Very interesting article. I would have loved to know this while waiting in the endless line for the trams last Christmas after the fireworks with my youngest asleep in the stroller. I'm sure it will come in handy this year, though.

I find the tram wait goes very quickly from the structure to the park, but heading back gets congested. Most likely because we leave when every other parent is leaving.

ps. The link to the Eagle Outfitters baby bag does not seem to work....but golly gee wiz I think it's fixed now. What service.

Shhh....don't tell Adrienne about the broken links. Maybe she didn't notice.

Thanks for the heads-up, Lisa. The links have been fixed and the MousePad link at the end has been changed to point to this thread if anybody wants to discuss the column.

Cool! I didn't even notice the link to the thread!!! how exciting :)

Walking is great! I just discovered it this month. I usually walk from the Mickey and Friends parking structure to the Monorail for a ride into Tomorrowland. Once in Downtown Disney, there is a simple swinging gate that opens into the area by the restrooms. I usually take off here to get to the Monorail.

You can also turn right on Magic Way instead of left and walk towards the Disneyland Hotel, or catch the double decker bus if they're running. The Monorail is then just to the left. I haven't determined if this is faster than the other route but it's a change of scenery!

Originally posted by Uncle Dick
Walking is great! I just discovered it this month. I usually walk from the Mickey and Friends parking structure to the Monorail for a ride into Tomorrowland. Once in Downtown Disney, there is a simple swinging gate that opens into the area by the restrooms. I usually take off here to get to the Monorail.

You can also turn right on Magic Way instead of left and walk towards the Disneyland Hotel, or catch the double decker bus if they're running. The Monorail is then just to the left. I haven't determined if this is faster than the other route but it's a change of scenery!

Thanks for adding these comments, Dick. I must admit I considered adding these tips to my column but then I streamlined it a bit. I confess that in the original version of this column, I didn't even *know* about the little Disneyland Drive walkway! I gave the directions that you just did, turning right at Magic Way. After I sent this to my editor and asked another MP columnist to get me photos, she told me about the DL Drive route!! I've taken the walkway four times in the past 3 days and I think that it's faster than going through DD. As my husband put it: it's like walking the hypotenus (spelling?) of the triangle instead of the two sides.

And Lisa-- a BROKEN LINK ON MY COLUMN? Hmmm, I may just have to go postal on my copy-editor and section-editor. Oh, wait, they put up with WAY worse from me..... nevermind.... ;) (Thanks for making the direct link here, Alex.)

So what's your diaper bag/backpack secret, Lisa?

Adrienne K

Well Praise Be--the days of diapers are finally over for me, but I still pack well stocked bag. Any bag I take has to have long handles to fit over the handles of the stroller--yes, I still squeeze my 4 1/2 yr. old into a large umbrella stroller...more for the carrying space if anything.

I carry:
water bottles--the jr. sport kind so the kids can hold on to them.
sunscreen
bandaids
Bath and Body works sanitary hand spray
Apples and pretzels (sorry USofA)
sweatshirts, and extra t-shirts just in case
Motrin
M&Ms
I have really cut down on stuff as the kids are older. We looked like we were packing for a month long trip with all we had to bring when the kids were babies!

Ps. I need to study Lani's recommendations for a good backpack/bag to take to England, though. Have no idea what to get...

Can somebody put up some kind of easy to read map of the walk from the parking structure to the park...or from the parking structure to the monorail? My wife and kids will be going there in a couple weeks (sob, I can't go :( ) and she will need some really good directions on how to make the walk. If I were going along I'd probably be able to follow the directions from the article. Unfortunately, with all the many many talents my wife has, a sense of direction is not one of them.

One of our important "tools" is some sandals and swimming suits for the kids. They loved playing in the water fountain in Tomorrow Land. We just change them into their swimming suits and sandals and let them have at it.

Let me just say that I don't have kids yet and probably won't for a few more years, but growing up as the oldest of four kids taught me a lot about what to bring to a theme park. Adrienne, your articles are amazing! I read them even though I have no current use for the info, and they're fantastic. Hopefully I'll remember everything when I do have kids. Or better yet, hopefully you'll still be writing about parenting in the parks when I can use the info! :D

Way to go, Adrienne K!
:D :D :D

great article, very helpful!!!

Oh, thank you! I don't know how to make this not sound trite, but I really am grateful to hear this and it's nice to know that the information is helpful.

Bill-- let me see what I can do to make a map for you. We tried to get something together for the article but obviously didn't. ;)

Adrienne K

I love to walk from the structure to the park. I use the Monorail from DTD also Uncle Dick.

Expect to see lots more of you on the trail soon!

Flub

not just bubbles, but food too. my little sister will eat anything when she's bored and hungry.;)

Last time i went with her, she knew the way to DL, every time we passed something familiar she yealled Dinneyland! Dinneyland! one was the billboard on the five at the 605 (i thinks that's it, somewhere down there):) and she knew the exit she yealled again when we passed Lincoln Blvd.

Walked to the park yesterday from Mickey & Friends with my sister (9). It was awesome!!! No one else was walking. It felt like we knew something that nobody else did. We ended up taking the tram back though because she was tired. But, we saw about 15-20 people taking the path back because the lines for the tram were so long!!!! They were loading from both the Downtown Disney area and the Disneyland area and the crowd seemed to be 15 people deep!

Walking Rocks!!!
:)