LindseyShea3
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Aug 4, 2012
Hello Everyone-
So I've always been a huge Disney fan and grew up visiting the parks about every 2 years. I used to be an avid reader of this board, but I had to take a long break because I knew I wasn't going to be making any trips in the near future so I wanted to not tease myself, haha! (So apologies for repeating questions you may see often). Basically, life has been busy with having 2 kids over the last 4 years and it's now been SIX WHOLE YEARS since I've been to Disneyland!!! But finally, my husband and I will be taking our 4 year old to Disneyland at the beginning of December for his birthday for 3.5 days.
So I'll get to the point - I feel like I know a lot about navigating the parks and planning for a trip, but it's a whole different game with a child involved. My husband and I are normally park openers and park closers with lots of rides and little breaks in between. It will be a very different trip with our son, but I'm hoping that seeing his face light up will allow me to accept the changes.
I have a bunch of questions that I will list below, but any you can help with would be much appreciated. Basically, I'm just looking for advice for my first trip with a child in-tow:
So I've always been a huge Disney fan and grew up visiting the parks about every 2 years. I used to be an avid reader of this board, but I had to take a long break because I knew I wasn't going to be making any trips in the near future so I wanted to not tease myself, haha! (So apologies for repeating questions you may see often). Basically, life has been busy with having 2 kids over the last 4 years and it's now been SIX WHOLE YEARS since I've been to Disneyland!!! But finally, my husband and I will be taking our 4 year old to Disneyland at the beginning of December for his birthday for 3.5 days.
So I'll get to the point - I feel like I know a lot about navigating the parks and planning for a trip, but it's a whole different game with a child involved. My husband and I are normally park openers and park closers with lots of rides and little breaks in between. It will be a very different trip with our son, but I'm hoping that seeing his face light up will allow me to accept the changes.
I have a bunch of questions that I will list below, but any you can help with would be much appreciated. Basically, I'm just looking for advice for my first trip with a child in-tow:
- Is it worth it to make dining reservations? I want to book a character breakfast for sure, but I'm not sure about others. I wonder if sometimes it's easier to just go with the flow rather than have to be at a certain restaurant at a certain time.
- I think we will need to bring a stroller because my son will get tired at times (especially walking back to the hotel at night), but I don't want to use it a ton in the park. Would it be bad to park it somewhere in the park and leave it for several hours at a time?
- Is the Disneyland Express the best option for transportation from LAX? I worry about missing the bus and having to wait another hour, but if we choose another option I imagine we would have to pack a carseat or booster seat?
- I have a good handle on the rides, but what experiences, shows, restaurants, etc. are must-dos for a 4-year old?
- Any other tips or tricks for first time traveling with a child?