1.  Stay on property if financially possible.  It's much easier to go back to the hotel and nap in the afternoon if it's close by.

 2.  Bring lots of water and snacks.  You'll spend a fortune going to restaraunts and snack shops every time the kids get hungry.

3.  If you're in the middle of potty training, bring plenty of extra clothes, and don't get so excited yourself that you forget to stop for bathroom breaks every hour.

4.  Stay flexible!  Don't make too many set plans, as your children may have different ideas.

5.  For some downtime, go see Playhouse Disney.  My son fell asleep in the middle of it.

6.  Character meals are always a hit.  They are usually a little pricey, but SO much fun.  At WDW, I recommend Chef Mickey's and the Playhouse Disney lunch (I can't remember the name of the restaurant.  It's at MGM and features JoJo, Goliath, and the Einsteins).

7.  Souveniers:  Allow the kids to look during your stay, but tell them that you aren't going to buy anything until the end.  This gives them the opportunity to look to see what they want, without you having to buy at every store.  If you do buy in the middle of the trip and are staying on property, the stores can deliver the items to your room.

I know that there is a whole lot more, but that's all I can come up with right now.  Anyone have anything to add?

Each time we go to a Disney park, I find myself scouring the internet for the height requirements, trying to determine who can go on what rides.  While they do post them on the main park websites, they are not easy to locate.  Here they are for the DisneyLand parks.

Disneyland

 35" (89 cm) or taller

Gadget's Go Coaster, presented by Sparkle

Matterhorn Bobsleds

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

Space Mountain

Splash Mountain

Star Tours

46" (117 cm) or taller

Indiana Jones™ Adventure

52" (132 cm) or taller

Autopia, presented by Chevron

Disney's California Adventure Park

36" (91 cm) or taller

Tuck and Roll's Drive'Em Buggies

Jumpin' Jellyfish

Soarin' Over California

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

Grizzly River Run

Mulholland Madness, presented by Alamo

Redwood Creek Challenge Trail Featuring "The Magic of Brother Bear" show

48" (122 cm) or taller

California Screamin'

Orange Stinger

Maliboomer

54" (138 cm) or taller

Tuck and Roll's Drive'Em Buggies

Has anyone been on the ride yet?  I would love to gather feedback before my next trip to the park in March.

I absolutely LOVED the ride at Disney World, and I can only imagine it will be better this time around.  For those who don't know, Disney just transformed the old Submarine Explorer ride into Finding Nemo.  The ride uses the same subs, and they estimate it at 14 minutes long.

As a child, the submarines were my favorite.  I was hearbroken when they closed them down.  Now, my son is over the top with anticipation to go "find nemo."  He really enjoyed the version at Disneyworld, but the thought of going in a boat that goes under water has him excited.

FYI.....there used to be an old rumor that the submarine lagoon couldn't be drained or the Matterhorn would collapse.  That has been put to rest now.  The lagoon was drained for quite a while so that the imagineers could create Nemo's home.

Here is a link to DL's official page on the new attraction.  Follow the link on the left to Finding Nemo Virtual Lagoon.  It's a fun game for the kids.  We now have the characters swimming across our computer screen.

http://disneyland.disney.go.com/disneyland/en_US/parks/attractions/detail?name=FindingNemoSubmarineVoyageAttractionPage

~Nicole

P.S.  In future posts, I will use DL for Disneyland and DW for Disney World.

Just a quick note to welcome everyone!  This blog will be full of my opinions on Disney theme parks, especially those in the states, Disneyland and Disney World.  I'm also part of a research group for their movies so I will be throwing in some knowledge about those as well.

I hope everyone enjoys, and please leave lots of comments!  I love to meet my readers.

Nicole