Single mom, a toddler and a teenager....

[miacupcake]

K, so I'm braving disneyland by myself with my daughter who is 4, and my son who will turn 14 while on the trip.

I have a couple of questions. Or a million, but I'll pare it down.

1. Should I take a stroller? We are flying into LAX and I didn't realize how far away it was from the park and I won't be renting a car. Do I need a car seat?

2. Holy smokes, how in the world do I entertain a teenager and a toddler? Teenager not interested in princesses. Toddler terrified by pirates.

3. What is the one tip you wish someone had shared with you before your first trip?

Thank you for your input

 

[MSSANDRA]

I have a 7 and 21 year old, so we have done a trip with a tot and teen! DH was with us most of the times, but we have done things on our own too. It's going to be a balancing act. First....you absolutely want a stroller. Tons of walking. Are you staying onsite and using magical express? If so, you don't need a car seat unless you plan to use a cab somewhere.
Is your little one 40 inches? If not, be sure you teen knows that some rides he will need to do alone. Try to do these FP or baby swap. Don't make him always give into the little one. Let them take turns choosing activities and maybe even give him a bit of time on his own. Maybe while you do the princess meet and greet, he can ride SM. Talk about attitude and he does not have to be cool here because no one knows him so it is just fine to enjoy a character meal with his little sister. You might be surprise. My older guy was pretty good about the kid stuff even as a teen.

 

[JEWLSVERN]

K, so I'm braving disneyland by myself with my daughter who is 4, and my son who will turn 14 while on the trip.

I have a couple of questions. Or a million, but I'll pare it down.

1. Should I take a stroller? We are flying into LAX and I didn't realize how far away it was from the park and I won't be renting a car. Do I need a car seat?

2. Holy smokes, how in the world do I entertain a teenager and a toddler? Teenager not interested in princesses. Toddler terrified by pirates.

3. What is the one tip you wish someone had shared with you before your first trip?

Thank you for your input

You are looking at a 45-60 minute drive from LAX to Disneyland. How are you getting to your hotel? Some have shuttles but you might need to take a van you can hire. If that is the case you will need a car seat.
Definitely take a stroller or rent one at the park. Disneyland is closer together than WDW so you might not need one every day. The nice thing is its easy to park hop there.

It is easy to find things there for both kids to ride. If the youngest is tall enough you should be good on rides. There is so much there to do I doubt they will be bored. Even as a teenager I still loved the rides in fantasyland. It's Disney!

 

[Betty Rohrer]

that 40 to 60 minutes can be double that if going at rush hour and there is a backup. you can not plan on that but it does happen. talking about 7 to 9 am and 3 to 6 pm. not sure that cabs will be able to go from LAX to Disneyland area hotels like Orlando. if you wind up with a van shuttle you will need carseat and I do not know if they have with van

 

[momto3pirates]

I recommend going to the Disneyland section of the forum. It is a wealth of info about DLR. You will definitely want a stroller. Even staying onsite it is a bit of a walk to the parks.

 

[StitchFanZ]

We used the Disneyland Resort Express last time we were there. We were not at a Disney hotel but they had a pickup spot at the bus stop in front of our hotel. Super, super easy and low stress and I don't think you would need a car seat. Its not free but well worth it to not have to rent/drive a car or get a taxi. Details on:
http://www.mousesavers.com/transpor...nts-on-airport-shuttles-for-disney-vacations/
Or call the hotel where you are staying and see what they recommend. Some of them have car agencies on site.

 

[StitchFanZ]

My one tip is to buy some Disney pins on ebay so they can both have fun with pin trading. My kids really enjoyed this and if you can avoid buying pins there, it saves a lot of money.

 

[miacupcake]

My one tip is to buy some Disney pins on ebay so they can both have fun with pin trading. My kids really enjoyed this and if you can avoid buying pins there, it saves a lot of money.

So with the pin trading, I understand there's a lot of etiquette involved in the whole process. Will a 4 year old be able to handle it?

Also, I understand there are a lot of fakes out there. What do you look for?