Overwhelmed and confused!

[gapoochi]

We just spent our first day (half day really) at DL and I'm overwhelmed and very confused. I feel like we just wandered around trying to figure out what to do and what would work for our kids (a 4 year old chicken and a 1 year old) We got to the park at 1 and left at 5 to go DTD and all we did was the carousel, train, toad ride (both kids HATED this), Buzz Lightyear (both kids were scared the whole time) and Mickey's house (at least we got the picture with Mickey!)

I feel like we were totally not organized and didn't have things together even though I thought I did after spending all this time on the boards.

Here I am, sitting in the hotel room and I NEED to feel more organized for tomorrow. I have 4 days left in the parks and I want to make the most of them. Any advice?

Thanks!

 

[WannaseePooh]

Take them to Bug's land in CA. DO NOT go into It's tough to be a bug! My 9 year old who Loves California Screaming and Maliboomer, was scared of this movie and now refuses to do any 3D movie. When the sign said may scare children, i should have paid more attention. The rest of Bug's land is great for kids and will probably start the day off better and get them more willing to ride other rides. Good luck, just relax and enjoy ,and maybe try some baby swap tommorrow so at least you can do some rides.

 

[Escape2Disney]

I'm so sorry to hear you had a tough first day! Here are a couple of tips that may help tomorrow:

- See if you can call ahead for a character meal for tomorrow sometime. Since you had a good experience with Mickey, this may be a hit.
- Tarzan's Treehouse and Pirate Island are good places for them to play
- The Winnie the Pooh ride is quite tame and might work
- I hear that Alice plays musical chairs with guests at around 2:30 at Coke Corner.
- The mainstreet cars and the horse and buggie are very tame and might go over well with the kids

Hang in there, and I hope you have a wonderful day tomorrow!

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

Rides I would recommend:

Disneyland
Main Street Cars - nice & easy, maybe go on the horse carriage

Head over to Adventureland & do Tarzan's treehouse. let your kids play on the interactive area below (bang on dishes, etc.). Have they seen Beauty & the Beast? If so, show them Mrs Potts in this area.

Go on the Jungle Cruise & Tiki Room (note that the end of the Tiki Room might be a little intense as the birds, flowers, & tiki men all sing and it gets a tiny bit loud in there. However, you're in a room full of people and so they might be okay. You can sit near the exit & leave if it is too much.

Head over to Frontierland and ride on the Mark Twain Steamship. They would probably like the boat ride around the island. See if they remember the Native American on the horse, the moose, and the cabin on the island from the train ride.

In Frontierland behind the train coaster called Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is a trail that leads to Fantasyland. Go on that trail & to the left is a pond. Look for the jumping fish (they might like that). Also, check out the petting zoo area. Even if they don't want to pet the animals, they might want to see them.

In Fantasyland stay away from the dark rides (like Peter Pan, etc) for now, and go on the carrousel again. Then go on Dumbo, Casey Jr Circus Train, and Storyland Canal Boats. Go towards Toontown and go on It's a Small World - there is nothing scary there. See if they can find the Disney characters. You might want to go on this more than once.

In Tomorrowland there is Nemo submarine ride.

In California Adventure go to the Animation Station at Hollywood backlot & see Talk with Crush. When I went there recently my cousin sat in the front with her small children. Don't be afraid to do that if your children are uncertain. They should laugh at Crush - he's funny. Go to Playhouse Disney. Muppets 3-D is funny. Stay away from It's Tough to Be a Bug and Honey I Shrunk the Audience.

See the shows, like Sword in the Stone (only weekends), Jedi Academy, the parades, Aladdin, etc.

Oh, let you kids run around in Redwood Challenge Creek Trail in California Adventure. It should be warm again tomorrow. Take extra clothes & let them get wet over there.

Look at the maps and get a feel where the different attractions are to save yourself going back and forth.

 

[Sara*s_Mommie]

I'm sorry to hear your day didn't go as you'd hoped...it seemed like you were kind of all over the place. My suggestion would be to start in Adventure Land and work you way around the park counter clockwise. In Adventure Land, there's the jungle cruise ride which is fun - the scariest part is when the captain pretends to shoot something with a cap gun; check out the stores - they are fun and help with the ambiance. Sounds like the pirates and haunted house are out, but Pooh's Adverntures are that way...go over the Pirates Lair (Tom Sawyer's Island), ride the Mark Twain Steam Boat. You can take the back way into Fantasyland and go on Casey Jr, Storybook Canal, Peter Pan (snow white and pinochio are probably too scary); dumbo, it's a small world. Toontown is fun too. Over in tomorrowland, your 4 year old should love the autopia;

You probably got a map today - use that to help plan out your day with the attractions you think your 4 yr old will enjoy. Also, don't miss the Aladdin show in CA...it's worth the entrance ticket price.

Good luck!

 

[gapoochi]

Thank you all for your help. I've been reading and looking over the map and planning our day. Still no solid plan but at least a better sense of what we shouldn't do

Thanks again for all the ideas and advice...I'm sure that's going to make a huge difference in tomorrow's fun level.

 

[mechurchlady]

If you need help just PM me or better yet use the email option if that is possible. I help out lost guests and the disabled in the parks sometimes. I am about 12 miles from Disneyland and am free almost every day.

You can ask the CM at Nemo to let you see the Nemo ride without the subs in the disabled area. Mr. Toad would scare anyone as you end up in Hades. If he likes Dinosaurs then try the train from Tomorrrowland to Frontierland. Bug's land is all oudoors and not too scary. Animation is nice place for kids and not scary. Redwoods is nice and has story telling.

 

[iloveyou_belle]

here are some of the things i would suggest. are your kids boys or girls?

1. character meals are really great. i hear goofy's kitchen is a good one.

2. definitely ride peter pan's flight. its the least scary of the dark rides and you guys will be flying. your kids will for sure find that awesome. the others like snow white, alice in wonderland and pinocchio might freak them out.

3. dumbo is a great ride for kids around that age. they can control how high or how low dumbo goes, which is always fun. its right across the carousel.

4. storybookland (the attraction that has the whale). its a good boatride that has models of classic disney fairytales. the boat captain narrates the story and they're usually pretty funny. characters have been known, occasionally, to ride with guests, which is always a plus.

5. its a small world. this one really depends because when i was around that age, the animatronics kinda freaked me out. but the song and all the colors made it totally cool.

6. try to score some autographs of characters and photos with them whenever you get the chance. they usually chat and play with the kids for a minute or two. FIND PETER PAN!!! your 4 year old will love him. i'm sure you will too.

* i found a few clips on youtube where alice, the mad hatter and peter pan were playing charades with park guests in the most random locations. so be on the lookout for big crowds...chances are, something really cool is happening.

7. 2:30 alice and the mad hatter play musical chairs at the coke corner. this one is really good. you can find a bunch of characters there too.

8. jedi training camp. its in tomorrowland right where the food court is. they randomly choose kids in the audience to participate in the training and they will "fight" with darth vader or darth maul using a light saber. your 4 year old will love this for sure. the times should be in the event list they give out at the entrance.

9. astro orbiter. its kinda like dumbo with the up and down round and round thing but with spaceships.

10. if you can find him, hang out with PUSH the talking trashcan for a few minutes. hes usually in tomorrowland or CA.

11. the celebrate parade. they have 2 shows, one at 3:30 and another at 6:30 until april 19 so you still have an option to choose. the parade is in constant motion and they only have 3 stops this time. one in the area of its a small world, another in the area of the castle and the last one is in main street. they stop for a good 10-15 mins i think.

12. if your 4 year old can take it, the haunted mansion. when i was that age, i found it funny instead of scary (i found winnie the pooh scarier)...but maybe thats just me.

13. end your day with an amazing fireworks display show at 9:25. you guys don't wanna miss that.

that's all i can think of for now. can't really say anything about CA because i haven't been there. i hope you have a more chill day tomorrow...or today, since its almost 3 the morning.

 

[LuLusApple]

Get some pennys and quarters and go on a penny press hunt. They sell little books to hold your pennys and most little kids really like to collect them; even without the books they are fun! We have done this as a de-stresser for when the parks get crowded

 

[YellowMickeyPonchos]

Mary Jo is spot on with her comments. I'd like to add some additional things I've found with my timid 3.75 yr old (and we are there all the time).

She did not like to be in the subs. The scary parts of the Nemo story are more intense inside the sub, as you can't get away. Doing the disabled experience makes it more like TV and you can get up and walk out if it's too much. And - there is no line to that part - very fast to get in and out.

I would do Casey Jr Circus Train before Storybook Canal, as you see everything in the canal from above. That way you can ask if they would like to go on the boats next. Ride it in the animal cages for more fun!

My child was originally scared of the cheetah in Tarzan's Treehouse. It's in the first room, FYI. It took the other rooms to calm her down.... Both of mine love the play area at the bottom.

Ride the train, but if they might be scared of the Dinosaurs - mine were at first - get off at Tomorrowland and do Autopia instead. The Grand Canyon Diorama/Dinosaurs is right after the Tomorrowland stop - between there and Main Street. There are a couple normal tunnels on the train between Adventureland and Fantasyland.

Muppets was a bit too intense for Zoe the first time. The explosions at the end can be scary, and she really didn't like Waldo, the 3D character.

Go see the Toy Story Zoetrope in the Animation Building at DCA. My kids both love it.

The Redwood Challenge Trail area is an excellent suggestion. Splashing creek, slides, the fire towers and overhead walkways are fun. The walkways were a bit scary for Zoe at first, but she got used to them. They have double netting - no way in heck any little feet are falling through! You can always walk back down the stairs if it is too much for them.

Don't forget the Playhouse Disney show in DCA! Familiar characters and lots of activity.

 

[Nanseev]

I agree with most of what was said.

My 3-yr-old son is afraid of the Jedi show...it's loud, and the sound of the lasers scares him...so watch out for that if you decide to stop.

Spend time again in Toon Land...going in everyone's house, etc.

I've never done Toy Story Zoetrope in the Animation Building at DCA....I'll have to check that out!

Also...My 3-yr old loves the "nice" Toy Story ride in DCA...he sometimes thinks the DL Toy Story is scary. He loves Bugs World in CA, minus the show...

 

[teatime]

OMG the first time I wen t I was totally lost, and my kids cried there eyes out. the one thing I have learned ....... pick a land and do not travel back and forth. set a goal, and do what you think the kids will like, go early and take your time and just do what you can with out stressing. I stressed ,we all stressed.

 

[lntsmom]

way to have a successful trip is to let them in on the planning. Since you have internet access, try going to YouTube and downloading videos of the rides you'd like them to try. If they get to preview them the night before they might not be so wary of them.

I had major success doing this last year before our trip. I also found that my hesitant rider was much more willing to give things a try after we'd been there a day or so, and he'd had a chance to ride the rides he wanted to do.

Good luck! Here's hoping the kids warm up to the parks!

 

[gapoochi]

So we just spent the day (from 11-5) at DCA, mostly in Bug land and doing the shows. My son rode ALL the rides in Bug land and was happy. He loved the shows, especially Crush (he made me go through it twice to see if we could get Crush to talk to him...he didn't and we left with him crying so we'll have to try again later)

Thank you for all the advice. I think we did do better today with the 4 year old but now we have a worse problem...I'm sick I've been miserable all day and have been sleeping for hours because of a fever and cold. This stinks...I just hope it's gone by morning so I can enjoy it and not hold everyone back.

We do want to try out the fireworks tonight; we're staying at the HoJo...is there anywhere nearby that we can see them from without having to go into the park?

Thanks!

 

[DangerMouse]

Go down to the jacuzzi area at the HoJo, and you'll have a great view of the fireworks.

Hope you're feeling better tomorrow so you can enjoy the parks!

 

[Kayla's Mom]

On our last trip, we watched the fireworks from the parking lot of Hojo!

 

[DisneySuiteFreak]

way to have a successful trip is to let them in on the planning. Since you have internet access, try going to YouTube and downloading videos of the rides you'd like them to try. If they get to preview them the night before they might not be so wary of them.

I had major success doing this last year before our trip. I also found that my hesitant rider was much more willing to give things a try after we'd been there a day or so, and he'd had a chance to ride the rides he wanted to do.

Good luck! Here's hoping the kids warm up to the parks!

I totally agree with you on this. Not only with checking out the Youtube videos for the rides but also, familiarizing them with the characters so they don't freak out when they meet these larger than life personalities. I recently let my friend borrow all my Disney movies so she could try to familiarize her kids with the characters in the movies. Otherwise even that can be pretty intimidating for a small kid, especially if they are sheltered and don't get out much. I told my friend to try to make a game of it and see how many characters her kids could remember from the movies. She said it worked and they weren't afraid at all.

 

[lntsmom]

One bit of advice, if your kids loved Flik's Funfair, do it again! When we went there was next to nobody there, so the CMs often begged us to ride again! We did...and found out, for example, that on Heimlich, there are different smells and different spiels each time you ride. I'm not sure how many different ones, but we rode twice and they were different.

I hope that now that you've gotten one good day under your belt the rest go really well for you!

 

[SeansMom]

I have one phrase to add to your vocabulary: "Mickey Magic" as in, sweetie, it's just Mickey Magic. Worked wonders on my fairly chicken niece.

I second downloading videos. Visons Fantastic.com used to have most all the rides. (Can I mention that site?) For example: Go to map, choose critter country, click on winnie-the-pooh ride, and choose a video clip under icon Video. Simple and easy and lots of description to go with the rides.

Mostly, try to have fun. If the kids won't go on classic rides like Pirates, trade off an hour here and there with your hubby so you all have fun. Let the kids look at birds and balloons and other sites that you may not have realized would grab their attention. Grab an ice cream and people watch from a bench, watch a parade, and otherwise go with the flow.

If you're still overwhelmed, I have pages of information I typed out for a friend with a shy kid. PM me if you want them.

 

[disneyfan4ever54]

So we just spent the day (from 11-5) at DCA, mostly in Bug land and doing the shows. My son rode ALL the rides in Bug land and was happy. He loved the shows, especially Crush (he made me go through it twice to see if we could get Crush to talk to him...he didn't and we left with him crying so we'll have to try again later)

Thank you for all the advice. I think we did do better today with the 4 year old but now we have a worse problem...I'm sick I've been miserable all day and have been sleeping for hours because of a fever and cold. This stinks...I just hope it's gone by morning so I can enjoy it and not hold everyone back.

We do want to try out the fireworks tonight; we're staying at the HoJo...is there anywhere nearby that we can see them from without having to go into the park?

Thanks!

I hope you're feeling better today and that you were able to go to the park. Let us know how it's going.