Believe in Magic

It might work for the Spurs or Mighty Ducks, but the phrase “I’m going to Disneyland” is enough to take the “zip” from the “a-dee-doo-dah” if you’re thinking of bringing young kids.

Traveling anywhere with pre-schoolers is, to put it lightly, challenging. Throw in the crowds, lines, traffic and the cost of a summer trip to the “Happiest Place on Earth” and you’ll be asking the magic mirror if you’re crazy to even consider it.

My own experience has shown the resort is still the best family-friendly destination, and traveling the 260 miles to Anaheim, Calif., with two kids under 5 has actually been, dare I say, magical.

Of course this requires a bit of planning and some knowledge of park features that make bringing youngsters along easier for the whole family.

The kids provide enough pixie dust to go around. Watching my 2-year-old daughter run to Minnie Mouse with her arms outstretched and hearing my 5-year-old son humming Peter Pan music as he skipped through the park were just two of the priceless moments from our family’s latest trip.

Over the past three years we’ve visited the resort several times, staying in each of the three hotels on the property and getting there both by car and plane. Most recently we splurged for a stay on the concierge level of the luxury hotel and later attended the grand opening of the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage as media guests.

The days of Disneyland as a day trip from Las Vegas are almost a thing of the past. Particularly in the busy summer season, it makes sense to spread your visit over two or three days.

Trying to rush between Disneyland’s four “mountains” (Space, Splash, Big Thunder and the Matterhorn) can be tough enough on a adult in one day. Throw in the legendary queue for Peter Pan, the parades, fireworks — not to mention Disney’s California Adventure Park next door — and you’d need to channel Merlin to fit in the highlights.

Staying at the resort has distinct advantages, beginning with location.

Disney’s Grand Californian is actually located inside the California park and features a special guest entrance. The Disneyland Hotel is a very short walk to the Monorail station, which shuttles those with park tickets from the Downtown Disney District into Disneyland’s Tomorrowland. The Paradise Pier Hotel is directly behind the California park (and has some of the best views).

You can walk to the main entrance of either park from any of the three hotels. That makes it easier to fit in afternoon naps or time to enjoy the pool. My son thinks the Disneyland Hotel’s Neverland Pool is almost as good as the rides. All three hotel pools have water slides, too.

Location may be everything, but there’s an added bonus if you stay at a Disney hotel and purchase a multi-day ticket. They let you into the park an hour early on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

Here’s where strategy can pay off. Our family’s game plan is to get there when the doors open, shoot up Main Street through the castle and straight on to Neverland.

We waited 15 minutes for Peter Pan’s Flight, a real bargain considering the line later in the day can stretch to 40 minutes.

In an hour you can cycle through most of the Fantasyland rides, including Dumbo, the Mad Tea Party and, if your kids are big enough, the Matterhorn Bobsleds. Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear’s Astroblasters in Tomorrowland also open early. If the Nemo subs are available for early entry riding, swim straight there.

Time isn’t just money, it’s happiness. In that first hour, you can ride what might take up to four hours later. Then you can go back and take a nap or try for the big attractions elsewhere in the park.

While Fantasyland is clearly a pre-schooler paradise, it is not exactly a teen’s cup of tea.

Disney, being Disney, actually has ways to alleviate this potential crisis.

First, several of the newer attractions and classics offer the Fastpass system. Instead of waiting 60 minutes for Space Mountain, you can put your park ticket into a machine and get a Fastpass ticket specifying an hour-long window to return and go to the head of the line.

Pay close attention to those times, however, as you can usually only get one Fastpass at a time. Your window to ride Splash Mountain may be four hours away and the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Soarin’ Over California and California Screamin’ still beckon at the park next door.

The big rides also offer single rider entrances with minimal wait. But it’s certainly less fun for everyone to ride something alone while Mom watches the baby.

That’s where the Rider Switch comes in handy. Disney does mention this in a brochure called Magical Beginnings, but it’s not exactly something they actively market. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take full advantage of it.

Soarin’ is my son’s favorite ride, but my daughter doesn’t meet the height requirement.

Here’s how we ride it. Mom, Dad and son get Fastpasses for the ride. When it’s our window to ride, my husband and son go to the entrance and ask for a Rider Switch pass for me. After they ride, I can go directly up to the Fastpass entrance with my rider switch pass, and best of all, bring along my son for a back-to-back ride.

That lets us all ride and satisfies his need to go again.

Overall there are more attractions open to babies and toddlers than there are rides with height requirements. Keep in mind, some of the mild rides are dark and could be scary to some kids. The last thing you want is a crying baby when you’re on Pirates of the Caribbean trying to get a Jack Sparrow fix. My kids love “a bug’s land” in the California park and rides featuring Winnie the Pooh, Monsters Inc. and Buzz Lightyear in Disneyland. Playhouse Disney Live on Stage and Turtle Talk with Crush are great interactive shows for little ones. They’re next door to each other in the Hollywood Pictures Backlot of California.

After a day in the park with the kids, you may require some time alone. There’s a child activity center, Pinocchio’s Workshop, in the Grand Californian Hotel ($13 an hour for kids 5 and up) if you’re a resort guest, and you can also arrange in-room babysitting.

We usually survive a trip with minimal meltdowns. These are typically cured with a snack in line (you can bring in food and drinks) or the promise of a swim, a small souvenir or letting the offending child pick what we do next.

The only real crisis seems to be when we pack into the car for the ride home. But by then, they’re usually too full of magic and too tired to fuss.