AboutMaryJo Mellado Willey Expertise I live fairly close to the Disneyland Resort, and have an annual pass, so I visit the Disneyland Resort quite often.
Experience I have visited the Disneyland Resort several times each year for several years, and have stayed in each of the hotels. I have a pretty good understanding of the parks, hotels, and Downtown Disney.
Question So I've read the Christmas is the busiest time of year . . . however that is when we are coming to California and want to take our 3 & 4 year old (girls). With the crowds is it worth taking young kids and if so, what are the attractions that are best suited for this age? Is there a better day to go during that time? Or is it better to avoid Disneyland all together during this time ... honestly? Thank you very much!
Answer Hi Keri,
What you read is correct. That week is the busiest time for Disneyland, and crowds will be enormous.
I guess in order to determine if it would be worth your while to go to Disneyland during this time, you'd have to check off pros and cons, and then see if there are more pros:
Pros
- longer hours
- probably all the rides will be working
- holiday decorations & parades - really excellent show quality
- great atmosphere at this time
Cons
- huge crowds
- probably every attraction will have long lines (how patient are you)
- may not be able to do everything you want
- lots of wait time
How to work around cons
- go EARLY
- get multiple day pass so you aren't pressured to do everything during this time
- use Fastpass
- make dining priority seating arrangements at least for one main meal of the day so you aren't waiting in line for a long time to eat
- separate the must-do's from the nice-to-do's and don't stress about not doing it all -- part of the enjoyment of Disneyland is taking it slow and enjoying everything that is going on at that time.
- some things have extremely long lines - no getting around it. Is it worth an hour or more wait for a 15-minute submarine ride? Maybe/maybe not, but if you decide to wait in long lines, then maybe think of ways to spend in line to make the time go faster -- word games, I spy, discussing what you have done already, play Disney trivia... etc.
- Kind of plan your days so you aren't crisscrossing the park several times - this wastes time, and you will find that there are long lines on the other side, too, so you really aren't saving anything, unless you have fastpass.
Attractions best suited: Make an appointment at Libby Lu in Downtown Disney (walking distance from the parks) and have the girls "made up" - The girls will feel pampered. Get them some princess or fairy outfits to wear (I saw a chest of fairy clothes at Sams on sale already). I have noticed that the little girls LOVE to get dressed up - and the cast members (Disney workers) will pay attention to them. There are more things they can do than not do at Disneyland -- not Space Mountain, Indiana Jones - but almost all the other attractions would be fine for them. Do outdoor ones first, so they get a feeling for them -- train, dumbo, casey jr circus train, carrousel, Storyland Canal Boats are all outdoors. Save these for last: Snow White (slightly scary, so if they frighten easily don't take them on this) and Pinocchio. Have they seen the Pirates of the Caribbean movies? They should be fine on Pirates. Dark (indoor) rides that would be fine for them at the beginning would be Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh, Alice in Wonderland. My nephews did not like Honey I Shrunk the Audience in Tomorrowland - it is 3-D, and showed a big snake - so that scared them. So, if you go on that, you might have the girls close their eyes, or skip it altogether. Get a fastpass for Buzz Lightyear - it is a ride where you shoot at targets & then get a free picture at the end that you can email to yourself for free (free souvenir!)
Take the time to ride the horse carriage on Main Street - children like that.
At California Adventure there is Playhouse Disney, Talk with Crush (highly recommend), Monsters Inc ride, Muppets 3D show, and other stuff they will enjoy -- Soaring Over CA is a great ride but you have to get fastpass - long line.
