Excited for your upcoming Disneyland trip? I’m excited for you. Disneyland can be so much fun, especially when you know what you’re doing. I have been to Disneyland about 30 times, and I certainly know a thing or two about navigating the theme park.
Hotels
Part of your Disney day will depend on your hotel. However, your hotel also depends on your budget. Hotels near Disneyland can be costly. The Grand California, the hotel directly next to the parks, costs around $700 a night. There are two other Disney-owned hotels near the parks: The Disneyland Hotel and Pixar Place Hotel. Both cost around $400 per night and are a five-minute walk to Downtown Disney.
I have two recommendations. If you are not on a tight budget, stay at a hotel just past the entrance on Harbor Boulevard. The hotels there cost around $200-$300 per night and are a 5-10-minute walk from the park. By staying at a hotel you can walk to, you can take a break in the middle of the day when it’s most busy, then go back at night.
If you are on a tight budget, stay at a hotel closer to the City of Orange. I usually stay at the Ayres Hotel. It costs a little over $100 per night. Instead of taking a bus or driving, I highly recommend taking an Uber. The last time I went, the Uber cost $15, including tip.
Attractions
Do you want to get the most out of your day? Then get there on time. Gates open at 7:30 am. The park opens at 8:00 am. Be there. Do not line up for coffee or breakfast. Eat before coming to the park or pack snacks. The best hours at the park are in the morning. You can not waste your time on anything except rides, at least for the first hour.
A couple of rides are often closed at rope drop: Indiana Jones and Rise of the Resistance. It’s not guaranteed they will be closed in the morning, but it’s happened enough that I have given up on going to those rides first. I recommend going to Space Mountain or Thunder Mountain instead. These rides are rarely closed at rope drop.
However, it’s worth noting that Thunder Mountain has two loading sides. Only one is open before 9:00 am. If you arrive after both sides open, the line will move quickly. You might even be able to do it twice before the rest of the park realizes the wait time is only 5 minutes.
Lightning Lane Passes
As much as I hate the new FastPass system, I recommend it if you don’t visit the parks often. I usually get the Multi Pass, which gives you one Lightning Lane per ride. It costs about $30 (it was $20 when the pass came out).
Try using your pass on rides with quick turnaround times. For example, if it was 10:00 am and I got a pass for Star Tours at 10:10 am, the second I used the pass, I could get a new one for a different ride. However, if it were 10:00 am and I got a pass for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at 1:00 pm, I wouldn’t be able to get a new pass until 12:00 pm.
Pro tip: get passes for rides that are closed down. When the rides you have a Lightning Lane for close, after a certain amount of time, you get a pass you can use on any ride. Sometimes there’s a catch that you can’t use it on a major ride, but it’s still worth it to get a free pass.
Food
You can not have a day at Disneyland without buying some food. Really, this is a preference. It’s hard for me to tell you what restaurants you will and will not like. However, if you’re ordering food in the park, I recommend choosing a restaurant with mobile ordering. The wait for food is almost as long as the wait for a ride. Order ahead on the Disneyland app. You do not need a Lightning Lane pass to use mobile ordering.
You can also eat at Downtown Disney. I recommend making a reservation first. The less time you have to wait for food, the better. Personally, I do not recommend eating dinner at Downtown Disney on the day you are in the parks. Usually, I go the night before, so I’m not spending time in the park on a long dinner.
Outfit
I have seen so many people wearing flip-flops to Disneyland. Don’t do it. Save your feet. You will be walking at least ten miles. Dress for the walk, not for the pride. I love wearing themed outfits, but I will never compromise on comfort. Wear your best tennis shoes and long shorts (I don’t care if you want to wear booty shorts; the chafing you will get isn’t worth it).
Have a Great Day
If you follow the tips I have given you, I can almost guarantee you will have a great day. Actually, you will have a great day no matter what. Just go with the flow. Not everything will go your way, and that’s okay. At the end of the day, you are at Disneyland, so nothing can be that wrong.
Featured image via John Tekeridis on Pexels
Thank you for sharing