Originally Posted By PixieDustMommy Sorry, this is looong! My husband, 4yo son and 5 month old daughter along w/my brother-in-law, sister-in-law and their 4 kids (9,7,5 &3) will be spending just ONE day @ DL on March 19. This will be our (hubby & me) 4th DL trip, but a first for ALL of the kids (6 total) and my in-laws. We don't really plan on doing any "big" rides (except Indy which I WILL NOT skip) - the only kids that are tall enough aren't BRAVE enough! ;o) I just bought the RideMax thingy, and am trying to figure out a plan for the day. Does anyone have any suggestions? This will be my 13th DL trip, but I've NEVER been for just 1 day, and never w/small children. I've got a few questions: #1: Where is a good place to sit and eat a lunch that we will be bringing in? We're footing the whole bill, and just cannot afford to feed 10 people (ok, 9 really - baby is nursing) in the park. #2: Does anyone have any info on the rental strollers? We'll be bringing one of our own, but w/4 kids 5 & under, SOMEONE is gonna get tired and need a rest. Do they have double strollers? Can one kid lay in a double stroller? #3: On a Monday, how early should we be claiming a spot for the parade @ 7? Thanks sooo much for any info & sorry the post is so long!
Originally Posted By gottaluvdavillains First no they do not have double strollers and the strollers they have are like joggers and don't recline. I believe they rent for about $8 a day (free I think if you have a disney visa card). Second you can't bring the lunch in - you can put it in a locker by disneyland and they have a picnic area over there somewhere - you can however bring snacks and juice boxes - no glass. I wouldn't worry about bringing a bunch of waters as all the restaurants are very nice about giving you cups of ice water upon request - when mine were younger, I almost always traveled with my sister in law (starting at the ages of 2,3,4,4,5,9,11 w/2 double pegprego strollers) and we would just bring different colored cups with lids (sippy or the straw type) so we could just fill those with water. Third - You will have to see how busy the park is that day - if it seems really busy then about 45 - 60 min before hand other wise 15-30 minutes. You should also ask which direction the parade will be traveling (from IASW to main street or main street to IASW) and try and find seating where it begins - if you near the end you have to wait about 15-20 minutes from the 7 start time for it to get to you. A good place to watch is near IAMW or near the Prince and Princess restrooms behind the Alice ride. Have fun...
Originally Posted By atigger2 We were just at Disneyland a couple of weeks ago and the strollers rent $10.00 for one or $18.00 for two. You need to give yourself 40 minutes to an hour to get your spot and Mondays are a good day for smaller crowds. Be ready to be bumped around,especially if you are sitting on main street. We sat right in front of the Blue Ribbon Cafe, next to the garbage can. That's where we started, but people kept coming and sitting and we kept getting edged further away from the can. You may not think its crowded in the park but when that parade starts getting going, wow, people come from everywhere. You are allowed to bring in bottled water. And I advice it as its $2.69 a bottle in the park. We were allowed to carry in those small chips bags and didn't even try to bring any other food in so we were never asked to remove anything from our bags. You'll have a great time, for sure.
Originally Posted By buzzlyear You can buy a Graco umbrella stroller at Target for $11. This is small, and will also be easier to handle if you get on the monorail. Also, its the walk out of Disneyland where it seems the stroller is needed most (at least for us). Then, someday when its all worn out, you can just leave it somewhere for someone else to use!
Originally Posted By trekkeruss <<you can't bring the lunch in - you can put it in a locker by disneyland and they have a picnic area over there somewhere - you can however bring snacks and juice boxes - no glass.>> I have brought in lunch many times, as have other people. While Disney does state in their literature that outside food is not allowed, their main concern seems to be preventing people from bringing in hard-sided coolers, glass bottles, etc. But a sandwich, chips, fruit, juice, water... I've never been stopped.
Originally Posted By gottaluvdavillains Any time we have brought sandwiches we were told we needed to put them in the outside lockers as picnicing was not allowed. This was told to us at the security checkpoints. They have never had a problem with the drinks or snacks - just the sandwiches, oh yeah and once my sister-in-law had a plastic container of fried chicken and we were again told to leave it in the lockers. We were told that snacks were fine but picnicing was not allowed. Coolers are allowed if they are no bigger than the six pack size hard sided or soft.
Originally Posted By trekkeruss I can only relate my own experiences. I've brought in sandwiches and more; I've never been stopped. I suppose it may depend on how you pack things. Perhaps if you make the food more like a snack instead of a full-blown meal?
Originally Posted By trekkeruss ^^The other thing is, whoever may be going with me, everyone carries their own. There isn't one huge cooler of food.
Originally Posted By ncnike7 We've always brought in sandwiches and kept them in our backpack with other snacks and drinks and have never had a problem.
