Use the Facilities before
Water Rides!
My 10 year old and I decided to ride Pirates of the Carribbean. Halfway through the ride I realized our boat was shaking a lot! I looked at my 10 year old and realized she needed a bathroom now! Maybe it was all the water, waterfalls, splashing and so on. That ride has never seemed so long.
Amazingly she made it, but there was a line at the closest bathroom, complete with a three year old who had to go so bad her mother cut in line in front of us. (How can you get mad at a three year old who really needs to go?)
My daughter and I both learned a good lesson that day: Use the facilities before going on any water rides!
RESEARCH!!
by Kristin
(Chandler,AZ,USA)
Always remember to do your research.
1) Do research on weather. Go online and look up Disney weather. You don’t want to go thinking you’ve packed everything you need, when really it’s the complete opposite.
2) Do research on rides. Go to the Disneyland website and look at which rides are going to be closed down during the time you’re there.
Squirt Bottles!
by Alice
When i was a little girl I went to Disneyland (my family goes every summer) and I got one of those squirt bottles that also has a fan. We filled it up at the water fountain in Frontierland and then we decided to go on Thunder Mountain.
While we were in line I was enjoying that squirt bottle soooooo much. Then we finally got on the ride and it was great… until we got off. The squirt bottle had been next to me on the seat and it turns out the cap wasn’t screwed on tight enough so the water leaked all over me. Well all over my pants… but just in the area where it would look like I had had a little accident. Of course!
So I had to spend the rest of the day around the park looking like I had wet my pants. My aunt kept teasing me about it, so being the little girl that I was and not taking a joke very well, I kept yelling “I DIDNT WET MY PANTS” thus atracting attention and making things worse for myself.
Never Wear Flip flops on Pirates of the Carribean
We have a tradition (we have been there like 5 times) that we go on Pirates of the Carribean first. So we got in line and soon we were on the ride.
My entire family was laughing the whole ride. By the end of the ride I was laughing soooo hard that when I stepped off the boat, one of my flip-flops fell into the crack between the boat and the dock. So my mum bends over to get it and just as she touches it slips into the water.
So Disneyland gave my mom and dad a voucher for a free pair of shoes anywhere! My dad had to carry me out and we lost everyone else in my family. My dad and I went to get shoes and later found our family in line for the Haunted Mansion.
That was the best day I think! Hahah!
Splash Mountain – Dry off
Before going on Splash Mountain, go to the restroom and get a changing table pad. They are basically heavy-weight paper towels. Stow it in a ziploc bag you already had with you, or keep it under your clothes where it won’t get wet. This way when you get off the ride soaking wet, you’ll immediately have a way to dry off!
Naps can be had in a covered stroller!
by jo
(san diego, CA)
We came to Disneyland 15 times over the year we held annual passes.
Each and every time my daughter caught a nice long nap in her jogging stroller. She was 4 yrs old.
I covered the stroller with a blanket and we walked to the car in the parking lot via the sidewalk (not taking the tram). My daughter always got in a long nap and then we returned to the park with the rest of the family rested and ready to take on the rest of the day!
We oftentimes got hotel rooms and I did the same thing by walking with her to the hotel where I could also rest and freshen up. This helped as we were BOTH well rested.
It always made me a little sad to see folks dragging around crying over-tired kids just so they could take in every second of the “Disney experience”. Nobody (including all the other quests) enjoy a grumpy kid… especially not the parent who is also over-tired.
Drying off made easy
by Elizabeth
(Beaverton, OR USA)
In hot weather, bring a chamois (shammy) instead of a towel for drying off after a water ride or playing in a fountain. Unlike a towel, you can squeeze a chamois dry. Plus it’s very light and takes up practically no space in your bag.
We’ve also brought flip flops, swim trunks and an extra t-shirt for the kids to change into when they want to get wet. (It’s against the rules to go without shoes or shirts in the water play areas.) We thought of this after the year we spent $100 on a Disney towel, 2 pairs of Disney swim trunks and 2 pairs of Disney flip flops after our kids had a blast getting drenched in Princess Dot’s Puddle Park.
Money Saving Tips / Food
by Jennifer
(WA state)
We take a Camel Back with us into the park. Fill it up with ice from the hotel in the morning and it slowly melts through the day so we had cold water to drink whenever we needed it.
We first did this when my kids were only 2, 4 1/2, and 7 1/2. We were worried about hydration and this was by far the smartest thing we did plus we didn’t spend all of our money on bottles of water. This next trip my husband will have his Camel Back and so will my now 7 year old!
