Trip planning for Sept!

[Jaybird79]

Hi

My family is going to DL in Sept. It will be our DD's first trip. She will just be 2 and I am wondering what are some tips and things we have to do. We haven't been since our honeymoon trip in 2001. THanks

 

[Jaybird79]

no one?

 

[prncssmel]

We took my nephew when he was a few months younger that than, and his favorite thing was Nemo. He loved it! He was also a big fan of Dumbo and Winnie the Pooh.

Also, remember the baby switch pass is available if you want to ride the bigger rides.

 

[Hound 109]

There will be half a dozen toddler mommies chiming in shortly (bumbershoot & dangermouse come to mind).

A couple of thoughts.

- Bugs land in DCA is great for little ones.
- Crush is amazing.
- Fantasyland during MM/EE or first thing (as in at gate opening) in the morning. They are slow loaders & can be enjoyed with few lines early, but are packed the rest of the day.

Have a great time planning a visit to Walt's Park.

 

[gardengirl2790]

We took our daughter when she was three, and she loved Toontown, other than the Roger Rabbit ride (which we did not take her on, too scary) and Fantasyland. I would recommend the Playhouse Disney show in DCA park - it is really cute. Seeing Pooh Bear and Eeyore back in Critter Country was a huge hit too. We avoided all "Dark" rides and made sure she had her naps, was fed and got a good night's sleep etc., and she did just great the entire trip. There is a helpful book called Southern California with Kids, I know they sell it at Barnes and Noble and Borders-this was a great help. Have fun!

 

[avalon451]

Since your daughter's name is Ariel, you just might want to do a character meal at Ariel's Grotto in California Adventure, and have your princess meet some other princesses!

Might want to look into the Princess Fantasy Faire in DL, too.

The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland has some good suggestions for toddler touring, in fact they have a one-day touring plan that is called "Dumbo or Die in a Day!"

Have fun planning!

 

[davidsprincess]

Our daughter was 2 when we went and she loved and in no particular order :
Winnie the Pooh
PFF
Dumbo
POC
The Train
PP
The Parade
Fantasmic
Fireworks
ToonTown
Finding Nemo
Autotopia

We never did get over to DCA in the time that we were there, but next trip we will. DH and I decided that if DD couldn't go on a ride then we wouldn't either. We had fun. It was wonderful to see DL through her eyes. Enjoy your trip and don't forget to go to Town Hall to get your daughter her "First Time" pin . If she likes princesses then make plans to eat at Ariel's Grotto and if you are up for it take her to PFF. Have fun! Also, if you are able have her dress up as her favorite princess, my daughter LOVED that!

 

[joeysmommy]

My sons were 3 and 5 on our first trip.
My 3 yr old loved:

Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Tea Cups
Train Ride
Everything in Toontown
Carousels- both DL and DCA
Autopia
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters
IASW
No dark rides
Tarzan's Treehouse

Soarin
Grizzly River Run(4yrs old)
Mulholland Madness
Turtle Talk with Crush

Pressed Pennies-bring lots of quarters and pennies!
The M&M minis container works best

When my son was 3 he was afraid of most of the characters, except for the face characters. He is almost 5 now and is still terrified of Chip n Dale, nobody else just the 2 cutest chipmunks ever.

We just went at his pace, when he wanted to stop the stroller, we stopped and just let him enjoy the park. It was killing me becuz before I had kids I used to do DL Commando style, but I also had to learn to slow down and take it all in.

My most cherished souvinear is the silhouettes we had done on Main St.
Every time I look at them I smile.

If you can only afford to do 1 character meal I would suggest Goofy's Kitchen
It had more wow factor for my kids and the food seemed better than the other cahracter meal breakfasts.

Have Fun!

 

[drgalyen]

Everyone has mentioned what to visit, so I will address the what to bring to the park!
Carry a back pack and fill it with water, juice, granola bars, fruit snacks, anything you DD loves to snack on. Definitely have or rent a stroller.
The other thing I heard mentioned here but did not do ourselves is when taking pictures: the person with the camera run a little ahead and get your DD's reaction to seeing certain things, like main street and the castle! I have pictures of my little ones pointing at DL before we went it- the awe in their faces is priceless.
If your DD is scared of the characters have them meet one that looks like a person, like the Incredibles at DCA. This helped my son warm up to other characters- of course he love Cinderella. At 2 he was flirting with her- little stinker!
Hope this info helps a little too!

Peter Pan is always a fav with all ages in our house!

 

[KerTggr]

Only tips I have is around eating in the parks and the Pixar Play Parade (at DCA). First the parade - they spray at you. My 1yo nephew did not like that, but my 3yo nephew loved it. Just keep that in mind as you look around for places to sit. Trust me too, it's not a misting - it's like water gun sprays (not high powered, but think the old super soaker water guns).

Re: eating. Another throw back to my experience with my nephews - they don't eat fried food. A lot of the quick serve places only have fried food for the kids menu, so may want to think about buying a cheap, small cooler (my sis has one that can be thrown over her shoulder when entering the park and going to lunch. While on rides, they just leave it in the basket under the stroller). Bring some veggies/fruit/etc if your child is not used to fast food type stuff.

 

[Catrinabeach]

The one thing we found when our Dd was 2 and then 3 was that she only liked the characters when she got to approach them instead of them approaching us. Like they do at a Character meal. She did much better with the ones that we stood in line to meet than any of the character meals. And if they came up behind her without her realizing she lost it.

She loved all the characters but it had to be on her terms. The Princesses she just loved and had a blast with. We bought alot of the Princess dresses and she wore one each day and we made a point of taking her to see that Princess that day and the photos are so precious and she loved being able to show them that she had the same dress as they did and of course they made a big deal out of it too.

Be prepared to visit alot of characters if she takes to them. We couldn't pass any of them without stopping or she was heart broken. And they really did spend alot of time with her talking to her and letting her show them what she wanted to. We have pics of her showing Cinderella her hair pony, Checking out Cindi's jewelry, getting kisses from Snow White, Mulan and Aurora, and these were big highlight for her. She remembers still and is looking forward to going back in Sept to see them all again.

Here she is with a Cinderella who was teaching her to curtsy.

This is how she was if she could approach them on her terms.

This is where she was showing Belle that she had the same dress and Belle was admiring her dress.

Aurora and her having a fun chat. I was really impressed with the time and personal attention they gave each child. No one rushed them at all and it showed in the photos.

Be sure to use the photo pass cards as much as you can and see what pics they get. They got so many great shots for us that I didn't even take many on my own camera unless there wasn't a photopass person there.