Taking my kids solo to DL

[RNBelle]

How doable is taking two toddlers alone to Disneyland?

What should we make sure to see?

I've never been to Disneyland before. I was thinking of taking my boys (2 & 3) to Disneyland alone. I have managed Disney World alone with them. We just moved to the Bay area, and I could drive down on a Friday and come back on a Monday evening.

Thanks

 

[Amommy21]

Yes, but that's a lot of hands to hold. Can you talk DH or another friend into coming along? You will enjoy it so much more if you are free to take photos etc.

 

[Dot2Vegas]

How doable is taking two toddlers alone to Disneyland?

What should we make sure to see?

I've never been to Disneyland before. I was thinking of taking my boys (2 & 3) to Disneyland alone. I have managed Disney World alone with them. We just moved to the Bay area, and I could drive down on a Friday and come back on a Monday evening.

Thanks

I have very little experience solo with the kids. I did an afternoon without my hubby and I had all three girls with me- they were 3,3,5 at the time. We did ok. Didnt do a whole lot but I purposely planned to wait in the ridiculous line to meet the princesses so that I didnt have to walk around too much!
I think that since you have experience doing this at WDW you will be fine! I say go for it. You know your kiddos and your limits best, I think you will have a great time!

 

[Rubygoose]

How doable is taking two toddlers alone to Disneyland?

What should we make sure to see?

I've never been to Disneyland before. I was thinking of taking my boys (2 & 3) to Disneyland alone. I have managed Disney World alone with them. We just moved to the Bay area, and I could drive down on a Friday and come back on a Monday evening.

Thanks

I think this is a good age to take them on your own, since they'll both want to do the same things. It will get trickier when the older one is tall enough to go on the "big" rides.

 

[MomToOne]

If you've managed WDW alone with them, I don't see why you can't handle DLR. Sounds like they are at ages where you can contain them in a (double?) stroller which would help manage things. But don't underestimate the drive - make sure you are really game for that part of the challenge as the lone adult.

 

[RNBelle]

That's the part I am hesitant about- the drive! I just did a 7 hour drive each way alone, and I am not sure that I am ready for the task again! My DH is military and so he is not always around.

We've done a lot of kids friendly things in the Bay area, but my oldest is really struggling to adjust to a new place and missing his daddy. I was hoping Disney might cheer him up.

 

[KalamityJane]

I think DLR is much easier to navigate than WDW with little ones.

 

[GatorChris]

I got two words: double stroller. When you have one of those, you don't have to worry about anything. You hit a ride, you come back to the stroller, roll to the next stop, everybody out, onto the ride.

The trip down will be the biggest issue. That's a long drive with toddlers. If you think you just can't handle it, there's always Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo. You get Bugs Bunny and the gang, plus some animal shows. And what kid doesn't like animal shows?

 

[707MickeyGirl]

I just recently did the drive to DL from northern CA, in Sonoma County. It was just me and my 6 year old granddaughter. I was a little concerned about it as well, but I decided that since I was too excited to sleep anyway, I would drive at night. She slept most of the way and we got to our hotel around 9am, changed, and went to the parks. We came back in the afternoon to check in and take a nap. I was still a little tired even after apping, but we also had an early night on arrival day, and by the next day I was completely fine. Driving at night gave us almost a full extra day in the parks too.

 

[MomToOne]

I drive from the Sacramento area, but have only done it when DD was older (10+) - I'm not sure what it would be like with 2 younger kids. But what I've found helpful:

- We stop at every rest stop along I5. They come up about every hour or 2. Kids love rest stops for some reason - esp. the vending machines And it gives me a chance to get out and move around, which helps keep me awake. Of course, this only works during daytime hours for me - I generally don't like stopping at rest stops long after dark.

- I listen to books on tape most of the drive - keeping my mind engaged helps keep me awake as well. I just get some from the local library before I head out.

 

[crystal1313]

I think it's totally doable at the parks, its the drive that will be more difficult-but totally depends on your kids. If you are driving when the kids are awake, make sure to have DVD payers ready and a bag of snacks/drinks easily accessible for you to grab for the kids. We like to stop at Kettleman city and Button Willow (Starbucks at both!). My kids like to play Eye Spy. We make a big deal over anything we see on the trip. I5 is SUPER boring and not much to look at, so when we see something, we point it out.

I totally second the double stroller for the parks! And take advantage of the baby care centers. You can change DS2 diaper while DS3 is using the training toilets. Padded changing tables too!

I hope this will help cheer up your son. Breaks my heart that he is sad =(

 

[2tinkerbell]

I think you can do it.

Like you said, the drive down and back would be your biggest issues. If there is a way to break it up - 4 hours one day and 3 hours the next day, that would be ideal. But, if that isn't possible, just take it slow. You will have to plan on stopping every hour for a short time to stretch and regroup. Videos are your friend. Leave in the morning after traffic and drive for 2-3 hours and then stop for lunch and run around time. Back in the car for nap time. The hardest part is going to be the last 2 hours. Stop and make sure that you miss the rush hours. Have dinner, run around a safe park or on the beach and then drive onto Disneyland. Get little surprises from the Dollar Store. Give each child a surprise (little cars, travel magna doodle, pipe cleaners , board books, etc.) every 1/2 hour to an hour. These would be things that they can play with by themselves. You can also recycle. The ages of your children are about 15 - 20 minutes of attention span at the max. I used to play "I Spy" a lot and that is something you can do while you are driving. For example, "I Spy a big red truck." The first child to see it yells "I Spy it!" We also put child music CD's on and sing along. Books on Tape for children are another great thing. Simple stories. Have a bag for each child that will have different things in each time you start driving from your rest. It will take you longer than 7 hours, but, you can do it. Another idea is to leave after dinner and travel as long as you can. However, that didn't always work for me because I would get really tired and the next day I didn't have much patience. I normally ran sleep deprived anyway. I also didn't like to stop anywhere at night in strange places. Books on tape and music helped me stay awake too.

At Disneyland, take it slow and easy. Remember that you are trying to make memories. That is more important than the number of rides you do. If your children need a nap, go back and have a nap. Take your children's lead. You don't want to have them get so tired that they can't sleep and are cranky and they have no patience either. You want them in good condition for the ride home. Nothing worse than a crying child for miles. Try to keep their schedule. That will also help your children adjust.

Map out the SAFE rest areas, parks. I think there was a thread on here recently about that. If a child gets cranky and you can't verbally console them or there is a problem, stop. Sometimes just getting out of the car seat and being held for a few minutes is all that it takes.

I found that HoJos or the Candy Cane in were very safe places to stay for a single mother. I am sure others will have suggestions on other hotels that are safe.

Hugs to you and your family. It is hard when Daddy is gone.

 

[RNBelle]

I think DLR is much easier to navigate than WDW with little ones.

Really? Oh that's fantastic to hear. I've become adept at collapsing the stroller and getting both boys on the WDW bus, and enjoy sipping a margarita and strolling around Epcot while they both nap in the double stroller. I am nervous to do DL for the first time alone, but I am certainly up to the challenge!

I got two words: double stroller. When you have one of those, you don't have to worry about anything. You hit a ride, you come back to the stroller, roll to the next stop, everybody out, onto the ride.
The trip down will be the biggest issue. That's a long drive with toddlers. If you think you just can't handle it, there's always Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo. You get Bugs Bunny and the gang, plus some animal shows. And what kid doesn't like animal shows?

We have an annual pass to Gilroy Gardens & California's Great America. Have done zoo & Happy Hollow, pier 39 & the GG and Bay bridge. Everything here is so darn expensive, that a weekend out and about here is nearly as costly as a DL weekend!

I just recently did the drive to DL from northern CA, in Sonoma County. It was just me and my 6 year old granddaughter. I was a little concerned about it as well, but I decided that since I was too excited to sleep anyway, I would drive at night. She slept most of the way and we got to our hotel around 9am, changed, and went to the parks. We came back in the afternoon to check in and take a nap. I was still a little tired even after apping, but we also had an early night on arrival day, and by the next day I was completely fine. Driving at night gave us almost a full extra day in the parks too.

I'm glad to hear the drive is manageable! I will be coming from near San Jose. I am thinking about leaving early Friday afternoon right after preschool (1ish), driving through nap time, stopping for a leisurely dinner, diaper changes, potty time, play time and ice cream during rush hour (4-6) at a park,and driving into the evening. I found a park in Coalinga, CA. Hopefully this plan works out.

We actually just flew Cross country to the midwest and the boys did awesome sitting still for 5 hours. They loved coming home to their toys & books again, so I can pack up some of the ones that I haven't pulled out yet, and I am sure those will be fantastic (particularly their Disney toys). They're really great at traveling. Frankly, I wish I was as good as they are!

 

[RNBelle]

It seems like HoJos, Candy Cane are the most frequently recommended. If anyone has any advice for either a cheap, clean hotel or a marriott/hilton that is close, I would be grateful <3

I was looking at Fairfield Inn near the maingate.

 

[aliceindisneyland]

I'm sure it will be amazing!

My advice is to make sure you are driving out of the parking structure by 3pm on Monday. That means heading toward the exit at 2pm to leave enough time for the inevitable meltdown over leaving DL, one last trip to the restroom, etc. And as annoying as it is when you're almost there, gas up before you get into DL. If they're sleeping on the way home you definitely don't want to wake them up and finding a gas station can get sketchy at night.

I have taken many daytrips with my kids, but with only a 3 hour drive, and feeling sleepy is not an option when you're the only driver! If you leave after 3 you could easily add another hour to your drive. If you miss the 3pm cutoff, you may as well wait til 7pm (or get a room).

 

[MomToOne]

We have an annual pass to Gilroy Gardens & California's Great America. Have done zoo & Happy Hollow, pier 39 & the GG and Bay bridge. Everything here is so darn expensive, that a weekend out and about here is nearly as costly as a DL weekend!

I live in Sacramento now, but lived in San Jose until DD was 5. This has nothing to do with DLR, but here are some other activities I found good to do in that area with her at that age:
- The Oakland Zoo. An easy 45 minute drive from San Jose. It is a fabulous zoo for that age - not too big, but has all the major animals. We could cover it in about 2 hours, maybe a little more. I had an annual pass, which got you free parking - it also has a reciprocal agreement that also gets you into Happy Hallow for half price. We definitely got our money out of that one - we'd go to the zoo at least once or twice a month, we loved it that much! The San Francisco zoo is nice too (much nicer than it used to be!), but I preferred the Oakland one because it was usually sunnier, it was just a more manageable size for that age group, and the drive from San Jose was so easy.
- The children's discovery museum in Sausalito. I thought this was better for younger kids than the San Jose one.
- Parks. The San Jose area has some great parks. We used to have a play group that met at the different parks, we'd spend hours and hours at them. Once we get out of the drought, be sure to Google for ones with water features. Load up on sand toys too - many of them have nice sand boxes.

 

[RNBelle]

Thank you for all your help thus far. If anyone has any more advice, I would greatly appreciate it!

 

[crystal1313]

Closest Marriott brand hotel is the Fairfield Inn I believe. I have never stayed there but heard great things. The Hilton by the convention center is very nice, but a very long walk to the parks IMO.

 

[Itinkso]

The Camelot Inn and Tropicana Inn are also on Harbor near the crosswalk to the entry plaza. Fairfield Inn is next to Camelot. We've stayed at and have liked all three.

On your way down, there really won't be much rush hour traffic on the 5 as it runs far enough away from the Central Valley towns. I think it would be safer to just take your kids to a fast food/gas rest stop in Kettleman City or wait until the Laval Road rest area a little south of Bakersfield. We live in the Central Valley and we have never stopped in Coalinga if heading that way to the 5 or to the Monterey area.

The East Laval Road fast food/gas area is much less hectic than West Laval Road. The complex and restrooms are very clean. Have a safe and fun trip!

 

[RNBelle]

The Camelot Inn and Tropicana Inn are also on Harbor near the crosswalk to the entry plaza. Fairfield Inn is next to Camelot. We've stayed at and have liked all three.

On your way down, there really won't be much rush hour traffic on the 5 as it runs far enough away from the Central Valley towns. I think it would be safer to just take your kids to a fast food/gas rest stop in Kettleman City or wait until the Laval Road rest area a little south of Bakersfield. We live in the Central Valley and we have never stopped in Coalinga if heading that way to the 5 or to the Monterey area.

The East Laval Road fast food/gas area is much less hectic than West Laval Road. The complex and restrooms are very clean. Have a safe and fun trip!

Thank you! I am getting so excited, and wish it was Friday now! I Appreciate it!