Questions for Upcoming Trip

[meredith55]

Okay, here are some general questions that I have for our trip coming up soon. This will be my first time going to CA and my first time to DLR with kids. I've been lurking around and haven't seen these specific questions asked, but if they have been please forgive me and point me to the right page!

1. It will be me, DH, DD6, DS4, DD2. We will want to split the kids on most rides and have two with one adult and one with the other. Are most rides big enough to accommodate two kids and one adult? If not, which ones aren't?

2. I will be 20 weeks pregnant when we go. Very exciting, but also means I can't ride most of the bigger rides. Which ones are MUST DO for my husband and older kids (DS4 is just over 40 inches) to ride and which ones can just be saved for when they're older?

3. I've looked at the sample crowd calendar on touringplans.com. Are these numbers pretty accurate?

4. Will Haunted Mansion freak my kids out? This is one of those rides that we can all go on so I want to go, but I don't want to deal with nightmares!

5. What is the recommended plan of attack for CA? We plan to go on a non MM day. Is it best to go straight to RSR or to hit up TSMM first? I've ran some sample ridemax plans and they all send me to RSR first.

I think that's all for now. Surely there are more questions brewing in my mind somewhere, but I can't find them now. Thanks in advance!!

 

[Mysteryincorp]

Okay, here are some general questions that I have for our trip coming up soon. This will be my first time going to CA and my first time to DLR with kids. I've been lurking around and haven't seen these specific questions asked, but if they have been please forgive me and point me to the right page!

1. It will be me, DH, DD6, DS4, DD2. We will want to split the kids on most rides and have two with one adult and one with the other. Are most rides big enough to accommodate two kids and one adult? If not, which ones aren't?

Yes most are accommodating for two small kids and one adult. Some exceptions - space mountain, Matterhorn (which is 42" anyways).

2. I will be 20 weeks pregnant when we go. Very exciting, but also means I can't ride most of the bigger rides. Which ones are MUST DO for my husband and older kids (DS4 is just over 40 inches) to ride and which ones can just be saved for when they're older?

All the "mountain" rides are must do.....you just have to figure out if your 4 year old can handle them. I found that if I explained the ride ahead of time, my (then) 3 year old could go on all the scary rides.....including tower of terror, which some grown ups can't handle
What's great about disneyland is there is so much to do, your big kids can go with your husband on the thrill rides while you do other pregnant women & 2 year old friendly rides.

3. I've looked at the sample crowd calendar on touringplans.com. Are these numbers pretty accurate?
Sometimes. When are you going?

4. Will Haunted Mansion freak my kids out? This is one of those rides that we can all go on so I want to go, but I don't want to deal with nightmares!

Explain ahead of time......my danger loved it and the first time she went on it she was 2.

5. What is the recommended plan of attack for CA? We plan to go on a non MM day. Is it best to go straight to RSR or to hit up TSMM first? I've ran some sample ridemax plans and they all send me to RSR first.

I wouldn't stress this. Go get a fast pass for RSR and then ride toy story. Or just go straight to RSR, the standby line moves quickly and it has a lot of cool stuff to look at.

I think that's all for now. Surely there are more questions brewing in my mind somewhere, but I can't find them now. Thanks in advance!!

We go weekly, so feel free to ask away!

 

[pharmama]

When exactly are you going? If you will be going between 8/25 and 9/11, the Haunted Mansion will be down anyway. If you're going on or after 9/12 (until into early January), HM will have the Nightmare Before Christmas overlay.

IF your kids are not familiar with NBC/Jack Skellington, I think they could potentially find HM more scary than the regular ride. The overlay is wonderful, but kids unfamiliar with Jack sometimes find him scary (mine did before I showed them the movie).

You can find ride through videos with and without the HM overlay on YouTube. The HM overlay does have some small variation each year but you can certainly get a feel for what its like regardless. I'd suggest watching them yourself to get an idea of the ride and then you could consider showing them to your kids to get an idea what they think (if you don't think this will ruin the magic).

Also, if you are there on and after 9/12 for HalloweenTime, be aware that Space Mountain also has an overlay called Ghost Galaxy. It does involve a pretty freaky flaming skull type demon showing up around the ride including sound effects. I would definitely find a YouTube video and evaluate for yourself if your 6 and 4 year olds would be up for that.

I did take my then 8 and 4 year old DDs on SM Ghost Galaxy last year. The 4yr old enjoyed the ride but not the ghost-even with eyes closed the sound effects/shrieking were too much. She did not want to ride again with the overlay (but has ridden again since then without the overlay). My older DD also wasn't thrilled about that stuff but likes the ride enough that she still wanted to go again in spite of the ghost.

 

[djanddisneygirl]

If you don't have all the time in the world...and you really want to do the RSR.. YOU need to go straight to the fast pass line when you walk in at park opening. The fast passes are often gone by noon, and the standby line can be 3 hours long. It is a great ride for all as it mixes cuteness and speed.
Have a great trip!

 

[meredith55]

We will be there October 7-9. I wasn't planning on Space Mountain as I heard it was scary for little kids.

We haven't decided when we are telling our kids about the trip, so I will have to figure out when to show them youtube videos. That seems like a great idea, though. Thanks!

 

[meredith55]

Bumping this post up. I haven't received an answer yet for my first question:

Will we be able to fit in 2 ride cars (me, DH, DD6,DS4, DD2) on the rides? If not, which rides won't this work on? Thanks!

 

[lalasmama]

Bumping this post up. I haven't received an answer yet for my first question:

Will we be able to fit in 2 ride cars (me, DH, DD6,DS4, DD2) on the rides? If not, which rides won't this work on? Thanks!

It should work on the majority of rides. Thinking back, DH, DD, and I could fit on many rides together, so a dad with 2 young kids should usually be good.

 

[SMD]

Bumping this post up. I haven't received an answer yet for my first question:

Will we be able to fit in 2 ride cars (me, DH, DD6,DS4, DD2) on the rides? If not, which rides won't this work on? Thanks!

Pretty much all of the rides with individual restraints are rides that you wouldn't go on anyway or the 2 year old won't be tall enough. The ones I think will be an issue are Golden Zephyr, I seem to recall they're strict about 2 per row there. Monsters Inc and Mater's might be a tight fit, plus I think Mater's might have a pregnancy warning. It does have a 32 inch height requirement. Monsters Inc has 3 rows, so the 6 year old could probably ride alone if necessary. Toy Story and Buzz both have 2 guns per vehicle, so someone in the car with 3 people won't be able to play.

 

[BriannaRuth]

Plan of attack for DCA -- Plan to do TSMM first, otherwise you'll never get on it without an hour wait. After you do TSMM, do whatever else you want to do in the Paradise Pier area, then head over and get FPs for RSR.

Do NOT waste your precious first hour or so in the park waiting in line for an RSR fastpass. They will be available for at least a couple of hours.

Last week when we were there, TSMM was down first thing in the morning on two different days. So be flexible there, but try to do it first if you can. If it's closed when you arrive, keep a close eye on it if you can because the wait will quickly go to an hour if you miss the opening by much at all.

California Screamin' frequently has fairly short lines throughout the day, but you may not be doing that with your young kids. Ariel also generally has short lines. FPs for ToT and Soarin' are normally available later in the day than RSR, so be sure you get your RSR FP first. Don't pull any other FPs before you pull RSR or you'll likely be blocked from pulling RSR until after they're gone.

I would think TSMM, Little Mermaid, and all of Bugsland would be must dos for you. My kids loved Soarin' when they were 5. And see Aladdin at some point!

I really like using Otto in DCA to double check on RSR FP times once I arrive in the park. Call 714-520-7090 and they'll tell you how long the waits are on any ride and what the FP return times are. Works for DL as well.

 

[meredith55]

Thank you all for your responses. Exactly what I needed. 7 weeks and counting!