CHAPTER SIX: A Magical Experience as a Disney Mom
Plus Five Tips for Theme Parks with a Toddler
I try to create more than I consume, but I’m also a human living in a capitalist society, and nostalgia is one of the top five emotions operating the metaphorical control panel of my brain at all times.
For nearly a decade, I worked as a designer for The Walt Disney Company in Creative Marketing, creating work across television, products, experiences, and resorts. Most of those years were spent in Southern California, where “research” often meant spending a day at their theme parks. Between project deadlines and seasonal overlays, I fell in love with the immersive worlds Disney painstakingly curates through storytelling.
When we left Los Angeles during the pandemic, I bid adieu to my favorite place, knowing it wouldn’t be the same when we returned.
Six years later, we’re the Farris Family 2.0 and this time, we brought our rambunctious, “Full Throttle” (FT) toddler along for the ride.
There is something uniquely magical about watching your child discover a place you’ve known for years.
For adults and seasoned park veterans, Disneyland can become a checklist but for a two-year-old, it’s all a wonderland of color, music, and larger-than-life characters.
FT spent much of the trip confidently identifying every character that we recognized, shouting names across pathways and pointing enthusiastically at princesses dressed in sparkles.
She gave giant hugs to Mickey, Minnie, Chip n’ Dale, and Pluto.
She handed me pieces of orange while walking down Main Street.
She rode the Disneyland Railroad with wide eyes filled with delight as we went though tunnels.
We got her first lightsaber.
Watching her experience these things made Disneyland feel new again.
5 Tips for Disneyland with a Two-Year-Old
1. Prep With Books Before You Go
One of the best things we did happened months before the trip.
We found a series of beautifully designed board books called Block Books at a local new-and-used bookstore, including Disney and Star Wars editions. Reading them beforehand gave FT names for characters, attractions, and stories to be encountered in the parks.
When we recognized Elsa, Anna, Mickey, Darth Vader, and Daisy Duck in real life, the experience felt familiar rather than overwhelming, and the parks became a giant storybook.
2. Pick One Must-Do Per Day
This may be the most important advice on the list.
Choose one thing each day that truly matters, everything else is icing on the cake.
Our loose plan was to see Anna and Elsa from Disney’s Frozen for the aforementioned Elsa-obsessed toddler, on day one. So, for the first time (in for)ever, we rope dropped* a character meet-and-greet. We deviated from the plan when we learned Elsa wouldn’t be there for another hour, but we ended up wandering and exploring paths we had never seen before, and still ended up with a wonderful interaction and almost no line.
When your expectations are realistic, Disneyland gets a lot more magical.
*Theme park vernacular meaning to be there when the Cast Members drop the rope and officially open the parks (or parts of park) to patrons.
3. Make at least One Dining Reservation
Rather than chasing random character sightings throughout the park, we booked a character dining experience. This reservation gave us multiple character interactions without spending half the day waiting in lines as well as a buffet of delicious food.
Toddlers thrive on a little structure, even in magical places. Parents do too. One or more dining reservations give a predictable break, air conditioning, and of course, delicious food.
4. Factor in Naps, Siestas, and Water
For the Star Wars fans, Galaxy’s Edge is incredible. From the food to the music, the theming is on point. However, it is also hot, crowded, loud, and not exactly designed around toddler energy levels after a too-short stroller nap.
We learned quickly that every ambitious park day needed downtime built into it.
Whether that’s a hotel break to cool off in the pool/splash pad, train ride, or snack break in the shade, schedule recovery time before anyone needs it.
Sometimes the best attraction is a bench and an apple juice.
5. Practice Not Buying Everything
Before the trip, we practiced a lot of looking at toys versus buying toys.
Not because we don’t enjoy souvenirs, but because we’re intentional with our buying and every gift shop is designed to showcase stuffed characters, bubble wands, and other plastic trinkets. In lieu of buying everything she touched, we practiced putting back toys, hugged a few character stuffies, and waved “‘bye” to them. Setting expectations early saved us from a surprising number of meltdowns.
And when we did choose something special (aka. a “Blue Lightsaber”), it actually felt special.
Bonus: Make Time for the Parents too!
One lesson that extends beyond Disneyland: Parents deserve magic too.
On our last night, we intentionally carved out a little Disney magic for ourselves. My husband took the first shift after bedtime so I could watch my favorite parade, Paint the Night, with two of my best friends who had joined our day. When I returned to the hotel, we swapped places, and he headed back to Galaxy's Edge before park close for one last ride on Smuggler’s Run: a perfect ending for both of us.
This trip wasn’t better than the previous Disneyland experiences of my twenties and early-thirties; it was richer, slower, more meaningful. Because instead of seeing the park through the eyes of a designer, a fan, or even a former Cast Member, I got to see it through the eyes of a two-year-old who had conversations about ice cream with Anna and Elsa, and wrapped their arms around a life-size Mickey Mouse. And that’s probably the most magical version of Disneyland I’ve ever experienced.
Such cute pictures! Sounds like you all had such a magical time 💕
Watching FT start her own special Disney memories must be so surreal and so fun ☺️