Okay... I'll admit it...

[thatgirl'smom]

I am not a Disney fanatic. Not at all. I never watched Bambi until yesterday when my daughter got the dvd in her Easter basket... I honestly thought Bambi was a girl for 33 years! I didn't know he was a prince. I saw The Fox and the Hound when I was a kid and swore off Disney movies because that movie broke my heart.

We are going to DL/DCA in May for my daughter's 4th birthday. It will be the first visit for me, my husband, and my daughter. We'll be staying at the GC and have a character meal at Goofy's Kitchen scheduled for the evening of her actual birthday, with a birthday bucket surprise for her.

I've been reading and reading and gathering information to make me well-informed and to enjoy our trip to the fullest. I like to prepare So, here are some questions:

1. What movies would you recommend so that we are familiar with the bulk of characters we might come across? Daughter has seen Bambi, Peter Pan, and we have Dumbo coming from Netflix. She knows about all the princesses (although she has not seen the movies they are in) from her friends who are really into them. She is not into princesses.

2. I'm nervous I'll call Goofy Pluto and Pluto Goofy and dumb mistakes like that. My husband only knows the characters slightly. Can masked characters speak? Or only non-masked ones? I know my daughter will want to engage any character we come across (that's just her personality), so I need to prepare her that they might not speak to her.

3. I bought 3 day park hopper tickets thru the military ticketing office here in San Diego... do they include one day of early entry? They say nothing whatsoever about early entry on them, but I thought it was a benefit of all multiple day park hoppers. I called the office where I purchased them and the lady said you get early entry thru staying at a resort hotel, which we are. But I don't think this is correct from what I've read during my research? Do you have any ideas about this? I sure don't want to show up to get in early and be turned away.

Thanks for your help and advice! We're really excited about this trip although we know so little

 

[ChisJo]

Characters that you will most likely see, or are the most popular:
Cinderalla, Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, Aladdin, Jasmine, Belle & Beast, Snow White, Princess Aurora, Mike Wazowski and Sully (well, at least I saw them a couple of times).
So movies that I would recommend: Cinderella, Aladdin, Monsters, Inc., Three Mousekateers (just to get into the original characters), Sleeping Beauty, Snow White.

I know that you are not really into the princesses and neither is your daughter, but they tend to be the favorite for the little girls.

Masked characters cannot talk with their costumes on - they cannot even take off the mask for any reason until they are in the proper location to do so.

As for early entry, I cannot help you. I'm sure someone will be more than happy to help you out with that one.

Jo

 

[LucyKate]

Masked characters can't speak.

Not sure about those movies above - I, for example, never saw any Monsters Inc characters in four days. I don't think you need to see movies just to appreciate characters walking around the park either.

But, it may help to see a few movies that rides are based on (although it is not essential)

These include Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Snow White, Pinocchio, Winnie The Pooh (all for kids) and Indiana Jones for adults. I reckon kids would get more out of each of thse rides if they saw thse movies, but would still enjoy them without.

Splash Mountain is based on Brer Rabbit or the "song of the South" but that is not essential to enjoy the ride. Pirate of the Carribean is the other way round the movie was (very loosely) based on the ride!

 

[CalGal]

While movies are a very good way of getting to know the Disney characters, you might want to mix it up a bit. There are some sing-along videos that your daughter might really like. They provide snippets from some of the movies. There is one starring the Princesses. I remember "Disneyland Fun" was one of my DS's favorite 10 years ago, but I don't know if it is still available. I would think you could find some inexpensive, short books, perfect for bedtime reading. This is a good way to familiarize you and your daughter with some of the classics such as Alice in Wonderland, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Winnie the Pooh. There are video cartoons; this is also good for getting to know Pooh, Chip & Dale, and of course, Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto. And, of course, there are the full length movies. I recommend Toy Story, both because it is a lot of fun, and because of the new Buzz Lightyear Ride. I think you'll find most of the Disney movies are very good for kids of all ages (although some, such as Lion King, can be a bit frightening for the very young).

 

[Judy from Boise]

I agree that since time is limited to start watching the "sing along songs" series. Then get the movies based on her intrests generated from the clips. As far as i know "Disneyland Fun" is still being issued.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

I also agree with the Sing Along series. My kids used to really enjoy those. You might see if they have them at your local library to check out. You might also check out Disneyland Fun -- that is a singalong that takes place at Disneyland.

I also recommend Aladdin because they have the Aladdin the Musical show there, and that is one your whole family should enjoy.

I also agree with the following, if you have time to watch them ... Winnie the Pooh, Peter Pan, Toy Story, Pinocchio, The Little Mermaid. Peter Pan & Pinocchio will also relate to some of the characters in Fantasmic.

 

[MsYumiBr]

The sing along series!!! OMG. I have a 12 year old and I can sing along with all of them without looking! lol. It's sooo hard going through Haunted Mansion now without singing along to Grim Grinnin' Ghosts. I catch myself singing in Alice too. It's a problem.

 

[fanofpan]

We were going to buy our tickets through Military Tickets and Tours here in Colorado at Peterson AFB, but when my DH called and asked if they had early entry, the Lady at MTT told him no. So we ordered them from the Disneyland site, as they were only $4.00 more for the three day hoppers, with early entry. We were able to get the kids at adult prices as we are going in April.
Going in May, I am sure that you are saving a lot more than $4.00 per ticket, but they will probably not have the early entry option available with your discounted tickets.

 

[momzilla59]

Sorry for such a long reply - slightly off topic to boot - but I just got our confirmation letter from DL resorts and I'm extremely excited!!

Kid Friendly Rides and You

Size is going to play a big factor in what rides and attractions you will be able to do, unless you utilize the Kid Swap. There are some rides there that are pretty scary for some kids even if they meet the height requirement. Some rides are in the dark and some move Very fast. Here's what scared our now 21 yo when He was 4 and why. (He Was very tall for his age, most 4 yo's won't meet the height requirement for the coasters.)

Snow White's Scary Adventures (Dark and the name put him off)
Mr. Toad's Wild Ride (Dark, fast and Toad goes to Hades)
Splash Mountain (the Big drop at the end)
Space Mountain (Dark, fast)
Haunted Mansion (Dark)
Pirates of the Carribean (Dark - but only scared for a bit. The pirates fascinated him)

Rides we had to ride until we were tired of them included

Dumbo (our favorite ride but do it first thing in the AM or you'll wait for a longggg time)
Autopia (kids can steer even if they can't press the pedal)
Teacups
Storyland Canal Boats
Casey Jr. Train
King Arthur's Carousel
Peter Pans Flight (dark, but because it was slow and so beautiful it was okay)
Jungle Cruise
The BIG Disneyland Railroad
The Monorail (ask to ride up front, it's worth the wait!)
ANY of the transit vehicles heading up or down Main Street
and of course
It's a Small World

This was WAYYY before ToonTown and Winnie the Pooh were built. There are a Lot of small person rides in ToonTown. I've seen people give their children glow sticks for some of the dark rides and that seems to help the mildly scared ones. If she's truly afraid of a ride, don't force her, you'll both have a miserable time. I always gave my kids the option to leave the line, no matter HOW long we had been waiting if they were really and truly scared. Can you guess that I invented that rule after "talking" the kid into going on Space Mountain?

Don't worry, only the characters with no big furry heads (or Face Characters) speak, and they are So gracious. There are many places that you'll find them waiting for pictures or Autographs. They will autograph anything (as long as you aren't wearing it), but for the Characters in costumes, please hand them a BIG diameter pen. They have a real hard time trying to use regular diameter pens. This year I am taking a T-Shirt to be autographed.

(BTW, Pluto looks like a dog - collar, no clothes. Goofy looks like...I'm not sure what, but he wears a hat and clothing and really doesn't look like a dog.)

Obvious movies to watch include Winnie the Pooh, Toy Story, and Dumbo of course. Reading the fairy tales behind the stories may help (Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty). I have to agree with the others, the Sing Along Songs are pretty good, and help you get familiar with the characters of Disney.

I hope this helps. My advice is to read everything you can get your hands on, especially online forums like this one. I googled "Disneyland Forums" and came back with 2,660 hits!

As for Early Entry, just ask the desk when you check in and they will help you figure it all out. We bought the 3 day hopper tickets and they include one early entry to Fantasyland.

Remember, you don't have to know Disney to "Get" Disney - and have a great time!

 

[phyllis1966]

I also agree with the sing alongs - what a great idea! When my DD was 4 she was bored sitting through a movie and preferred the sing alongs. Because they each include songs from a few movies, one tape or DVD can introduce her to quite a few characters. Even though the masked characters don't speak, your DD will enjoy talking to them because they are very animated in their body language and can communicate very well. My DD is almost 6 and she's still not into princesses (I don't think she ever will be) - she much prefers cute and furry animal characters, no matter how tall they are! Pluto, Chip & Dale are her favorites, with Minnie not far behind!

BTW, if you call any characters by the wrong name, it can be really fun! They sometimes act insulted and make a fuss, which is sure to make your DD laugh!

Have a great time!

 

[Tink33]

How about some Disney storybooks. I remember my Mom reading the Disney stories to me when I was your DD's age.