How to prepare for our first trip to DL?

[Laur0406]

We just booked our first trip to Disneyland (omg omg omg omg) - 1 week in late Feb/Early March with 4 days at the parks. It will be me, my husband and our not quite 4 year old son (will be 4 in May). How do you prep your kids (and yourselves!) for your trips? He watches Mickey Mouse club, so knows Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy, Pluto. He's seen all the Toy Story movies, Frozen, Cars and Planes (although I don't think he remembers the characters names from Cars and Planes) and watches other Disney Jr shows (Jake, Sofia the 1st). He will be getting a big plush Mickey for Hanukkah, too.

 

[Nevada Jen]

Hmmm. . . how tall is he? 4 is the age where kids might or might not be tall enough for the big rides. If he meets the height requirements for the bigger rides, you might want to show him ride videos. I would try to throw in some classic Disney characters. Think about what is in fantasyland and see if you can have family movie night once a week or read those stories. Get him an autograph book and tell him he can get the characters autographs at Disney. That's either the best age for characters or the absolute worst! I notice Frozen missing from your list. Maybe because my daughter is obsessed with Olaf but it feels like DCA is very frozen oriented.

 

[DL_Forever]

Check out this website - dlrprepschool.com Lots of good info for first timers.

 

[Laur0406]

He's tall, 42" so I think he can go on most rides fortunately! I am probably going to order him something from Disney floral and Gifts to the hotel, and it will include an autograph book.

I notice Frozen missing from your list. Maybe because my daughter is obsessed with Olaf but it feels like DCA is very frozen oriented.

How could I forget Frozen????? I edited my post to add it, he LOVES frozen.

 

[figment_jii]

On a serious note, I would start having your son do some walking around home to get used to the amount of walking that happens at DLR. I've read that it's not uncommon to talk between 6 to 15 miles per day when at Disneyland (my group averaged around 8 miles when we had little ones), which can be a lot if he's not used to it!

In terms of preparing for the attractions, you might also want to go to YouTube to get a sense of which attractions he might like or might not be ready for. I'd take a quick glance at the Fantasyland dark rides (especially Snow White, Pinocchio, and Mr. Toad) because all three do have some "scarier" elements that might be unexpected for a "kiddie" ride. If you think he'll like those attractions, then it might be fun to watch some of the older movies from which those attractions are based.

 

[MrJT]

Check out this website - dlrprepschool.com Lots of good info for first timers.

This is a great site.

 

[Laur0406]

On a serious note, I would start having your son do some walking around home to get used to the amount of walking that happens at DLR. I've read that it's not uncommon to talk between 6 to 15 miles per day when at Disneyland (my group averaged around 8 miles when we had little ones), which can be a lot if he's not used to it!

Thanks! We will be renting a stroller. We go to our local amusement park (Canada's Wonderland) almost every weekend in the summer, and he is used to walking, but will ride the stroller when he's tired.

 

[ADLFAN]

A Bug's Life, there is a very adorable themed land in California Adventure based on the movie with mild younger kid rides that usually have low waits. We have also met Flick there, and there are fun statues of the other characters. If he's brave with bugs, there is also the "It's Tough To Be A Bug" show near the entrance to A Bug's Land in a very cool underground themed theatre. It is 3D and there are some other fun effects that some younger kids may be scared of, so it totally depends on your kid's attitude.

Carsland is awesome, and it's worth re-introducing that movie before the trip. I think it looks best at night, and if you time it right, you can start by watching the nightly lighting of the neon in town.

Mickey and the Magical Map is a fun show for everyone, and they go through a ton of Disney movie songs.

Have fun planning!

 

[lalasmama]

There's a Disney Sing-a-long video from the 1990s that can often be found at Walmart. My grandsons love watching it to "prepare" for Disneyland. The rides and places they show haven't changed much, so I think most kids would find it a good facsimile to what is there. It also does a good job of showing how large the characters are--that they aren't the 3" high characters on TV, but really "people-sized."

Definitely check out Bugs Life. The themed land is awesome even without having seen the movie, though.

Once upon a time, we had a list of rides and movies. I'll see if I can find it and link it when I get home from work, or you can search the forum for "ride based on movie list" and that should bring it up.

 

[WonkaKid]

On a serious note, I would start having your son do some walking around home to get used to the amount of walking that happens at DLR. I've read that it's not uncommon to talk between 6 to 15 miles per day when at Disneyland

I rarely walk fewer than seven miles on any given DL trip and have clocked as many as 13. Prepare accordingly .

In terms of preparing for the attractions, you might also want to go to YouTube to get a sense of which attractions he might like or might not be ready for. I'd take a quick glance at the Fantasyland dark rides (especially Snow White, Pinocchio, and Mr. Toad)...

I second this idea. I know that as a child, Snow White at DW scared me. There was a breaking-glass sound effect at the time, which felt very real to me. Might be a good idea to explain to him that, although parts of the rides may be scary, nothing will hurt him and it's all intended to be fun .

Rob

 

[Leopardstars]

A former coworker of mine is currently at DLR and she posted her Fitbit screen showing that she had taken 20,000 steps for just over 14 km (or around 8.5 km). This drove home the need for all 3 of us to increase our walking leading up to our trip. I'm not sure how to do this one as we are going at the end of March and we live in Alberta. So walking outside may tricky due to cold, snow or ice.

Other things I'm doing is reading up on the rides noting which ones may or may not be for her, reading the DLR Prep School site and trying to find the Classic Disney movies like Dumbo and Alice in Wonderland. CBC usually does a Disney movie on Sunday night so I always check those out.

 

[Laur0406]

In terms of preparing for the attractions, you might also want to go to YouTube to get a sense of which attractions he might like or might not be ready for. I'd take a quick glance at the Fantasyland dark rides (especially Snow White, Pinocchio, and Mr. Toad) because all three do have some "scarier" elements that might be unexpected for a "kiddie" ride. If you think he'll like those attractions, then it might be fun to watch some of the older movies from which those attractions are based.

This is such a great idea, thank you! I totally didn't even think about that.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Look on allears.net to see the menus. You know what will work best for your son. If he is a hearty, eat anything kind of kid, you shouldn't have a problem. But if he's picky, you can know ahead which CS/TS places will work for you and whether you should bring food for him. If you'll be driving, you can bring groceries with you. Otherwise, Vons.com or Amazon will deliver groceries to your hotel. Check with your hotel on their policy on deliveries.

 

[Elima2015]

The tips above are great! We took our (at the time) almost 4 year old twins for the first time last spring. A few things I learned with a big caveat that I know every child is different. I would tell him close to when you actually go. We told ours 4 weeks in advance and by the time we left they seemed information overloaded already. We had talked it up so much that I think it stressed them out. It was helpful that we watched a few You Tube videos together so they knew what to expect of a "ride." I had made schedules for the first couple hours of the day and then left the rest open - we had trouble sticking to even that plan because they would find a ride they liked and want to loop it over and over (Gadget's coaster was a huge hit - they were under 40" so no big rides). Bring an extra outfit if you think you might let him play in Princess Dot's Puddle Park. Next time I would let the kids get a small toy early in the trip (they wanted light up spinner toys that I had them wait to get, but I know they would have loved sitting in the stroller playing with their toys). We also planned a break day in the middle of the trip and that was very helpful for them (and us!). We drove to Laguna Beach and spent hours playing in the sand. It was a very nice change from the crowds and lines. Have so much fun!

 

[lalasmama]

A former coworker of mine is currently at DLR and she posted her Fitbit screen showing that she had taken 20,000 steps for just over 14 km (or around 8.5 km). This drove home the need for all 3 of us to increase our walking leading up to our trip.
.

Just for the fun of it, I looked at my last trip. Looking at steps, here's my counts. Day 1: 30,607 (park 8am-12am, I think). Day 2: 20,680 (parks 3pm-12am). Day 3: 21,930 (like 8am-12am). Day 4: 16,269 (9am-3pm). Mileage: Day 1: 12.59 miles. Day 2: 8.48 miles. Day 3: 9.03 miles. Day 4: 6.68 miles.

Now, that being said, I was SERIOUSLY out of shape my first trip as an adult (2012), and had similar habits touring the parks. Yes, your feet will hurt and your legs will get tired, but rarely are you walking a lot. You walk some then ride an attraction. Walk more, ride again. Walk, show. Walk, ride. Walk, parade. You get the idea. You may only actively walk a few minutes at a time. More important than working on distance walking is just making sure to pack good, comfortable shoes, change them out mid-day, wear good cotton socks, take breaks to watch shows, and be kind to your feet. I've found what makes a huge difference in leg pain is showering or soaking my legs at the end of the day, along with a healthy dose of anti-inflammatory (ibuprofen or aleve).

 

[Winnowill]

My all-time steps record was DL this past June. I did more than 30,000 steps for a total of 14 miles. So, yeah - it helps to up your stamina!

 

[MacMama0930]

Study and completely understand the FP system. I can't believe how often I hear misinformation. Such as the family in line at hyperspace mountain, near tears when the ride broke down and they stated they had been holding that fast pass all day so they couldn't get anymore, and now the ride was broke down. They didn't realize that they could've pulled another one or probably two or three more during that time - since you can pull another one after a) two hours after you pulled your first one or b) once your return time window open up - whichever is sooner.

Once I understood exactly how the system worked, which fast passes are disconnected, how the two parks are disconnected, etc - we honestly don't wait in lines. Even on some of the most crowded days, we get in all rides with very little wait. Also know the single rider line and child swap. This can also cut down on wait times.

I also found the Unofficial Guide to Disneyland really essential to my planning, as well as this site and dlrprepschool.com

 

[coaches24]

Might have already been said by someone (I didnt read all the replys to the OP) but showing your son the rides on youtube can be a big help. My DD was 2 her first time so I was worried about her being scared of the rides so I started showing her all the cool things DL has to do including all the different rides. We first looked on the DL website and she saw pictures of each and then I had the idea of looking at youtube (I may have gotten the idea from this site). It really helped her get over her fears on a lot of rides. POC was a big hit even though she didnt like the drops. She remembered seeing different parts to the ride on youtube and got excited when she saw them for real (like the dog holding the keys). It also helped us know which rides she wouldnt want to go on.

I went through basically everything it has for rides and attractions on DL website and made a list with DD of what she wanted to see. At 2 one of her big must dos was "Donalds Boat". She was so excited when we got to donalds boat in Toon town and got to run around on it. Didnt make one bit of difference that is wasnt a ride.

 

[NannyBeBe]

When our kids were your son's age, our trips to DLR were directed by them and we just tagged along. If our daughter wanted to watch the ducks, then that is what we did. If they saw a ride and wanted to ride, then we did. We found that letting them take the lead made everything much less stressful on everyone.