Taking kids to Disneyland for the first time, any tips?

[Jeeebus]

My kids have been going 3x/year (Disney World - not Disney Land) since the oldest was 2. They are 5 and 3 now and they have loved every time they have gone. For months after a trip (even when they were 2) they would talk about their favorite characters and going back.

 

[Mixolydian]

You have kids?

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

Just to be clear, you are going to Disneyland, not DisneyWorld?

I ask because you mentioned the monorail and I was not aware that Disneyland had one.

 

[rh71]

For Disney World, we bought umbrella strollers from the local Toys R Us even though the kids were 5. They are light and provide shade, and most importantly, they keep your kids from having to walk the length of the park which saves them a lot of energy which comes in handy when having to wait in long lines. And when they're not using it you can use it to roll your heavy stuff around. It made the whole thing so much easier for us every single day. And since they're so cheap you don't have to worry about people walking off with it, not like anyone would anyway.

I don't know if you're flying but another perk, when you leave, you may want to bring them on the plane with you as it gets you priority boarding. They get stowed by the crew and not in the main cabin anyway.

EDIT> I see you said your kids have a lot of energy, but it's a good tip for anyone in general.

 

[quikah]

Ditto on the 2 year being more tortured than entertained. Work within the little ones limits, not yours or what the 5 year is up to.

Do you have kids? I have taken my son to world at 1 and 3 and land at 2. He loved every minute of it.

Had a problem on the first trip because we had no experience with little kids there and tried to plan too much. Learned our lesson to have a more relaxed trip and subsequent trips have been a blast.

Disneyland is better for small kids IMO because it is more compact (5-10 minute walk to the hotel to rest is great), Disneyworld involves a lot of boring, sometimes long, bus rides.

Just to be clear, you are going to Disneyland, not DisneyWorld?

I ask because you mentioned the monorail and I was not aware that Disneyland had one.

Disneyland had a monorail first.

 

[DrPizza]

We did Disney in Florida when the kids were little. We did a lot of other parks when the kids were the same age. Out here, I think our kids had a hell of a lot better time at the smaller places then they did at Disney; a lot more bang for the buck, so to speak. During summers, we'd take the kids to Waldameer Park a few times a summer - they had a great time - prices this year are $21 for under 48". When we did the Disney trip at the same age, I don't think they found it nearly as fun. So, it seemed that the Disney trip was done for the sake of "it's Disney!"