Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
if you park-hop to DCA. The walking, however, will be nothing like a 5-mile hike in
the woods. At Disneyland Park and DCA, you will be in direct sunlight most of the
time, navigate through huge jostling crowds, walk on hot pavement, and endure waits
in line between bursts of walking. The bottom line, if you haven't figured it out, is
that Disney theme parks (especially in the summer) are not for wimps!
Though most children are active, their normal play usually doesn't condition
them for the exertion of touring a Disney theme park. We recommend starting a pro-
gram of family walks six weeks or more before your trip. A Pennsylvania mom who
did just that offers the following:
We had our 6-year-old begin walking with us a bit every day one month before leav-
ing—when we arrived, her little legs could carry her and she had a lot of stamina.
A father of two had this to say:
My wife walked with my son to school every day when it was nice. His stamina was
outstanding.
A Riverside, Utah, dad forgot to train this year:
I think you really need to stress the importance of starting a walking regimen before
going to Disneyland. Last year we had a six-day hopper, and I started walking a
month ahead and ran around that place like a champ. This year I didn't walk much
at all and was worn out the first day, and we only had a five-day hopper!
The first thing you need to do, immediately after making your hotel reservation,
is to get thee to a footery. Take the whole family to a shoe store and buy each member
the best pair of walking, hiking, or running shoes you can afford. When trying on the
shoes, wear exactly the kind of socks that you will wear when using them to hike.
Do not under any circumstances attempt to tour Disneyland shod in plastic sandals,
cheap flip-flops, loafers, or any kind of high heel or platform shoe (though one of our
authors swears by high-quality leather sandals or river-rafting footwear, especially for
water rides).
unofficial
TIP
Be sure to give your kids adequate recovery time between training walks (48 hours
will usually be enough), however, or you'll make the problem worse.
Good socks are as important as good shoes. When you walk, your feet sweat like
amuleinapeatbog,andmoisture increases friction. Tominimize friction, wearapair
of SmartWool or CoolMax hiking socks, available at most outdoor retail (camping
