When our son was about 11 we took booked a week at Disneyland and stayed on site. It was an awesome experience but there are a few things that we would never do again.
Disneyland is a very popular destination for families, and there are an incredible number of things to see and do at the park.
For many young children, the highlight of the trip is the chance to shake hands and pose for pictures with a favorite character, like Mickey Mouse.
Some of the first things that come to mind in Disneyland are the rides. Disney rides range from extremely tame, like the Bug’s Life play area in California Adventures, to the unusual, like “Honey I Shrunk the Audience,” to the really fast, like the Matterhorn Bobsled and Space Mountain.
Many of the rides have height limitations, which means one adult may be left at the end of the line with the smallest child while the other adult takes the older children onto the ride. Fortunately, the park has a policy that keeps it fair: when one adult is forced to wait for the other, the ride staff will give them a free pass that allows the second parent to go to the front of the line.
Start the day by arriving as soon as the park opens. Then, before the crowds arrive, hit the most popular rides, like the Indiana Jones Adventure and Star Tours. In the afternoon, when the lines get long, abandon the rides for a little while, and hit the stage and theater shows, like Honey I Shrunk the Kids, the Enchanted Tiki Room, and the Country Bear Jamboree. When evening arrives, be sure to catch Fantasmic, a spectacular show that takes place on the lagoon.
After Fantasmic, and the evening fireworks, the crowds will start to thin. If the youngsters are up to it, this is the perfect time to go hit the rest of the popular rides, like Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion. In fact, after midnight, it’s often possible to dash from ride to ride to ride with no lines at all, before the staff begins shutting everything down at one AM.
