Tips for travelling with little ones, how many days?

[Valentina1234]

We are headed to Disneyland from Sept 30th to Oct 6 with our 5 year old and 2.5 year old. Just looking for tips and advice for at the parks with the littles. My main question is how many days at the park to do? We are thinking either 4 or 5. We are staying at homewood suites for the week, we are hoping to go back to the hotel for quiet time in the afternoon and then head out a bit in the evening on some of the nights. If anyone has stayed at homewood, are there walking distance restaurants nearby?
We want to do a beach day on our last full day. Any recommendations?

 

[AuntieKels]

I can respond to the part about how many days.

I would start by saying, you know your kids best but I would follow that with the more days the better! We have done 3.5 days and 5 days with our daughter as a toddler and we always felt like we could relax on the pressure to go-go-go if we had more days. We also had to go back to DLH to nap and swim every day. Plus we had to end our night fairly early to get in the bedtime routine.

We were usually only in the park from EMH rope drop at 9am to noon or 1pm - then in the evening from 4 or 5pm until about 7pm which totals around 6 hours a day. That doesn't give a ton of time for attractions, shows and characters. I felt like we all needed the breaks in the day and an opertunity to stop and have a meal or allow independent play time. 5 toddler days was great for us.

I hope you have a great time!

 

[smartlabelprint]

I agree with pp. We got about 2 hours park time then an hour walking/shuttle/in/out/lines time. Once in am. Once in pm.

If you're nervous you could buy a 4 day hopper and add a day your last day if you feel you need more time.

There are restaurants in the garden walk. Cheese cake factory, pf changs. There's a Red Robin down the street. Down town Disney has several restaurants. A short drive away in Fullerton is old spaghetti factory. Bus or Uber. Or on a rental Car day.

We ate in the parks a lot though. Too much! Next trip we will try to bring pb&j, etc. for lunch. Just to enjoy more quiet time. The kitchens are nice at HS.

The block at orange shipping area is a short drive/bus ride away if you want a shopping & eating out day. They have a dave & busters.

 

[Elima2015]

With young kids, I would start with 4 day hoppers and then add the 5th day if you decide you want it. We took our twins when they were just shy of 4 and a baby - they were all overstimulated. The mid-day breaks were needed and it would have been much better on my stress level to have 4 days to pace the parks, rather than the 3 days we had. We took our twins again recently, they are 5 now, and loved every minute of it. They could ride the big rides and were prepared for the crowds/stimulation.

I would opt for 2 beach days, but we are beach lovers. Break up the days in the park with some chill days in the sand and surf (like 2 park days, beach day, 2 park days, beach day). We found Crescent Bay in Laguna Beach and it was awesome. Quiet, lifeguard, saw whales and seals. A little bit harder to find, but well worth it. We also spent a day at Newport Beach and that was really fun. Can rent bikes there.

 

[CateinPhoenix]

We are headed to Disneyland from Sept 30th to Oct 6 with our 5 year old and 2.5 year old. Just looking for tips and advice for at the parks with the littles. My main question is how many days at the park to do? We are thinking either 4 or 5. We are staying at homewood suites for the week, we are hoping to go back to the hotel for quiet time in the afternoon and then head out a bit in the evening on some of the nights. If anyone has stayed at homewood, are there walking distance restaurants nearby?
We want to do a beach day on our last full day. Any recommendations?

Homewood Suites is great. Pool area is nice with a kiddie pool and sport court. Depending on what nights you are there they Homewood Suites offers a "light dinner" M-TH. We found that it was plenty for us, including my teenagers, but we aren't picky eaters. There are restaurants close by at the Garden Walk, as well as Denny's right next door.

When my kiddos were younger, we would go to Balboa island Beach. Calm waters and walkable little town area.

 

[smartlabelprint]

There's free mini golf at the hotel too.

 

[Valentina1234]

I agree with pp. We got about 2 hours park time then an hour walking/shuttle/in/out/lines time. Once in am. Once in pm.

If you're nervous you could buy a 4 day hopper and add a day your last day if you feel you need more time.

There are restaurants in the garden walk. Cheese cake factory, pf changs. There's a Red Robin down the street. Down town Disney has several restaurants. A short drive away in Fullerton is old spaghetti factory. Bus or Uber. Or on a rental Car day.

We ate in the parks a lot though. Too much! Next trip we will try to bring pb&j, etc. for lunch. Just to enjoy more quiet time. The kitchens are nice at HS.

The block at orange shipping area is a short drive/bus ride away if you want a shopping & eating out day. They have a dave & busters.

Thanks for your reply! So would you say it takes an hour to go to the toy story lot, shuttle, then through the Disney gate?

 

[ExcitedMama]

Great tips above. I have done DL when mine were 3 and 1, and 4/2. For us I hated the walk back and forth with them to offsite hotels. It was much more relaxing to take breaks for shows, meals and ride the train. My youngest napped during those and at night, while my oldest who still took naps at home just went all day until nighttime when he'd crash while waiting for fireworks and I'd wake him up to watch. It was a lot of fun with them even though they were young. It's amazing how much and what they remember. It's really a fun experience taking everything in and going slowly around. Do they have any favorite characters? Definitely do Jedi Training, my oldest still talks about that.

 

[smartlabelprint]

Thanks for your reply! So would you say it takes an hour to go to the toy story lot, shuttle, then through the Disney gate?

It takes 15-20 min to get to dl whether walking or on the shuttle. So we just walk. Less hassle With our double stroller.

In the morning there is a long line at security. Then you have to wait in line to get in the park. It could take longer than an hour in the morning. I'm not sure.

 

[cubed]

We just went for the first time earlier this week with our 6 and 2yo boys. Since we added park time to a trip for a wedding, we didn't get to spend as much time in the parks as I hoped. With that said, we had 2 full days (Monday and Tuesday) and had a blast. We did purchase park hoppers and never made it ahead of the rope drop line since we were all still a bit tired from the wedding we attended beforehand.

We stayed at the Hyatt House and the walk was easy for my 6yo. However, we did take the ART shuttle once back to the hotel on the second day. He was exhausted from walking all over both parks two days in a row. I highly recommend using the shuttle as a back up if you need it. It was easy to purchase tickets via the app last minute.

Since we have WDW APs, I made sure to aim for rides that we wouldn't see again any time soon. We missed the fireworks shows and the parades but I was trying not to push the boys too hard. Our main focus was Cars Land and they had a blast there. We covered some major rides in addition to Cars Land but I am sure we would have been able to get to all of them if we had two additional days at the parks. We also skipped character meals since those take a lot of time for us.

We enjoyed our trip and can't wait to go back! We also bought MaxPass both days and that was a huge advantage for us since my boys don't have much patience in line. We typically held more than one FP at a time so we could plan well throughout the day (i.e. Book a FP at 10am for Radiator Springs that has a window starting at 1pm, be able to book another FP at 11:30am for 12pm at Toy Story Mania, all while standing in line at Pirates of the Caribbean, then Jungle Cruise, etc.).

 

[Valentina1234]

I agree with pp. We got about 2 hours park time then an hour walking/shuttle/in/out/lines time. Once in am. Once in pm.

If you're nervous you could buy a 4 day hopper and add a day your last day if you feel you need more time.

There are restaurants in the garden walk. Cheese cake factory, pf changs. There's a Red Robin down the street. Down town Disney has several restaurants. A short drive away in Fullerton is old spaghetti factory. Bus or Uber. Or on a rental Car day.

We ate in the parks a lot though. Too much! Next trip we will try to bring pb&j, etc. for lunch. Just to enjoy more quiet time. The kitchens are nice at HS.

The block at orange shipping area is a short drive/bus ride away if you want a shopping & eating out day. They have a dave & busters.

Thanks! Where is the garden walk in relation to homewood? Would you say Cheesecake Factory is walking distance? We will have our double stroller.
We may try walking to the park one morning if it takes the same amount of time. 15 min walk doesn't seem too bad. The stroller on the bus will be a pain.

 

[smartlabelprint]

Thanks! Where is the garden walk in relation to homewood? Would you say Cheesecake Factory is walking distance? We will have our double stroller.
We may try walking to the park one morning if it takes the same amount of time. 15 min walk doesn't seem too bad. The stroller on the bus will be a pain.

You can walk to both. Just look on google maps.

 

[smartlabelprint]

The toy story shuttle is free. When leaving the park stick to the right instead of where all the other shuttles park.

 

[beachdreamr1229]

For how many days, I would recommend at least 4 days, 5 if you can afford it. It takes the pressure off so you don't have to squeeze everything in all at once. I have been taking my oldest since he was 2 and my twins since they were 1. They're 7 and 3 1/2 now. It's a great experience, but know that it sometimes won't go as planned, especially with the younger one. Anyway, Usually DCA takes 1-1 1/2 days for us if we try to see everything. DL easily takes 2 full days unless you're super good at planning your lines and FP.

I don't know most of the Orange County beaches so well, but I do know Huntington beach is great for surfing and a popular destination. Will you have a car? Any beach will be difficult to get to unless you drive or use a taxi or uber/lyft. If you're willing to drive further, Zuma up in Malibu is my favorite in Los Angeles. Also, note on beaches, weather is hit or miss in late September. Most of the time, it will be warm enough, but every once in a while, it's cold. And the water is rarely warm. Just thought it's important to note that since depending on where you're from, beach experiences can be pretty different.

 

[meggles]

Park time spread out across 4-5 days really is ideal. Then, you can truly enjoy your naps/breaks/swimming in the middle of the day and not feel like you are missing out on park time.

We've been in late Sept/early Oct and it can be very hot! You may need to think about air conditioned breaks in restaurants and indoor, shaded places to cool off like Animation Academy, Main St. Cinema, etc. Don't miss out on the water play area in Bug's Land (but bring extra clothing just in case!).

 

[Valentina1234]

Thanks so much for all of your responses! They are truly helpful. I think we are going to go for the 5 day pass. I really don't want to feel rushed or pressured to have to do everything in a small time frame.
For those of you who left the park, was it a big deal to leave and come back with kids? Some people have told me it's such a big deal and time consuming to leave, that they just toughed it out even though the kids got tired. I think I would rather go for a few hours, go back to the hotel to relax and pool or nap, then go back around dinner. I guess I will see how things play out though. My little guy who's almost 3 is a total homebody so he is my biggest concern. He will def need the break.

 

[PirateRedhead]

I'll be there at about the same time as you, with my almost-7-year old and 1.5 year old. Last time I took them, the two things that helped most were 1) Getting to the parks before they opened (even if it was really early) to take advantage of that magical time in the morning when the crowds are lightest. I took my toddler on 4 Fantasyland rides inside of an hour, and it was great. 2) Reserving a table for a character meal. I like Minnie's Breakfast at the Plaza because you get to see tons of characters (there were 10 when we went!), and they visit your table and interact with the kids while you have breakfast, so you don't have to wait in lines to meet each of them. My oldest loved collecting their autographs in his book, and I loved eating Mickey waffles instead of waiting in 10 character lines. I also recommend making the reservation for as late as possible so that you have as much time for attractions as possible during those lighter-traffic hours, before sitting down for brunch. I think Minnie's latest breakfast seating is 10:40.

I haven't used Maxpass yet, but from all I've read, I'm definitely springing for it. I don't know if your 5-year-old likes the big rides, but my oldest lives for them, and without Fastpass, we wouldn't get to do as many. It sounds like Maxpass makes the whole process even better.

And I second the Jedi Training suggestion! It's awesome. If you decide to do this, go straight there in the morning to register, or it will book up.

The midday breaks are key. It's true that it's no fun to leave and come back, but I think the biggest mistake I made last time was not taking those midday breaks sooner. My son would ask to do one more ride, and rather than following my gut and telling him that we needed to leave for a while to have a swim and some down time, I would let him get in line for Star Tours or something. By the time we took a break, he was fried and so was I - and the last place I want to feel all grumpy and snippy with my kids is at Disneyland. This time, I am going to maximize those morning hours, schedule a sit down character brunch or lunch, leave the park for a few hours to recharge, and then come back for the afternoon/evening.

Have you thought about Mickey's Halloween Party? It'll be happening while you're there.

Oh, and if you're not already aware of the Baby Care centers, they're great. If your 2.5 year old is potty trained, you might not need them so much, but if still in training, they're worth knowing about!

 

[cruisehopeful]

You will be there during Halloween. Some of the nights, Disneyland will close early for the party. If you want to attend the party, you need to buy tickets ahead of time as they will all sell out before you get there. It makes for a very late night for little ones, though.

The parks get very busy during this season. Be prepared to have some long waits for things.

 

[Elima2015]

For those of you who left the park, was it a big deal to leave and come back with kids? Some people have told me it's such a big deal and time consuming to leave, that they just toughed it out even though the kids got tired. I think I would rather go for a few hours, go back to the hotel to relax and pool or nap, then go back around dinner. I guess I will see how things play out though. My little guy who's almost 3 is a total homebody so he is my biggest concern. He will def need the break.

This might be one of those things you have to try and see how it goes - distance to the hotel and kid/parent preferences for quiet time. We have had mixed results on the midday breaks. On the days we decided it was not worth taking the break, we still took the afternoon super easy and it was well worth it. It seemed to rejuvenate everyone. Good time to see the 3:00 Frozen show (the line is in the shade - bought Mickey ice cream bars on the way in to eat in line) and the hour long show is air conditioned and perfect for a child to nap if they need it. Princess Dot's Puddle Park followed by a treat. The Redwood Creek Challenge Trail area was awesome for some free play. It was shaded, plenty to climb and slide, not crowded. Animation Academy building has several things to do (mine loved Turtle Talk with Crush). It's Tough to Be a Bug was also a cool, low stress activity. We had fun treats in the afternoon, too. Then we'd pick back up rides around 4:00ish and not stay too late in the evening. Oh, the afternoons were also a good time to walk through World of Disney and other stores while the kids chilled in the stroller.

 

[Rabb it]

I would opt for the more days if you have the means. That way you don't have to rush and you can just cruise