Almost Free Traveling

Sometimes, Disneyland is for adults. The first time we visited Disneyland was for one day, on our honeymoon in 2003. We drove up from San Diego, and our tickets only cost ~$50 each. The highlight was dinner at the Blue Bayou inside Pirates of the Caribbean; the day was magical, relaxing, and so much fun.

Everything changed once we had children. Here’s a guide to visiting Disneyland with babies and toddlers (this post contains affiliate links):

THREE ESSENTIALS

It costs nothing to bring kids ages 2 and under to Disneyland, and there are three things you need in the parks with small children: a backpack, a stroller, and copious amounts of food and water. Let’s break it down:

1. Backpack/Fanny Pack

One thing I love about Disney parks is that you can take your backpack/purse/fanny pack on rides with you. If your fanny pack is as small as this one, you can even wear it on many rides:

Related: Top 20 Items to Bring to Disney Parks

2. Stroller

One of my favorite memories is the time our youngest took naps in his stroller at the parks. We brought a lightweight umbrella stroller with us on that trip, and there’s places all over the park designated for stroller parking. If you don’t have an umbrella stroller, here’s a Minnie stroller that I wish I had in the park when our daughter was little:

3. Snacks

We have brought a backpack full of snacks into many Disney parks, and whether we’re feeding toddlers, teens or ourselves, it saves lots of time and money to carry snacks and water around (here’s a list of food to bring into Disneyland, and other hacks to save money on your trip).

WHERE & HOW TO SPEND TIME IN THE PARKS

Plan on heading to Fantasyland first thing, and riding Peter Pan first (this line gets notoriously long later in the day). Spend time in Fantasyland, Storybook land and nearby Toon Town (closed March 2022 through 2023); your kids will love all the rides geared towards their age group. In our opinion, because of the sheer number of lands and attractions targeted at younger children, Disneyland is the best park for babies and toddlers.

California Adventure is generally themed toward older kids, but it does have a carousel and other fun kiddie rides on Pixar Pier. Cars Land is also a magical place to spend time with little kids: it lights up around dusk, and Lightning McQueen and other characters frequently cruise around.

Rider Switch

If you’re looking forward to enjoying adult attractions your kids aren’t old enough to ride, 24 different rides at Disneyland/California Adventure offer rider switch so adults can take turns riding attractions. Rider switch works like this:

Rider Switch scenario: there are five people in your group, and one person is not tall enough or too scared to ride. All five of you approach the ride in question and ask a cast member at the entrance for Rider Switch passes. Most of the group goes in the standby line and rides the ride (unless you all have a Genie+ Lightning Lane reservation, in which case you enter the Lightning Lane) while one person sits out with the group member who won’t be riding. After the three original riders have ridden, exited the ride the found the two who sat out, the person who hasn’t ridden yet and two of the original riders use Rider Switch passes to enter the Lightning Lane and ride the ride (again, for two of them).

When our kids were small, we would only visit the parks for a couple days at a time, one park per day (it was too exhausting to stay longer). We once captured a magical window when our kids were 3, 6 & 9–they all remember that trip vividly. They were tall enough to ride most of the rides, and we came away thinking it’s the perfect age to start taking little ones to Disney parks.

Now that our kids are teenagers, we visit for 3-5 days at a time. These trips can get expensive, so we learned how to pay for hotel, airfare and Disneyland tickets using points and miles. However long your trip is–and however old your kids–sometimes taking a break midday is a lifesaver:

Midday Breaks

Thankfully, you can leave and come back. Some families even schedule an “off” day in the middle of their trip, sleeping in and swimming or driving to a nearby beach. Disneyland is often open from the early morning until Midnight, and few children (and adults) can hang in the parks that long. Little kids often wake up early, so try getting to the park when it opens (known as rope-dropping), heading back to your hotel to rest, eat and/or swim midday, and returning to the parks for evening festivities.

The easiest way to take afternoon breaks from Disneyland is to stay at a hotel within walking distance:

Stay on Property

Staying at one of Disney’s onsite hotels–The Grand Californian, The Disneyland Hotel or Paradise Pier Hotel–ensures that you’ll be close enough to quickly walk back to your room when you family needs a nap, lunch or a dip in the pool. These big, beautiful hotels are nearest to the action: Grand Californian even has an entrance right into California Adventure. They come with a hefty pricetag, however, and there are plenty of other walkable options offsite.

If you’d rather not spend the money on expensive Disneyland hotel options, here’s a list of 15 offsite hotels near Disneyland that you can book using points (many also offer free breakfast and parking).

Afternoon Breaks in the Parks

If leaving and coming back isn’t an option, there are quiet places to take breaks in the park. In Disneyland, we almost always eat lunch on Tom Sawyer’s Island. This hidden gem offers shade and a quiet place to escape the crowds. If kids need naps, push them around in their stroller until they fall asleep, then park them somewhere out of the way where you can sit down, too (a lot of Main Street restaurants, for instance, have open, shaded seating). When shows like the Fairytale Theater and Mickey’s Magical Map are up and running, those are other places we’ve escaped the heat and the crowds during the day. Afternoons are also chances to ride dark rides like It’s a Small World, Pirates of the Caribbean or better yet, ride the Disneyland Train all the way around the park.

At California Adventure, Hollywood Backlot is our favorite place to beat the heat and the afternoon drowsies. There you’ll find the Animation Studio, Monsters Inc. dark ride, and sometimes shows at the Hyperion Theater (our kids have slept through many of those excellent shows, and I think I have, too!).

TAKEAWAYS

It’s magical to take kids to Disneyland, especially with snacks, strollers, and afternoon breaks. Have a wonderful time!

Learn more about how we travel for almost free on Instagram @almostfreetraveling and join the conversation on facebook.com/almostfreetraveling

Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.