What to do?

(warning. I'm long-winded, and I don't tell a story or ask a question in a straight line.)

Me and DH, our boy, and my brother and his wife (both ChildFree but cool with their only nephew (whew!)) will be there, um, next week.

We went last year when DS was 15 months old, he was content to look around and do what we wanted to do. Fell asleep in Pirates, thought Pooh was pretty cool, liked Dumbo, etc.

We ran into some incredible luck last year, as it started POURING as we entered the park, so no one was there (the others fled in droves). The only ride we waited for the first half the day was Jungle Cruise, and that's just b/c it was the first thing we got to, and people hadn't left the park to escape the rain yet! Other than that, no lines until it stopped raining, which only affected us with Autopia (which I couldn't go on anyway b/c the Boy wouldn't sit on the seat) and Space Mountain (DS hung out with brother and SIL!) much later in the day.

I don't think this will happen again. We're going October 5, which seems to be a fair chance at not so many people, since it seems, from lurking, that there's a BUNCH of stuff going on AFTER that day. But still, I expect it will still be more crowded than last year.

For a week I was accidentally was reading some *other* boards, dedicated, it turned out, to D'World, so I got all sorts of info stuck in my head that might not be right for D'Land! Like...go in at opening, head straight for Dumbo, do it until a line forms, move on...is that accurate for the Land? We're not even going to talk about how excited I got about all the ways the people on that board recognize each other...and I find nothing like that here (besides planned meetups), but my brother would think I'd gone insane if I started trying to get strangers to greet me, so it's OK. :rolleyes:


So anyway! Are there any "strategies" for missing horrendous lines, for reintroducing a now-2 yr 4 month old (brave most of the time) to Disneyland, without scaring him (probably NOT doing Pirates first, for instance), and/or for getting the most from our day without making anyone insane?

Or just general thoughts? Ideas? Etc?


Oh, and I doubt we'll do Snow White or the other one that's almost the same that's right next to it (no lines meant we got into rides TOO quickly, and could too easily compare!) (oh, Pinocchio) b/c they were frightening to ME. :p

Hey wait! Why was this moved? It's not about only parenting, it's about 5 people (only ONE of them being a child) with one day in the park!

I still want advice or thoughts, but I don't know that this forum is the best place for the answers I was needing (how to avoid lines, what to see, what order)...

So anyway! Are there any "strategies" for missing horrendous lines,

Get there at opening. Go straight to Fantasyland. Do that stuff first.

Eat early to beat the crowds. Lunch at 11-11:30. Dinner at 4:30-5:00.

for reintroducing a now-2 yr 4 month old (brave most of the time) to Disneyland, without scaring him (probably NOT doing Pirates first, for instance), and/or for getting the most from our day without making anyone insane?

Don't do Pirates with a 2 year-old but that's IMO. Do age-appropriate attractions like Pooh, It's A Small World, the Fantasyland Carousel, like that.

To get the most out of your day with a 2 year-old, take it easy. Get there at opening, do your rides, do your early lunch, if you're at a hotel, go back to the hotel and take a break for you and a nap for your 2 year-old. Swim in the hotel's pool. Go back into the park around 4 p.m., do an attraction, have your early dinner, catch a parade.

So getting the most out of a day at Disneyland with a very young child like yours means you won't get to many attractions. Just take it easy and go with the flow.

Or just general thoughts? Ideas? Etc?

Let your 2 year-old set the pace. You won't get to all that many attractions but you will have a lovely day full of golden memories.

Thanks!

No hotel, driving up from childfree brother's place in San Diego, one day only. If there were a hotel involved, we'd have more than one day! :p

Now let's pretend there isn't a 2 year old involved (of course then this wouldn't be the right forum, yes?)...THEN what are the suggestions?

My guy is high-energy, go go go, and is very used to be carried around doing grown-up activities, gets jazzed up on the energy of those around him...so I'm thinking somewhere in the middle is going to be where we will be (with perhaps some time "resting" at Tom Sawyer's Island (didn't even see it last year, thought it had disappeared, until reading about it recently!) while the brother/SIL run off to get some frantic rides done, LOL.

But since I don't know what the other side, the "4 adults NO kids, one day at the park" side, is...I gotta find that out before I can find the middle!

Maybe I should post the same post, without mentions of The Boy, where I originally posted this, to get THAT sort of answer? :D So I can get the middleground for a good day?

What? Me, Libra? ;)

I know this is probably not the type of info you are looking for.

DD is 7 months old and has been to Disneyland 3 times already and we are headed back October 9. She is younger, but what I have learned is she must must must nap.

Here is the weird part... A home she doesn't much. Maybe 2 hours TOTAL during the day... that's it. I think it's the stimulation of Disneyland... It's overwhelming.

My standard recommendation for success at Disneyland... well fed and rested (for all in your party actually)... as much as that is possible.

Have a great trip

But since I don't know what the other side, the "4 adults NO kids, one day at the park" side, is...I gotta find that out before I can find the middle!



That would be a very different day.

If you're at the park with a two year-old, then the two year-old determines the pace, not the adults.

Now let's pretend there isn't a 2 year old involved (of course then this wouldn't be the right forum, yes?)...THEN what are the suggestions?

You aren't going to like my answer.

I think this is a horrible idea. I have three kids. They've all been very different two-year-olds, but I'm here to say, there isn't a middle ground with a 2-year-old at Disneyland. It's absolutely not fair to the 2-year-old. And it's not fair to you and the other adults, either.

Walking into Disneyland with a set expectation of what's going to happen with a 2-year-old is a recipe for disaster. That's the one thing that's true about toddlers and preschoolers. I don't care how 'adult' they act - two-year-olds are never mini-adults or even mini-bigger kids and they will look you in the face and say: That's what YOU think! And blow your plan all apart.

What Helen said: If you're taking a 2-year-old, he's in charge of the day. There's just no other way. I learned it the hard way. I wanted to be able to go to Disneyland with my cool adult friends and my cool 2-year-old.

Nope. It doesn't work that way. It's one or the other. The great thing is that you know what? My crazy childless friends actually enjoy taking time now to go to the park with my kids?? Sure, they don't do a kid trip every trip, but they actually WANT to go to Disneyland with my kids. We have good friends. :)

Adrienne

Now let's pretend there isn't a 2 year old involved (of course then this wouldn't be the right forum, yes?)...THEN what are the suggestions?
The suggestions then would be entirely incorrect for your situation. Trying to do a trip with a 2yo, but using suggestions for a childless trip will be a nightmare. My kids are now 16-21. Things change as the dynamics of teh group change. Let's see... Suggestions for a childless trip. No need to head to Fantasyland, ToonTown, or TSI. Head to Space or Indy first. Get fastpasses for the other. Hit Splash early. Grab a fastpass so you can do it later in the evening. Now, none of this can be done with a 2yo.

You can do a few things to work in the "adult stuff."

One suggestion, for any of the "big kid" rides you know you'll want to ride (like Space Mtn., Indy) go get fast passes on the way to your other attractions. That way later when the kid needs a break (be it a nap, or whatever) you won't have long waits to do the big stuff. (You can even split up the group while doing some Fantasyland stuff, if the fast passes are important to you.)

My DD (now 18 months) just won't nap at Disneyland, so we just push thru the day and she passes out in the car ride home (we don't leave late, like 6:30 or 7pm). But that is just my kid.

Other suggestions: At DCA, the Animation building is a large carpeted room with screens all around that play cartoon clips. From here, there is Turtle Talk and also some character opportunities. This is our "chill out" location. Just gets away from the crowds a bit, and it is darkened. At DL, we use Innoventions as the "chill out" area.

In Toon Town there is a small outdoor area to let the younger ones let off some steam. My DD is very active, so we make sure to bring her there at least once.

If the child likes to walk a bit, I know others may freak, but I suggest a "leash." Lets the kids get out of the stroller, but doesn't break your back trying to hold his/her hand.

Otherwise, the other suggestions are great (hit Fantasyland first, etc.)

Oh, and you may just luck out...there is a small chance for rain this week! :)

I completely agree with the other posts that have emphasized that the experience visiting the park with a 2-year-old is going to be completely different than going with just adults. I also completely agree that the idea that it would be at all possible to spend an "adult-style" day (or even a large portion of one) at the parks accompanied by a 2-year-old is extremely unrealistic.

That said, you do have a large enough group of adults to have the option of doing some taking turns with the kid while other members of the group go off to spend some time at a more adult pace. In fact, we had a day very much like that yesterday, where my wife, our toddler (3-years-old in November) and I met up with 4 adult friends to spend a day at the park.

We got to the park around noon and our whole group went off to lunch together. We did get our food to-go from a different restaurant and then joined our friends to eat it, but that was more because of my wife's and my preferences than the kid. After lunch, our whole group then headed over to Big Thunder Ranch to see the halloween decorations and show as well as to take part in the cake decorating. That was definitely an activity that was fun both for the adults and the kid.

After this was when we started seeing some deviation between kid and adult preferences. As a group, we decided to go for a ride on the Mark Twain (the riverboat). Once on board, the whole group found a spot along the railing on the lower deck where the adults were looking for a relaxing ride around the river. Our son almost immediately spotted the staircase to the upper decks, though, and he wanted to explore. I honestly think it would be tantamount to torture to make a 2-year-old stay put in such a case, so I then spent the whole ride exploring the upper decks with my son while the rest of the group relaxed downstairs.

At the end of the ride on the Mark Twain, most of the group decided they were interested in spending some time shopping. Our son was pretty keyed up, though, and hadn't yet had a chance to do any of his favorite attractions. We all then decided to re-group later via cellphones. The others all went off to go shopping while I took my son on King Arthur's Carousel, The Mad Tea Party, and over to ToonTown to run around in the toddler play area for a while. During this time, he had a great time doing kid stuff while others in the group were still able to get some adult time in.

When we all met up a couple hours later, the kid had worn himself out quite a bit and ended up napping in the stroller for a while. The rest of us spent a little time just catching our breaths by sitting and chatting in an out of the way area. We all then walked around the park looking at the new Tomorrowland stage and some of the other decorations while the kid continued napping.

Earlier in the day, we had picked up Fastpasses for Haunted Mansion Holiday and we then headed over to ride that. At this point, it is probably worth pointing out that toddlers can be unpredictible and you may make some mistakes during the course of a day at Disneyland. Our son has always been pretty fearless on rides and had been on the regular Haunted Mansion before without major problems, so we decided to go ahead and take him to see the holiday version. Big mistake. For the holiday version, the stretch room is quite a bit louder and it was much more crowded than his previous rides on the regular version. He pretty much freaked out and started screaming. We did manage to get him calmed down in the hallway while waiting to get onto the ride itself, but he still didn't seem exceptionally happy until we were back outside.

Just to be clear, that wasn't really the reaction that we were expecting from our son. No matter how "cool" and easy going your toddler generally is, be prepared that there are going to be a wide variety of new and potentially overwhelming experiences involved in a visit to Disneyland and some of his reactions may catch you by surprise. That is a large part of what everyone is trying to tell you when saying that the 2-year-old will essentially be in charge during your visit.

Don't get discouraged at all by this, though, as I still think you will have a great time. There really is nothing else quite like seeing and experiencing Disneyland through the eyes of a child. As you may have picked up from the above report, I largely ended up having "kid duty" most of the day yesterday while my wife and friends were spending much of their time doing things at a more normal pace for adults that are locals and frequent visitors. Looking back at it, though, I personally think I got the better deal. :)

-Jeff

Well, I don't know about the four adult situation, but I'll tell you what we did with our one day at Disneyland/DCA with our two-year-old. First off, we made it all about him. If the other adults don't agree to this, then it probably won't work, but lets say it does . . . .

We drove in from Pasadena really early and got there around 7:00 am. Now granted, we were staying in a hotel that night, but we had other plans the next day (a parade at Disneyland to be in - basically, we had our one day to do stuff). AND it was in June, so the park opened earlier. This helps . . .

Ok, so we entered the park (early for us since we were staying at a hotel) and headed straight for It's a Small World. Our little boy LOVED it! Before the gates opened for Toon Town, we did Dumbo and looked around Fantasy Land. When the gates opened, we headed over to Toon Town and got in line to meet Mickey, then Minnie. This assured us that he'd get to meet them and we could get photos. Luckily for us, he really enjoyed the characters and wasn't afraid. Having the autograph book helped - he could just bring it up to them and have something to "ask" them. (By the way, those big clickable sharpies are awsome for the characters - no cap to remove!)

Lets see . . . we hung out in Toon Town for a while (met Chip and Dale, Goofy and played) then went over to Fantasy Land to get a hat made for our son. After meeting Mickey, he really wanted to BE Mickey and wear the hat. Lots of photos, of course. We went the back way to Frontier Land and Critter Country to do photos with Pooh then did the Pooh Ride. After that, he decided to take a nap in his stroller for a while. Allowed us to poke around in shops. When he woke up, we went over to Tomorrowland and walked around. He wasn't all that thrilled there, except with the StarWars shop. He and his dad are both StarWars fans! (our son's name is Lucas . . . you do the math).

At that point, it was lunch time, so we had some sandwiches on Main Street and headed over to DCA. First thing we did was find out what time the Playhouse Disney show was playing. Again, our son was napping, and my husband wanted to join him, so they sat while I went on Monsters Inc. - pretty cute! By the time I got out of that, I found them in line to meet Woody. After that, it was time for Playhouse Disney. Our son really enjoyed seeing all his favorite TV shows live. :) Then it was over to A Bugs Land. The only thing we really did there was the bumper cars with Tuck and Roll. He got to "drive" which thrilled him beyond belief! After that, we had a snack and found a good place to watch the Block Party Bash. Another hit with our son. By the time we were done with that, it was time to eat dinner, so we got some awsome, quick and cheap Mexican food over at the warf. By that time, DCA seemed to empty out! We rode King Triton's Carousel like four times in a row! NO LINE! We really took it easy from there and wandered around for a while, looking in stores, etc. We'd been to DCA before and didn't feel like we had to see a lot and there isn't a whole lot for toddlers there anyway. It was actually nice not to rush around. I'm sure you could fit in several things in the span of time we had after dinner. We just got lazy . . .

When it came time to line up for the Electic Light parade, we found a nice spot and laughed with the family next to us while their kid and our son played a bit. We all enjoyed the parade, but when it was over, we made a b-line for the exit.

Our day was stuffed full, but I think we did a lot of fun stuff and it was really one of the best days we've ever had. Seeing our son get excited about his first trip to Disneyland was great! The next day, he slept through the parade while we pulled him in his little wagon all dressed up. Oh well! He enjoyed the rest of that day with his grandpa and grandma just seeing the stuff we always seem to miss while in a rush at Disneyland - our first time on the train, our first time actually taking time to read signs, etc. We know we'll go back, so we don't feel the need to cram it all in right now - there is many years ahead of us at Disneyland! :)

Enjoy the magic your child will experience - that's what makes it all worth it!

A couple other things:
The River Boat was fun (the next day) - he liked that.
He would have loved Pirates if it had been open - he just LOVES pirates, but most kids don't like that ride - too scary.
Buy the autograph book with a place for photos on the other side. We've had many fun moments remembering our trip with that book! He talks about it all the time.
Relax and have fun!

OH gosh! I forgot about Crush . . .go meet Crush at DCA. Lucas is a HUGE Nemo fan and this was great . . . Crush even called me "Awsome Anna" when I got to ask him a question. From then on, our son kept saying "Mommy talk Dude!" (Mommy got to talk to Crush) Impressions gallore!