Whats my best bet for my 4 yo? thanks

[geronimo248]

Advice or opinions would be greatly appreciated.
My wife & I are taking our daughter who turns 4 in Oct to disneyland for the first time near the end of Oct. We're planning on staying at the Grand Californian for 4 nites giving us 3 full days. Were should we go? People have told me Toontown is all we'd be interested in.. does that sound right? When I go on the disneyland website I get confused & overwhelmed. Where is "its a small world" located and the other good stuff that a 4 to girl would be interested in(incl. character meals)
Should we get a park hopper pass or wait till we get there & buy individual passes? I dont care much about the cost, Im interested in the best choices, the least hassle & most fun for my daughter.
Once again, any advice from experienced disneyland adventurers would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Gerard

 

[Tiggerrn2]

Fantasyland is the best place for a 4 year old. Toontown a second. Not many rides in Toontown, but a lot of character meets and little things to do. Fantasyland has Dumbo, Peter Pan, Tea Cups, Casey Jr. train ride, Small World, Pinocchio's Whale story land thingie, and lots of characters around the castle all day long. If she's tall enough and a brave 4 year old, she'll probably also enjoy Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain railroad. At that age, character meets and autographs are big!!! Didn't do any meals there, sorry. As far as hoppers, depending on what you are doing in CA, your best deal may be a City Pass. Gives you 3 Disney hopper days, a day at Universal Studios, a day at Sea World in San Diego and a day at either the SanDiego Zoo or the Wild Animal Park. And it's cheaper to do that than to just buy Disney passes. 3 days at Disneyland and CA are really enough to see it all unless you really want to go slow and have lots of breaks. Do recommend a break for nap in the afternoon so that DD will be rested and ready for evening entertainment. Parades and fireworks are awesome-a definate do not miss. Hope this helps. Have fun.

 

[darph nader]

Definitly do Mickey's and /or Minnies House. Roger Rabbit is cool also if there isn't a height restriction(?) ALL of Fantasy Land will be right up her alley.Get Parkhoppers,DCA has a far amount of stuff for little ones. The biggest thing (if she stays awake long enough) is DEP. My not quite 2yr old g-daughter LOVED it last year.
Any way have FUNNN

I know for a fact that more tips will be coming your way.

BTW Welcome to DIS.

 

[Shelebeen]

Gerard,
HOw fun - so much more then toontown will interest your 4 year old! When we planned out first holiday last year (our kids were 5 and 2), I used this site A LOT - they specialize in trips with toddlers, etc... there is great info re kids, etc and the owners are very friendly...

http://www.disneymouselinks.com/

Hope it helps a little.

Carole

 

[Kayla's Mom]

We took DD for her 4th birthday last November and she loved ALL of Disneyland. Some of her favorites were:

the roller coaster in Toontown (she actually got to ride with Pluto!), Autopia, Teacups, the Birthday Celebration at the Plaza Inn (she talks about this still), Princess Lunch at Ariel's Grotto (at DCA), Princess Storytelling in Fantasyland, and getting autographs from the characters.

At DCA, there was also a ton of stuff she could do, one that I would recommend is Playhouse Disney.

To answer your question, Small World is located over near the entrance of Toon Town.

 

[imjen]

I've only been to DL with small kids (well since I was a teen/kid myself LOL) and we spend the least amount of time in Toontown. There really isn't that much to do there. Last time we went I had a 6, nearly 4, and 10 mo. old dds. Our kids favorites are Peter Pan, Dumbo, other FL stuff, Buzz Lightyear, Winnie the Pooh, Small World, Pirates & Autopia at DL and Soarin', the carousel, and Playhouse Disney at DCA. There's also Bug's Land that we didn't have time for. And they like the Aladdin show too. I've heard Turtle Talk with Crush in the Animation Bldg is good too. And now there's Monster's Inc. My 4 yr old also tried BTMRR and Splash but got scared. Most kids get scared on Snow White, Pinnochio, and Haunted Mansion so we avoided those.Start out on the slower rides and work your way up...let her try the bigger rides that she's tall enough for if she wants to, she may like them. Measure her just before you go and compare on the DL website so you'll know ahead of time what she would be big enough for. Have fun! 4 is a great age for DL!

 

[KelsiesMommy]

I have a 3 1/2 yr old little girl- her favorites in DL are: Playing in Toontown, and Mickie and Minnie's House, Chip N Dale's TreeHouse, ROger Rabbit CarToon Spin (no height restrictions), IASW, Autopia, Dumbo, Storybook Land Canal, Casey Jr Train, Peter Pan, Pinocchio, Mark Twain River Boat, Jungle Cruise, Tarzan's Treehouse, Tiki Room, Winnie the Pooh.

In DCA: PLAYHOUSE DISNEY (I know this show by heart, my dd's have seen it MANY MANY times, it's a must everytime we go), Monster's Inc, Flik's Flyers, Heimlich's Chew Chew Train, Dot's Puddle Park, The Muppet Show, Aladdin show, Playing in Animation Station, Turtle Talk with Crush (my 3 y.o. LOVES this), Red Rock canyon play area, King Triton's Carousel, and Sun WHeel (with daddy on the non swinging gondolas- mommy can't handle heights)

For food- for any little girl Ariel's Grotto is a perfect character meal with all the princesses!!! Make sure to make PS res ahead of time.

 

[hlbtimes2]

Somebody really mislead you! There is so much to do other then toontown. Actually, we've completely skipped toon town on more then one trip. (my kids are currently 4 and 8- we've taken the older one 4 times and the younger one 3- so they have been all different ages on trips).

My 4 year old has rode everything he is tall enough- so in DL he has only missed Indy. He doesnt care for the matterhorn, but will ride anything else. Oh, and haunted mansion is a bit much for him. In DCA he had not been on tower of terror (but wants to on the next trip), screamin, and maliboomer.

Things he really loved- autopia cars, its a small world, big thunder, Pooh, jungle cruise (LOVES jungle cruise), Dumbo. The list could go on and on.

In DCA he loves soarin and everything in bugsland.

As for tickets, buy them before you go. It will be cheaper and save you time in line.

Character meals- I like Minnies at the Plaza in the park. Its open for breakfast. When we went we saw:Minnie, Chip and Dale, Pooh, Tigger Eeyore, Hook and the fairy godmother from Cinderella. I like not having to take time to leave the park to go for the meal. You might also consider the princess lunch/ dinner at Ariels in DCA.

 

[PrincessMira]

We went right before my son turned 4 and there isn't much the previous posters haven't noted for you. Starting in Fantasyland just can't be said enough.

Midday naps (for everyone) were a life saver to keep patience levels in tact.

Goofy's Kitchen in the DLH is also a great lunch/dinner choice. We've always had great luck with character interaction there.

Have a great trip. There really is nothing like seeing Disney through a child's eyes.

 

[kuusimo]

Another thing that your daughter might like is making the cookies. Up by the top of mainstreet by the coke refreshement stand, they have about 30 children help make chocolate chip cookies. It is a great thing for them to do and they get two cookies at the end. My 2 & 4 year old boys love to help me cook and had so much patience with the children that wanted to hog all the attention.

My boys also love Autopia and Buzz in tomorrowland, Storyboat canals, casey jr train, dumbo, carolsel, tea cups, small world and peter pan in fantasyland, Pooh in critter country, the jungle boat ride and tarzan's treehouse in adventureland. In toontown we just saw characters and rode the rollercoaster there. It is a SHORT ride though and if the line is too long it is not worth it IMO.

In DCA they love bug's land and you will find it not as crowded. They also love Monsters, Inc and the Muppet's 3-D movie(15 minutes long). My 4 year old was able to ride soarin and did it twice.

There is a lot of things for a 4 year old to do. To be honest- I think DH and I were more asking to go back and take a nap than my children. They wanted to keep going. That is how it is almost everyday with them though.

Have a great time.

 

[kristenhh]

First of all it is a wonderfully cool building on a hot day -- maybe that's why I like it.

But the kids like the interactive activites -- like seeing which Disney character you are most like, and recording your own voice in a disney movie.

Also, the Bug's Land in DCA is great for little ones -- all the rides are just they're size.

Have fun.

 

[Captjackson]

Don't worry about getting to see "everything". If you're there 3 days, that's plenty of time. Fantasyland is your best bet for a 4 year old. Still there are other rides in the park that your daughter may like. My son's favorite was Buzz Lightyear. Winnie the Pooh, Monster's Inc., Playhouse Disney, anything in Bug's Land or whatever it's called, and some of the midway type rides in DCA were also favorites. DD (6) loved Soarin' over CA.

Some kids love autographs and character meets but not always. DD and DS would get excited to see the characters, but usually would not go up to meet them. I was the same way when I was a kid. We split up for the character meals. DW and DD went to Areil's Grotto, which was the one time she did mingle with the characters. OTOH, DS and I were at Goofy's Kitchen, and he did not enjoy the interaction.

 

[abby]

here are my tips
1. get there before they open so you can be one of the first ones in
2. go directly to fantsy land and ride all the kid stuff (some more then once) you can do in the first hour, what it would take three or four hours of line standing in the afternoon.
3. use a stroller, my dd who was almost 6 used one last time we were there.
4. take a break in the middle of the day, nap, swim and relax.
5. in CA do the same as # 1 and 2, go directly to bugs land and ride all the kid rides before the lines start.
6. eat before you are starving, regular meals are a must...

we have had great trips with these tips......

 

[jaycat]

Your daughter should love Fantasyland, parades, fireworks, Toon Town, and other rides throughout both parks suited for children her age. I can’t really tell you certain rides, as I don’t know your daughter and don’t know if dark loud rides will scare her. The characters seemed so friendly and I saw them playing games with some children, your daughter should love it, and don’t forget rides like the Carousal and Dumbo. I also think if this trip is more for your daughter’s enjoyment than anything, than don’t set any plans like were going to this ride and then to this one into stone, as little kids may see something they would like to do more. I also advise you to get familiar with the rides by buying a guide book, such as The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland or Barnbaum's official Disneyland guide, as some rides that are billed for children can be too intense for some. Its a small world is located near the entrance of Toon Town, at the back of Fantasyland, and Goofys Kitchen is a great character meal, its at the Disneyland Hotel.

But overall I urge you ALL to have fun, it is Disney after all .

 

[geronimo248]

First Id like to thank everyone who responded to my last question about bringing my 4 yo daughter to disneyland..where to go, what to do, etc... You people out there are the nicest. Its like everyone out there is so happy & excited for their children that they love sharing their experiences. Its just great.
Now I have one last question that Im sure Ill get some good advice on: We'll be there for 3 full days at the end of Oct. I could either leave for Calif on wed, be in disney thurs-fri-sat & come home sun OR leave on thurs, be in disney fri-sat-sun & come home on monday. Based on how busy you think it may be on weekends or other thoughts on disneyland that may enter the picture, which 3 days do you think I should be there?
Thanks once again. I am really looking foward to this trip.

 

[jaycat]

Usually Saturday is the busiest day, but weekends all together are busy, all the locals come out on the weekends. Park Hours are usually longer on the weekends, DL way ok making up for the crowds. In the good old days of DL Friday and Saturdays were 'date nights' there was even a song for the night (Lets Dance at Disneyland), and Friday and Saturdays are still considered 'date nights' to an extent, the parks stay open later and are more crowded. Either way you go your going to hit Friday and Saturday, but Thursday may be less crowded than Sunday because its school time. So if I were you I would go with what would be the best for my schedule. Just remember Thursday will probably be less crowded than Sunday.

Have fun in Disneyland

 

[Kayla's Mom]

First Id like to thank everyone who responded to my last question about bringing my 4 yo daughter to disneyland..where to go, what to do, etc... You people out there are the nicest. Its like everyone out there is so happy & excited for their children that they love sharing their experiences. Its just great.
Now I have one last question that Im sure Ill get some good advice on: We'll be there for 3 full days at the end of Oct. I could either leave for Calif on wed, be in disney thurs-fri-sat & come home sun OR leave on thurs, be in disney fri-sat-sun & come home on monday. Based on how busy you think it may be on weekends or other thoughts on disneyland that may enter the picture, which 3 days do you think I should be there?
Thanks once again. I am really looking foward to this trip.

My vote would also be for Thursday, Friday and Saturday!

 

[imjen]

Now I have one last question that Im sure Ill get some good advice on: We'll be there for 3 full days at the end of Oct. I could either leave for Calif on wed, be in disney thurs-fri-sat & come home sun OR leave on thurs, be in disney fri-sat-sun & come home on monday.

We are planning on going the end of october too. My vote is definately for Thurs, Fri, Sat. Thursday is sure to be slower than Sunday, and Fri may be equal to or slower than Sunday also. You may want to consider getting tickets to Mickey's Halloween Treat, it looks like a blast. You can search on here for more info and the tickets are on disneyland.com.

 

[Amy_Renee]

Considering that you're taking a 4yr. old...I'd say go Thurs, Fri, Sat. You'll have the possibility for less crowds which will make it more enjoyable for your DD (and for you!!). We're going mid-Dec. with our girls (2yr. and 3yr)