Sudden Disneyland trip...no idea what I'm doing!

[noodles91380]

Hey forum members! (If you don't wanna read the whole thing, there's a TL;DNR below)

I found out from my work that I'm going to SoCal for a conference on March 8-11, and my family is coming along. My daughter turns 4 on March 15 so my wife thought this was a once in a lifetime opportunity to celebrate her birthday at a Disney park. Even though the crowds are bad on weekends, we want to take her Disneyland on Saturday or Sunday on the weekend after the conference for a day of magic. Here are the key details to consider:

- We are happy to leave the lodging we have for my conference (Palm Springs) so we can stay in Anaheim somewhere.
- We probably only have one day to do this.
- She's your typical almost 4 year old girl; LOVES Elsa, Anna, Rapunzel, Arial, Pixar films. We have not exposed her to any pre-Little Mermaid Disney. A little bit intentional because we find some of it sends not the greatest messages to young girls (damsel in distress, etc) but we're not so hardlined that we wouldn't watch some Sleeping Beauty and stuff here and there so she has some context for who she's getting to see while at the park in order to get the most out of it.
- She is not a huge thrillseeker, but enjoys tame/moderate rides.
- Money IS an object, however we can spend some extra money if it seems like it would provide some real unforgettable experiences.
- We have a son who will be 17 months old on this trip. He's a handful, getting a chance to steal away for a nap midday would be helpful. There's a very good chance that wife parents will be coming too, so there will be 6 of us in total.

My questions are:
- What's the best way to do the whole character encounter thing? From what I read, the Frozen princesses are only available at the Cali Adventure Park. The Character encounter dining thing sounds cool, but which characters make their way through those things. It would be pretty disappointing if she got to meet...you know... Pluto and Mobly....for example.

- With only one day to spend, can we get away with just going to Disneyland? Should we spring for the Cali Adventure Park too since it seems to have some pretty cool stuff?

- Should we stay at a Disney hotel? Pros? Cons? Alternatives?

- Any other tips for maximizing the day? Fastpass? etc?


TL;DNR
How can we maximize a single day trip to Disneyland for our 4 year old daughter's birthday?

 

[siskaren]

This is actually the Disney World board. You should post this over on the Disneyland board:

http://www.disboards.com/forums/disneyland-california.26/

 

[noodles91380]

HA, thanks! Obviously showing that I'm out of my depth here. Will move it and delete the thread.

 

[LeeanneMurdock]

Hi! My sister and I did our first Disneyland trip together last year. We live in Philadelphia so we were only familiar with Disney World. DL was great though. Even though we are in our late 20s traveling with no kids I still have some tips:

We stayed at alpine inn (very cheap) I was skeptical bc it's more of a motel than hotel but it was super clean and the staff was great. Short walk to the park.

Get the Disney app and get your fast passes ASAP. If you do nothing else do this! Lines are long and even if your child is too young for "thrill" rides there is plenty you can use those passes for. You will be glad.

Book your daughter an appointment at the bibbidy bobbity boutique! It books up so hurry. Worth every penny the kids are priceless in their Disney princess gear.

We booked lunch at ariels grotto. The princess are a surprise but we got Mulan, Tiana, Cinderella, Rapunzel and of course Ariel. Families were coming in for lunch and it was heartbreaking to see them get turned away bc they did not get a reservation. I felt a little bad since we had no kids but you have to book early.

Also you need a fastpass to see the most famous princesses Elsa &Ana. I don't know how you get them but they sell out within minutes so do your research.

Also stop at City Hall to get free buttons for your first visit!

Have a great trip!

 

[bumbershoot]

Get the Disney app and get your fast passes ASAP.

There are no FPs to get through an app at Disneyland. DL doesn't have FP+s. Maybe those were two separate thoughts, but I'm not sure what good a Disneyland app (IS there one?) does you so...

 

[hakepb]

I would start with Hydroguys great resource:
http://www.disboards.com/threads/a-dlr-guide-for-wdw-vets.1162599/

RSR is the biggest draw to DCA
(Especially for a 4 yo)
Walking from DL to DCA is like walking out of MK to the ferry boat dock...and all of a sudden you are in a new park. But there is a ton to do in DL alone so it's easy to just spend one day.

The variety of characters you can meet in a character breakfast is astounding (compared to WDW) Minnie's in the DL Plaza and Goofy's in DL Hotel are both great for characters.

Onsite can get you an early EMH and a fairly easy walk to your hotel, some tickets have early entry on some days, too.

I don't think on-site is as necessary as WDW
(I also don't think any WDW hotel is as "in the bubble" as the GC.... But that is a budget killer)

 

[LeeanneMurdock]

Yes sorry the DL app does not help with Fastpasses (unlike WDW)you do them in park but there is a DL wait times app and I found it to be very helpful. Thanks for pointing that out bummershot

 

[MermaidMommy]

I would start with Hydroguys great resource:
http://www.disboards.com/threads/a-dlr-guide-for-wdw-vets.1162599/

I second Hydroguy's DL info. It was our primary resource on our first, 5-day DL trip.

There are only three on-site hotels at DL, and they're all deluxe price. Grand Californian and Disneyland hotel are both top-notch; Paradise Pier is a remodeled hotel from another brand, and isn't as nice, but is a good location. However, there are tons of DL hotels that are very affordable within easy walking distance. Some are even closer than Disney's own hotels, and not more than a 10 minute walk to the parks. Disney Tourist Blog has a lot of DL hotel reviews. http://www.disneytouristblog.com/disneyland-hotels-near/

If you do decide to stay on-property, know that DL has early entry on Saturdays, and DCA has it on Sundays, which might make a difference what day/park you'll want to do.

It's sooooooo easy to get back and forth from DL to DCA. Not only is it close -- like a football field close -- but you go through security before you get to the parks themselves, so you won't have to go to security again if you hop.

For a special birthday trip, I would definitely do both parks. There's a lot to do at each one for your age kids. The trouble will be narrowing it down to fit in one day!

 

[erocrobro]

You are in luck in that DL does not require near as much advance planning as WDW. I would follow the DL boards and make a general plan of what your daughter will definitely want to do. Some restaurants may fill up, but I think if you are flexible you have a pretty good chance of finding something that you will enjoy. I actually got a little bit frustrated at the fact that there wasn't more for me to plan, but in the end it was our most stress free Disney trip yet. Just make sure you grab a corn dog at the little red wagon on Main Street, they are the best!

 

[sharonabe]

We stayed at Best Western Park Place Inn directly across the street from the DL entrance. We literally crossed the street and we were on Disney property. They have a decent breakfast buffet included in the price of the room.

However, with just one day, if you can swing the price on an onsite hotel and have early entry to one of the parks, you'll get to see/do much more. Personally, I would choose a Sunday over a Saturday, but it might not make that much difference.

 

[ktlm]

We are WDW vets who now have made several DL trips as well. I would do the hoppers and go from park to park. Unlike WDW where it can take you an hour to get between parks, at DL it is 10 minutes or less. That would allow you to hit the highlights in each park that your daughter would enjoy. In addition to Anna and Elsa, CA also has an Olaf meet and greet, the Little Mermaid Ride, Toy Story Mania, Carsland, the Monster's Inc. ride and the Pixar Parade. Lucky for you at CA the Anna and Elsa lines are nothing like they are at WDW. They are fairly short. They did have FP, but last I heard that was discontinued because the lines just aren't that bad. Someone who has been recently can probably tell you what the current status is on that. Two months before a DL trip is plenty of time to plan. They do not even do dining reservations until 60 days out. In our opinion, DL has better counter service than WDW, so for a very short trip, you could get by without making any dining reservations which would be cheaper and which would mean you could eat faster and maximize park time. If you could splurge with the time and money to do 2 days that would be great, but if not, you can hit lots of highlights in a day. Would your 17 month old nap in a stroller? That would help avoid losing time out of your day. Your 4 year old may take a stroller nap too. My DD was not really a napper and gave them completely up by her 3rd birthday, other than when we went to DL or WDW, she would still fall asleep in the stroller. Also, even though DL is smaller than WDW, there is a lot of walking, especially when you have a short period of time and are trying to get a lot accomplished, so you will likely want a stroller for the 4 year old. My DD did not set foot in a stroller after hitting 12 months old and taking her first steps no matter how much walking was involved, except for at WDW or DL. As much as she did not care for strollers, she did not mind it at all at WDW and DL and jumped right in, the minute she realized it could get her fun places faster. As far as the onsite hotels they are very pricey- they typically are more expensive than the WDW hotels. There are a ton of places to stay that are walking distance from the parks that are not as pricey and decent. A lot of people seem to like the Howard Johnson's. We do stay on property at the Disneyland Hotel and it is fantastic, but if staying off property cheaper would let you fit in a 2nd park day, I would absolutely do that. I think if you splurge, the better place to do it is more park time, rather than an on property resort- if you have the time to fit in the extra day.

FP will help you maximize for the rides where it is available. What we do is when we go to a FP ride, we compare the wait time with the time the FP kicks in. If the wait time is 15 minutes or less, we typically get in line. More than that, we decide whether to get in the line, or to pull the FP and come back. For example, we have had many times where the posted wait time is 40 minutes, but if we pull a FP it will kick in 45 minutes or an hour later. When that happens, we typically pull the FP and then do other things until it is time to ride. For Radiator Springs Racers at CA, you will want to get over there in the morning and pull FPs for everyone who wants to ride. That line is consistently long and FPs run out. I would call it "moderate", more than a thrill ride. If you are familiar with Test Track, it is the same concept, but much more fun and with much more theming. You ride through several Cars scenes inside and then have a "race" outside. It is fast driving- not a roller coaster or anything. I would think that would be a must do for your 4 year old, if she is tall enough (must be 40 inches). That is the one ride that does involve some planning to avoid consistently long lines.

As far as character meals, they are very fun, but also expensive. Our favorite is Minnie's Breakfast in DL, but you never know who you are going to meet there (which we love). We have seen Minnie, Captain Hook, Fairy Godmother, and Pooh Characters about every single time, but there have been additional characters who vary. At Ariel's Grotto, at CA it is strictly princesses. It varies which ones. We have seen Tiana and Rapunzel there from the newer movies- but not every time we have been. We have pretty much always seen Cinderella, Belle, and Ariel there, but again there is no guarantee. Ariel is almost always at the front (it is her Grotto), so she is pretty much a guarantee unless there was some sort of unexpected issue (illness etc) where a substitute was put in. Goofy's Kitchen is at the Disneyland Hotel and does not require a park ticket, so you could even do that one on a non-park day. It used to be variety, but in the last year the characters were standardized. We do not like that it has been standardized, but since you are on a short timeline and want to know who is there you might. There, it is pretty certain that you will meet, Goofy, Minnie, Pluto, Chip and Dale and no one else. Again, there is always the chance of a substitution, but it is pretty certain.

Have a fun trip!!! We love Disneyland!!!

 

[Luckymommatoo]

Does she know Tinker Bell? Pixie Hollow is located in DL and is really well themed. If she's never seen the Tinker Bell movies, she's the perfect age to start! They are darling and have positive messages (well, the latest one is kind of dark, but start with the first one from 2008 and you'll be good).
https://disneyland.disney.go.com/entertainment/disneyland/pixie-hollow-tinkerbell-fairy-friends/

Before you spring for hoppers for all of you, I'd look carefully at all the attractions and what you want to do to gauge whether you can really fit everything in one day, especially with two young kids (you can post a list for us and we'll help with that if you want) and if it's worth the extra money. Honestly, even if you just stay in Disneyland you will have a wonderful day. There's just so much to see and do.

Most of the Princesses are in the Soundsational parade at DL, so definitely don't miss that.

 

[smiles33]

I echo PP's tips. With two little ones, I would definitely take a mid-day break to nap, even if you only have 1 day. Grouchy kids are NOT going to enjoy themselves. My kids didn't nap well in strollers, so we always returned to the hotel room to nap but we did 2-3 day trips. If yours can nap in a stroller, then maybe you can get away with staying in the park instead of leaving. If you have to leave for naps, stay as close as possible (several of the Harbor Ave. motels are within 5 minutes of the gates, which is faster than staying on-site unless you're at Grand Californian (which can be 3 times the price for less space and fewer amenities, IMHO, as I like having a microwave and fridge).

If your DD loves Disney Jr. shows like Doc McStuffins or Sophia, make sure to check out the show at DCA. It's not just the princesses! I also think the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique was a really special experience (provided you're ok with hair and makeup and fancy dresses for a 4 year old!). See https://disneyland.disney.go.com/shops/disneyland/bibbidi-bobbidi-boutique/ for details. Both my girls LOVED the experience and I think it's a better "value" (ha! Anything Disney related isn't going to be budget-friendly) than the character meals.

Finally, my last bit of advice is not to feel pressure to pack as much as possible into that one day. That can be so exhausting and stressful. Instead, savor the little moments, like the incredible joy in your DD's eyes when she meets Rapunzel, who hugs her, talks with her, then twirls her in a pretty spin. I cherish the 15 second video of my girls interacting with Aurora at the Princess Fantasy Faire a few years ago.

Have fun!

P.S. Ok, one last tip, if you or your wife like the thrill rides, is to use the Child Swap pass! Walk up to the cast member and show them your young child and they'll give you a child swap pass. This enables you to ride something like Space Mountain while she stays with the kids, but then she can ride it once you return without waiting in the super long standby line (you can go in through the Fastpass lane). I loved the Child Swap pass when my girls were too young to go on Space Mountain or RSR!