Overwhelmed and confused!

[abouley]

Hope you are feeling better! I know how miserable it is to be there sick! My daughter came down with a fever our last trip and it took away some of the magic!

You have gotten some great advice on rides and sounds like day 2 was much better than day 1. My biggest advice is to get there at opening! Be there 20-30 minutes before park opening and plan to hit the fantasy land rides right away. You'll be amazed at how much you can get on during that first hour if you are there at opening. Then, you can be back at the hotel around or just after lunchtime and get away from the busier part of the day! In the morning be sure to collect FP's for some rides (Autopia and Buzz are both favorites of my kids) and use those in the evening when you return.

Alison

 

[DisneyMan 09]

I know that alot of people bring really young kids. They may get irritated with me, but I will continue to promote the idea of not bringing kids under 7(like the books say), and the OP's experience gives many reasons why.

Every time I'm at DL, I see miserable kids or parents of young kids. It's sad to see that at DL. I just went for the 1st time in 9 years, and I have yet another story(I know it was the worst part of my experience):

2 moms with kids on the train. One mom gets off train and says "have fun" to the mom on the train who keeps telling her kid to stop whinning and stay seated - "If you don't stop, we're gonna get off". 5 seconds later, she's dragging her kid off.

 

[rune_74]

I know that alot of people bring really young kids. They may get irritated with me, but I will continue to promote the idea of not bringing kids under 7(like the books say), and the OP's experience gives many reasons why.

Every time I'm at DL, I see miserable kids or parents of young kids. It's sad to see that at DL. I just went for the 1st time in 9 years, and I have yet another story(I know it was the worst part of my experience):

2 moms with kids on the train. One mom gets off train and says "have fun" to the mom on the train who keeps telling her kid to stop whinning and stay seated - "If you don't stop, we're gonna get off". 5 seconds later, she's dragging her kid off.

I guess Iwill just disagree with this. I think with younger kids you just have to take it easy, don't worry about where to be or what to see...take it slow and let them find things that they want...disneyland just screams atmosphere to all ages.

 

[wannagoback]

I know that alot of people bring really young kids. They may get irritated with me, but I will continue to promote the idea of not bringing kids under 7(like the books say), and the OP's experience gives many reasons why.

Every time I'm at DL, I see miserable kids or parents of young kids. It's sad to see that at DL. I just went for the 1st time in 9 years, and I have yet another story(I know it was the worst part of my experience):

2 moms with kids on the train. One mom gets off train and says "have fun" to the mom on the train who keeps telling her kid to stop whinning and stay seated - "If you don't stop, we're gonna get off". 5 seconds later, she's dragging her kid off.

I can understand what you're saying. I think that it is sad if parents are not willing to change their plans for their children. How fun is the vacation if kid is miserable and crying. I took DD at 3.5 and I think she was too young. She had fun because we spent a lot of time walking around and just looking. She got to run around ToonTown and other places, but she would hardly go on any rides. She probably would have had just as much fun at neighborhood park. It was a lot of money to spend when the same amount of fun could have been achieved at home. It was totally worth it and I would do it again, but I certainly missed out on a lot of the things I would have liked to have seen (such as the fireworks... too late and too noisy for her).

If parents can help their children enjoy the trip, then I think it is great to take them at a young age. If they can't, well... that's an issue with them, not the age of their children.

 

[disneyfan4ever54]

I know that alot of people bring really young kids. They may get irritated with me, but I will continue to promote the idea of not bringing kids under 7(like the books say), and the OP's experience gives many reasons why.

Every time I'm at DL, I see miserable kids or parents of young kids. It's sad to see that at DL. I just went for the 1st time in 9 years, and I have yet another story(I know it was the worst part of my experience):

2 moms with kids on the train. One mom gets off train and says "have fun" to the mom on the train who keeps telling her kid to stop whinning and stay seated - "If you don't stop, we're gonna get off". 5 seconds later, she's dragging her kid off.

I think it really depends on the child. We first took my DS (age 13 now) when he was 3 and he was actually more patient than DH was.....LOL. We had a wonderful time and I wouldn't trade those memories for anything. There is so much magic at that age that I think they lose by the time they are 7. For us, it was the right choice, but I really think it depends on the child/family.

 

[Kayla's Mom]

Just wanted to join in and say that we have been bringing both of our daughters since they were about 1 -- I know they won't remember anything from when they were that age, but just to see their reaction when we are there is fun for us. We love Disneyland and wouldn't not go just because the kids won't remember it.

My youngest turned 2 in December. We went in January and March of this year and she talks about it everyday. She sings the Tiki Room and tells me she wants to ride either the teacups, Pirates or "the Firehorn" -- this the Matterhorn (don't know where she came up with firehorn). She says "Pirates - again? -- Pleeeeeease" I have created a monster.

 

[abouley]

I think a lot of it depends on the personality of your children and the type of family you are. We are an on the go family and my kids love Disneyland. They are great travelers and do well out of their element. They LOVE hotel rooms and they have no problem falling asleep in their strollers when they are tired. They like stimulation and for the most part they love rides (although I would say my 5 year old is a bit of a chicken).

My son is 5 and has been to WDW twice and Disneyland more times than I can remember (first trip was at 15 months)! I'd say the trip where he was a few months past 2 was one of my favorite trips with him. He wasn't yet afraid of any of the rides, but was old enough that things really made an impression on him. My daughter is 2.5 and has been to WDW and Disneyland at least 6 times. They love it! My daughter asks me every day if we can go to DL, can recite the names of many rides, and is constantly singing small world! They love the fireworks and parade and have even slept through the fireworks show many time! Our 2 weeks in WDW in December was fabulous! None of us wanted to come home!

As a kid, I did not go to DL until I was 7 and while it was fun, I don't remember it holding the same magic to me that it does to my kids now! Yes, they can't go on every ride and yes there are times when they get cranky and we have to alter our plans but the memories and fun times in between more than make up for those moments in my mind! I still remember my son at 15 months running up to Winnie the Pooh and giving him this huge bear hug and not wanting to let go! And, my daughter being so fascinated with Cinderella and talking about her non-stop after WDW. Those are memories I would not trade!

 

[SeansMom]

I know that alot of people bring really young kids. They may get irritated with me, but I will continue to promote the idea of not bringing kids under 7(like the books say).

OT: I understand the reasoning behind this. We took our oldest son when he was eight. It was great; he could keep up all day, enjoy all the rides, and remember the trip. However, as a family we were hooked on DL and when our next little guy came along, we brought him when he was just 11 months old. It worked for us as he was a content baby, and quite willing to ride POTC or HM while nursing and napping. We also brought a back up plan in the form of an auntie, so we could all ride the mountains and leave him safe either at the hotel or watching the birds with his Aunt. However, we didn't have such success with our great-niece at age 7, who was pretty afraid of almost everything and would have been happy to ride the train all day. The flip side of that is my 4 yo great-nephew, who was delighted by TOT, and you can see it in his photo. So I guess what I'm saying is that it really depends on the child and family. If you're willing to slow down, keep their needs in mind, and perhaps bring a third person or hire a sitter I've found it's quite possible to have a positive experience with younger kids. (That said, I do hate to see parents yelling at kids who are obviously overwhelmed, tired, and cranky. Not the best parenting tactic in the world.)

Off my soap box and back on topic. I'm glad you had a good time in Bugs Land and I sure hope you're feeling better. There's nothing worse than being ill on vacation .

 

[DisneyMan 09]

magic ..... I think they lose by the time they are 7

If you're saying they actually believe the characters and ride visuals are real then that could be scary and maybe mess up the mind. I can be this logical because I'm not a parent, and as a kid, I wasn't spoiled. DL was "magical" to me through my teens(in the sense that it was like a dream, a different reality filled only with fun and joy). If my parents did take me before age 11, I don't remember it.

Now at age 41, I've decided I actually believe in magic - partly because of studying science, esp quantum mechanics(the world really is magical), and partly because of DL + the power of imagination(I've developed the view that everything is real, even if just in your mind, that's real enough. And pixie dust may not start the fireworks, but the person who starts it sees Tinker Bell through the magic of sight, then the brain sends a magical signal to the finger that presses a button that sends a magical electrical signal to the fireworks.)

I suspect Walt was trying to give us this message- That there is magic, even if you have to make it yourself. We create our world with our imagination.

 

[gapoochi]

Thanks I think we will def. be doing Bug Land again!

We just spent a day and half at Seaworld and the kids LOVED it...I can't believe how much fun we all had! We're heading back to DL in the morning so I'm trying to get a game plan in my head now. I think I want to focus on DL this time though since we haven't had much time there so far. I have 3 days left (though tomorrow may not be a FULL day if we don't get out of here early enough) so I want to make sure I plan enough time for everything.

Thanks!

 

[disneyfan4ever54]

If you're saying they actually believe the characters and ride visuals are real then that could be scary and maybe mess up the mind. I can be this logical because I'm not a parent, and as a kid, I wasn't spoiled. DL was "magical" to me through my teens(in the sense that it was like a dream, a different reality filled only with fun and joy). If my parents did take me before age 11, I don't remember it.

Now at age 41, I've decided I actually believe in magic - partly because of studying science, esp quantum mechanics(the world really is magical), and partly because of DL + the power of imagination(I've developed the view that everything is real, even if just in your mind, that's real enough. And pixie dust may not start the fireworks, but the person who starts it sees Tinker Bell through the magic of sight, then the brain sends a magical signal to the finger that presses a button that sends a magical electrical signal to the fireworks.)

I suspect Walt was trying to give us this message- That there is magic, even if you have to make it yourself. We create our world with our imagination.

No, that's not what I'm saying at all. My full quote was "There is so much magic at that age that I think they lose by the time they are 7". My DS is now 13 and he is still very much a child in wonderful ways. He LOVES Disneyland and everything magical about it. What I meant is that when children are toddlers, they react differently to the wonder of Disneyland. When my DS was 3, he ran up to the characters with such joy and amazement and it was so wonderful to watch that. 7 isn't too old for the magic....no age is. It's just that if we hadn't taken him until he was older (7), we would all have missed out on how he reacted as a very young child......his reactions to everything would be different. At 7, the rides, and everything else that they do may be different than what they like and how they react at 3. So, for us, it was a great thing to take him at a young age. It is different for everyone depending on the family and the child.

 

[disneyfan4ever54]

I think a lot of it depends on the personality of your children and the type of family you are. We are an on the go family and my kids love Disneyland. They are great travelers and do well out of their element. They LOVE hotel rooms and they have no problem falling asleep in their strollers when they are tired. They like stimulation and for the most part they love rides (although I would say my 5 year old is a bit of a chicken).

My son is 5 and has been to WDW twice and Disneyland more times than I can remember (first trip was at 15 months)! I'd say the trip where he was a few months past 2 was one of my favorite trips with him. He wasn't yet afraid of any of the rides, but was old enough that things really made an impression on him. My daughter is 2.5 and has been to WDW and Disneyland at least 6 times. They love it! My daughter asks me every day if we can go to DL, can recite the names of many rides, and is constantly singing small world! They love the fireworks and parade and have even slept through the fireworks show many time! Our 2 weeks in WDW in December was fabulous! None of us wanted to come home!

As a kid, I did not go to DL until I was 7 and while it was fun, I don't remember it holding the same magic to me that it does to my kids now! Yes, they can't go on every ride and yes there are times when they get cranky and we have to alter our plans but the memories and fun times in between more than make up for those moments in my mind! I still remember my son at 15 months running up to Winnie the Pooh and giving him this huge bear hug and not wanting to let go! And, my daughter being so fascinated with Cinderella and talking about her non-stop after WDW. Those are memories I would not trade!

Wow...I hadn't read your post when I wrote mine above, but we said a lot of the same things! I agree.....I wouldn't have wanted to miss out on all the wonder and the reactions of my DS as a toddler. The memories are priceless!

 

[gapoochi]

I think the lesson I learned from our day at Seaworld is that the kids CAN easily have a wonderful experience, we just have to go with the flow. I think that at Disney, there was just too much excitement and need to get to everything on my part (it's been a LONG time since I came to DL and I just wanted to badly for the kids to have the same magical experience I remember) and because we weren't feeling well so it all just made for a bad day.

Today though, we will be going slow, letting the kids decide what we do and don't do and not forcing. We went on the rides at Seaworld and the kids both loved them. And now that 4 year old knows they are the same as the Disney ones, he is excited to go on the ones at DL and DCA too.

We also watched the fireworks at seaworld and they did wonderful with it so we'll do the same at DL.

The magic and wonder the kids have right now, especially my 4 year old, is amazing. He keeps talking about going back to Mickey's house.

Thanks!

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

Wonderful news!

Hope your'e feeling better.

 

[bumbershoot]

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.

If memory serves (and it might be messed up b/c I've gone on Heimlich's up to something like 8 times in a row...) there are three spiels. Which I mainly notice b/c of the number of burps at the end.



As for taking young kids...having taken a few solo trips now, and having those solo trips cause me to MISS the "hassle" of the family trips, I totally disagree. I mean, kids are kids, ya know? You're either getting them to get into or out of the "car cart" at the grocery store, or you're talking to them about getting into or out of Dumbo at Disneyland. It's the same stuff, different place. Of course DLR has more stuff going on, but most tantrums are temporary. If you see a tantrum, you didn't see 5 minutes before, and you don't see 5 minutes after. You don't see the BEAUTY, you're only seeing that one yucko moment. And for all the tantrusm you're noticing, you're NOT seeing the wonderful moments ALL around you. If you focus on the yelling kid, you're not seeing the beautiful curly-haired boy being so good and standing right next to his mom and dad, smiling beatifically, while his little sister with matching hair sits on their dad's shoulders, being wonderful and staring at the castle. You're not seeing my son come off of Star Tours (which he had to wait an extra 2 months to ride, b/c the CM at the second measuring stick the first trip decided he was too short!) saying "that was the BEST RIDE EVER!!!!" and sounding just like Brad Bird's son playing the neighbor kid in The Incredibles. You're focusing on the things that fit your theory, and missing all the other stuff.

On my solo trips, I'm happy. I see happy families and I get happier. I see the families who are having those bad moments, and I feel...a yearning for us to be having a bad moment, but instead I'm having a great solo moment while DS and DH are at home, having wonderful times and watching all the TV shows I forbid, LOL. Seeing the bad moments make me realize that even the bad moments are worth it, in a bigger picture of the trip.

And it's better than having that moment at the grocery store!



OP I hope you're having fun today! I know I'm late to your thread and your trip, but earplugs or earmuffs helped my son! After HOW many trips, I finally realized how overwhelmingly LOUD DLR is, but I didn't *get it* until he was refusing Buzz, when Buzz is one of his most fave rides. But that day it seemed the volume was turned up everywhere, and when I finally thought of pulling my earplugs out of my purse (I know, EW, but at least I don't lick my finger and wipe off his face, ya know?) to lend him, it created such peace and happiness. We'll be getting him his own earplugs for our future trips.

I hope you have fun!

 

[disneyfan4ever54]

If memory serves (and it might be messed up b/c I've gone on Heimlich's up to something like 8 times in a row...) there are three spiels. Which I mainly notice b/c of the number of burps at the end.



As for taking young kids...having taken a few solo trips now, and having those solo trips cause me to MISS the "hassle" of the family trips, I totally disagree. I mean, kids are kids, ya know? You're either getting them to get into or out of the "car cart" at the grocery store, or you're talking to them about getting into or out of Dumbo at Disneyland. It's the same stuff, different place. Of course DLR has more stuff going on, but most tantrums are temporary. If you see a tantrum, you didn't see 5 minutes before, and you don't see 5 minutes after. You don't see the BEAUTY, you're only seeing that one yucko moment. And for all the tantrusm you're noticing, you're NOT seeing the wonderful moments ALL around you. If you focus on the yelling kid, you're not seeing the beautiful curly-haired boy being so good and standing right next to his mom and dad, smiling beatifically, while his little sister with matching hair sits on their dad's shoulders, being wonderful and staring at the castle. You're not seeing my son come off of Star Tours (which he had to wait an extra 2 months to ride, b/c the CM at the second measuring stick the first trip decided he was too short!) saying "that was the BEST RIDE EVER!!!!" and sounding just like Brad Bird's son playing the neighbor kid in The Incredibles. You're focusing on the things that fit your theory, and missing all the other stuff.

On my solo trips, I'm happy. I see happy families and I get happier. I see the families who are having those bad moments, and I feel...a yearning for us to be having a bad moment, but instead I'm having a great solo moment while DS and DH are at home, having wonderful times and watching all the TV shows I forbid, LOL. Seeing the bad moments make me realize that even the bad moments are worth it, in a bigger picture of the trip.

And it's better than having that moment at the grocery store!



OP I hope you're having fun today! I know I'm late to your thread and your trip, but earplugs or earmuffs helped my son! After HOW many trips, I finally realized how overwhelmingly LOUD DLR is, but I didn't *get it* until he was refusing Buzz, when Buzz is one of his most fave rides. But that day it seemed the volume was turned up everywhere, and when I finally thought of pulling my earplugs out of my purse (I know, EW, but at least I don't lick my finger and wipe off his face, ya know?) to lend him, it created such peace and happiness. We'll be getting him his own earplugs for our future trips.

I hope you have fun!

Well said! You know, I was thinking along the same lines.... I agree with you...If a person is looking for the one tantrum, one tired crying kid, etc..\, then they are missing all the wonderful moments that happen SO many times with other kids and their familes.

 

[pycees312]

don't know if this has been said but try and relax and remember most kids are afraid of things they are not familiar with so don't shoot yourself and feel as if you " lost" money. enjoy the moment and now you have a story to tell them when they are older.