Structured vs. Unstructured

[Mom2aJessieGirl]

We will be heading to DLR on August 22 for 6 days/5 nights staying at the GCH. Originally, I thought we would only have 2 days max in the parks, but our trip has bloated faster than me eating cheesecake!

During my initial planning stage, I made tons of lists of things that I wanted to do with my DD4. (Think DumboOrDie type schedules...) Now that we have more days, I'm pretty sure that we will get the opportunity to do everything she is interested in without running ourselves into the ground.

Taking into account the few reservations we have made, am I crazy to think that we don't need to plan every moment of our trip? Once she realizes exactly what Disneyland is all about, I have a feeling that DD4 will be the one to make the big decisions on what we do!

 

[Heymy]

You're exactly right! When went for DD's 4th birthday with the extended family I had great plans, but she dictated most of the trip. There's nothing like going to the Tiki Room 6 times a day (now I try to avoid it like the plague ), but she and her sister were happy and that's what DL is for us. Now it's a year and a half later and it's her sister's 3rd bithday, so it's her turn to be tour guide. We can't wait! Have a wonderful time!

 

[marcemc]

We will be heading to DLR on August 22 for 6 days/5 nights staying at the GCH. Originally, I thought we would only have 2 days max in the parks, but our trip has bloated faster than me eating cheesecake!

During my initial planning stage, I made tons of lists of things that I wanted to do with my DD4. (Think DumboOrDie type schedules...) Now that we have more days, I'm pretty sure that we will get the opportunity to do everything she is interested in without running ourselves into the ground.

Taking into account the few reservations we have made, am I crazy to think that we don't need to plan every moment of our trip? Once she realizes exactly what Disneyland is all about, I have a feeling that DD4 will be the one to make the big decisions on what we do!

It is nice to have a list of "To ride for sure" and combine it with a go with the flow attitude. Sometimes if you over plan your vacation you won't enjoy it because you feel like you are not accomplishing everything you had to do.

And yes, I am sure your daugter will rule most of your trip!
Have tons of fun!!

 

[goldies 5]

You will have plenty of time to really take it all in. It is always a good idea to plan something you want to do each day, because there is so much to do and see. But I would definetely be flexible and try to relax. You will end up doing what your daughter wants to do, even if she wants to ride dumbo over and over again. But you will have more fun and so will she if you do not go comando. 4 year olds just don't do comando well at DL in my experience. The last thing you want is a stressed out tired little one. Have a great trip.

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

I think it's great to not have every moment planned out, especially with a young child. I would recommend some basic planning, like knowing which land and/or ride you want to start the day with (can be decided night before or morning of, I'm not saying now necessarily) so you don't walk through the gates and then immediately stop to confer (like I see so many people do). I would also recommend picking up fastpasses whenever you can for whatever rides you might do since it will save a lot of time later if your daughter suddenly decides for instance that she really wants to go on Splash at 4 PM.

Our best trips have been the ones when we didn't plan out every detail and we kind of allowed ourselves to be driven along by our moods and energy. There was one morning when we were all headed to Space Mountain, but DS9 wanted to stop and pin trade 17 times before we got there. And that's what made the morning special to him and what he talked about more than the ride on Space Mountain. So knowing that you have a lot of time and flexibility, you can stop and let your daughter meet Mickey on Main Street when you first walk in if that's her heart's desire because you know you can always reschedule that other planned ride or activity.

 

[MulanFan]

the first time DD went, she was 2 and a half and we only had a day and a half at DL. I had the Dumbo or Die plan in hand, which got stopped by (of all things) the carousel (King Arthur's) and the petting zoo (not sure it's still there anymore). I found out that you can plan all you want, but a kid's interest is not going to be the same as what you think it would be.

At the end of the day, I felt bad that I was dragging her past a lot of things that she expressed an interest in.

This last trip (DD is 6) I was a bit more relaxed about having to go on certain rides and DD enjoyed it a lot more. We still did the carousel (several times, in DL and DCA) and she rode on the Gadget-go-coaster 11 times (!! ). I also very highly recommend a break in the middle of the day (a must IMHO). But we still did not do all that I wanted in 4.5 days. Sigh.

So, I would say, research the rides and have a list of ones that she might enjoy in a certain area (e.g. in FL do Peter Pan, avoid Mr. Toad, or make a list of restaurants with food she may enjoy/prefer) but don't worry about sticking to a particular schedule. Have fun!!