My family absolutely loves Disney and going to the Disneyland Resort. I’ve had an annual pass since I was 14, and since then I’ve made countless memories there. When I became a mom, I couldn’t wait to share the magic with my own kids. We took H for the first time when he was four months old, and G when she was just two months.
As amazing as it has been to experience it with them, it also adds a whole new level of logistical difficulty to the process. So I’ve decided to put together my top five tips for visiting the Disneyland Resort with kids.
Tip #1: Plan Ahead
Planning ahead is an obvious requirement for any family vacation, but with Disney, there are a few specific things we always do.
- Download the Disneyland App: Disney’s official app allows you to see wait
times, find characters, make dining reservations, see show times, and a lot more. This now also includes Maxpass, a paid feature that allows you to reserve Fastpasses on your phone! It also includes the amazing PhotoPass Plus, which makes it super easy to get adorable family photos all around the parks. For more info, or to purchase, go here. - Choose your “must dos”: Each member of our family usually picks one or two “must do” attractions. This might be a ride, a parade, a show, sometimes it’s even a special food item or souvenir. By prioritizing all the possible activities and attractions, it helps make sure no one feels like they missed out.
- Choose where you’ll stay: Where you stay can affect lots of other experiences you have, and making the right choice for your family can make everyone a lot happier during some very busy days. We consider:
- Do we want to stay “on property” in a Disneyland Resort hotel? (Staying on property comes with a lot of perks, and can be incredibly memorable. We try to do this once a year, but definitely not every time we go.)
- If not, how far are we willing to be? Do we want to walk, or are we okay to take a shuttle? Do we want to come back for nap time?
- How much time are we going to spend at the hotel?
- How much are we willing to spend?
Tip #2: Use Your Resources
Disney is famous for its hospitality and customer service, so when you’re visiting with kids, especially babies, take advantage of all the ways they try to make your experience magical:
- Baby Care Center: both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure have a Baby Care Center which provides parents a quiet place to step away and care for young children. And while I have no problem nursing G on Haunted
Mansion (been there, done that!), I love that they offer women a place to nurse, change, feed, and otherwise care for babies away from the hustle and bustle of the main park. - Rider Switch Passes: If you want to ride “bigger” attractions that younger kids are too small for, consider using a rider switch pass to make sure no adult misses out. More details here.
- Babies can ride: Babies or lap-infants can go on any ride that does not have a height requirement. If you’re baby-wearing, most rides do not even require children to come out of a front-carrier.
Tip #3: Divide and Conquer
As our family started to grow and our regular Disney group got bigger (sometimes 10 or more people!), we realized that trying to keep everyone together all the time was not practical or fun for everyone. Why should grandma and grandpa have to wait in line for Dumbo if they really want to ride Big Thunder? Why make a toddler wait in line for lunch, if someone can take them on Heimlich’s Chew-Chew? It may sound sacrilegious to some, but by dividing up our group sometimes, we were able to do a lot more and keep the little ones amused and less fussy.
Tip #4: Recharge
Speaking of fussy, make sure you take some time to recharge. Downtime is
important for the kids, but even more important for the adults of the group. As we say in my house, a fed mommy is a happy mommy! Here are some of ways to get some down time:
- Grab a Coke and some popcorn and ride the Disneyland Railroad.
- Snag a Dole Whip and watch the show at the Enchanted Tiki Room.
- Do the bread-making tour on Pacific Wharf and enjoy a free sourdough sample.
- Get a cocktail or beer walk through the shops on Paradise Pier (DCA serves alcohol, but Disneyland does not).
If you do want to try to stick to a nap schedule, chances are you’re going to go back to your hotel room or walk your kids around until they crash. If you’re going with the latter, there are a couple quiet places you can hang out while they sleep. Our favorites are:
- The Hearthstone Lodge at the Grand Californian Hotel: This bar in the lobby
has plenty of comfy seating, is generally quiet, and they serve great drinks and snacks. This is accessible to anyone, no need to be a hotel guest. It’s also accessible via Downtown Disney, so you can get to it from either park. - The Galactic Grill in Tomorrow Land: This outdoor quick-service restaurant is off the main parade route and away from noisy rides. They do a Jedi Training show there every hour or so, but if you sit on the Matterhorn side, it’s rather peaceful.
- The Redwood Creek Challenge Trail at Grizzly Peak: This is a great place to let kids run out some energy in a fairly confined and socially appropriate place. However, we love it for nap time. Grab a cocktail and head here for shade, seating, and relaxation. Maybe you can jump on rope bridges and go down the slides while your kiddo sleeps!
Tip #5: Make Memories
It might sound silly to say it so bluntly, but don’t forget to make memories. Days at Disney are long, but they also fly by. Sometimes when you’re trying to do so much, you forget to take a moment and snap a mental (or literal) picture. A couple of our favorite ways to make memories:
- Use PhotoPass picture spots to get a great family photo that everyone can be
in. - Let kids pick a special souvenir – ideally something that helps represent your trip, like a stuffed animal of a character you met, or a shirt from a ride they enjoyed.
- Take advantage of any seasonal or special events that might not be there if you come back again. Halloween Time and Christmas are extra special at the DLR, but they also have great special events for Easter, The Wine and Food Festival, and Lunar New Year. Make sure you soak up anything that won’t be around all the time.
So that’s that! I hope these tips have given you an idea of how to make your trip to the Disneyland Resort extra special, and not too stressful. Have fun at the happiest place on earth!
Did I forget something? Leave a comment with your favorite Disney tip!