Hey there Jen! Welcome to planDisney. I'm so excited to hear you are planning a trip to Disneyland Resort with your family!
I have a huge smile hearing that you are bringing your 2-year-old and it's your first time! I am thinking back to the times when my kids had their first Disneyland experience and getting to see the wonder in their eyes as they experienced it all.
Well first things first, if you haven't already, get your hotel and tickets purchased as soon as possible if you are planning on arriving at the end of the month. All tickets also require theme park ticket reservations, and they can book up! I don't want you to wait too long and then not be able to get into the parks because reservations are full. I did take a peek at the
Theme Park Reservation Availability Calendar and at the time of writing this, the date still has reservations for both ticket types and for both parks. However, this can and will change the closer you get to your date.
You can book your tickets and your preferred hotel through a
Good Neighbor Hotel Package, which can be convenient to bundle them together. If you are thinking of only a day or two, I definitely recommend upgrading your ticket to Park Hopper. This will make sure you see as much as you can.
What I do recommend for families, especially with toddlers is to not over plan! Getting there at park opening will definitely be a benefit as the crowds tend to be lower for that first hour or two. Fantasyland in Disneyland Park will probably be an area where you will want to spend time as this has many rides suitable for all heights. If the adults enjoy thrill rides, you can take advantage of the
Rider Switch option at participating rides.
I do know that a lot of families with littles like taking a midday break from the parks to go back to the hotel to nap and at Disneyland Resort that is pretty easy to do if your hotel is close by, which many are. I definitely recommend you enjoy a showing of
Disney Junior Dance Party! at Disney California Adventure Park. This was a favorite for our kids when they were toddlers. Bonus points, it's air-conditioned! The Redwood Creek Challange Trail is another great spot to let your toddler get the wiggles out.
Jen, I'll leave you with one last tip. Be sure to download the
Disneyland app. This is where you will find your eTickets to scan to get into the park. It will also give you attraction times, show times, menus, and more. My favorite feature of the app is
mobile ordering which many of the quick service locations offer. This lets you order your food for a certain time and bypass the line to pick it up!
Thanks again for stopping by! I hope your family has the most magical first visit to The Happiest Place on Earth! See you real soon!
Carrie