Taking kids to Disney...suggestions

[MarinersHoney]

Hello All!
I am new to the board. My name is Beth :-)

My friend and I are taking his kids to Disneyland on Saturday for a 2 week vacation there and SeaWorld and all the other good stuff SoCal has to offer.
I have not been to Disney in a few years (only been to Disney World) and never with young kids. I was hoping to get some suggestions on what I should carry in for the kids (IE: sunscreen?), suggestions on the best types of clothing for them to wear and maybe what types of shoes to avoid. One of the girls is 8 going on 18 and is going to put up a fight to wear heels! *sigh* What time we should be in the park to avoid as much crowd as posible and anything else you can offer.

Thank you in advance on whatever advice you can give!

[Malcon10t]

Hello All!
I am new to the board. My name is Beth :-)

My friend and I are taking his kids to Disneyland on Saturday for a 2 week vacation there and SeaWorld and all the other good stuff SoCal has to offer.
I have not been to Disney in a few years (only been to Disney World) and never with young kids. I was hoping to get some suggestions on what I should carry in for the kids (IE: sunscreen?), suggestions on the best types of clothing for them to wear and maybe what types of shoes to avoid. One of the girls is 8 going on 18 and is going to put up a fight to wear heels! *sigh* What time we should be in the park to avoid as much crowd as posible and anything else you can offer.

Thank you in advance on whatever advice you can give!

Shorts, tees, sneakers/flat sandals, and plenty of sunscreen. If you forget, you can get some at the first aid center.

Summer is a busy time, so early is best. It will get crowded early. If you go July 4th, it will be packed all day.

And bring enough cash for all the snacks.

[xRybo]

What are the other ages? It depends. Sunscreen is important, when sitting in the sun, which is what you do a lot there, I have definitely gotten burnt which can put a damper on the vacation. Whatever you do, don't let that girl wear heels! lol. I'm a guy so I haven't worn them, but all the girls I know complain about being in them for 5 minutes. Sneakers are best...

I would avoid flip flops, unless they fit perfectly/have some sort of support or else they can kill feet fast. At least that happened to me. Hope this helped. I kind of rambled.

[patattack]

Get there early as possible and wear crocs no matter how ugly

[MarinersHoney]

I love Crocs and will definatly have mine on!

The girls are 12 and 8. The 12 year old is sensible...but she will not wear shorts ever so I am going nuts looking for some thin material pants for her and many cotton T's.

[xRybo]

Perfect ages. Good luck with finding pants! Would she wear cargo?

[MarinersHoney]

Maybe...I'll have to try that.

They are totally excited...their nicknames are 'Mickey' and 'Little Mouse' in reference to of course the Mouse of all Mice....so it's cool that they get to go finally. I just think it's the wrong time of year, but the 4th Celebration and other things are something to be seen....and I've never been to Disneyland so I am excited too...my first stop is SPACE MOUNTAIN! :-)

[ktfaye]

having taken kids to D-land for years my top suggestions are:

1. rent a locker. It's the best 6 bucks you will ever spend in terms of your personal sanity. Along with being able to stash any purchases -- yes, the stores will send purchases to pick up, but trust me, at the end of the day you're tired, your feet hurt and you're going to just want to go the hell home and not have to wait in that pick up line -- you can also store that extra pair of shoes (and socks!) for when high-heel girl finally gives up along with all the sundry stuff (eg. snacks, water bottles, hats, sunscreen, a dry t-shirt if you get soaked, asmall pillow or blanket if you need that for the long wait for fanstasmic or fireworks or parades, warmer clothes for evening, cameras, sunglasses) that you might need during the day or night, but you don't necessarily want to actually lug around WITH you all day. That backpack that felt OK at 9am will feel like a ton of bricks at 4pm. six bucks will save you that.

2. Bring moleskin. Nothing will kill your day faster than a inopportune blister. Moleskin is a life saver and the second best product in the world after toilet paper <g>. First aid will give you bandaids, but they just sweat off (but they will lend you scissors to cut the moleskin) Dr. Scholl's® Moleskin Plus Padding (and no, I don't work for Dr. Scholl's)

3. Get out of the park. Seriously, If you're doing the whole day, meaning from park open to park close, plan a break for one to two hours completely out of the park. If you're staying in the hotels, go back for nap in the afternoon. If you're not staying, still take the monorail over to downtown disney or the disneyland hotel and find someplace semi-quiet. (and yes, there are semi-quiet places -- we go to the Uva Bar Cafe, not the bar in the middle of downtown disney, but the cafe at the bottom floor of Catal restaurant. I can get a glass of wine, the kids can get a burger and everyone is happier camper <g> ) Yes, the kids might fight this plan tooth and nail (I've seen plenty of "i'm fine" with a foot stomp!) but in the long run, you will be grateful. The relentless imput of noise and people and comotion and constant sensory overload gets very wearing and folks make the mistake of thinking they have to get their money's worth and so they just solider on. Damnit We're going to have FUN!! What you often end up with are cranky kids and cranky adults by the time night rolls around and that's no fun, not a great memory, and certainly not your money's worth.

4. Cold Ice Water. Speaking of First Aid, they have an ice water fountain. That's where we fill up our waterbottles. And it's air conditioned.

So that's how I learned to make it through a day at disneyland without eating my young...

[Melonballer]

having taken kids to D-land for years my top suggestions are:

2. Bring moleskin. Nothing will kill your day faster than a inopportune blister. Moleskin is a life saver and the second best product in the world after toilet paper <g>. First aid will give you bandaids, but they just sweat off (but they will lend you scissors to cut the moleskin) Dr. Scholl's® Moleskin Plus Padding (and no, I don't work for Dr. Scholl's)

4. Cold Ice Water. Speaking of First Aid, they have an ice water fountain. That's where we fill up our waterbottles. And it's air conditioned.

I like these tips and I am going to use them on my next trip. My last trip to Disneyland was not too bad, but my last trip to WDW I had blisters on every toe. And the whole thing about icewater in the first aid is great. I'm bringing a canteen or something for it.

[Malcon10t]

I'm bringing a canteen or something for it.

1 word- Camelbak

[Rapunzel]

When it gets hot, hit all the shows. No one wants to be in line for Dumboat 1PM.

[SILVERMOUSE21]

Wear some pretty loose stuff and get there early!

[FoundMyHappyPlace]

having taken kids to D-land for years my top suggestions are:

1. rent a locker. It's the best 6 bucks you will ever spend in terms of your personal sanity..

$7 for small, $10 for large *sigh*

[monotonehell]

Hello All!
I am new to the board. My name is Beth :-)...

HELLO BETH!

...I was hoping to get some suggestions on what I should carry in for the kids (IE: sunscreen?), suggestions on the best types of clothing for them to wear and maybe what types of shoes to avoid. One of the girls is 8 going on 18 and is going to put up a fight to wear heels!

Tell the 8 year old to pick some shoes, then get her to put them on and walk around the block for a half hour and see how she feels about them then.

Sensible shoes are a must. Don't forget to be sun smart, a lot of queues are in direct sun. Bring what you need but don't be a pack mule. What seems light for 5 minutes can really drag you down in a short time.

Number one rule, have fun!

^_^

[RumRunner31]

Stop by City Hall before you get going to get a Magical Beginnings map! It cuts down both DL & DCA's maps into just the stuff the young'uns would like. Let them know it's your first time with them and you want some help planning your day and they'll go all out for ya!