Okay, so you can't do ALL of Disneyland in a day, but you can make sure that what you do see is the best. In the process of annually updating my travel guide, WALT DISNEY WORLD WITH KIDS, I've visited the Disney parks over 30 times with my kids and surveyed more than 300 families. I've become an expert on the "frantic factor" (the strange assumption that a family seeing 20 attractions a day must be having twice as much fun as a family seeing 10 attractions a day) and parents trying so hard to "get their money's worth" that they hustle the kids from ride to ride with no notion of what's age appropriate. That's why we've set up three separate touring plans with three different age groups in mind. Trust me, if you put a 14-year-old on "It's a Small World" or a 5-year-old on "Space Mountain," Disneyland will no longer be the happiest place on Earth.
Read on for the touring plan for families with kids seven to ten. (For the other age groups and related stories, click on the following links: Touring with Kids Eleven and Up, Touring with Kids Six and Under, and Structuring One Day at Disneyland .)
KIDS SEVEN TO TEN
Kids this age tend to love it all, from the kiddie rides to the biggies. But since this age group is ripe to see more than any other, you'll have to stay focused and move fast.MORNING: Be at the front gates 40 minutes before the stated opening time. When the ropes drop--assuming that your kids are gutsy enough and make the 46-inch height requirement--ride Indiana Jones. This is my favorite ride in the park, featuring a dramatic setting, a bone-jarring jeep ride, great special effects and a knockout audio-animatronic Harrison Ford. Next, assuming they're over 40 inches and everyone doesn't mind getting a little (or a lot) wet, move on to Splash Mountain in Critter Country. Big Thunder Mountain, a coaster disguised as a runaway mine train, has been a must-do for my family for years; the train rattles you around a lot, but there are no major plunges, so almost any age can enjoy this ride.
If you're not sure if your kids are up to these high-level thrills, head straight through the castle and start with Fantasyland and Toontown attractions. Kids this age still love Peter Pan, the Mad Tea Party and Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin. The Matterhorn Bobsleds is the most addictive ride in the park, hands down--I guess that explains why we rode it five times on our last trip to Disneyland. It's the only coaster in the park with no height requirement. (Matterhorn height requirement is 35 inches).
MIDMORNING: On to the Disneyland classics: Pirates of the Caribbean, Star Tours, the Haunted Mansion and the Jungle Cruise. Stop by the tip board at the end of Main Street, and check the approximate wait times. Since crowd movement is uneven at Disneyland, one attraction may post a 10-minute wait, while another has 50-minute lines.
AFTERNOON: Don't let your kids' protests fool you--they're getting tired by this point and could benefit from a midday rest. Ideally, you'll exit the park to rest for a few hours.
Lacking that, have a leisurely lunch at the Disneyland Hotel accessible by monorail), or in Downtown Disney, (near the parking lot shuttle tram drop off), then reenter the park and take in a show. Check out the very funny 3-D "Honey, I Shrunk the Audience," which is full of, shall we say, tactile surprises, or the musical extravaganza at the Fantasyland theater. Those still raring to go will enjoy a stop at Tom Sawyer Island or Tarzan's Climb to Adventure. The high-tech interactive exhibits and games inside Innoventions are another welcome treat.
EVENING: Take advantage of the fact that everyone else is lined up to see the evening parade or Fantasmic and slip onto any popular attraction you missed earlier in the day, such as Indiana Jones, Star Tours or Splash Mountain. By the time my son Jordan was seven, he loved Space Mountain, which is still Disneyland's primary thrill ride after all these years. Fantasyland and Toontown are also less crowded in early evening, when many of the kiddies clear out.
If you want to see Fantasmic, Disneyland's extraordinary closing show--and believe me, you do--there are good viewing spots from anywhere around the waterfront; be there 45 minutes ahead of time to stake your space.
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Kim Wright Wiley is the author of WALT DISNEY WORLD WITH KIDS and is FamilyFun's new Theme Park Expert.
Please keep in mind that phone numbers, addresses, and prices are subject to change. Updated June 2005.
