I have done DisneyWORLD twice sans kids so when I knew I was going to take Finley I wanted to do a smaller scale: DisneyLAND. It’s totally just preference. I feel like Disneyland was much more a toddlers speed, the lines were shorter, the parks are smaller etc. Here are a few of my tips that made us have the.best.time.ever! Keep in mind there are two parks-Disneyland and Disney California Adventure.We did 2 days Disneyland and 1 day California Adventure.
- Book a hotel close. We went back and forth everyday for naps. They have buses that you can buy 24 hour passes for like $5, and some hotels offer the shuttle for free.
- Try to stick to your normal schedule to have the most stress-free time. We would get to Disney about 9am (which is almost too late, try to do when the park opens, it gives you one hour of freedom!). We would stay till noon, then go back to the hotel for naps. This was amazing for us because we got to work/chill and had a very happy babe. Then back to Disney about 3pm-7pm, then bedtime.
- If you have older kids too figure out all the Fastpasses-it’s $10 for the whole day and totally worth it. The longest line I saw was 75 minutes. They do not have fast passes for the toddler rides.
- Figure out your park plan before you go everyday: which rides you want to do first. The “good” rides will be the longest line as the day goes on-Peter Pan’s Flight, Monster’s Inc, Mator’s junkyard, It’s a small world. The shows are great and you always get in.
- You can bring food and drinks in! Do this because the food gets really old-even though it’s good, it’s the same thing everyday really. We ate most meals and treats there, but brought our snacks and drinks. The kids meals are a GREAT deal. SO much food and variety for like $7! We were super impressed.
- Nikes are a must. I wore sneakers everyday and my chins were still sore, you walk so much! Hats and sunscreen too! See my post here on what to wear.
Here are all the rides I rode with Finley who is a little over 2 years and 34.5″ tall: Peter Pan’s Flight, Jungle Cruise, small roller coaster in Toon Town, It’s a Small World, Autotopia, Mr. Toad’s Wile Ride, Alice in Wonderland, Carousel, Mater’s Junkyard, Little Mermaid Adventure, Golden Zephyr, Monster’s Inc. We also saw Frozen LIVE which is AMAZING and Disney Junior Dance Party.
