11.9.08

We are headed to Disneyland in ONE WEEK! We will have a 3, 6 and 8 year old. Anyone have any tips or ideas to make things run a little smoother? Anything we absolutley must see or do?
Anything that when you were there you said a million times, "if only we had brought a.............. "
I am so excited!

11 Comments:

  1. Stacy Holmes said...
    Disney says no outside food- but they checked our bags, saw food and let us enter anyway. Bring a collapsable cooler and fill it with food each morning. Bring water bottles! They are really expensive inside the gates..so if you bring your own and refill you will save a lot of dough. Don't forget the Brother Bear playground. I would say not to do the big ferris wheel in California Adventure- it takes 45 min to go all the way around- a big waste of time. Try to get the front row on Soarin' it is cooler up front and DO NOT MISS THE RIDE!
    Always use the parent passes. You go to the person at the ride and ask for a parent switch pass. One parent stays behind with a kid while the other parent goes. When the first parent gets off the ride, the other parent and 1 other rider can use the quick line and walk right up to the front of the line without a wait..We did this on all the rides and Ben got to ride everything twice- only having to wait once. Disney doesn't like to mention this feature much but but it is a totally good thing.
    Emily said...
    Fast pass the Buzz Lightyear ride immediately. Your boys will want to ride it a million times and they'll run out of fastpasses early. Is Lucy not going? If she is, you'll want to know about the great bathroom on Main Street, it has ladies in costumes helping out, individual nursing stalls, it's great.

    If you want to do the Matterhorn (not sure it's worth it), get in line first thing. Very first thing. Otherwise the line is WAY too long.

    Don't forget about the parent switch passes. If your older kids are going on a ride that you want to ride on but the 3 year old isn't big enough, get a pass from the guy at the beginning of the line, and then when they're all done, you go straight to the front of the line (one pass is good for 2 people, so one of the older kids could even ride with you again). It's AWESOME.
    April (Thorup) Oaks said...
    I wish I knew about the switch pass. That's cool.

    I can't think of anything helpful to tell you except if you get a pass to California Adventure make sure you go on Soarin Over California. I love that ride:)

    I'm really excited for you!!!
    Alison said...
    Bring your own water. It is super expensive in the park. You really so need to use the double stroller. We thought Bri would do just fine and only Brought the umbrella stroller and we ended up renting a stroller $10 a day. for Bri to ride in. But you can't take it out of the park so we ended up carring one of the girls home every night. Pluse the Big stroller is a great place to store all that water and stuff. you don't want to haul it around all day.
    Andrea said...
    Go to the "character breakfast" at I think it's Minnie's diner or something, just inside the entrance to Disneyland. It'll be the most expensive breakfast you have, but the memories are worth it. Take pictures of your kids with all the characters (they ALL come to each table). Those are the pics and memories my kids love. You have to get tickets in advance, so ask your hotel for details.
    Emily said...
    oh man, i should've read the first comment before i commented. well, now you know, switch passes are a MUST. and outside food is fine. we ate somewhere cool for one meal but had peanut butter & jelly for the others. i also wouldn't miss the clam chowder in a bread bowl at new orleans square. soooo good (if you like that kinda thing).
    Stacy Holmes said...
    Jill-
    Both times we went last year (November and May) The Buzz Lightyear had absolutely no wait in the afternoons. It is one you want to do over and over- so be sure to check it out- if the line is long, try back in the afternoon. I think most people were in the horrible line to see Nemo instead of going to Buzz--
    Tanner won't need a stroller, there is way too much to do- Rylee never once sat down. Weston will for sure need one though- I hope he likes the pink stroller you have- if not you can come borrow ours.
    Stacy Holmes said...
    Another thing that helped- we gave Ben a small map of Utah and a pen. He would follow I-15 down the map and circle the towns as we passed them. This stopped him from wondering how far we still had to go. By the time we got to ST George he had pretty much figured out it was a long way to Disneyland- but it kept them from asking ARE WE THERE YET!
    We also bought the kids white hats to have the characters sign. This made them keep their hats on, kept it easy to find something for the character to sign, and made a great souvenier... sp?. The parades in California Adventure are the interactive kind- where the characters come off the float and dance with the people watching. They throw toys and have kids climb on the floats. In Disneyland they are just sit and watch kind of floats- so if you are in California Adventure and you hear a parade starting, it is worth it to check it out.

    My advice is--you will find your own favorites so don't get too stressed out with the planning, take these tips in mind but don't be nazi about keepin a schedule- you will have fun no matter what comes your way- it is the happiest place on Earth by the way:)
    Sarah E said...
    Stacy - I love your suggestions. No wonder Jill is always raving about how amazing you are! The map for the trip is such a great idea. I can't tell you how many times I have heard, "Are we there yet?" Also... love the hat idea. So much more worth saving than the little $10 autograph book they try to make you buy.
    Jill - I'm excited for you. I wish we could come. We'll miss you. Have extra fun for us!
    Jillo said...
    Ladies! Thank you for all your great ideas. You guys always come through.
    I am so excited to go!
    Emily said...
    Ah yes, the Pixar Play parade in California adventure, starts at 5 in the afternoon, doesn't get too crowded, and it's AWESOME. finding nemo, buzz lightyear, lightning mcqueen...it's SO COOL. we saw it all 3 days and each time both of my boys went nuts for it.

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