Amusement & Theme Parks

Keywords: Amusement park, theme park

By Stacy DeBroff

We enjoy taking our boys to Disneyland each year when we visit family in L.A. To make identification easier and eliminate major souvenir shopping, I go to the Disney store in our mall and buy matching brightly colored Disney shirts along with Disney dollars for buying treats at Disneyland so I can limit how much they ask for and how much we spend. With this done, the boys are happy to have new Disney shirts to wear to the park, and they know in advance how much they can spend and it is their choice what to pick. For us as parents, we can identify our kids easily, we know what exactly they are wearing if we get separated, and we don’t have to feel like bad guys saying no to all the treats. It definitely made our trips much easier and happier. —Lisa Kanazawa, mom of Connor, 7 1/2, and Garrison, 4

As a family, we go to Disney World every year and it’s something that we can all enjoy. My advice once in the park is to definitely take advantage of the baby rooms that they have at each site. These areas have a full kitchen, high chairs, cribs, changing tables, private rooms for nursing, and even small bottles of formula you can buy if you unexpectedly run out. An attendant is there at all times, watching over things, keeping the area neat and very well run. We also always rent tandem strollers, as even at ages eight and five, our kids get tired of all the walking and welcome taking a ride. Be aware that if you have a small infant or a child who will take a nap, many of the rental strollers don’t recline, so you should bring your own. Lastly, I would put a bright colored bow on top of my daughter’s head that made it incredibly easy to spot her in crowds, and also let me never lose sight of her swimming in a packed pool. —Susan Lussier, mom of Victoria, 8, and AJ, 5

We all went to Disney World last summer with my in-laws and other family members. We went in the peakest of the peak seasons. It was hot-hot-hot and very humid. I didn’t know how the kids would handle it. I think the best thing to do is to set reasonable goals. No, we did not go on every single ride that we wanted to, but our kids had fun. We would get up before the sun every day and be the first people at the park, ride a few rides (after we saw Mickey, of course) and just when it was getting very hot and very crowded around 11 a.m., we would go back to our hotel, eat lunch, go for a swim, and all take a nap. When the kids got up in the afternoon, we would make our way to our dinner reservations at our own pace. It was great. —Christina Blakey, mom of Joseph, 3 1/2, and Charlie, 1

• Check with membership organizations such as AAA, your credit card providers, or professional organizations you belong to about discounts they have negotiated with a particular resort.

• Pick up a map and schedule of events ahead of time or at the beginning of the day.

• Eat meals earlier or later than the noon and six o’clock dining peaks. Not only do you avoid long lines, but you also find shorter lines for rides.

• Bring your own drinks and snacks to the park, especially water. You’ll need the drinks to stay hydrated in the sun, and bottled water at amusement parks is often expensive. Leave the water or juice bottles in the freezer overnight, and they’ll be defrosted but cool by the time you need them.

• Wear sunscreen and bring some with you for periodic reapplication.

• Store medication, especially that which needs refrigeration, at the first-aid station.

• Don’t buy souvenirs until the end of the day. That way you won’t be loaded down with toys while still trying to navigate the park.

• Use the rental lockers to store lunch, sunscreen, changes of clothes, baby needs, or sweaters. Many will allow you multiple visits without requiring that you pay extra money.

• Take your child to the bathroom or change an infant’s diaper before getting in a long line for a ride. There’s nothing like an emergency at the end of a thirty-minute wait in line.

• Start your child on the tamest rides at first.

• Ask the attendant beforehand whether he will stop the ride if your child begins to cry.

• Gauge his readiness by where your child responds on a spectrum of glee to terror.

• When your child goes on a ride alone, ask the ride attendant where he will exit, as this may be on the other side of the ride.

• Measure your child against the height yardsticks when you arrive at the park so you know which rides your child can go on. Refer to park recommendations regarding age-appropriateness to determine if your child is ready for a particular ride.

• Many amusement parks rent strollers that double as storage holders with large trays below them or strollers that can accommodate two toddlers to give sore feet a rest between rides. Call ahead for details, and to reserve one if needed.

• Pace yourselves: start with a modest agenda for the day. Some parks sell tickets for half-days. If you do buy a whole-day ticket, don’t feel like you must stay until the end. If your child feels exhausted and overwhelmed after just a few rides, take time out to relax or go home. It’s not worth the mental exhaustion of soldiering on.

• Make or buy your child an autograph book to take to a theme park like Disney World. Collecting the signatures of favorite characters makes an inexpensive yet cherished keepsake.

• Get to the park early, before the day gets too warm and the park fills. Try to get to the most popular rides first, before long lines form.

• Ask where bathrooms and baby changing stations can be found within the park. Have an attendant mark them on a park map for you.

• Many larger parks offer excellent facilities for families with young children. Ask about the availability of rooms to nurse, warm bottles, and relax with babies.

• Keep a bottle of water (spray is ideal) just for dousing yourself and your child when the sun gets too hot in line.

• Get everyone in your family the same brightly colored T-shirts to wear in large crowds like Disney World to make spotting each other easier if separated.

Stacy, heralded as a “parenting guru” by the Wall Street Journal, authored four best-selling parenting books (Simon & Schuster) and launched Mom Central, Inc. (www.MomCentral.com), a company devoted to providing savvy advice to simplify and enrich the lives of busy Moms and their families. Stacy appears as a regular parenting expert on national TV show, including NBC’s Today Show, CNN, The View, Tyra Banks Show, CBS’ Early Show, The Daily Buzz, Mike And Juliet, Fox & Friends, and the Rachael Ray Show. Stacy also serves as a corporate spokesperson, trendspotting for the media on behalf of over 30 national brands.

In the 1990’s, Stacy founded and ran as an attorney the Public Interest Office at Harvard Law School. Stacy lives with her husband, Ron, and happily engages in imperfect parenting of their two teens, Kyle and Brooks, in Boston, Massachusetts.