Welcome!
Hi, I’m Alishia Egenhoff the crazy Disney fanatic behind Disneyland Dreaming and this is my family the Egenhoffs.
My husband, Richard, and I grew up in rural Oregon and met in a very small town that most people probably haven't heard of while we were still in high school. After high school we took the typical path of going to college, getting married, finding good jobs, buying a house, and starting a family. Happily ever after!
But wait, life throws curve balls, and we will let “happily after after” be saved for the Disney movies. I’m sure you all remember what happened in 2020? Well along with the world, our lives took a detour. Having worked in the medical industry for over a decade it was time for me to move on. Having a marketing and operations background I started working at a local marketing agency. Except something still didn't feel just right. I was exhausted from burning the candle at both ends going from working semi part-time to full-time and still trying to keep up with allll the things. I wonder if Disney villains feel the same way. Maybe that's why they are so cranky! 😆
That's when an idea came to me! I left the 9-5 gig and ventured down the path of entrepreneurship opening my own marketing agency focused on social media. But, in the back of my mind, I knew there was a project of passion brewing. That year we had visited Disneyland a total of three times. Every time we loved it even more! Part of the idea came from the constant flow of friends and family asking me how we "do it", what was our best advice, where should they stay, etc. You get the point. The other part was out of passion. I loved that people wanted to ask me for advice and I loved sharing our tips and tricks even more. I believe that every family should have the opportunity to visit Disney while their kids are still young. Why? Because it is literally the only place I'm aware of where I can be a kid with my kids. It's like being in a magical bubble.
So every time we tell our friends and family "we are going to Disney", they probably think we are insane, but we love it and want to share our love of vacationing at Disney with you!
See Our Latest Blogs
Unlocking the Magic: Deciding the Perfect Age to Experience Disneyland with Your Child
"Laughter is timeless, imagination has no age, dreams are forever." - Walt Disney
What is the best age to take my kids to Disney? 🏰
We cannot even count on one hand how many times we have heard someone say that they are waiting for their kids to be a certain age before taking them to Disney. Our question for you is why wait?
We started taking our kids when our youngest was two years old, and you know what? Knowing what we know now we would have taken them even sooner than that. Why? Keep reading to learn why we love Disney at every age!👇🏻
Vacationing at Disney with Babies & Toddlers 🎠
You’re worried they aren't going to remember it? Yeah, you’re probably right. But do you know who will remember it? You! Imagine your child meeting their favorite Disney Junior character in person. The excitement on their face! Imagine them getting to fly a rocket ship and how big and proud they will feel! Imagine them playing a game with their favorite Toy Story characters! These are just a handful of things you can do with babies and toddlers at Disney. We are not kidding when we say these parks, we're designed with everyone in mind. Here are some great tips and benefits of visiting Disney with littles.
You can baby-wear on 18+ rides and attractions between Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure! Yep, pop them in that pack and head through!
There are over 30 rides that don’t even have a height limit between Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure, meaning that everyone can ride big, small, babies, and all.
They are FREE to get into the parks under age two. Yep, you read that right you don’t need to pay for a park ticket for children under the age of two.
Take advantage of the Disney Baby Care Centers located in each park and filled with comfortable places to nurse and feed your baby or toddler, let them nap in quiet, change diapers and clothes, restock on supplies if you run out, and you can even store milk here if you need somewhere to keep it cold. They also have great potties for kiddos that are in the potty-training phase. You’ll find the Baby Care Centers at Disneyland (near the first-aid station off Main Street USA) and Disney’s California Adventure (to the left of the Ghirardelli chocolate and ice cream store).
Bring a stroller or rent one, but make sure you know the designated parking areas. TIP – Mark your stroller with an AirTag, so you know where your stroller is at all times. Trust us when we say you will park your stroller and it will get lost in the sea of strollers, plus Cast Members are known to move strollers around to fill in space.
It can get very warm so consider bringing a fan for your stroller to help you and your baby stay cool through the day.
Visit Disney Junior Dance Party at California Adventure – If your littles are big fans of the Disney Junior characters this is a fun, upbeat place to see them in person and have a dance party with them!
Traveling with bigger kids too? Utilize Rider Swap so everyone can get a chance to ride the bigger rides.
Vacationing at Disney with School Aged Children 🎡
This is probably the most popular age when parents decided to bring their kids to Disney and if we HAD to pick an age range this is probably our favorite stage. They are at the age and height where they can ride pretty much everything, and they will definitely remember it. The best part about this age is that they are still young enough to want to do the little kid stuff yet big enough to do even the bigger stuff like riding the Incredicoaster. Below are some of our favorite tips and tricks for visiting with kiddos.
There are over 30 rides that don’t even have a height limit, meaning that everyone can ride big, small, babies, and all.
Consider bringing a stroller or renting one even at age 5 our kids still needed strollers. You will be doing a lot of walking and their little legs will get tired. Having a stroller for them to rest in can make or break your trip. Plus, it’s a nice way to be able to pack extra snacks and things.
Bring lots of snacks! We always pack our park bags full of snacks and water so that when you’re standing in line you can keep them distracted with food. Full bellies make for happier kids. Trust us!
See a show or two! A favorite of ours is Turtle Talk with Crush located in California Adventure. You know Crush the righteous turtle from Finding Nemo? In this show, you get to interact with him in the “Human Tank”, he’ll ask you some questions about the human world and you can ask him some questions about the turtle world. Our kids love this and honestly, it’s fun for the whole family.
Meet and greet with characters. Our kids could not get enough of meeting characters around the park at this age. Pre-purchase and bring an autograph book to collect character signatures as a fun souvenir!
Traveling with bigger kids too? Utilize Rider Swap so everyone can get a chance to ride the bigger rides.
Plan on taking a mid-day break. We’ve said it before, and we will say it again this is a game-changer. When the temperature starts climbing and the crowds get to be too much take a couple hours break back at the hotel. You can use this time to get some pool time in and maybe a little nap before heading back to the parks for the evening.
Utilize resort transportation for a rest and maybe a snack. The Disneyland Railroad travels full circle around Disneyland Park. We love to hop on and ride this back to Main Street USA if we are on the other side of the parks. It’s fun to ride because it’s really just another ride and it’s a great break for everyone. Our kiddos have even been known to take a little nap while riding the train.
Download some fun games to play on your phone. One of our favorite games to play while standing in line is Heads Up. It makes the waiting go by way faster and keeps the kids entertained and happy.
Vacationing at Disney with Teens & Tweens 🎢
You’re thinking they’ve outgrown the stage to want to visit Disney. We promise you they have not. Some of our favorite childhood vacation memories were visiting Disney as teens. There is still plenty for them to do and see. Plus, even as adults we still love visiting Disney so why would a teenager not!?! If anything, it will break them out of their too-cool-for... teenage shell. Being at Disney is like stepping into a magical bubble where yes even teens can have fun! Some ideas to make traveling to Disney with teens more their speed.
Utilize Genie+ to avoid longer wait times for the bigger rides that guaranteed your teen is going to want to do. We are talking Guardians of the Galaxy, Incredicoaster, Big Thunder Mountain, Space Mountain, Indiana Jones, and more.
Keep them fed and hydrated! A hungry kid is no joke, add teen to the mix and it’s a disaster! Have your teen carry a park bag and load it with their favorite snacks and a water bottle. That way if you find yourself with downtime while waiting to hop onto the next ride you and your teen can snack away.
Not to contradict point #2 but also consider trying out some of the fun and unique snacks, drinks, and foods with your teens while visiting Disney.
Traveling with mixed ages? Utilize Rider Swap so everyone can get a chance to ride the bigger rides.
Download some fun games to play on your phone. One of our favorite games to play while standing in line is Heads Up. It makes the waiting go by way faster and keeps the kids entertained and happy.
Bring a portable phone charger! We all know how much we are on our phones these days, well it’s no surprise that you’ll need your phone for several reasons at Disney, think photos, checking the app to see ride times, ordering food, etc. Bring a portable charger to keep you and your teen’s phones (if they have one) charged.
Consider including your teens in the planning of your trip. They may have some must-do things that may surprise you or that you may not have even thought of.
Visit Downtown Disney for some fun shopping and dining options. We usually like to do this on a down day when we don’t have plans to visit the parks but want to do something besides hang by the pool all day.
What is the best age for you to take your kids to Disneyland?
Honestly any age is great! Don't overthink it!
As Walt Disney himself said "Part of the Disney success is our ability to create a believable world of dreams that appeals to all age groups. The kind of entertainment we create is meant to appeal to every member of the family."
There you have it!
Want even more suggestions about what to do and plan for with your kids at Disneyland? Send us an email with your questions and we’ll help ya out! 📩
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