Going to Disneyland tomorrow...

[merela]

We live in SoCal and it's still a big event for the kids to go to Disneyland.
DH's company has a special meeting there every 2 year, so we try to take full advantage of that. The meeting usually finishes around 10am, so we get into the park around 10:30am.

This year, since the kids are older (4 and 6), I'm hoping that we can get to stay past 6pm and see the fireworks.

I have a few questions for Disneyland experts.

1. I read that one needs to find a spot near the castle for a better viewing of the fireworks. Where is a good spot to see the fireworks? What time do we need to go there to ensure a good spot?

2. What is there to do, besides hanging out at a restaurant, between 6pm-9:30pm when the kids are tired, before the fireworks?

3. I read that to see the Fantasmic show, it costs between $50+ pp. I thought all Disneyland shows are free. Isn't this a free show? Where is a good place to see this show besides the dessert places?

4. I would like to create a ride/show plan for my kids so we can maximize our time spent at disneyland. Any suggestions would be helpful. The Disneyland website is driving me crazy. It doesn't have a function that will separate out the rides for kids between the Disneyland Rides and the CA Adventure Rides.

Does anyone have a list of rides appropriate for the younger kids?


Thanks so much.

 

[RADOPT]

3. I read that to see the Fantasmic show, it costs between $50+ pp. I thought all Disneyland shows are free. Isn't this a free show? Where is a good place to see this show besides the dessert places?

The show is free. It's the dessert thing that cost $50.00.

For a break, you could go over to the CGH or the DH. It would be quiter and cooler then the park.


Have Fun - We'll be there Sunday afternoon

 

[merela]

The show is free. It's the dessert thing that cost $50.00.

Where is a good place to see Fantasmic?

For a break, you could go over to the CGH or the DH. It would be quiter and cooler then the park.

If the weather is anything like today, it'll be a cool day to be at the park. Without the sun, we'll need "winter" jackets.

 

[stampinshauna]

Have a fun day at Disneyland.

The new Monster's Inc ride and the Bug's Life rides are at California Adventure and are great for little ones.

Seating for Fantasmic--it is at the Rivers of America. There are a lot of places you can stand/sit to see. If you want a good spot to sit, you'll need to go early. The $50 you heard about is for the dessert buffet and special seating.

 

[Judy from Boise]

with kids your age, I would consider watching the fireworks from the Small world plaza, that way your wait is drastically cut, and one adult can hold a spot while the other adult takes them on the IASW ride.

 

[Alex2kMommy]

I found the book, the Unofficial Guide to Disneyland, very helpful in figuring out a ride/show plan that would work for young children. It provides 1-day and 2-day plans for young children, and also 1-day and 2-day plans for adults. I took the parts from the adult plan that we wanted to do and mixed it in with the children's plan so the adults would have fun, too. (Well, really the giant kid named 'Daddy'!)

 

[Michelle2]

You are so lucky! Have a great time!!

 

[merela]

My little ones enjoyed the park. After DH's company conference, it was past 11am when we went into the park. There was huge lineups at the ticket concession stands and at the gates. I've never seen so many people. If I have a choice, I wouldn't visit Disneyland on a Saturday.

We went straight for the teacups. There was a line, but the wait was minimal. It was next to impossible trying to lineup for the Dumbo ride. We did Go-Coster twice, Roger Rabbit ride, and It's A Small World. We saw the 3pm parade near the Carnation cafe. Then we took the train 1.25 times around the park and got off at New Orleans Square.

Since the Blue Bayou restaurant is closed, we ended up at the French Market cafe. There was a band playing, so we ate and enjoyed the live music. My 4YO fell asleep in his stroller after he ate. I took my 6.5YO to the Winnie the Pooh ride and the Haunted House. I don't think she enjoyed the Haunted House that much. I simply told her that now she has done Haunted House, she won't ever need to do it again.

It was around 6:30pm when we left New Orleans square. I thought we should secure our spot in the hub for the fireworks tonight. By the time we got to the hub, all the benches were taken, so I found a spot by the curb at the hub circle with a clear view of the castle and the Matterhorn (sp?) and parked myself and 2 strollers there. There were people standing in front of me at that time. They were there to see the 7pm parade. I had 2 People magazines with me, so I read them until it got too dark to read. It would have been really boring if I had to wait 3 hours just sitting there.

DH took our daughter to Tomorrowland and did 5 rides before returning around 9pm. While waiting for the fireworks to start, people started to sit down in front of me right on the street. Soon, the whole area was full of people. Then the announcement came that the fireworks maybe cancelled due to strong winds in higher elevations, but they will decide whether to cancel the fireworks closer to the showing time. When they dimmed the lights at 9:25pm, everyone cheered.

The fireworks was not to be missed. It was fantastic. Unfortunately, both my kids were sleeping. 9:25pm was just too late for the kids to stay awake, especially when they were both up before 6am.

One thing though, when fireworks started, everyone in front of the hub was suppose to be sitting down, but since they were allowing people to walk through the area, the people sitting on the street between the castle and the hub couldn't see anything, so they had to stand. When those people stood up, those of us sitting in the back had to stand up as well to see the castle, so everyone ended up standing.

Since both kids were sleeping, there wasn't any point for us to stay on to see the Fantasmic show.

I think a lot of people left right after the fireworks, so the Mainstreet was so crowded. They had increased the number of trolleys going to the parking structure, but we opted to walk to the parking structure. We didn't want to take the kids out of the strollers to get on the trolley. It was a nice walk, but it took us a good 10 minutes to walk there (we had to wait for a set of lights).

I want to thank everyone and this forum for providing the information I needed to enjoy the park.

 

[Alex2kMommy]

Thank you for posting your experience! I would love to see the fireworks show, but am not too sure about trying it with kids so young (mine are 5 and a freshly-minted-2.) After reading that your kids fell asleep, I'm still on the fence about it...