Disnyland

If you are going to Disney in California, you must take the kids to Blue Bayou restaurant for lunch or supper. It is amazing! It looks like you are sitting outside beside the water at night. Complete with ships, water, stars and crickets chirping! You will need a reservation. What we always do is go there right when we get there and make a reservation. It is located right next to The PIrates of The Carribean ride. This is a must see! you won't regret it! Oh, and the food there is fabulous too!

Just a couple tips, do the fast pass for the major rides. You will be going before school gets out for most districts so it may not be that packed but it is worth it especially with small ones. I suggest leaving the park to eat, in order to save a ton of $$. There are fast food places and restaurants that you can eat at for a lot cheaper than their food. California Adventure has the light parade now so that would be a must if you're planning to visit both parks. Visit this site gocalifornia.about.com/od/cadisneyland/a/discounttickets.htm

It might be worth it to join AAA, they have a discount on tickets at the gate. We had a blast about 6 weeks ago. The fast pass is good, but plan that out so that you get the really big ones early, space mountain would be good to get as soon as you get to the park, by 3 pm or so, they are all given out for the day, and we stood in line for that longer than most rides. Indiana Jones was a long one too,a nd so was the new Nemo ride. Do go to Blue Bayou! You can ride the pirates of the carabean ride and get a glimpse of it. The parking structure is pretty good, and the tram will take you to the park, I think parking was $14.00, so if you are still looking at where to stay, you can put that money into your daily rate.

Hope you have a blast! We did!
M.

Go to AAA if you are a member and look to see what they have.
It's been years since I went. I don't know how old the kids are, but it's a small small world was cool........
Get on the internet and look up what's there and what the age groups are.....that will help alot.....

I'm sure there are some on here that can give you better answers.

Have a great time!

On weekdays, it is much less crowded in the morning than in the afternoons. So do your best to get there early and do the rides you care about most first. For example, Autopia has about a 10 minute wait in the a.m. and a 30-40 minute wait by early afternoon.

If the line to ride the tram from the parking lot to the park is really long, it can be faster to walk through Downtown Disney instead of waiting.

I always bring in snacks and a full lunch for my toddler, plus water, and they've never stopped me even though you're technically not supposed to bring in outside food.

If you can buy your tickets in advance, it will save the time of waiting in that line, too.

The submarines always have a REALLY long line and most people I know say the ride isn't really worth it. So that's one to skip unless your kids are completely obsessed with Nemo.

The other main thing I learned is just to have fun and not stress about lines or how many rides you do. Yes, it is very expensive to go, but if the kids are getting tired/melting down/need a break, it's a lot more fun for everyone to just take the necessary break than to keep on pushing.

Have fun!
K.
http://www.discoverytoyslink.com/karenchao

Hi J.,

If you are going to CA Adventure check out the Brother Bear park across from the River Raft ride. It is tucked away and is peaceful and quiet. There are slides and rope bridges and swings for the kids to play on while you rest.

My kids love it. Usually too it is not crowded so it is a nice break. They also have shows in there.

Also, Aladin is awesome. Even when my kids were very young they loved it. To make it through the long lines I would bring some activities - Nintendos, small books, colored pencils w/notebooks etc.

You can access the park maps online. I would go over which rides are most important to you and get a game plan based on location. My kids always wanted to take turns picking. We stopped that reall fast when the next choice always seemed to be way across the park.

My biggest advice is not to stress the day. Take it easy and enjoy your time. If you only go on a few rides enjoy those and the memories.

Have fun.

We decided after our last trip to Disneyland is to actually take breaks inbetween our Disneyland Days...for example..Monday Disneyland, Tuesdasy, go to the beach, Wednesday Disneyland or California Adventures, Thursday visit friends, Friday Disneyalnd....

that way you are not exhausted on your 2nd day and can enjoy the park.