Going to Disneyland/Los Angeles with my 2 year for the first time.

Some ideas:
- Sea World in San Diego is good. About an hour south.
- Go for a walk on Newport Beach in Orange County.

At Disneyland:
- don't spin the Tea Cups too fast for a 2-year-old
- don't go up & down too fast on the Flying Dumbo or Rocket merry-go-round
- Jungle Cruise ride is good for little kids.
- It's a Small World is gentle - great for a 2-year-old - you'll be half insane from the tune at the end of the ride.
- Pirates of the Caribean is great but it does have 3 or so small drops to it - hang on to 2-year-old and say "Whee!" when it happens.
- As I remember, the only restaurant that serves alcohol is in the middle of the Pirates of the Caribean ride and is called the "Blue Bayou". It has a small front door reception area above the center of the ride and you go downstairs and sit in the semi-dark center of the ride.

 

WOWZER! Our last three trips were at the CA Grand.....Simply the best of the best. If you got the Consierge level, a consierge will take you direct to your room to check in! Tha CA.. Grand is designed on the Ahwani Lodge at Yosemite, very big. At the park, we if you can find a way to dine at Club 33 (Good luck). It's in the park, just Google it), very private and very hidden. Factor at least a half a day at the pool, it's one of the best!

Ton's to do there, so enjoy!

 

Are you going to Disneyland this month? It's going to be very CROWDED! -Just giving a heads up- I mean arm to arm, elbow to elbow people. If you are going, I'd make sure you get there right when it opens every morning. Plan your day there before you come, not at the park. Within a few hours it gets very crowded. Tues, Wed and Thur are usually the lowest attendance.

The big rides will be the first to crowd up. So I'd say hit the rides first, then see the rest of the park. Also, California Adventures is not nearly as crowded. It's also a little park (you can see it all in a few hours on a empty day).

Since you have a young kid, I'd be worried about losing your kid. Make sure he's dressed in loud colors, and you have a recent photo.

I remember being able to hit disneyland back in the 80's and see everything in a day. Now with my kids, I can go for multiple days and still not see everything because of the crowds.


----Other things to see are Sea World, Wild Animal Park, San Diego Zoo. These are all about 1.5hr drive away +-. Sea World has areas that are specific to toddlers. When our kids were very young, my wife would take them there once a week. THEY LOVED IT!

The one park your kid might love is Lego Land. It's about 1hr away. My son thought it was the neatest thing. It's an amusement park built specifically for little kids. http://www.halftondesign.com/legoland/legolandca/

 

Knott's berry farm! Kids love Snoopy!!!

 

They serve the best "monte cristos" and mint julep there!

 

Blue Bayou is a good restaurant but you need to get reservations this time of the year (even Tues - Thurs).

I would visit Santa Monica beach on a weekday (for kids and adults) and also South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa (for adults).

 

Disneyland is a must go

 

Best place on the web to get Disney tips and save yourself time, money, and learn a few tricks

http://www.disboards.com/index.php scroll down the page to go to the section for DisneyLand...the 1st major section at top of the page is for "Disney" meaning Disney World in Florida.

There is also a sub-section under DisneyLand for tips on all the other attractions and things to do in the local area. Usually lots of good info on discounts, special events, and crowd predictions....to help you schedule

 

If you go to Disneyland, keep a close eye on your child. That area is congested with child molesters! It would be safer taking your child Shark fishing than go to Disney. That is unless you like $8 cokes and $16 burgers, surrounded by nut cases.

 

If you have any medical issue that keep you from standing for extended lenths of time, etc., you 'may' be able to get a medical pass that puts you in the front of the line with up to three people. The park does offer the service, but to what extent, I don't know, as they have tightened up the rules. Three years ago, Melodie's back was giving her fits and we went to the office (to the left when you first enter the park) and asked for a Med pass. No questions were asked as we were handed the pass. It was nice in a crowded park to go to any ride and not wait!