hen my daughter was just three, my husband and I brought her to Disneyland for the very first time. We were so excited! As many of you know, Disneyland is wonderful but nothing compares to the first time you see it through the eyes of a little child. We were so looking forward to experiencing the Magic Kingdom with her!

e thought about the trip for weeks, making sure everything was “just so” and debating how we were going to show Caitlyn everything we wanted to. When we arrived at the Paradise Pier Hotel (then the Pacific) and settled in for the night, we discussed how the morning should go. Should we go in by the monorail or tram? Should we have breakfast here or there? What time should we go? What should we do first?

he decisions were important, because that first magical trip was not only about seeing, but about staging. Those first glimpses of Disneyland would remain with her always and we wanted them to be perfect! So, it was easy to decide that:

e would eat breakfast at the hotel because otherwise we would be able to get an excited little girl to sit down to eat once we got in the park.

e would go as early as possible, so Caitlyn could see better from the stroller though a lighter crowd.

e would of course go through the front gate! Taking the monorail would have been fun, but since it drops you right into the park, the magic and wonder that comes from the “unveiling” would have been a bit lost.

oing through the front was important. The entrance to Disneyland is so wonderfully crafted to guide you from the “real world” to “Walt’s World” that is an experience all by itself. (It also creates a nice lead-in for a small child who runs the risk of being totally overwhelmed at any given time.) When we cleared the turnstile, we lingered for a moment at the landscaped Mickey shaped flower bed. “Look Caitlyn, there’s Mickey!” we exclaimed. “Ohhh!” she said with her little mouth in a round “O.” We then crossed under the train trestle and she saw Minnie Mouse just on the other side. She was ecstatic, and leapt from her stroller to get her very first autograph. It was priceless. Two years and six trips later, we always go in the front gate on the first day of our trip.

he next question was, “What should we do first.” Like so many other things in life, we do for our children what we cherished as children. For both Tom and I, that was to ride the train first. Riding the Disneyland Railroad around the park was a tradition from both our families that we wanted to continue. The trains are simply beautiful and we wanted to take Caitlyn all the way around the park so she could get some idea of what Disneyland was like and all there was to see. I could hardly watch the sights go by because watching her face was so much fun! Several of our readers have the same love of riding the train first:

very time I went with my family as a child, we rode the Railroad first. When I brought my own children, I would always take them on the Railroad first.”

—S.G.V.

For Mr. M, it is not as frequent:

raditions are what make Disneyland such a special place. However, when you get married, “negotiating” which traditions will continue on can be a difficult and sometimes painful process. It was just like merging Christmas traditions. As a child, the first ride was always a train ride around the “Happiest Place on Earth.” But this was a tradition that ended after I got married. My wife didn't think it needed to be EVERY time we went to the park. I tried to reinstate the tradition when we had kids, but to my dismay, my kids don't think it needs to be the first ride each time either. (SIGH)

You can come ride with us anytime!!

hen you enter the park, you see the beautiful train pull into the station and announce its arrival and destination. I just have to get on it! I know exactly where it is going because I have been there so many times before, but it still beckons with a sense of adventure! And with every ride, you see a little something that you didn't see before.”

—J.L.

fter the train ride and the return to Main Street U.S.A. comes the negotiation of the first ride. Some like to linger on Main Street for their first attraction:

We always start our Disneyland visit by viewing “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.”

—W.N.

iven my option, I would like to ride slowly down Main Street in one of the cars or on the horse drawn trolly, just taking in the sights, and then disembarking at Sleeping Beauty’s Castle to look at the gateways to each of the lands and decide which is calling to me the most. This depends on whether or not we have a stroller with us (which at this stage in our lives is almost always) and so it has become a special treat.

n that first trip with our daughter, there was no debate as to what ride would be first: Dumbo, Dumbo, Dumbo. The brochures Caitlyn had seen of Disneyland before we arrived all had Dumbo in them, so she was thinking about Dumbo for days. She was talking about Dumbo for days. She made a point of watching Dumbo several times before we left for Southern California. It was all Dumbo, all the time. Her actual first ride on Dumbo was delightful. She picked a pink clad elephant and squealed with glee as it carried her and Daddy around and around. She rode Dumbo several times that trip. She had to ride it with each person and each ride had to be in a different color. By the time the trip was over, she had ridden pink Dumbo with Daddy, purple Dumbo with Uncle Jamie, yellow Dumbo with big brother William, blue Dumbo with Mommy and orange Dumbo with Uncle Jamie’s friend Audrey. I was really worried that this was going to be a regular tradition, but during our last visit Dumbo was only ridden twice, (whew!). But, Dumbo isn’t for everyone.

"I always start on Pirates!”

—H.A.

My kinda guy!

And others like to take turns choosing which ride to do first. I just love this family tradition:

e would take the freeway to get to Disneyland, and as we merged to exit, one of us would always say, ‘First person to see the Matterhorn decides which ride to go on first!’ You can imagine the necks maneuvering and the eyes straining to catch that first glimpse! In the past year, I have had the immense joy of sharing Disneyland with my husband. I can’t wait to share it with our children! Someday, I hope to have three generations of Disneyland-goers piled into an old VW bus, all of us yelling out, ‘First person to see the Matterhorn gets to decide which ride to go on first!”

—K.F.

I would love to hear your family's Disney traditions, please drop me a line at either:

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— Allison