?

 

[smartlabelprint]

I don't know if Jedi scheduling is available at EMH. Whatever the case, get to that first - the line can be long.

What time does the park open when you're there? If it's 8 I wouldn't get to EMH that early.

I dont think you need to go to DCA EMH as early as DL because hotel guests are the only ones trying to get in.

These are just opinions. People will correct me if they have updated info.

 

[Geemo]

If you need anything from a store you can have Von's deliver to the hotel.
I like to do this when we are staying a week. It's nice to go online and order up necessities we don't want to pack in our carry-on.
Geemo

 

[azdisneylover]

I will suggest you purchase a case of two of water and make sure you have sunscreen in stick form to carry around in the parks to reapply. Chap-stick too. You can get any other snacks, fruit, etc delivered from Vons or take a quick drive to Target, or, if you have a Costco card, a trip to Costco for items. Gogurts are good to put in the freezer and have for the kids to eat, even if it is just in the room. Plan to bring medicine for fever, cold, flu etc, it is very expensive at Disneyland.

 

[smartlabelprint]

Aloe Vera in case of sunburn

I don't bring water. I get free cups at qs restaurants.

 

[wench]

I would do Alice before Matterhorn. Not only is it a little less backtracking, but the line for Alice gets really bad really quickly. It's a very slow loading ride. Matterhorn lines may seem to get long quickly, but with 2 tracks it moves much quicker. Depending on time, you may even want to hold Matterhorn until after you sign up for Jedi Training. The only other thing I'd say is be sure to get FP for Indy if you're not doing it 1st thing in the morning. The lines just get soooo long for it & stay that way all day long.

 

[DisneyMommy403]

I don't know if Jedi scheduling is available at EMH. Whatever the case, get to that first - the line can be long.

What time does the park open when you're there? If it's 8 I wouldn't get to EMH that early.

I dont think you need to go to DCA EMH as early as DL because hotel guests are the only ones trying to get in.

These are just opinions. People will correct me if they have updated info.

Park opening is at 10, so EMH is 9. Jedi training is after park opening, but I figure after getting everything on the list before it, that the park will be open by then.

If you need anything from a store you can have Von's deliver to the hotel.
I like to do this when we are staying a week. It's nice to go online and order up necessities we don't want to pack in our carry-on.
Geemo

This is such a great tip! Thank You so much! Can you schedule a delivery time? What if I'm not in the room?

I will suggest you purchase a case of two of water and make sure you have sunscreen in stick form to carry around in the parks to reapply. Chap-stick too. You can get any other snacks, fruit, etc delivered from Vons or take a quick drive to Target, or, if you have a Costco card, a trip to Costco for items. Gogurts are good to put in the freezer and have for the kids to eat, even if it is just in the room. Plan to bring medicine for fever, cold, flu etc, it is very expensive at Disneyland.

I ordered 2 cases of bottled water from our stroller rental company, didn't think of packing a sunscreen stick, but that is GENIUS. Since I'll only be there 6 days, and buying a bottle I can't take back on the plane seems so wasteful. Thanks for the advice about the medicine too!

Aloe Vera in case of sunburn

I don't bring water. I get free cups at qs restaurants.

We're Hawaiian... we don't get sunburn! hahaha I'm totally joking, we do. Thank You for the tip!

I would do Alice before Matterhorn. Not only is it a little less backtracking, but the line for Alice gets really bad really quickly. It's a very slow loading ride. Matterhorn lines may seem to get long quickly, but with 2 tracks it moves much quicker. Depending on time, you may even want to hold Matterhorn until after you sign up for Jedi Training. The only other thing I'd say is be sure to get FP for Indy if you're not doing it 1st thing in the morning. The lines just get soooo long for it & stay that way all day long.

Thank you for the Alice suggestion! Makes sense. I'll swap that. I'll be sure to watch my time to make sure I'm there for Jedi Training. Indy is closed till 3/3, so the morning it opens, we are so there! Thanks!

 

[sherilaine]

Okay I found a big problem in your plan - nowhere do I see a plan to relax and take it easy and have fun and skip every now and then and yell "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah" while jumping at the same time!!

You better fix that! Have fun!

 

[figment_jii]

Grab dinner at Jolly Holiday and ride whatever we can till closing, maybe catch fireworks

I would aim to see fireworks as early in the trip as possible. That way, if they're cancelled (which is not uncommon), you have other nights to try and see the show.

Mar 3; Arrive at DL gates 45 prior to EMH; Peter Pan; Dumbo; Matterhorn; Alice

As others have suggested, I'd switch the order. While it does mean some back-tracking, I'd strongly consider doing Alice after Peter Pan, before Dumbo and Matterhorn. I'd also play this one by a ear a little...if you get to Peter Pan and the line is already 30-45 minutes, I'd go on to the other things on your list and then come back to Peter Pan later in the day (a long line is a long line, but you can get more done during EMH, so I wouldn't spend the majority of the time waiting in line for Peter Pan).

Pictures with characters

You might want to consider spreading out your character visits throughout your trip. You can use the Disneyland App to see who is out and where and decide if you want to see that character or not. Sometimes characters only appear randomly and other characters only appear at set locations. Depending on who and how many characters you want to see, it might take more than part of an afternoon.

Catch the DLR bus at 1 or 2 (which would catch for flight departure at 5pm?)

Where are you flying out of? I would probably aim for 1:00 pm. I'd rather be early to an airport than having to worry about the time and potentially miss the flight if the traffic is bad, if there is a long line at security, etc. I think SNA is a little better, but if you're flying out of LAX, I would definitely aim for 1:00 pm.

What would you pack that isn't on the standard packing lists?

I don't know if it's on a standard packing list, but I'd pack some gallon ziploc bags. They can be used to store stuff and keep stuff dry (helpful for water rides or unexpected rains). I'd also back a large barrel pen for the characters (some of the characters have trouble with narrow/standard sized pens). If you or your family is into pressed coins, I'd pack a roll of quarters and shiny pennies/nickels/dimes/quarters.

 

[Geemo]

Geemo said: ↑
If you need anything from a store you can have Von's deliver to the hotel.
I like to do this when we are staying a week. It's nice to go online and order up necessities we don't want to pack in our carry-on.
Geemo
This is such a great tip! Thank You so much! Can you schedule a delivery time? What if I'm not in the room?
********************************************

Go the Von's website and you'll see how it works. We have our order delivered the morning we arrive.
Von's will deliver and leave with Bell Services. The ONLY EXCEPTION is alcohol. If you ordered alcohol, you are REQUIRED to be there for delivery.

Bell Services has always kept refrigerated items refrigerated. When we get to the room we call and have Bell Services and have them bring up the stuff.

Geemo

 

[nolenbelledavis]

I second the ziploc bags! Also, I usually fill a backpack with drinks and whatever we might need for the park for the day, that I am comfortable leaving on the stroller, and then I don't have to lug it on every ride, just have my valuables in my purse. Also, we have 4 kids too and took them at this age. Sunscreen on the shins is one thing we forgot. Our 3 yo fell asleep in the stroller and his little shins looked like a lobster. Probably the biggest thing that helped us was not trying to do everything. At first we'd take our at the time 2 year old in the morning for EMH and then he'd end up staying up late and was just exhausted and over-tired. We started letting him sleep in and things went so much better, everyone was so much happier. So if your littles are getting tired, you or your husband might want to let them sleep and the other one of you can take your older kiddos to do the "big kid" rides. Also, I use the DL apps on my phone to see line times and kind of decide our day based on what those look like.

 

[DahliaRW]

Don't forget to utilize child swap!

Also, snacks. Lots of little snacks. They are pretty much magic when you have kids waiting in long lines. Also, potty breaks before getting in any substantial line. Seriously, note where the bathrooms are, you will seek them out often!

 

[Angrose]

Hit the Target dollar bins for glow bracelets, those fun packs with the little coloring books/crayons/stickers, yoyo's, princess wands, etc. these things are so valuable to have when they're getting cranky waiting in line, or while waiting for the parades to start. Seriously, it's amazing how the complaining magically disappears at the site of anything that glows!

Have fun, I'll be at the DLH too, Mar 4-5th. I hope it's warm enough to swim!

 

[DisneyMommy403]

Okay I found a big problem in your plan - nowhere do I see a plan to relax and take it easy and have fun and skip every now and then and yell "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah" while jumping at the same time!!

You better fix that! Have fun!

I totally figured that was a given! I'll also be singing and dancing down Main Street.

I would aim to see fireworks as early in the trip as possible. That way, if they're cancelled (which is not uncommon), you have other nights to try and see the show.


As others have suggested, I'd switch the order. While it does mean some back-tracking, I'd strongly consider doing Alice after Peter Pan, before Dumbo and Matterhorn. I'd also play this one by a ear a little...if you get to Peter Pan and the line is already 30-45 minutes, I'd go on to the other things on your list and then come back to Peter Pan later in the day (a long line is a long line, but you can get more done during EMH, so I wouldn't spend the majority of the time waiting in line for Peter Pan).


You might want to consider spreading out your character visits throughout your trip. You can use the Disneyland App to see who is out and where and decide if you want to see that character or not. Sometimes characters only appear randomly and other characters only appear at set locations. Depending on who and how many characters you want to see, it might take more than part of an afternoon.


Where are you flying out of? I would probably aim for 1:00 pm. I'd rather be early to an airport than having to worry about the time and potentially miss the flight if the traffic is bad, if there is a long line at security, etc. I think SNA is a little better, but if you're flying out of LAX, I would definitely aim for 1:00 pm.


I don't know if it's on a standard packing list, but I'd pack some gallon ziploc bags. They can be used to store stuff and keep stuff dry (helpful for water rides or unexpected rains). I'd also back a large barrel pen for the characters (some of the characters have trouble with narrow/standard sized pens). If you or your family is into pressed coins, I'd pack a roll of quarters and shiny pennies/nickels/dimes/quarters.

Super super helpful as always figment! I'll be sure to heed your advice about Peter Pan. I was kinda leaning toward fireworks our first night to kind of welcome the kids to the parks. The trip is a total surprise, so they'll going to be freaking out. I'll take the 1:00pm bus to LAX, I wanted that extra hour, but it's more responsible to take the 1:00. I'll definitely add the ziplocks!!! Such a great tip!

Geemo said: ↑
If you need anything from a store you can have Von's deliver to the hotel.
I like to do this when we are staying a week. It's nice to go online and order up necessities we don't want to pack in our carry-on.
Geemo
This is such a great tip! Thank You so much! Can you schedule a delivery time? What if I'm not in the room?
********************************************

Go the Von's website and you'll see how it works. We have our order delivered the morning we arrive.
Von's will deliver and leave with Bell Services. The ONLY EXCEPTION is alcohol. If you ordered alcohol, you are REQUIRED to be there for delivery.

Bell Services has always kept refrigerated items refrigerated. When we get to the room we call and have Bell Services and have them bring up the stuff.

Geemo

This tip just totally saved my sanity. Thank you Geemo!!!

I second the ziploc bags! Also, I usually fill a backpack with drinks and whatever we might need for the park for the day, that I am comfortable leaving on the stroller, and then I don't have to lug it on every ride, just have my valuables in my purse. Also, we have 4 kids too and took them at this age. Sunscreen on the shins is one thing we forgot. Our 3 yo fell asleep in the stroller and his little shins looked like a lobster. Probably the biggest thing that helped us was not trying to do everything. At first we'd take our at the time 2 year old in the morning for EMH and then he'd end up staying up late and was just exhausted and over-tired. We started letting him sleep in and things went so much better, everyone was so much happier. So if your littles are getting tired, you or your husband might want to let them sleep and the other one of you can take your older kiddos to do the "big kid" rides. Also, I use the DL apps on my phone to see line times and kind of decide our day based on what those look like.

I had planned on just bringing a LeSportSac cross body, but a backpack with snacks makes perfect sense. Sunscreen on the shins... believe it or not... I really needed to hear that. We will be doing afternoon hotel naps, and also people watch from a bench or two to rest our legs.

Don't forget to utilize child swap!

Also, snacks. Lots of little snacks. They are pretty much magic when you have kids waiting in long lines. Also, potty breaks before getting in any substantial line. Seriously, note where the bathrooms are, you will seek them out often!

Bathroom breaks! I totally forgot we need to use those. Ok, ya, I will be forcing bathroom breaks before big lines for sure. Especially with a 4 year old. Thank You!

Hit the Target dollar bins for glow bracelets, those fun packs with the little coloring books/crayons/stickers, yoyo's, princess wands, etc. these things are so valuable to have when they're getting cranky waiting in line, or while waiting for the parades to start. Seriously, it's amazing how the complaining magically disappears at the site of anything that glows!

Have fun, I'll be at the DLH too, Mar 4-5th. I hope it's warm enough to swim!

Glow sticks! Adding that to my shopping list.

Thank You all so much, these tips are saving me! I'm so grateful for all your helpful responses!

 

[figment_jii]

Hit the Target dollar bins for glow bracelets!

I bought a bunch of those things for an early holiday trips with two kids last year. The thin bracelets were fine, but the thicker ones (used for glow wands) were more problematic. They all were great fun, but they are on the cheap side, so they weren't the best quality. Make sure the kids break them away from their faces (or anyone else's face). We had two wands that ended up "breaking" when they were "cracked" and the poor kid ended up with glowing chemical stuff on his hands and face. Needless to say, wet-wipes and a trip to the bathroom were needed! I'd buy them again, but now we're more careful when the kids start them. Oh...that's another thing to pack...a small pack of wet-wipes!

 

[Angrose]

I bought a bunch of those things for an early holiday trips with two kids last year. The thin bracelets were fine, but the thicker ones (used for glow wands) were more problematic. They all were great fun, but they are on the cheap side, so they weren't the best quality. Make sure the kids break them away from their faces (or anyone else's face). We had two wands that ended up "breaking" when they were "cracked" and the poor kid ended up with glowing chemical stuff on his hands and face. Needless to say, wet-wipes and a trip to the bathroom were needed! I'd buy them again, but now we're more careful when the kids start them. Oh...that's another thing to pack...a small pack of wet-wipes!

I have had the same issues with the larger glow sticks. I will now only buy the small glow bracelets that you can hook together. Easier for the kids to do themselves and smaller to pack.
And, I don't go ANYWHERE with out wet-wipes...the greatest invention ever

 

[esmee1sttip]

1. Clothes pins for hanging up swim wear in the shower so it can dry out. You can also use it to hold a blanket on a stroller to block out light on a stroller.
2. Power strip for your room as there are never enough places to charge devices
3. Make sure you find the location of the first aid station...you never know when you need to stop in...been there!

 

[yupikgal]

Disney Mommy...how was the trip??