We are planning a trip for next fall - at which time our oldest will be a fresh 3-year-old, and the youngest not quite 1-and-a-half. At least 1 set of grandparents may be there to assist.

My wife and I have been there a few times - though not for a while (DCA was still called "Westcot").

Knowing we'll be taking mid-day nap & pool breaks everyday, can you feel you've seen both parks in three days? I'm not worried about hitting every ride - that's never what it's been about for me - but I do want to feel relaxed and not rushed.

Also, since we're not renting a car, being within immediate walking distance is important. Are any of the Harbor Blvd hotels worth considering above either DH or PP for overall value and relative cost?

And is the Disney Travel plan of any real benefit beyond the special little pin you get? What is a "Bonus" parkhopper?

1st trip was in '76!

I would think that three days would right for little ones regardless of how much of the parks you get to see. The point is to have a great time. Taking it easy, taking naps, not rushing from place to place will all help keep the kids relaxed and not overwhelmed. You will get to go on lots of rides, you will see the wonder and joy on your kids faces, they will make you buy lots of overpriced junk and it will be a blast. Even if you don't get to everything, I'm sure you'll be coming back with them. I'm not saying you won't get to everything or that you will, I have no idea, but just that that isn't the point. The point is to have a few magical days and not to overstay to the point of exhaustion for the little ones. Is that three days? I don't know, but that sounds about right to me.

Three days is good if it isn't in the busy season, ie a weekend or a holiday. I say take one day at DCA, there isn't much to do with little ones, be sure not to miss the Playhouse Disney show. Then spend the other 2 days enjoying Disneyland. I think you have a great idea to not be rushed during the trip. You need to travel at the pace of your kids and take things in through their eyes. A trip to Disneyland is different, and more magical with kids in tow.
We stay at Howard Johnson's and love it. Clean, spacious rooms. Great price and a friendly staff. It is also within walking distance, as long as you have a stroller for the little ones.

Try to get there at opening too. Get in to Fantasyland first thing so you can hit those rides before the lines become long. Oh and if you want a pic with Mickey or Minnie, wait at the gates to Toon Town before it opens (it opens later than the rest of the park). Then go straight to Mickey's (or Minnie's) house for your pics. Otherwise the line could get long.

As for hotels on Harbor, I've stayed at the Best Western Park Place Inn and like it there. It's right by the crosswalk too. Nice, easy walk to the park! :)

We are planning a trip for next fall - at which time our oldest will be a fresh 3-year-old, and the youngest not quite 1-and-a-half. At least 1 set of grandparents may be there to assist.

My wife and I have been there a few times - though not for a while (DCA was still called "Westcot").

Knowing we'll be taking mid-day nap & pool breaks everyday, can you feel you've seen both parks in three days? I'm not worried about hitting every ride - that's never what it's been about for me - but I do want to feel relaxed and not rushed.

Also, since we're not renting a car, being within immediate walking distance is important. Are any of the Harbor Blvd hotels worth considering above either DH or PP for overall value and relative cost?

And is the Disney Travel plan of any real benefit beyond the special little pin you get? What is a "Bonus" parkhopper?

1st trip was in '76!

Three days should be fine. Naps are a must (great for parents too:D ). And you probably won't miss much due to time - though doing ride switch does take more time and if you opt to not do that someone in your group will have to forgo the ride. My advice - whatever you miss just gives you another reason to go again! If your very worried about walking distances Alex Stroup posted this information a while ago:

Answering the "which is farther" debate

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All distances are to the compass rose in the middle of the esplanade, using the most likely walking route. Other than the on property hotels I just did a selection of area hotels to give a sense of walking distance.

Best Western Park Place Inn (front end) - 1,310 feet (0.248 miles)
Grand California Hotel (Lobby, DCA Closed) - 1,569 feet (0.297 miles)
Grand California Hotel (Lobby, DCA Open) - 1,762 feet (0.333 miles)
Best Western Park Place Inn (back end) - 1,794 feet (0.340 miles)
Anaheim Fairfield Inn (Lobby) - 2,342 feet (0.443 miles)
Grand California Hotel (Farthest Room, DCA Closed) - 2,367 feet (0.448 miles)
Disneyland Hotel (Sorcerer Hat) - 2,390 feet (0.452 miles)
Paradise Pier Hotel (Middle, through GCH) - 2,533 feet (0.454 miles)
Anaheim Fairfield Inn (farthest room) - 2,618 feet (0.495 miles)
Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel (lobby) - 2,779 feet (0.526 miles)
Candy Cane Inn (lobby) - 2,876 feet (0.545 miles)
Disneyland Hotel (Farther tower) - 3,125 feet (0.592 miles)
Paradise Pier Hotel (through Downtown Disney) - 3,234 feet (0.613 miles)
Candy Cane Inn (farthest room) - 3,423 feet (0.648 miles)
Anaheim Sheraton (lobby) - 5,782 feet (1.10 miles)

We just returned from out trip with a 2.5 yo and 8 mo. Here's what we did and/or learned:

1. Get there at opening or EE to get Fantasyland done early. It becomes a zoo very quickly.

2. We did two days at the park and did not get to see everything. I really underestimated how much having the kids would slow us down. We should have done 3 or 4 so we could have done shorter days and slowed down the pace to enjoy the surroundings.

3. We did NOT take naps. We planned to but did not. The 8 mo slept when he wanted/needed to. What we did do was call it a day early. 7pm one day and 6pm the next. This worked better for us as it made the kids not fight bedtime at 8:30PM. We then switched off with my wife's sister on babysitting the kids so each couple could return to the parks at 8:00PM till close at midnight. IMO and it worked well for us that the kids are better off with no nap and an earlly bedtime than to be dragged around the park late. Just my opinion.

4. We will not do sit down restaurants again. The 2.5 yo could not settle down long enough for the adults to enjoy the meal. We will eat on the go or in our rooms. (except maybe on character breakfast)

5. And with regards to character breakfast we did Storytellers twice. Good food and nice but my sister in law took her family to Minne and Freinds at the Plaza Inn; and judging by the photos had a much better experience. More characters and they were characters the little kids know. Mickey, Minnie, Tigger, Pooh, etc.

Good to know...

Our revised timelines will put the boys at 2.75yrs & 11.5mos. The no-nap route may be the one to do.

So the Plaza Inn is more known characters? I thought I'd heard it was all Princess-ish. The older one basically knows Mickey, Minnie, Goofy & Pooh-Bear. By spring, who knows, but I didn't expect him to know Cinderella & Belle, et al. And I didn't want to waste potential park time back at one of the hotels just to find characters he knows.

Good to know...

Our revised timelines will put the boys at 2.75yrs & 11.5mos. The no-nap route may be the one to do.

So the Plaza Inn is more known characters? I thought I'd heard it was all Princess-ish. The older one basically knows Mickey, Minnie, Goofy & Pooh-Bear. By spring, who knows, but I didn't expect him to know Cinderella & Belle, et al. And I didn't want to waste potential park time back at one of the hotels just to find characters he knows.
I don't really know about charcter meals specifics but I have heard that the minnie and friends one at PPH is good w/no princesses (of course that would require a trip to the hotel). Also there have been tons of characters all over the park this year, but depending on when in the fall you will be going there may not be as many. you will definately be able to hit the big ones (mickey, minnie, goofy ect.) in toon town, pooh characters in crittercountry. Just check out your park map for the meet n' greet locations.

I don't really know about charcter meals specifics but I have heard that the minnie and friends one at PPH is good w/no princesses (of course that would require a trip to the hotel). Also there have been tons of characters all over the park this year, but depending on when in the fall you will be going there may not be as many. you will definately be able to hit the big ones (mickey, minnie, goofy ect.) in toon town, pooh characters in crittercountry. Just check out your park map for the meet n' greet locations.



The character breakfast at the PPH isn't Minnie and friends anymore, it's Stitch....the Minnie and friends crew are now at the Plaza. They moved in when the Princess crew moved over to Ariels grotto in DCA.

A stop in City Hall and ask for the 'toon finder' list will give you an approximate of who will be out and about in the parks and a 'general timeline'...we found it wasn't 'exact' but I figured that fell to unexpected things happening behind the scenes to shift the times a bit but in general it was pretty helpful.

Being a veteran of visiting DL with two kids similar in age what we have found is that our two youngest ones will fall asleep in the strollers and that way we all were able to enjoy the park from open to close. Close at this time of the year is 8 pm during the week, midnight during the weekends.

We stay at the Tropicana Inn which is across the street from DL. You would walk maybe 100 feet, cross Harbor Blvd and there you are. As for the restaurants they are way to expensive around DL. We did the fly into SNA the first time and spent $70 at IHOP and we decided to drive from then on out.

We are already planning our next trip around Halloween. Maybe we will see you there next fall.

What a fun adventure awaits you! We have done DL and DCA with two little ones twice. We vote for no naps, but only if you have strollers (or better yet, a double stroller). We also strongly endorse the Sheraton for proximity and value, especially with your three day schedule. Our three year old ranks It's a Small World and The Many Adventures of Pooh at the top of his list. We arrive an hour before opening, ride Small World very first thing, and then hit Fantasyland. Best of luck!

I thought I'd heard the opinion that strollers were difficult to maneuver through DL, though a bit easier @ DCA (possibly due to a lack of visitors). The stroller itself is quite maeuverable, so it's a matter of dodging traffic. Any opinions?

I thought I'd heard the opinion that strollers were difficult to maneuver through DL, though a bit easier @ DCA (possibly due to a lack of visitors). The stroller itself is quite maeuverable, so it's a matter of dodging traffic. Any opinions?

Here's my opinion:

You couldn't pay me enough to NOT take my stroller to Disneyland when going with two children under 3.

The only trouble I've ever had with "maneuvering" would be in crowds. There are some "stone" walkways near Rivers of America and some rails in the middle of Main Street, but nothing that would make it worth not having a stroller for two toddlers.

Adrienne

Re: missing naps

I believe widdle guys need their naps. I especially believe this when they're in an overstimulating place like Disneyland. Go at the children's pace and respect their routines as much as possible on vacation.

Re: missing naps

I believe widdle guys need their naps. I especially believe this when they're in an overstimulating place like Disneyland. Go at the children's pace and respect their routines as much as possible on vacation.

I missed the "no-nap" comments earlier.

When we went to Disneyland for one day in November, my 19.5 month old refused to nap in his stroller. For one day and because we were leaving and going home to his own crib at the end of the day, I let it slide.

There's no way I'd go that way for three days in a row, in a hotel or not-his-own bed, for any of my toddler/preschool kids. It's too hard for them which also makes it too hard for me to enjoy myself!

I'd find a way to get to a place where they will nap at some point. Cranky kids at Disneyland is not the Happiest Place on Earth for anyone ;)

Adrienne

I would NEVER do DL with no naps. My youngest took a nap daily in the stroller. If that wasn't an option for us, we would have went back to the room. We did the same when my oldest still napped. Just alternated their nap times.
NO WAY would I do DLR without my stroller either. For both boys, the DuoGlider is the ONLY way to go.
When we go in March, it will just be my 4yo and I, and I will be taking my PP Atlantico for him.