March 07 DL Trip with 2 kids under 3

[MotherofBelle&Will]

I have a 2 and a half and a 1 and a half year old. I am going for 3 nights from Wednesday March 14th - Saturday March 17th. I am a regular WDW visitor but have never been to Disneyland and I have never been with my kids. We are staying at the Disneyland hotel. I need lots of advice about crowds (I am worried now that it is going to be really crowded) and meals, things they recommend for little ones, etc. Any advice that anyone can give who has gone with small children would be great!

 

[TwingleMum]

I have 3 yr old twins and a 5 yrold. We have been taking them regularly to WDW since they were all 1 yrs old. The best piece of advice I can give is to take them back to the hotel at lunch time nap them and let them swim and relax. WDW and DL is alot of walking for anyone but especially little guys. We also don't push them. If they are up late one night for a parade ,special event or fireworks the next day they wake on their own and we take it easy on them. Too many parents push kids past their limit and they have melt downs on rides,ride lines,parades and shows ~ not fun for them or the people around them. There are lots of experts on this BB who can help you with specifics. This March will be our 1st trip to DL although we have been to WDW more than 15 times with the kid and many many times by ourselves. Have fun! Relax and enjoy all the special moments.

 

[cinderella_mom]

I'm a local and only had one little one, so I was able to just have her nap in her stroller. But with 2, I would use the hotel for naps. Unlike WDW, the hotels at DLR are walking distance from the parks, so you won't lose a lot of time going back to the hotel.

 

[cinderella_mom]

I need lots of advice about crowds (I am worried now that it is going to be really crowded) and meals, things they recommend for little ones, etc. Any advice that anyone can give who has gone with small children would be great!

The crowds shouldn't be too bad during the week in March. Spring Breaks out here are in April for most schools. Take advantage of any Early Entry days and if you want to go on Peter Pan and Dumbo, do them early. The lines for these two rides are very long within and hour of park opening.

As far as food goes, they have kids meals at all the food places. My DD really likes the cheese ravioli at Pizza Port and there are stands with fruit all around the park.

DLR is probably going to be easier for you with 2 little ones than WDW since everything is within walking distance. Enjoy your trip.

 

[tracer]

How fun! We are going 3/12-3/16 and I have a 3 1/2 and a 18 month old. I am heading out the door but will be back in a while to write what works for us!!

 

[familyoffiveAZ]

It's unclear from your post -- have you been to WDW with two little ones? If yes, then DL will be a breeze for you. If no, it still is very doable. Easy even.

 

[MotherofBelle&Will]

Hey, tracer - I saw a bunch of your posts and wanted to write to you because it sounded like you are in the same situation. We are actually flying into Oakland and staying with my sister in Napa and then driving down. we planned to take the coastal drive, how long do you think that will take. It looks like about 10 hours without stops. Have you ever stayed at the Disneyland hotel? What do you think?

 

[MotherofBelle&Will]

Sorry I wasn't clear. I have never been with my kids. My husband and i have been to WDW many times by ourselves. I tend to be a very scheduled planner and i even make up itineraries so having the kids with me I have to be more flexible (obviously). I am a little worried about how well they will hold up.

 

[disney-super-mom]

Crowds will be a bit heavy I believe. We've been during that exact week a few years ago, and it was CROWDED due to spring breaks. My son's school, and the rest of the schools in the Phoenix area, (we lived in Arizona at the time) had spring break during mid-March. Apparently, we weren't the only Arizonans who had the idea to go to Disneyland for Spring Break.

Peak spring break season is from mid-March through mid-April. Another indication of possible high attendance is looking at the operating hours of the parks the week you plan on going. If the hours are extended, then Disney is expecting larger crowds. Also, are nightly Fireworks on the schedule? If so, then Disney is expecting larger crowds.

On the upside though, I've noticed that the CMs run the lines very effeciently these days, so even if the line looks VERY LONG, you may only be in line for 10-15 minutes before you get on the ride. We found this to be the case when we went last October (when a lot of schools were on fall break, and when many people were visiting for MNSSHP).

Try to take advantage of Early Entry, especially because you have younger kids, you'll spend a lot of time in Fantasyland, and Early Entry is the BEST TIME to hit the attractions in Fantasyland. And of course, fastpass and parent swap are also good options to take advantage of.

You're going to have a great time though! You'll see! Don't let the thought of crowds scare you. I do this everytime we plan a trip (fret over crowds), and everytime we have a wonderful time and always end up surprised about how fast the lines moved.

 

[MATTERHORN]

How fun! We are going 3/12-3/16 and I have a 3 1/2 and a 18 month old. I am heading out the door but will be back in a while to write what works for us!!

Tracer, are you still going? I thought I saw yesterday you had decided not to?? Hooray if you are!!!!



Andrea

 

[tracer]

Tracer, are you still going? I thought I saw yesterday you had decided not to?? Hooray if you are!!!!



Andrea

Nope...we are still going!!! Maybe you read someone elses post?? We are all paid for too, so I hhhhhhaaaaavvvvveeeeeee to go, ya know!!

 

[tracer]

Hey, tracer - I saw a bunch of your posts and wanted to write to you because it sounded like you are in the same situation. We are actually flying into Oakland and staying with my sister in Napa and then driving down. we planned to take the coastal drive, how long do you think that will take. It looks like about 10 hours without stops. Have you ever stayed at the Disneyland hotel? What do you think?

Ok we are back! I have stayed at the DLH but not for many years. So no I have not stayed there with kids. We are going again in Dec and are considering staying there. Right now we are leaning more towards staying at a GN because a)they are a bit cheaper b)we can stay at one that is closer to DL c)we can get a cont. b-fast d) we can get a bigger room, maybe a suite. With the money we save we can do the F! dessert buffet. We really think the boys are still a little young to apprecaite staying onsite. But we have not ruled it out. Sorry I am not much help in this dept am I?!

We are in Sacramento, about an hour from Oakland. We usually leave about 6am, stop for a good b-fast and a light lunch. Depending on traffic in the LA area, we can get there about 1 or 3. I don't speed , more like go with the flow of traffic, but the flow is about 85 mph on I-5! We are like an hour from Napa also but that is further from LA. 10 hours may be right on for driving time. I haven't done it myself so I don't honesly know.

Food:
Ok for DL...we take a small insulated cooler to keep things like deli meat, cheese sticks, yogurt, fruit, etc. in. Then we pack crackers, fruit snacks, etc.. in our bag. I take a few water bottles and fill their sippy's with milk before we head over. That way I know they have good food to eat and when we sit to eat I don't really stress about them eating "healthy". DL has really stepped up on the kids food choices within the last few years. They have mac n' cheese, chicken fingers, PB and J... Check out the pocket dining guide that my friend Mommy2AllyandAveri made. I also made a sheet up of all the areas/lands in DL and DCA and what food places they have to make it easier for us to find something. I know it will come in very handy. You can PM me your e-mail address and I will send them to you.

Crowds:
We are going two weeks before CA spring breaks begin. That way it will NOT be crowded. The weekend will obviously be more crowded than during the week, but you really shouldn't worry too much about crowds. And if for some odd reason it ends up being crowded when you're there, so what, you'll make do, IT'S DISNEYLAND, the magic is still there! That's the only way to look at it. Someone else wrote it is busy that week, but I don't really see how it can be when spring breaks in CA haven't even begun. Also it is an off peak time so there aren't any fireworks during the week, only weekend. That tells you, DL isn't expecting a high turnout.

Rides:
We took DS1 when he was 10 months old for the first time. We took him on everything we could. Now that he is 3.5 he tells me he isn't riding POTC, hmmm, so do I listen to him or take him anyway?! DS2 will be 20 months when we go and he has never been. He doesn't like the dark, but hello, almost all the rides are in the dark! So we will take him on the easier ones first like Small World, the Pooh Ride... We will wait to take him on POTC and HM until day 2. There shouldn't be too long of lines and wait times at this time in March. But if there are take advantage of fastpasses and the parentswap/ride share program. It's awesome! Some rides we go on, Buzz (they love this!), autotopia, rockets, small world, casey train, merry-go-round, mr.toad, peter pan, pinochio, and the one next to it (the name slipped my mind), story book, monorail, RR, jungle cruise, POTC, HM, pooh ride, almost everythingin ToonTown... In DCA we go on monsters inc, everything in bugs land, brother bear climbers course thing... I don't know if playhouse disney will be playing at that time, so far it isn't on the scheduel. There are entertainment things to do as well.

What I have learned is to take our time and let the kids do things they want to do as well. I don't like to rush too much because then I am making it about me and not them, ya know what mean?? Don't get me wrong, I do have a scheduel of things I like to get accomplished each day.

Most definitiely, go back for lunchtime and have them take naps! They will be refreshed enough to go back and enjoy more in the evening. We have tried to have DS take naps in the stroller but he was never full energized. So they can catnap in them, but we go back everyday for a full afternoon nap. Plus we get to nap ourselves and freshen up.

Hmmmm, anything else? Let me know and I will try to help you as best I can. My boys are totally climbing on me as I write this so I apologize if it is totally choppy and misspelled!!

 

[disney-super-mom]

Crowds:
We are going two weeks before CA spring breaks begin. That way it will NOT be crowded. The weekend will obviously be more crowded than during the week, but you really shouldn't worry too much about crowds. And if for some odd reason it ends up being crowded when you're there, so what, you'll make do, IT'S DISNEYLAND, the magic is still there! That's the only way to look at it. Someone else wrote it is busy that week, but I don't really see how it can be when spring breaks in CA haven't even begun. Also it is an off peak time so there aren't any fireworks during the week, only weekend. That tells you, DL isn't expecting a high turnout.

Well, I did a little research, and it's kind of hard to tell how the crowds will be this week.

On the DL calendar, Disneyland is open until 11:00pm during the weekdays, which would indicate that they're expecting more people. But on the other hand, I checked for rooms on Expedia, checking in on 3/12 and checking out on 3/18, and there are PLENTY of rooms available, and I mean PLENTY! They even had rooms available at the GCH for the entire week.

So maybe the OP hit the right week afterall. Hopefully, and right now it looks like, crowds will be quite manageable.

 

[MotherofBelle&Will]

Thanks. I am hoping that it is not too crowded. I definitely think naps will be a good idea. The only thing is do you think I will have enough time to do everything if we are really only at the parks for 2 full days. We are going to have some time on Wednesday and Saturday but not alot. Also is the pool at the Disneyland hotel warm enough for the kids to swim?

 

[kuusimo]

Actually- we have been planning to go that week for a while and I just checked last night on Disneyland's booking site as well as Costco, and a few individual hotels and they are booked the nights of the March 15-17. We are now debating going in the fall (which I hope will not be the case) since we would be taking our 12 week old.

As far as your days...The thing I found was once my boys knew their way around they planned where they wanted to go. The kids meals there are big enough to have them share. Also know where the bathrooms are and take advantage of the baby centers at both places. On www.mouseplanet.com they have a great article on the bathrooms at Disneyland. It is commical to read, but as a parent it is useful information. You will be spending a majority of your time in one or two lines. I also found rides like Pooh and Small World really kept my younger son's attention longer than Dumbo. We did not think of sitting through any shows until last year when our youngest was one week away from turning 3. (These are at DCA) Our first year when our oldest was 2 and youngest was 13 months, we brought two umbrella strollers for each of them. We did this twice. It was easier to get around the parks with one parent on each stroller. I also made sure to bring snacks. We also told our boys what they could and could not get- no balloons, they got to pick one toy the last day we were there... That way it was already clear as to what our expectations were.

As far as characters go, see how it goes. Sometimes children that young don't want to meet them. Mine only wanted to meet Tigger and Pooh the first couple years and wave to the rest from afar. It was a little overwhelming for them to see them. We also made sure we did naps. Not just for them but us. Being in the same hotel room they went to bed a lot later than normal. That is harder on mom and dad then them for some reason.

My husband is a planner as well and it took him a little while to just go with the boys flow. He wanted to show them everything and it just does not happen. We find now that we let them pick a few rides they REALLY WANT to go on and then let the day plan itself. It is not worth the stress otherwise.

Have a great time and we may or may not be there the same time!

 

[Zoemakes5]

We went to the parks when my kids were little ones too. Some generic suggestions:

Coordinate lunch or dinner with parades. Sit down with the kids and have the other person go get food. That way you get a good spot, and when the food comes back, you have something to keep the kiddos busy. Or, what I always did was bring in cut up favorite foods in little tupperware or similar in a little cooler that I put in the bottom of the stroller.
Bubbles are a life saver! They are the simplest thing, but the kids love them. They are perfect for waiting for parades or fireworks.
Bring glo sticks or twirly light things or even just little flashlights. Sometimes the little ones are a bit concerned about how dark it gets. Plus, there will be a ton of them being used and sold for a premium and kids of all ages love lights!
Some people (me being one of them), prefer doing sit downs when possible. That way you have time to get away from most of the hustle and bustle and eat some decent food and have everyone sitting at the same table the entire time. Plus, it's predictable, since you have a reservation and can go there and be seated. At the CS, sometimes you have to wait for so long, and that leaves one person sitting at the table waiting with probably fairly upset kids wanting to be fed. If you do a buffet, both your children will be free, too!
When we went to WDW when DS was 16 months, we went back to the hotel after lunch in the park. We napped, swam, rested, slept, changed clothes, etc. Then we ate at the hotel, either in the restaurant or at the food court for dinner, and headed back to the parks. This worked so very well for our son (who we later discovered had Aspergers). He had time to truly sleep and decompress. Plus he REALLY loved the fireworks and seeing the parks all lit up at night. This allowed him to go much later than he would have if we had just let him sleep in the stroller (which he did great, but his later siblings had issues with!)
If you want to do a character meal, maybe try the princess meal as a first point. It's "face characters" which younger kids tend not to see as so scary! Though, none of mine had issues with any of them.
Make sure to get to Playhouse Disney in DCA if your kiddos watch Playhouse Disney on tv. Lots of fun!
And, I say this to people all the time when they ask when is the "best" time to take your kids. Each age will bring with it different "magic". They all LOVED Small World early. Bright lights and music were what captivated them. The Carousel was a big hit. They noticed things that the rest of us didn't. We had to spend about 20 minutes watching the swans around the castle once because one of my guys noticed it and HAD to watch them.

Finally, if it were me, especially with the promotion going on, I'd add on at least one day, if not two, and take advantage of what time you have available to go into the parks. The adults pay kids rates starts with three day passes, and makes it so worthwhile. The two day adult rate is 122, but the three day adult/kids rate is 129 and the four day is only 149. So, for $27 more, you could have the ability to go for awhile the first day and for awhile before you left and not worry so much over the missing time for naps, which will make everyone feel much better!

 

[tracer]

After reading a few other responses a few things to add:

-Yes bring your strollers! or you can rent. We are taking two singles vs our double. But mine are a bit older than yours. We will only need one in the mornings because my stoller has a toddler running board on the back that DS can ride on. In the evenings we are taking both.
-Yes glow sticks are perfect! And the light up twirly things. disneys website has some great discounts right now. I think in the clearance section. I just bought a bunch of stuff!
-Yes the meal sizes are big, the kids can share. And they are very reasonable in price. About the same as you would pay anywhere else. And they offer healthy sides with them. You can choose carrots or applesause, juice or milk. You don't always get stuck with fries and a soda. Although I bet my kids would love those if they ever had them!
-Yes coordinate with parades and food times
-Get to your food place before 11 or after 1 if you are at the park. You won't hit the big lunch rush.
-Make sure you know where the potty's are if your oldest is potty training or trained.
-They have great babystations. One in DL and one in DCA.
-Oh my DS loved his autograph book at 2 1/5 years old. Both boys are getting them this trip. I think it helps to "break the ice" with some characters.

There is a lot of great info posted on here from all the other people! I am getting so excited about our trip!

 

[momlady]

It's been a few years since we were last at Disneyland (2001) but we went during that same week in March which is our spring break in Ontario, Canada. It was our first time and we found it busy but the CMs we talked to told us it really wasn't! We are going to Calif again this year from March 10-17th and plan to be at Disney the 13-14-15th with an 11 and 8 year old.

There seems to be a lot of attractions on refurb/closed during that time (Fantasmic, Splash Mountain, Tom Sawyer Island, the Railroad, Mr. Toad) so I dunno. In any case we're going to have a ball!!

 

[tracer]

There seems to be a lot of attractions on refurb/closed during that time (Fantasmic, Splash Mountain, Tom Sawyer Island, the Railroad, Mr. Toad) so I dunno. In any case we're going to have a ball!!

I know a lot of refurbs and very little entertainment. We will miss Mr.Toad, F! and RR But we will get to see them in Dec, along with the new island and Nemo. Oh and maybe the monorail will be back up and running full time You know that is one of DS's favorite rides

 

[momlady]

I missed that -- is the monorail not running?