HELP! We’re planning what will possibly be the most magical week of our princess-obsessed lives. I know a lot of you have been to Disneyland recently and I’d love to hear your suggestions and tips to have the most fun possible for the most reasonable cost.
We plan to fly down and stay in a hotel.
We want to be in the park for 3 days.
We want our brains to explode all over the park with the joy of it.
We want to have enough money left in our bank account afterwards to buy food for the rest of the month once we get home.
You have asked the right person. We have season passes to Disneyland. Although I don’t know anything about the hotels or the cost of food in hotels, I sure do know a lot about the park and about what rides activities are the best for your little ones. Feel free to e-mail me with any/all of your questions. And you know I am not a crazy stalker person. Natie Meg was going to be one of my bridesmaids after all.
The wife and I stayed in the Grand Californian. Nice hotel. Not worth the price in and of itself… but we were maybe a 500 ft. walk to the entrance. This would help with the kiddos – but NOT with your bank account.
3 days should be enough time to see everything. My favorite part as a child was going to breakfast with the characters. I am not going to take my kids for that experience until they are old enough to remember it, since we go about twice a year. You must take your little girl to meet the princesses. They also will do face paint/hair-do’s and all that pretty stuff for a nominal fee. It is worth it. Also, you must stand on main street for the fireworks show at the end of the evening. Catch all the parades and DEFINITELY see fantasmic. More than anything, have fun.
We go to Disneyland usually once or twice a year and we are ULTRA cheap. My best tip?? Buy your park tickets on Craigslist. People will get a 5 day pass, use a few days and sell the rest. It can be a challenge to find the right combination of big and little people tickets for sale, but we honestly have saved so much money doing it this way.
We are going to WDW, but you can find info on WDLand here: http://www.mousesavers.com/
http://www.disneymouselinks.com/disneyland-hotel-budget.aspx
If you have AAA check with them for saving money on park tickets.
Have a blast!!
Check this website out. Great info on hotels and sometimes you can find a GREAT deal. http://www.mousesavers.com/
Have fun. I am soooo jealous. About once a month we try to decide when we can go again. I feel like it is worth every penny. Vicki
My tip is buy your souvenirs at places other than the park (unless you absolutely have to have the -real- deal) Also there are T-shirt shops all over the place (not in the park) with good deals. My personal favorite are the orange ‘LA County Jail’ shirts. We were at Disneyland for my brother and his soon to be wife’s wedding. We purchased these shirts for them 🙂 I don’t remember where we stayed, but it wasn’t expensive and it was within walking distance of the park, literally across the street and one of the entrance gates.
Also, expect your children to hit their ‘fun quotient’ around day 2. Being on your feet all day takes its toll on you (I hit my fun quotient at mid day of day 2, I was beat)
Have a blast!
When in Magic Kingdom, go to Toontown and go to the Fair (tent). In there you can meet three princesses at once and have pictures taken and get autographs from each of them. We think it is worth it to buy the meal plan while we are there. If you are staying on site, go for the Pop Century or one of the All-Star resorts. While they are typical hotel rooms, for the time you spend in there, we don’t feel that you need anything more than that. Enjoy!!!
Oh yeah, across form the Toontown Fair is Goofy’s Barnstormer (rollercoaster). When my youngest was two it became her favorite ride. At four, it is still her favorite ride.
I don’t have any tips, but I just adore the way you phrase things.
Bon voyage!
Hubby and I stayed at … well, it was the Red Roof Inn when we made reservations. A month later, it was Motel 6. But it was close enough to walk (although it really sucked walking back the second day) and didn’t eat up all our money. And we bought some food at WalMart to eat – pop tarts, lunchables, etc.
However, we decided next time we do Disneyland, we get the 3 day pass… but spend 5 days there. We didn’t use the 3rd day on our pass because our feet hurt too much. Our 2nd day was cute pretty short, too. But then, we had just finished a semester of school and planning (and having) a wedding. We were plain ol’ worn out…
Three days will not be enough to see it all. Go through the attraction listings before you even get on the plane and plan what you want to do. The kids will benefit with some down time somewhere in there. Go cheap for at least one meal. PBJ for breakfast, granola bars etc. Plan on eating cheap when you get home. LOL. Have fun!
Hi there!
I used to work at Disney World (a semester during college) so I have a few tips.
1. Bring snacks to the parks – healthy snacks. That way, when you’re in line for a ride you can feed them grapes (my favorite to bring) instead of junk food.
2. Arrive at the parks right when they open & plan your route. I’d recommend trying to find a map of the parks & deciding (realistically) what you want to hit & plan your day accordingly. Then, after the afternoon parade, go back to the hotel for naptime. (I did this with my mom & four sisters every day – and we were all over 18.You just really need the break from all the stimulation). After your nap, head back to the park to enjoy the rides until the night parade. This strategy really really works well at Disney World & I would assume would also work at Disneyland.
3. Go to a character breakfast – this is one splurge that is really worth it. If you want to go to a princess one, you need to book it WAY early. Like, now. So start researching on that. They also offer character breakfasts with Mickey & the Gang which are just as fun.
4. Wait as long as possible to tell the kids. A friend of mine packed the car while the kids were at school & didn’t tell them where they were going until they were on the road. Such a fun surprise!
5. Along the same lines, try not to promise that the kids will see a certain character. Even if you book a princess breakfast that says Cinderella will be there, they may overbook her that day & suddenly you have a meltdown on your hands. This also goes for the characters that just appear in the park. They often come out for 10 minute increments and then that’s it for an hour. It’s fun to bring a small notebook to get autographs from the characters & then you can bring that home as a souvenir (sp?). They sell autograph books there, but much cheaper to bring your own small notebook.
Good luck!!!
We went to Disneyland the Monday after Thanksgiving on a day when it was supposed to rain, but didn’t. The place was deserted. It was heaven.
We spent a lot of time at the Princess Pavilion, or whatever they call it. They learned to dance with the princesses, Jasmine read a group of little girls a story, Snow White colored with them. Princesses show up throughout the day to lead activities. All for free. It was AWESOME. They still talk about it.
We stayed at the Residence Inn that is not too far from the park. The rooms have an upstairs and downstairs and a kitchen. It was great. We ate a big free breakfast before we went to the park, ate lunch at the park, came back for dinner, and then went back again for more fun a the fireworks show. We actually didn’t end up spending much money at the park.
we just went for the first time last summer with 4 kids under 7. The best thing we did was arrive before it opens. It is worth the hassle, really!! There are a couple lines for “early entry”. Even if you don’t have an early entry pass, go wait over there. When the park opens for regular hours, the early entry gates become regular gates and hardly anyone is in that line anymore. We went straight to Fantasy Land (Dumbo, teacups, etc) and got on 5 rides in that first hour. Worth it since that’s what the little ones were so excited about anyway.
Also, FastPasses are awesome, I’d send husband over to grab them while we waited in another line. Buzz Lightyear was our fav, and I think we rode 8 times in the three days we were there. Never waited more than 20min., and that was in the middle of July!
I hated DW but my boys and family loved it. Fast Pass! Can rent a friedge for room and eat b’fast there if stay in park. Can take lunch into park, also snacks. This saved TONS o’ $. Epcot kicked our butts– I would skip. Make dinner reservations if going at busy time, which you are because it’s always busy. Plan downtime to swim. Not into princesses (boys) but Hoop de Doo Revue rocked. Plus you can ride boat there from MK early and have beer while kids play on playground. My boys loved the autograph idea. We stuck fanny packs on each kid with identifying info and their own snacks.
Indiana Jones and Buzz were big hits. Also President show which I thought would be a bomb.
Good luck!!
I don’t have any tips yet… we are suppposed to go for a day next week! I’m going to keep checking back here for more tips 🙂
You gotta check out the Unofficial Guide to Disneyland by Bob Sehlinger. He puts out a new one every year. They have all kinds of tips on everything from hotels to what lines to stand in first. I really recommend the character breakfasts too. It’s just worth it!!!! I also second the spread your days out idea. By the end of day two, I just wanted to soak my feet and we’d seen most everything. Day three was mostly a waste because we were too tired.
Good luck! We love disneyland!!
We were planning a Disney trip this year, but the other family we were going with backed out so we changed our plans. I just thought I’d share a little lodging info I found. You can rent NICE houses for the same price or less than the Disney hotels. Nearly all the houses have private pools. Plus you save money if you use the full kitchen to cook some of your meals instead of eating out for every meal! Thats my big tip of the day! If you are interested in checking out the rental houses, just google “Orlando vacation house” and you’ll get tons of results!
I highly recommend this software. You plug in the rides you want and the days you are going and it will plan them out so you spend the least amount of time in line. It also gives you tips like walking throught the insides of the shops to get to the back right when they open – voila! you’re in without the hordes of people. And how you can have more than one fastpass at a time.
We used it and fit 17 rides in one day with no more than 5 minutes in line. Have a great trip!
Oops, here’s that link again
http://www.ridemax.com/
Never been there, but I wanted to tell you to Have Fun!
Ok, just knowing kids and crazy places, here are my tips:
1. Plan on naptime. Every day. Otherwise you won’t make it to the fireworks. Also, don’t let them get hungry, or you’ll be buying the first $20 funnel cake you pass after getting off a ride. Definitly bring snacks 🙂
2. Plan your day as thoroughly as possible, and have an “emergency” activity to spring on them when they start whining to buy stuff. “We have to go right now or we won’t get to ride ________!!!!”
3. Bring a stroller. Even if it’s the cheapest umbrella stroller you can find, even if the kids PROMISE they will walk the whole time. They lie. Bring two strollers if you don’t want to make them take turns riding. If nothing else you can wheel your paraphenalia around in it.
What I know from going Very Expensive Places:
1. Bring your own food. I
My wee princesses will be jealous. So will I…how fun!
hmmm.. it cut off. Ok, sorry for the spamming here 🙂
1. Bring your own food. I
The best site for all things Disney is http://www.allearsnet.com Although I have never been to Disneyland (I live in Pennsylvania), we have been to Disney World several times and swear by the Unofficial Guides. Have a Disney Magical time!!!
ok, seriously, ridiculous here. I’ll try one more time, here’s the readers digest version:
1. Juice boxes are great, freeze them if you can.
2. You can get cheap 20 page photo books with lined pages at the dollar store, you may even find disney theme. Again, sorry for the crazy comments, but my computer apparently hates me.
I am a disciple of DisneyWorld but I’ve done Disneyland a few times, too. My best advice: don’t try to do everything. You will all melt down and hate each other. If you need to split up, do it. It’s hard to hear cell phones ring in the park so use vibrate mode. We stayed at a Fairfield Inn walking distance to the park…not fancy but clean and reasonable. California Adventure is much less crowded but offers some great options for rides and also dining, if you get tired of cheeseburgers and fries. Bring lots of snacks. Don’t be afraid to ask Cast Member questions about where to be at what time for the best whatever. The parades are definitely worth watching and a great opportunity to sit and chill in a good spot while you wait. A great time for snacks, too. FantasyLand has most of the tiny-kid rides and hence the most stroller traffic and crowds but you really can’t miss it. You CAN miss the little miniature fairy tale boat ride and winnie the pooh (adventureland, I think). Don’t miss Pirates, Splash, Big Thunder, Matterhorn, Mickey’s House, Tom Sawyer Island–the kids can run around in the shade and climb rather than stand in line. A MUST souvenir: the autograph book sets sold in the park. Have fun for me! Email me if you want more info!
DIsney vet here, we stayed at the Desert Inn across the street from the park and it was clean and close. We have stayed everywhere and feel that this is the most budget wise choice. I like that it is so close I can take the baby back to the room and nap and get right back to the park.
Best advice? Even though it is pricy, do a character meal. There is a princess lunch and a character breakfast. It is TONS of food, if you do the breakfast, you can make your reservation for before the park opens and you get in early (a huge perk) and get time/pictures with each character. Also the Princess Fair is worth it. We went a few weeks ago and it was EMPTY. If you go on a weekday (try to make the trip a W/TH and F you will have virtually no lines, even now. This is convention season so if you call the hotels and ask them what times they are filled up, they can help you figure out a good week to go (if you have that flexablity)….. Pizza Port is a great place for food (by Space Mountian). There is a place for the kids to run, pasta/pizza, etc….. good stuff. We also love the place that does the kebabs right by the Jungle Cruise….
The parades are fun, and if you catch the earlier one you will get better pictures. Make sure Layle gets to wear her princess garb…. she will die of Joy.
We’ve gone to DisneyLand several times with my husband’s family, including my two little nephews. The 3 year-old’s favorite ride by far was the Buzz Lightyear ride. He’s been on that ride so many times, it’s ridiculous. He also really likes the new Nemo submarine ride, though I don’t think he ever wants to ride on it more than once per visit. The baby just sits in the stroller the whole time being entertained by whoever isn’t going on the rides with the 3 year-old. If there’s big-people rides you want to go on, you can generally get stroller passes (one parent waits with the little kids while the other goes through the fast-pass line to ride the ride, then they switch, I think…) If the kids are tired and needing a break and a snack anyway, it can work out pretty well.
As far as saving money while there–don’t buy any food from the park. Bring snacks with you to feed the kids. There’s some nice restaurants within walking distance of the park entrance (I don’t remember which direction they’re in, but you can probably google it or something). I think there’s a Mimi’s Cafe and a Denny’s which are both pretty good places to go for dinner. I’ve never heard about the Princess Breakfasts before, it might be worth splurging on one.
A mid-afternoon naptime break can be a sanity saver for everyone. Leave the park, go back to the hotel, and everybody gets time to crash for a bit. Then you can go snag an early dinner and get back to the park right on time for a ride or two more and the parade, etc, if you want to see it.
I’ve seen loads of parents at Disneyland with their kids on a stuffed animal or backpack leash. Some of the kids hate them, and some of the kids think they’re awesome. It seemed helpful for avoiding having the kid unexpectedly run off in a random direction when they spot something cool.
you have a lot of great advice here. What I always tell people who come with small children is to take it easy. Don’t let the cost of the vacation pressure you into feeling like you have to cram all the fun possible into everyday. Those are the parents you see yelling at their kids at 9am in the morning at Disneyland. “You must have fun!” You don’t want to be that person. It’s so important to remember that a kid’s idea of fun is not necessarily to cram the most rides into one day and not waste any precious time. Kids like to wander, to watch, and to rest. Follow their lead and stop if they want to try to open Mr. Rabbit’s little front door, feed the ducks, say hi to another child dressed up as a princess, or stop to dance to the disneyland band. These are all parts of a child’s visit to Disneyland. And when you have three days, you have the time.
And definitely let Laylee dress up in princess garb at least one day. All the workers are trained to make a big deal when they see any little princess and it just makes the little one’s day.
Oh, and one last thing I do when I take my kids to DL (we go pretty often because we are 10 minutes away with season passes), I write my cell phone # in sharpie marker on their forearm. If they get lost, they know they just need to flash their arm and someone will be able to contact me immediately.
To cut costs, we took snacks with us to the park and planned on only one meal in the park each day, and we planned out which restaurant (check out a few in various places in the park so you don’t waste your money on something that isn’t good) as much as possible. Then in our hotel room we just kept a cooler and simple things like Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich fixings. Bring water bottles! You will get so thirsty, especially if its warm and the ones in the park are super expensive.
Buy your souveneirs at home at the Disney store or online and buy clearanced stuff. Then you can bring them and surprise them and it will help not buying the overly priced stuff in the park.
Dress your kids in the same colors, anything but Blue or White. It really does help you keep track of them.
Definitely plan on rest times. They won’t want to leave the park, maybe even you will be tempted to stay, but stick to your planned rest breaks. You will all need them.
You walk up to 5 miles a day at a park like this, so I’d recommend starting walking now with the kids, start small and build everyone’s endurance.
We thought it worked best to the back of the park and work our way forward, but it was somewhat torturous on our poor children who wanted to go on rides all-ready! It definitely helped set up the rest of the day, but you have to decide if the whining is worth it.
WHAT a smart girl you are!!!!!! Love ya, Pam
We LOVE Disneyland. We do not stay on property, but at a nearby hotel/resort that is walking distance to park. It is also walking distance to many reasonable priced restaurants. Look for a hotel that offers a free breakfast and then pack snacks and drinks for the park.
Take a notebook for each child to collect signatures, bring a BIG pen they are much easier for the characters to sign.
Go for the parkhopper pass, it is fabulous. That way if one park is busy you can leave and go to the other. We loved both parks equally. Playhouse disney shows at california adventure are great, as well as the brother bear show.
Start DL by going into the left. Most people start to the right. Also plan on getting there right when they open to ride any rides you just don’t want to miss, you will avoid lots of lines.
plan on either doing the bugs life area of california adventure last or take a change of clothes because it is hard to resist the water!
If you need any more tips or want hotel names just email me, I’ll be happy to share more!
I will email you with my tips…
1. Make a plan. The Unofficial Disney Guide is helpful. If you don’t have a plan you will spend your days in lines.
2. Strollers for both kids. Take you own. Rent them. It’s worth the money and people don’t take your stroller from the parking areas. If you rent, keep the receipt. It’s good for the whole day.
3. Go early in the morning. Play. Take naps and relax in the afternoon. Go back late afternoon and evening.
4. Keep your cool. We are talking emotional overload for both kids and their parents.
5. If you have time go see the Finding Nemo “Talk to Crush” show at California Adventure. You will love it.
6. This is all for the kids. You and DYD will have to do your own trip one day.
7. Keep your expectations in check, and remember, chances are good that the trip will be most enjoyable about a week after you get home and you are looking back on it.
8. The character breakfast is a must and well worth the overpriced cost. It is Kodak experience….and the food’s good too.
We went a couple of years ago. 4 kids, a set of grandparents, my sister, and of course Sean and me. We managed to never get angry with the kids, our marriage stayed in tact, and I am still on speaking terms with my family. Successful Disney experience. I TOTALLY want to do it again.
Go read this, which I wrote after I got back from our most recent trip…
http://dandelionmama.wordpress.com/2006/09/05/theres-no-place-like-home/
Have fun!
Naps are a must because the night there is so fun!
Bring snacks, but Disney snacks taste much better!
Go the the little kiddie rides first thing-get there before it opens. Those rides take forever to get through.
Have fun! We have passes and go mid-week. Much less crowded.
This isn’t a money saving tip, but back by the Winnie-the-pooh ride is a little shop called Pooh Corner. It is a store full of merchandise, but also filled with the yummiest of all treats. Their cookies are huge and heavy and so so good! They have Tigger Tails, and all sorts of themed goodies. I always go there. Always. Not to mention it is so stinkin’ cute inside.
Oh yeah, Turtle Talk with Crush is the cutest thing ever! It is in CA Adventure. A must if you are going to that park.
Sorry for the multi comments. I love Disneyland.
Well you could do what all my relatives do–come and stay with us. Kidding-we moved from SLC to Orange County 18 months ago and have since become frequent fliers.
One great tip-look into this Holiday Inn. It is newer and has family suites. One room with a in room bunk bed setup for kids with their own TV. http://www.hianaheimresort.com/default.asp
There is a bus right to the resort and the facility is clean and cheap. The Utah Federal Credit Union has some package info that saves quite a bit.
Best of luck.
My parents put all five kids, and sometimes themselves, in homemade tye-dye t-shirts. Which I thought was great, until I got old enough to realize how unfortunately embarrassing it was to be a part of ‘that tye-dye family’ a couple of staff were laughing about. They never lost anybody, but my greatest fear is that someday I’ll start to think it was a good idea!
It’s funny, you can tell what side of the country people are from by their comments. People from the east assume your talking about DisneyWORLD and people out west think your talking about DisneyLAND.
The matching shirt thing is a good idea if you have a “runner”.
The longest lines are always in Fantasyland. Peter Pan is the worst. So if you start there everything else will seem short.
I also found the Bug’s Life show to be a little scary for my kiddos.
I’ve only been to Disneyland once, but we had a great time. Here are my tips:
Find a deal if you can and stay at a Disneyland hotel. Then you can get into the park early, which is totally worth it. You can get in and do some of the popular rides before the lines get long.
The other benefit of a Disneyland hotel is being close enough to go back to your hotel during the day. (you don’t even have to walk far, you can ride the tram thingy).
We ate breakfast at the hotel (bagels, muffins, etc.) and packed snacks. We headed back to the hotel for lunch around 1 p.m. We usually had sandwiches and other inexpensive items at the hotel for lunch (there was a mini fridge). Then we ALL took a nap. It really is a must when you are doing that much walking around. After our naps we were ready for the afternoon in the park.
Then the only meal that we ever ate in the park was dinner, which isn’t too bad. I definitely recommend taking a break in the middle of the day. That’s when it is hot and everyone is tired, and a nice nap after lunch recharges everyone.
Enjoy your Disney adventure! Take lots of photos!
Becky’s tip #2-naptime is ESSENTIAL, for Mom and Dad as well as the little ones. Since you’ll be there for more than 1 day go easy so you don’t get burned out by lunch on day2. Also take your own snacks-cheaper and healthier.
Good luck and have a blast!
Bring little paper cups – drinks are huge and expensive. We split everything from drinks to ice cream to yogurt at lunch time and saved money that way. Also, read the unofficial guide to disney land/world with children – it has great tips and websites to check out for discounts.
I just went. The Marriott Residence Inn has a full kitchen and is great for families and includes a very extensive FREE breakfast, hot and cold foods. At the park, take kid friendly snacks. Stop at bathrooms as you pass them instead of waiting until nature calls while you’re in line. The Bear Country Restaurant has a Toddler Meal – cheaper and better than the kids meal. It was a little container of rice w/ chicken and applesauce plus a milk/juice. Wait until the end of the day to buy that balloon. Go on the website to find out what rides are closed so you don’t talk up It’s A Small World to the kids only to find it closed. Fantasmic is awesome, though it’s closed for refurbishment right now. I go there a lot, so feel free to email me.
The ABSOLUTE BEST thing we did with our 2 year old daughter and her 4 year old friend was pay $20 for the 30 day membership to http://www.ridemaxx.com. We went on EVERY ride we wanted to (we only had one day to make the most of it) and some of them we went on twice. We even ended up with extra ‘fast passes’ at the end of the day. Definitely something to look into–we thought it was WELL worth the $$ to do everything we wanted to.
the wal-marts in the area have GREAT disney souvenirs. sneak out your first night and stock up, bring them with you to the park and when the kids are whining for a $932 talking goofy head you can whip out your cool cheap gizmos and tell them they can still afford lunch that day. there’s also a disney character warehouse outlet on Harbor near the 91 fwy (behind Burlington Coat and Coffee Bean), about 10 min. from the park. we got great mickey and minnie ear hats for $2 apiece (normally $10-12) and all kinds of fun shirts and princess galore souvenirs.
the busiest days are weekends Fri-Monday…but regardless try to get there as early as you can bc the park definitely fills up as the day goes on. If you can, spread your 3 days out over 4 or 5 days so the kids don’t get wacky on you. and HAVE FUN!!!
Not sure if you’re still checking these tips or not…but we had our one day at DisneyLand and here are my tips… I don’t know when you’ll be at the Magic Kingdom, but prepare for cool weather – just in case. It was supposed to be 72 when we went… the clouds moved in and the wind picked up and we froze. Not fun. Having water and snacks in the park was WONDERFUL! Great for the kids inline and for those who didn’t want to ride certain rides… goldfish and grapes were the best. Also, bringing water into the park probably saved us $20 or more. If you’re planning on going to the Princess Pavilion – go early. As soon as the Princesses are supposed to be there. We got there late and waited for over half an hour and then Baby Girl didn’t want to wait any longer. We would have been another 15 minutes or more… they let each kid spend as much time as they want with each princess. So, there’s no way of knowing how long you’ll be in line. One other small thing… we have a Disney Rewards Visa card. We were able to redeem our points for almost $100 to use anywhere in the park. It paid for treats and our meal and we still had money left when we were done. Just a thought 🙂