We’ve booked our trip. Now what?
Our very first Disneyland trip was taken with just three of our very small children. Looking back on that trip, most of our preparations were focused on saving money. Where were the cheapest treats? What food should we pack in? Where is cheap to eat outside of the park? We bought our souvenirs prior to our trip to save money and lived on granola bars and trail mix for most of the trip.
Luckily, this was back in the days of “off season” trips, so not much research was needed to survive a trip with small children. The lines were all relatively short, mobile ordering didn’t exist, and navigating the parks didn’t require all that much strategy.
Fast forward to today, we have added four more children to our troop, and, overall, these sorts of trips are long gone. Yes, the budgeting still applies, but there is so much more to know about before you even enter the parks. The parks are a completely different sort of animal than they were six years ago. The parks are constantly crowded, the Disneyland app reigns supreme, Covid has changed the way the parks function, and Genie + has rocked even the diehard Disney fan’s world.
What does that mean for a family travelling to the parks today?
It means you better break out a pad of paper and prepare to do some research. I’m not necessarily talking about the general research most guests do prior to a Disney vacation. Things like operating hours, restaurant reservations, and whether to buy Genie +. (All great questions for your Disney travel agent.) I’m talking about research to help you survive taking kids to Disneyland.
I can clearly remember when I knew that our trips to Disneyland were evolving. We had been a handful of times, but not with our entire family and, up to this point, our kids had been little enough that they just went along with what we suggested. (Now we have a lot of different opinions when we visit) Plus, we had always been sure to pick less popular weeks to go. This way we had time and space to navigate the way we needed to. However, as we were getting ready to take all 6 of our children (I was pregnant with our 7th), the parks were getting crowded. Even though we felt like we had picked the perfect “low crowd” week to go, the weeks leading up to that date
told a different story. Not wanting the trip to be a total bust, I started studying.
But what kind of research do you need to do?
If you’re not super familiar with the parks, I’d start with something pretty important. The app. The Disneyland app is the source of all information. It will tell you where the bathrooms are, where the characters are, what time shows start, you’ll do all your mobile ordering here, plus – this is where you’ll find your tickets to just get into the parks. Now, when you’re travelling with children, nothing is more frustrating than struggling with technology while a small child loses it on Main Street, USA. Get super familiar with the app. It’ll save you a headache later, I promise.
Now that you’re familiar with the app, it’s time to get familiar with the parks. When you’re travelling with children there’s one location in particular that will dominate a big portion of your trip – bathrooms. Yes, bathrooms. Get a rough idea of where the bathrooms are in each area of the park. If you want to take it a step further, go ahead and get on YouTube. Search for Disneyland bathrooms. Yes, it’s true, some Disney fanatics have done videos about the best bathrooms in Disneyland/Disneyworld. If this research fails and you do find yourself a little bit lost – do not waste precious moments walking around searching for a restroom sign. Stop where you are, find the nearest Cast Member and ask.
Ok, you’ve figured out the app and you’re fairly confident that no one will be having any potty accidents in the middle of Fantasyland. What’s next? Food. Now, Disney food is a genre all its own. There are thousands of YouTube videos/Instagram accounts/Blog posts about this very topic. However, you’re travelling with children and what are you going to do when you’re in line for Radiator Spring Racers and your kids decide that pizza is the only acceptable entre for dinner that night. One of the things that keeps my family going back to Disneyland is the fact that there are A LOT of different options for food. My kids can get pizza for every meal, and my husband and I can try something much more fun. But you still got to know where those “Kid-approved” staples are in relation to the things that the adults might want to try. Get onto the app prior to your trip and maybe jot down some ideas and locations where everyone can get fed and kept happy. I can’t tell you how many times we’ve gotten in a line and told the kids that afterward we would get ice cream, only to get off the ride and realize that we’re no where near an ice cream stand. Save some steps, do some research.
Because our family is large, we usually end up staying pretty far outside of the parks. But in the days when we used to stay close, we didn’t do much venturing outside of our little Disneyland bubble. However, there were a lot of trips where I found myself wishing I knew where I could pick up a box of Capri Suns or find a replacement water bottle. You hope it doesn’t happen, but if you do need to replace something, or maybe you forgot something, you’ll need to know where you can find it. Take a minute and research what’s around your hotel. Is there a drug store nearby? What about a grocery store? We usually eat all our meals in the parks. However, sometimes we feed the kids dinner at 6pm and then stay until close. This means that when we’re leaving the parks after 11pm – the kids will probably need another dinner. This is when knowing what’s in the area can really pay off.
Once the research is done and you’re feeling confident. There’s one last thing you cannot leave without doing. I cannot, I repeat, I cannot emphasize this one enough. Give your kids a realistic perception on what to expect. Tell them that even though a Disney trip is a wonderful, fun, magical experience – there will still be periods of boredom. You will have to wait in line. You will have to wait your turn. Tell them what to expect with the weather – it may get really hot or the evenings may get chilly. There could be waits for the bathrooms so tell me EARLY if you need to go. Yes, I will make you reapply sunscreen throughout the day. The food may look/small/taste different than what you’re used to, but it’s fun to try new things. We won’t be buying every single toy/souvenir that you find interesting. Rides may break down. We might not be able to ride all the rides in one day. Telling them early and often about what the experience is actually like will alleviate some of the meltdowns and stress of being in the parks for the first time. Check the app for closures that are scheduled and tell your kids ahead of time. We have a huge It’s a Small World fan in our house. If we have a trip scheduled when IASW is down for scheduled refurbishment, I start reminding him weeks before just so there’s no tears when we get there.
This goes for parents too. Remind yourself that the trip will not be perfect. Unless your children are happy at home 100 percent of the time, they will not be happy in Disneyland 100 percent of the time. There will be tantrums. There will be meltdowns. Set up strategies to get through the tough moments so that you can move onto the magic – because the magic is really really worth it.
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