5 Days Till Disneyland!

my in-laws took us two years ago and we had never been there before either. I was pretty disappointed. They paradas are neat but you can see those as you walk thru the park. Remember to plan time to go back to the room and rest if you want to do anything in the evening. My kids were 10 and 7 when we went and by the end of the 3rd day they just wanted to play in the pool at the hotel all day. Have fun!!!

Lol, don't go looking for sea world in Dinseyland per Lou, its in San Diego! Disney land itself is not really huge so I"m sure you'll be able to do it all. The thing is most of us have nostalgia, so we have rides we have to do for the sheer memories. Then of course it depends on if you littlest takes to the big rides or likes the kiddy section.
When I was little its was all about the teacups.
Family rides like Small world (which i think is currently under remodel), and Pirates of the Caribbean really stand out.

oh yea, almost forgot. We stayed for the parade for the first time ever. Totally worth it.
Fast rides: thunder mountain , space mountain, and splash mountain, and matterhorn.
Skip the allice in wonderland ride (boring)
Your daughter may want to see the princesses (9:30 in the morning I think)
Have fun.

I am so jealous! We took our kids for the first time last year and I so wish we could go back this year. My advice is just make sure to take the time to take it all in. The first day we pretty much rushed through everything and at the end of the day we were watching the fireworks and Tinkerbell said "close your eyes and make a wish" and my youngest son closed his eyes and then looked up and said "I have nothing to wish for, all my wishes already came true today". It was so cute. Have fun! :)

I lived in the same cave... I'm jealous!

Hope you have a great time, I've only seen pictures and hopefully one day before the kiddos get too old, well, one will be 17 this year, we'll go...

Hope you have a wonderful time, take lots of pictures...

Sea World!! So fun. Have a great time.

If you have a daughter, the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique right inside Snow White's Castle (as you cross the bridge to the left) is absolutely worth spending the money on. The cheapest package is about $50 (yep - not cheap) but the experience of it all is so worth it. You can google it - reservations can be made ahead of time which is nice but you can also walk in but you might have to come back in an hour.
Take a backpack with your own snacks (I packed fruitsnacks, rice krispy treats, etc in the suitcase) and waterbottles.
We aren't a fan of strollers only because there are so many people. My daughter was 4 also and only had to be held (or put on shoulders) a few times.

Have fun!!

if you kids have trouble with a lot of walking, make sure to take or rent a stroller. one year, i thought 'oh they're big enough now to stay up and watch the fireworks' and the next day was hell with the whining. anyway, you'll get more mileage out of them if they don't have to walk everywhere, plus it's good for hauling stuff.

my kids (2 girls 7 and 5 at the time) LOVED, LOVED, LOVED buzz lightyear. miraculously, you even get the ride pictures for FREE, sent to your email if you want to stand in line at the kiosk at the end.

if you want to go on finding nemo, go first thing. once time when we were there, it was an hour wait to go on the darned thing. it's not that exciting but your kids might insist.

my kids did not care for toontown very much and the roger rabbit one is a little scary.

we also rode a lot of dumbo. we had grandparents with us so we staggered the adults in the line so that when the kids were done with one ride, they could get right back on with another adult.

catch some of the free shows. they make for good breaks. there used to be a princess one by toon town that was good.

the mountain rides are fun but could be scary, depending on your kids. my oldest loved space mountain but my little one was too small anyway. materhorn really jerks you around. there may be a scary part in splash mountain, plus you have the sudden drop off.

there are a few rides that i find boring but the kids like: small world, alice and wonderland, the caterpillar ride in california adventure (it's the worst!), casey jr. train ride, and the boat ride in storyland. tom sawyer's island is fun to run around on but be prepared to go through tight spaces and remember there is no bathroom!

indiana jones throws you around a lot (can you tell i have neck problems :P) and was too rough for me. you have to do pirates but it might be too scary for your kids. the drops are in pitch-black to start and then it's dark down there and loud from canon shots.

in the canoe ride, there are no motors other than you so be prepared to work (and maybe get splashed)!

if you're going in california adventure, i highly recommend the muppet show. the ant show is good as well but can be a little scary. hmm, there is some loud parts to the muppet one as well. you've GOT to go on the toy story ride, if only once. when we were there, there was no fast pass so the wait was LONG. soaring is fun but not for the motion-sick. the roller coaster (sorry forgot the name) is also jerky. there's a fun little play area for the kids to run around in and a little rock wall for them to 'climb'.

watch out for the prices :P we usually bring in as much snacks and water from outside that we can. if you're driving, get yourself to costco or some such to stock up.

you picked a good time of year to go, the waits will be much better. if you are going in the middle of the week, you'll be doing even better!

have fun!

I haven't been to Disneyland since I was ten but we love Disneyworld. Go to allears.net , Deb's unofficial guide to Disney and clink on Disneyland(they talk about both). It is so helpful. Have a magical trip !

With kids that age, I would take it slow and go wherever they want to go and see what they want to see. If you go in with an agenda, you may see more attractions, but miss the whole point of the place which is to just be there and enjoy the magic.

That said, here are some of our all time favorites: small world (ok, that's mine), the storybook ride- really hokey but no kidding, my teen boys still go just because it's so goofy cute, we always go on Alice in Wonderland, the train around the park, Star Wars (might be too much for the little ones), Pirates, and Jungle Cruise.

Our favorite places to eat: Blue Bayou is pricey for adults but the kids meals were reasonable and it might be worth it to sit down for an hour in the middle of the day, there is a little outside window near Pirates that has good quick take out, and we love the Mexican restaurant which I think is near frontierland. I bring snacks and water in a backpack and we munch while waiting in line. Techinically you are not supposed to bring food into the park but in reality, no one cares.

I used to work at Disneyland and we had passes when we lived in SoCal, but I still love to go when we are in town. Have fun!

You should be looking online at what they offer and get a good idea of what youd like and where things are. Check out the map of DL and see where bathrooms are and the entryway to each "land". Dont skip anything just because someone else says its boring. You may LOVE that attraction. Rent the stroller, or take your own. It will carry a ton of stuff and get you places faster than a 4 1/2 yr old can walk and keep them near you when theres a crowd. Find a good spot to watch Fantasia, Go to Frontierland and get a turkey leg! Go to the Buzz Lightyear ride and let the kids shoot the rayguns! One big thing, if you have a daughter who loves the princesses and castle is this. If you have a video camera, be sure to get her face on film when she sees the castle the first time coming into the park and hitting main street! I have my 4 yr old grand daughter on camera seeing it and it still makes me cry everytime I hear her saying "I SEE THE CASTLE GRAMA, I SEE THE SLEEPING BEAUTY CASTLE!" The look on her face is priceless! Bring me a turkey leg please!

We just got back!

I agree, stroller... it saved a lot of headaches and melt-downs. We did the sit and stand (bought of craigslist, and sold once we got back). It was great to carry the kids, great for times when everyone was tired and it was easier to push them then to worry about it.

Bring a bag to tote around disneyland. like one of those reusable shopping bags. those help a lot.

also, Disney allows snacks. So, bring water bottles (to refill if you want) and snacks! bring lottsa snacks!!

Also, a tip we learned... you can order groceries from safeway.com and first delivery is free! have stuff brought to your hotel room (case of water, cereal, snacks, etc.) that will save a bunch of money.

I think that's it from me... Have fun!!