DL on Good Friday with kids in tow
 

GD and I hosted my brother, his wife, and their two kids - Nathan, age 1, and Alana, age 4. This trip was to be mostly for Alana's benefit....though it was filled with firsts for us.

I rented a stroller for the first time. The efficiency of the stroller rental impressed me. The line looked long but it moved like crazy. Even so, I saw a guy chewing out an old man in line, and I knew it would be a hellish day.

We had decided to not get to the park until afternoon. Or rather, they decided that it would be better for the kids. This meant that we were in Fantasyland at 12:30pm in line for Dumbo. Forever. I can't even say how long we were in that line because I avoided looking at my watch the entire time. When you've got to keep a 4 year old upbeat, you don't want to feel down yourself. The line was as long as I've ever seen it. FL itself was pretty nightmarish to navigate - not the absolute worst I've seen but close.

In line for the Carousel, Alana spotted a horse and said "I want THAT one!" It was Jingles, of course. I told her and the family about Jingles, and when everyone else went right to grab a horse, we went left - and we got Jingles. GD had done a fastpass run and wasn't able to ride, so when we rode past with Alana on Jingles, his face was priceless. :D

Alana was not thrilled with Mr. Toad's. But when we got her on Small World - she was transfixed. I heard her say the word "miracle". Remember, this girl is from Alaska, and has never seen anything like this. Nathan, to our absolute surprise, loved Small World. He actually danced along to the music, bobbing up and down, wiggling his arms. It was one of the cutest things I've ever seen! A one-year-old spontaneously dancing, without any prompts from us. They both had the same reaction to the Tiki Room - dancing Nathan, awed Alana.

However, Pirates was a different story. Alana was decidedly not happy with that ride, from the drops to the scenes themselves. My brother said that Nathan was wide eyed and absorbed from beginning to end.

Alana's love of animals got us on Jungle Cruise, and she dug that one too, in her own bowled-over way. I'm sure, had she been a couple of years older, her reactions to these things would be more about grins and laughter, instead of wide eyed, quiet responses. "Did you like that ride?" "Yeah." She's like that about everything though. The real tip off is when you say "we're going to do this next" and she says "what about that Small World ride with the dollies, we could do that one again."

Nathan was unimpressed with the fireworks, but Alana was once again transfixed. Again, she'd never seen anything like this before. Later she pointed and said "I love that castle."

She maintained, however, that her favorite ride was Buzz. She watches the cartoon pretty regularly on the Disney Channel. In line, the Buzz AA called on the junior Space Rangers to help him out, she responded, "I'm a Space Ranger." Once we got off the ride, she couldn't stop saying "I'm a Space Ranger, I shot Z's and monsters and Zurg!" I swear, she said the exact same sentence at least 10 times in a row, with the same enthusiasm. No bashfulness there.

It was a very weird day for us. Here's what we didn't ride:
Space
Indy
Big Thunder
Matterhorn
Mansion (after Pirates we knew it was a bad idea)

Watching the fireworks at the end of the day was like listening to someone tell us about all the stuff we missed. Weird.

We learned that Indy doesn't let babies in line. We were just going to wait together (fastpass) and then I'd jump off and let the other adults ride, but it was a no-go. As the kids were in a good mood at the moment, we decided we might come back, but ran out of time.

GD and I kept forgetting that we had to park and pick up strollers constantly. Having them was great, as there was no way we could have carried the kids all the time when they got tired. As it was, we are all in pain today from the carrying we did do. To their credit, they never use a stroller for Alana, but in the case of DL, they were very willing to make an exception and rent one. Say what you will - it was a good idea.

We also learned that navigating a stroller without hitting ankles is nearly impossible in the insane crowds, and that dealing with strollers in general is a learned skill.

It was crazy busy. Apparently those that get Good Friday off aren't all religious types. The day is an AP blockout for a good reason.

We had fun - but man, do I wish we could have been there at opening, like we did with my parents and other brothers a week ago!

Oh, and on photos - we did NOT have our camera with us, having left it at my parent's house. :eek: :( :eek: My brother brought theirs, but we almost lost it on Buzz. For a while there it was panic city. Thankfully, we did get it back, and I will get photos from them - eventually.

What a cool review.

I really love that you are sharing your perspective from a 'first timer' to strollers and kids.

It has been awhile for me but yes, it isn't easy.

And, I'd use a stroller, as long as I could. Nothing worse than a tired kid, 4 or 5 years old. You know we get tired, can you imagine their little legs?

I didn't see where someone sat in a quiet spot while one of the little ones napped? If you look around one visit, you'll see strollers parked along the walkway towards the Matterhorn and around the castle with kids {and some adults} sleeping. I've been there many a time.

Can't wait to see the pics of the kiddos!!

awww I love it, we just did Isabellas first trip and she was 4 months old so we didn't have as much activity .... her only ride of the day was the carousel and she was asleep in her carrier while daddy sat on the horse....the big kids snuck in a few rides as we wandered the park with her but the breakfast at Miss Minnies was the big event for the day (that and hanging out with the Lash and stoat!)

Cool story CP - thank you for sharing!

Congratulations on seeing the park through a new pair of eyes. I'm constantly being reminded of what is special at the zoo by children seeing for the first time that which I see very day!

And another disney fan is made...

Yes, I can attest to how different it is to do D-Land with and without the nippers!

It's a Whole New World! It has pro's and con's. Like don't expect to do any of the cool fast rides. But you also get much of the magic and eye-popping wonder that kids have.

And strollers? Necessary evils. I have the double-wide so I have to really take it easy and take my time. It's as wide as a wheelchair, so I have become quite adept at pushing those too!

I agree on the stroller point. Bitch if you must, but try taking a four-year-old around the park all day and deal with their exhaustion afterwards. Not pretty.

Having spent time with various infant/toddler (you know, the in-between stage like "tweens"-- what do you call them? Inddlers? Todfants?) nieces and nephews at various Disney parks, I think that taking them early is great. It's the kind of visual stimulation that really gets their little brains going. I've heard people deny that children get anything out of that situation, but I've seen my baby nieces and nephews get more out of a day at the park than most adults do.

I'm glad you enjoyed it! As much as I enjoy the grown-up day at the park, nothing can beat one with a wee companion you love.

Nightmares