I need some help my friends!:confused: My husband and I are taking our 4 yo son to DL on May 18th til May 23rd. This is our first trip and we'll be staying at the DLH. I have been spending a lot of time researching, planning and even obsessing. What is your best advise for maximizing our trip? What do you suggest we do, bring, eat, not miss, experience etc.... Thank you.......:D

There are threads all thru the archives with suggestions, but first and foremost....take your trip at your 4 year olds pace and let him lead the way and you will have a magical trip.

We leave next week for our second trip. Our first was in 2006. At that time we had two sets of parents and four boys ages 4,5,6 and 7.

The key to our success was afternoon naps back at the hotel. We would leave the parks around 3pm, take two hour naps, have dinner and return to the park in the evening. It was crucial time to regroup and enjoy the second round each night.

I've found that naps work best if you leave the park before the "melt-down" stage. If my kids were too tired, it seemed longer to settle them down for a nap. At the hotel I usually read them a story just made up a story. Have fun, and just make sure to go at their pace.

As others have suggested, a mid-day nap break is a good idea. If your 4 year old doesn't take naps anymore, I would still get away from the parks, go back to the hotel, and get some pool time in and just general relaxation.

Here's some other suggestions.

Do: take advantage of early entry and go on the Fantasy Land rides at this time or as early as possible. This area tends to get really crowded by early afternoon. Toontown morning madness is also fun, and if your son watches Disney Channel, he'll probably like the Playhouse Disney show in DCA.

Bring: a digital camera with a large capacity memory card (or at least a laptop to download the pics into at the end of each day). Take A LOT of pictures. I also pack along a few snacks and juices for when my kids suddenly want something to eat or drink and we're in the middle of a queue.

Eat: at Goofy's kitchen at least once. You may want to plan a day around the Hotel/Downtown Disney and then finish with the park. Sleep in (you are on vacation after all), do breakfast/brunch at Goofy's kitchen, explore the hotel grounds, see them feed the fish, enjoy the Neverland pool, do the Build a Bear workshop, and then hit the park for one of the parades in the early evening.

Experience: the parks at your sons pace. I wouldn't try to do "everything" unless your son wants to. You may find that he'll want to do some of the same attractions over and over, so be ready to just go with the flow. However, I would take advantage of Pinochio's workshop one evening at Grand Californian. Your son will have a great time while you and your husband can enjoy some of the bigger thrill rides by yourselves (there's a thread on how to maximize fastpass by Darkbeer.) This would also be a great time to eat at the Blue Bayou, see the Aladin show, or some other romantic plans.

Not Miss: Depends on how tall your son is and how late he can stay up. In DL, Fantasmic! is a not miss, Splash Mtn. if he's tall enough. The Fireworks is a great show. He'd probably like Buzz, the Nemo Subs (get there early and ride first), Pirates, Peter Pan... and more. In DCA, Turtle Talk with Crush is fun and the Electric Parade is a must see. Soarin' over CA is a must if he's tall enough. (My personal favorite is the Tower of Terror, but I tend to like the thrill rides).

Also, a couple of great places for him to run off some energy is Pirates Lair at Tom Sawyer's Island (DL) or Redwood Creek Challenge trail (DCA).

Hope that helps.

The key to our success was afternoon naps back at the hotel. We would leave the parks around 3pm, take two hour naps, have dinner and return to the park in the evening. It was crucial time to regroup and enjoy the second round each night.
I completely agree. You may need to leave earlier than 3:00, depending on your child and how long he lasts. You do want to leave while everyone is still happy, not after the meltdown.

Definitely eat dinner once at Goofy's Kitchen. Call the dining reservation number NOW to make reservations. Take your camera to dinner!!!

Extra batteries, extra memory chip, sunscreen, umbrella stroller (a 4 year old generally can't walk all day long, four days in a row. I had older kids begging for a turn in the stroller after a long day of being on their feet.)

If you are staying at the DLH, you can have your purchases sent back to your room; that was handy.

I disagree with the poster who said to sleep in. I am not a morning person, but we drag ourselves out of bed and are in line before the park opens in the morning. You can ride four of the "big" rides in the first hour or two - they'd take you half the day to ride later.

My kids responded to understanding Mickey Magic. Sometimes things seem scary to a four year old (which is the perfect first age to go IMO; we went when each of our three girls turned four) so we'd explain that it was just Mickey Magic. "It isn't real; it's just Mickey Magic. No, Mickey wouldn't let anyone get hurt; it is just a ride."

I found The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland to be helpful. Each ride is rated for scariness, darkness, loudness, etc.

Not to miss:

Soarin' Over California (in CA)
Splash Mountain (in DL)
Peter Pan's Magical Flight (in DL)
Haunted Mansion (in DL)
Pirates of the Carribean (in DL)
Small World (in DL - but is it down yet?)

Have a blast!!

if he doesn't like loud noises.... ear plugs. DD3 was much happier the second trip at 5 1/2 than at 4 1/2 when it dawned on us to take her some ear plugs.

Accept that he may be a bit overwhelmed. I've visited the park with two nephews, each when they were 4 years old, each for their first visit. Both were totally overwhelmed while they were at the park, but ended up loving Disneyland. The characters are literally real to a 4 year old, so when Captain Hook shows up he might get a bit distressed. Ease into the "fast" rides and "dark rides". Winnie the Pooh is a good introduction to Disneyland and a "safe" ride. So are Buzz Lightyear and Peter Pan. Snow White scares a lot of kids, as does Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. Even POTC scares some kids (dark, waterfalls, PIRATES!!). Same for Haunted Mansion. You know your son. Does he like going fast? Does he frighten easily? Tell him what he needs to know if he's likely to be afraid, and tell him about "Disney Magic", and how Disneyland is a safe, happy place. Take plenty of time off - a couple of hours in the afternoon at the hotel pool will do wonders for him. We always did that when I was a kid. DCH has some wonderful areas for young kids - Bug's Land, the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail. Don't miss Turtle Talk or the Brother Bear Totem Ceremony.

Mostly... try not to obsess. Disneyland is a magical place, but you need to relax and let the magic happen on your son's terms. Let him experience the magic. You don't need to do everything the first time, take your time and let him discover the magic for you all over again. And, most of all, don't worry if he seems a bit overwhelmed. Disneyland is an overwhelming experience even for adults who have better control over their emotions. 3 solid days of "magic" can be a bit much for a child. The magic may be happening even if you don't see it every moment of the visit. Take lots of pictures and make some notes so that you can tell him about the things he said and did on his first visit to DL in a few years when you help him take HIS 4 yo son to Disneyland for the first time.

Oh... and have fun. I won't be arriving until the 24th, so leave some magic in the park for me. :-)

I need some help my friends!:confused: My husband and I are taking our 4 yo son to DL on May 18th til May 23rd. This is our first trip and we'll be staying at the DLH. I have been spending a lot of time researching, planning and even obsessing. What is your best advise for maximizing our trip? What do you suggest we do, bring, eat, not miss, experience etc.... Thank you.......:D

Some of the days you will be there the park closes pretty early 8pm and ca 6pm. This can be good in that disney doesn't expect those days to be crowded, but you never know. So maybe might be able to skip napping on those days and just focus on getting to park early. check closely the day to day event listings too, on short days some evening activities don't always happen.

I agree with the other advice, just enjoy at your young ones pace. You will be there long enough to see it all if you want to and not be overly rushed. and nothing beats getting to the park when it first opens. being able to walk on many of the fantasyland rides with no lines, just makes the entire day go better......

My big advice is if you plan on grabbing a meal in the park, know in advance where you will be going. Either get PSs for sit down meals or know which other restaurant you will go to. Then when your group starts to drag and you realize it is time to eat, you don't have to whip out a map and decide OR get in the closest (and maybe longest) food line.

Thanks for the great advice! So much to go on....

Be sure to bring a backpack...put drinks, snacks, sun lotion, extra clothes...even though your hotel is close..they front gate people dont say anything about a few snacks and drinks. Sun lotion in the park is 9-10 dollars for a tiny bottle!

Have fun....:)

We just went in March at Easter and this was our 3rd trip for our famly(18yr, 9yr old, 17yr old family friend and DH and I) and we honestly did not do as much this time as we did the first couple of times. We skipped Early Entry(even though we were at Paradise Pier) and did not rush anything and had the best time! We took a break midafternoon and went back to the hotel, swam, and just vegged. It was much less stressful to just let Riley(the 9yr old) plan our day. We didn't do priority seating but did get to get into the Chip and Dale Breakfast at GCH with only a 5min wait and had a great time! I think we were just lucky on that though. LOL

I disagree with the poster who said to sleep in. I am not a morning person, but we drag ourselves out of bed and are in line before the park opens in the morning. You can ride four of the "big" rides in the first hour or two - they'd take you half the day to ride later.

I didn't mean to imply to sleep in every day, but try to fit it in at least one day, maybe the last day. Looking at this month's calendar, Magic Mornings (early entry) happen on Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday, and I would get everyone up and out of bed and in the park during this time. It will be the least crowded and you'll be able to ride pretty much all the rides in Fantasy land with the least amount of wait time. As a DL resort guest, you should be able to use this each day it's available; just confirm with the front desk at check in.

Toontown Morning Madness happens Monday, Wednesday, Friday, but you'll need tickets for this (usually it's part of a DL resort package; it depends on how you booked) so you'll only be able to go once.

You'll only have 2 nights to catch the night time entertainment (Sunday and Friday). With that in mind, I might plan my time something like this: Sunday is a stay up late day - catch either the Electric Parade, Fireworks and/or Fantasmic! (there is a way to catch all 3, but it would be challenging with a 4-year-old). I might wait on Fantasmic! since that would keep you up the latest.
Monday would be a sleep in day, but not too late.
Tuesday, Wed., Thurs. would be get up early and get to the park at opening
Friday would be a sleep in day and nap day to be able to stay up late for the fireworks, Fantasmic!

Most of all, have fun.

We're planning on "cutting" DL in half and taking each half on 2 seperate days. We have 2 boys ages 3 and 5. I think this way, we won't be overwhelmed and feel like we have to see it all on one day.

Don't eat at Captain Kidd's! Best advise EVER!

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g29092-i65-k1899562-Horrible_food_at_captain_kid_anaheim-Anaheim_California.html

Don't eat at Captain Kidd's! Best advise EVER!

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g29092-i65-k1899562-Horrible_food_at_captain_kid_anaheim-Anaheim_California.html

Heed this warning...Yuck!!!

The best advice is really to focus on your son and his quirks. My DS at 3 LOVED Star Tours, Haunted Mansion, and basically anything he was tall enough to ride. FF a few years later, and he is now scared of HM, Indy, and anything that seems too "real" to him. I'll have to try the Mickey Magic concept on our next trip, maybe the earplugs too.

Just don't make the mistake of trying to beat the crowds onto the E-ticket rides first thing in the morning...DL can be a little overwhelming, even to those of us who cut teeth on the old ticket books...

Pack snacks, take naps, and go as slow as your family can stand. You'll be there long enough to see everthing and do favorites over and over again.

On a side note, we started regular trips to DL when DS was 3 and DD was 6 1/2, and DS doesn't really believe a vacation "counts" if it doesn't include a few day at The Happiest Place On Earth.:rolleyes:

A few things I always tell my clients with small children:

1.) Don't sleep in...get there early in the day when the crowds are light. Use your early entry to go on Peter Pan, Dumbo, Matterhorn & Nemo if applicable.

2.) Go back for a nap.

3.) Pack one suitcase full of snacks, bring your souveniers home in that.

4.) Bring your stroller.

5.) Bring a tiny flashlight for children that are afraid of the dark.

6.) If you are planning a character meal, choose one of the later times.

7.) Hats & sunscreen.

I actually have 5 pages worth of suggestions that I send to my clients who book their Disney trips through me, but these are some of the essentials. I hope you have a wonderful time!!!!