Disneyland Tip Sheet
Jonathan and Shannon Nay
Updated April 2018
About
Us
We have visited Disneyland Resort together now 10 times!
Nine of those times have been after getting married in August of 2012. We both
love Disney and the parks so much. So much that one of our visits was a 24 hour
day to kick of Summer of 2014. Yep, 6am to 6am. Was it the best thing ever?
YES! Will we do it again? NO! We are from Salt Lake City, UT and try to make a
visit at least once a year but often more. Disclaimer:
although we have one, we have NOT been to the parks with kids. We plan too,
well maybe. We know that having kids in the park makes a big difference in the
way we know Disneyland and although we act like kids we aren’t kids! Just remember
that in reading our tips. It is truly one of our happy places where we have had
the best memories. We wish the same for you! Thanks for reading and happy Disney-ing!
Planning
Your Visit
In recent years Disneyland has become unpredictable when
peak and slow times will be. What was once a slow time has proven to be quite
busy so it is hard to know when is the best time to visit. When it’s slow there
is a lot less waiting but often more attractions down for refurbishments and
updates. When it’s busy there is a lot more crowds and waiting but most, if not
all, attractions will be open. Throughout the year there are festivities and
decorations for holidays and events that add more magic as well. We found the
best way to pick when to go is to use online crowd calendars. People who know
the park well have broke down the calendar to best guess slow, moderate and
busy days according to the holidays and events going on. We just google
“Disneyland crowd calendar” but here are a couple we have used
: isitpacked.com and
undercovertourist.com.
Weekdays will be slower than weekends the majority of the time.
Even if the only time you can go is
busy – we got you covered! It can still (and will) be a magical trip! Take a
look at the calendars and see what best suits your party. Do you want slow?
Busy? Hot? Cooler? Christmas? Halloween? Star Wars Land Opening Day? That last
one you might want to run from.
Overall, the slowest times to go will be mid-September
and mid-Janurary to March before Spring Break begins. The busiest will be
summer especially Fourth of July weekend, the entire holiday season and March
to mid-April during Spring Break.
*When you plan your trip may affect the cost
of tickets and hotel. Single day tickets are priced based on the day you go and
hotels will be more expensive at peak times. Sometimes even moving your trip by
one day can make a difference on your wallet. As we always say, “That’s another
churro!”
Tickets
Getawaytoday.com
is our first and best recommendation. They will always have discounted tickets.
They will usually be $5 off a ticket but often offer bigger discounts
throughout the year including adults and kids prices. They also bundle full
packages for your vacation including hotel, flight, transportation and other
theme park tickets to make it easier for you and at a slightly lower cost. We
have only used the hotel and theme park ticket portion. Take a look around the
website and see what they can do for you! They are wonderful and easy to work
with.
Parksavers.com offers
discounted tickets, usually $10 off an adult ticket. We have not used this site
personally but have heard great things from other people. It looks like they
also offer vacation packages so try out this site as well to compare.
Disneyland.com
is obvious but also an option and your only option for Annual Passes. They will
never have discounted tickets but if you are looking for certain tickets that
the other two websites don’t offer this will be your go-to. You also can
purchase tickets and Annual Passes right at the park.
*We prefer the 3-Day Park Hopper ticket.
Park hopping can make the most of your day and three days is a good amount of
time to fit everything in and more. However, a cheaper option is to do a one
park per day pass. See which ticket best suits your trip.
Hotel/Lodging
Our biggest tip here would be to stay within walking
distance of the parks! This saves you time and hassle of more steps to go to and
from. When booking your stay check the distance between there and the parks. We
stay at hotels with a distance of approximately 0.5 miles away which is about a
15 minute walk. This may vary depending on where the hotel is due to traffic
lights and tram usage.
These are the lodging options we recommend:
Hotels.com is worth
looking into. This is where we look first if GetAwayToday didn’t have hotels we
liked or didn’t beat this pricing. You can use filters to break down exactly
where you want to stay, price points, ratings and more. They are often priced
lower than booking through the actual hotel and some offer promo codes to make
it even cheaper. They also have a rewards program to earn free nights. The
hotels we have stayed at have let us check-in early or even take our bags if we
have flown in and don’t have a place to put them. Call and see if they offer
extras like that!
*Quality Inn
Anaheim at the Park has been one of our favorites we have used multiple times.
It has gotten more expensive the past couple years but it does have breakfast
and the staff have been very good to us including letting us check-in early or
letting us drop off luggage. This is now a 20 minute walk because they don’t
let you enter through the Grand California Hotel anymore, but still a good
option.
Airbnb and VRBO
are sites are for people to rent out their homes, properties or even just
specific rooms. These are great options for any size group, especially larger
ones. If they have kitchens you can cook your own meals and have plenty of beds
or couches for sleeping arrangements. These
will not be within a comfortable walking distance so plan on driving over and
parking. It is $20/vehicle/day.
Travel
Traveling to Disneyland will completely depend on where
you live or how you are getting there. So we have two small tips –
Driving: We
love driving through the night but it isn’t for everyone. Alternate with other
adults as needed to get rest and hopefully the kids sleep the whole time. It
will also save you on an extra nights hotel stay. We usually get about four
hours of sleep each and then have enough energy (or adrenaline) to get through
the first day in the parks. That first day we might leave a little earlier to
get a good night’s rest then.
Flying: If you
fly we recommend using Google Flights as it will show the cheapest airlines,
days and flights in one place. Bonus: if you live in SLC, follow
@flightsfromhome on Instagram. She finds great deals to flights everywhere and
gives you all the details.
Disneyland
App
This will be your best friend! Download it to your phone
right now and make an account if you haven’t already. It can be a great guide
for planning your day. This holds a lot of information to help make your trip
go smoothly. Some of the things it shares:
-
Map of the parks
-
Character locations and times for meet ups
-
Ride locations, wait times and status
-
Restaurant locations and your reservations
-
Park hours and show times
-
Park tickets, MaxPass and PhotoPass
Keep this on hand as you will use it a lot. It is very
user friendly but if you have trouble ask a Cast Member and they will be happy
to help. (Ask Cast Members for ANY help you might need. They know everything
and are everywhere!)
FastPasses
Many of the attractions at Disneyland Resort will have
two lines: a regular standby line and then a FastPass line. The FastPass line
offers guests with reserved tickets to skip a majority of the standby line to
reduce your wait time by a large portion. Every FastPass comes with a specific
hour window during the day to return and use it. Once you have used it or
reached a certain time you are allowed another FastPass. You can do this as
many times during the day until they are gone.
All guests with a park ticket have the ability to receive FastPasses.
There are two different ways to do so.
Digital FastPass:
This way has no extra cost and works from your park ticket or annual pass. You
use it by scanning it at the FastPass machines located near the attraction of
your choice. You will receive a reminder ticket giving you a window of time to
return and a time when you can reserve another FastPass. This ticket is just a
reminder. When you get back in line your park ticket will be scanned once or
twice to let you access the line.
MaxPass: This
has an added cost of $10/person/day and will work directly from your Disneyland
app. They are the same FastPasses as the digital way it is just a more
convenient way to access them. In the app you can choose which park and
attraction you want to reserve a FastPass for. Once reserved and back in line,
you will scan the barcode right from your phone. You can keep multiple members
of your party on one app to make it easier. MaxPass also includes PhotoPass for
the day. Anytime you get your picture taken by photographers around the parks,
they will scan your barcode so they save in your app. Download these photos to
your phone or computer by the date given and they are yours forever! Don’t
forget to add in ride photos as well!
We 100% recommend the MaxPass. We have saved so much
time, walking and waiting by reserving FastPasses as soon as we can by just a
click of a button from anywhere in either park. It keeps our day moving
seamlessly! See if the MaxPass is worth it for you. If you don’t plan to ride
the attractions that have a FastPass option you might be interested in having
free photos of your party. In that case just have one of you buy the MaxPass to
get the pictures and share them later so you only pay once.
*On Disneyland.com it will show you what
rides offer FastPasses at the resort.
*FastPasses for shows like World Of Color
and Fantastmic! work differently. An actual ticket will always print for these,
do not lose them! You can have other FastPasses while having these.
Planning
Your Day
You are spending A LOT of money by vacationing at
Disneyland so make sure you do whatever you want however you want. Everyone
goes at different paces and likes different parts. However, I will share how we
get the most out of our trips without getting too tired, waiting too long and
getting overcrowded by other guests. If any of your guests aren’t fans of
Disneyland due these issues, we are fairly confident our way will change their
minds.
Wake up early!
We all know Disneyland isn’t a relaxing vacation so get up and be at the gate
before park opening! 30 minutes has been recommended to us but we have only
done that a few times. Even on the busiest days, you will get so many
attractions done and out of the way before it gets too crowded and hot. Refer
to disneylanddaily.com for her breakdown of her days at both parks with or
without Magic Morning hour. It is incredibly detailed and helpful for those
that don’t go often and don’t understand which rides have higher wait times.
*Magic Morning is a perk offered to guests
with a 3-day Park Hopper or more. You can access Disneyland an entire hour
earlier than others – this is huge! Again, be there 30 minutes prior to make
the most of this hour. FastPasses may even be starting to distribute at this
time. However, Fantasyland and Tomorrowland are the ONLY land open for this
hour so add that into your plan.
Always have a
FastPass! This is how we get so many attractions done. We mentioned above how the FastPasses work
and the important part is AS SOON as you can get another FastPass, do it! Since
we use the MaxPass we check our app to see what time to return to the ride OR
what time we can get another FastPass because sometimes it is sooner. For
example: Radiator Springs Racers is a VERY popular ride. The FastPasses will be
gone around noon each day. So even if you get to the park at opening but you
don’t get your FastPass until an hour in, your time frame might be 6-7pm that
evening! Because of this long waiting period you will be able to reserve
another FastPass around 11am and then you can keep moving along with your day.
This is the most extreme example but very realistic for the parks at peak
times. Other rides times will be much closer to the time you reserve the
FastPass. By keeping track of when you can get another FastPass down to even
the minute, will keep your day moving smoothly! Why? Because you aren’t waiting
in the longer standby lines. The sooner you pull a FastPass, the sooner you
ride the attraction and can pull another one. And then another. And another. We
rarely EVER wait in standby lines for rides that have a FastPass option.
(Screamin’ California was the only exception but it is now closed. We will see
how the new coaster does.)
Lunch at Noon! Eating
lunch around this time has really worked for us lately. Since we get to the park so
early we are definitely ready to eat at this point. Because most guests
don’t get there until later they aren’t going to eat until later in turn
meaning less waits for you while they eat and you have a full tummy. Make
sense? Just tryin’ to keep us all happy and not hangry! This means shorter
lines to get your food and plenty of shaded areas to sit and eat. This usually
isn’t a long break but is a nice resting point since we have done so much all
morning.
*Again, the mornings are your golden time to
get in as many rides as you can. It is also perfect for getting pictures taken
– less crowds and better lighting. Do it for the ‘gram!
Take an afternoon
break! Around 2pm the heat may start to seem unbearable, the crowds will
have doubled and those little kids will think they can’t walk another step. Now
is a good time to recharge. Don’t be scared to stop! You aren’t wasting time.
You have done a lot in the parks already and you have your FastPasses and a
plan for the evening. It will be far more enjoyable if everyone gets in a quick
rest to take on the rest of the day. One option is to go back to your hotel. This will be easier if you are in
walking distance and super easy if you stay on the resort. Go back and take a
swim, eat lunch, take a nap, whatever! It is worth that 15 minute walk and you
can be back at the park by 5-6pm with a whole evening left to enjoy. If you
don’t want to leave the park you can just get out of the sun by attending a
show. Most will last close to an hour and may even be air conditioned. One of
our favorite spots is the Animation Studio in California Adventure. There are
small but fun activities for all ages (We LOVE the Animation Academy) or you
can sit and watch Disney video clips. Pull out your snack bag or take a nap,
either way you will feel much better when it is time to go out again.
See the parades
and shows! And wait to get a good spot! A lot of time and money go into
these shows so they are worth seeing. You won’t see anything like this outside
of Disney. Take the time to wait to get front row so you aren’t stressed about
not being able to see over people, especially the kiddos. These parades and
shows are pretty extravagant so we have another section specific to them.
Please see below.
*Another option would be to do rides during
the shows for less wait time.
Stay until close!
Alright this might be for only a select few but if you have the energy it is a
great time to get in a lot of rides with shorter waits since people leave after
the shows and when kids get tired.
Food
Although Disneyland has some very yummy treats and food,
we know it is pricey! Have somewhat of a plan for what you want to buy and what
you want to bring in. We like having a hotel that offers free breakfast so
there is one meal we don’t have to purchase. We also bring plenty of snacks
into the park to fill us up when needed. Here is some of our favorite park food
and snack to bring in.
Disneyland:
-
Corn Dogs at Stage Door Café or Main Street Cart
-
Mint Juleps and beignets at the Mint Julep Bar
-
Bread bowls in New Orleans Square
-
Churros (at multiple food carts)
-
Dole Whips at the Tiki Hut
-
Skewers at Bengal BBQ
-
Ice cream on Main Street
California Adventure:
-
Corn Dogs as Corn Dog Castle
-
Flo’s Café (always seating available and air
conditioned, a good place to take a break)
-
Chili Cone Queso at Cozy Cone Motel
-
Bread bowls at Pacific Wharf
-
Shmoozies
-
Pasta at Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta
-
Ghirardelli’s
Both parks: caramel apples,
chocolate covered pineapple, sugar cookies, churros, turkey legs.
*You can get free
water cups at any food place.
Outside snacks:
-
Beef jerky
-
Dried mangos
-
Nutter butter bites
-
Rice Krispies
-
Almonds
-
Sweet Tart balls
-
Fruit leather
-
Granola bars
*Anything that won’t melt or crush in your
bag. Otherwise keep it in your stroller or locker. If it needs to be kept cold
you can bring in a small cooler to keep with your items.
*We pack ziplock bags to portion out the
snacks that aren’t individually wrapped like beef jerky.
These lists could
go on and on. There is a variety of different foods so look on the website or
app ahead of time to get a better idea of what you will want. Kids especially
can share meals to save money. If you are in walking distance it is really easy
to have lunch back at your hotel with some sandwiches. We have heard great
things about the table service restaurants but haven’t personally used them. Food
is one of our favorite things about Disney so definitely buy a few things!
Your
Park Bag
Disneyland Resort is a very bag friendly park. You are
able to take it on any ride. Seriously, on every single ride. Since you have a
long day at the park, making sure to pack the essentials and then some will be
so helpful. Here are some of our must-haves:
-
Water Bottles
-
ID, cards, cash
-
Cell phones and portable charger
-
GoPro camera
-
Hand sanitizer, lotion, chapstick, goldbond
-
Outside snacks
-
Sunglasses
-
Medications
-
Ponchos (if there is a chance of rain)
-
Bandaids (each park has a First Aid station but
having some right where you are is nice)
-
Ziplock bags for protecting phones and wallets
from getting wet if needed
If you have a stroller you can store items in there. We
have also rented lockers (small for $7/day). These are great for things you
don’t want to carry around all day like jackets and extra layers when the
evenings get cold or even a small cooler for other food you brought.
Shows
and parades
We are suckers for the shows. They are truly magical and
give you all the feels. We feel it is worth it for you to take the time to see
these shows and that it will make your trip that much better. We have listed a
breakdown of the bigger shows but know that there are many more at the park.
The app will show every single one.
Daytime:
Pixar Play Parade
– This is now in Disneyland. The parade route goes from It’s a Small World down
to Town Square. Finding a seat about an hour before will give you front row and
in the shade. The benches will go first but there will still be seating along
any curb. Not as comfortable but it’s a seat! This is a fun parade filled with
your favorite Pixar characters, gymnastics and maybe even a spray of water. We
are hoping they kept the theme song because it is awesome.
Frozen – This
live show goes on at the Hyperion Theatre in California Adventure four times a
day. This one is the best if you can get on the lowest level. If you get there
an hour early you should be on the first level. The later you are the higher
your seats will be since that’s how they load. On slow days you can get there
15 minutes before and get up close just fine. This show has a lot of technology
updates that are super fun. This is a completely air conditioned room for an
entire hour. Worth it.
Disney Junior
Dance Party! – We have never done this but we hear it is a kid’s dream.
Nighttime: (If
there are two show times for these shows, the later will have less people)
World Of Color
– is located in California Adventure. This show requires a FastPass which you
can get at the carts between Ariel’s Undersea Adventure and Grizzly Bear River
Run. We recommend returning a half hour before the return time printed on your
ticket for the best seats on busier days. Guests will start gathering around
their designated zone to get in line first so when the ropes open they can get
front row. There are a few options for seating depending on the color zone you
get. For yellow we like the wet zone! This is right up against the water with a
super close view at the show but you will get wet! Other options would be to go
to any level above that and get front row up against the railings. This way you
still get a front row view since you are higher up but won’t get wet. For blue
we recommend the bridge to the pier. Find a spot up against the railing and you
are golden. It is far enough away you won’t get wet at all and it is at an
angle where the show is pointed towards you! A Cast Member once told us the
Imagineers made the show with this spot in mind. Another spot is to go down up
front for the other side of the wet zone. We haven’t watched from here but
would assume it is similar. You can sit down while you wait but they will have
you stand for the actual show.
Fantasmic! –
is located in Disneyland on the Rivers of America. This used to be my favorite
show to watch and wait for until they changed the seating arrangements. This
show you will need a FastPass and those are distributed by the Mark Twain
Riverboat. This is where you will return for the show. The audience is in a
half circle shape for this show and those with FastPasses get the ends of the
half circle to stand and watch the show. The entire middle portion is set aside
for those with dining packages for the show. They also get to sit the entire
time. They are awesome seats but you have to pay for your spot. Instead, we
have found that if we show up again about an hour before the show, we can find
a spot on up against the railing on the bridge above Pirates of the Caribbean.
You are high enough where anyone walking won’t be in your way and it pretty
centered on the show. Again you can sit down and wait there and stand up when
the show begins.
Fireworks –
are in Disneyland. They sometimes get cancelled due to windy conditions. The
best places to watch are in front of the castle or by It’s a Small World. With
the special Pixar Fest fireworks in summer of 2018, in front of the castle or
even down Main Street will be the best because they will add projections onto the
castle or other attractions. And we are sure they will have something flying
over the castle!
Paint The Night
Parade – is now over in California Adventure. This is our absolute
favorite! We have yet to see it in all its new glory but hopefully the magic
and fun is all the same if not more. This parade route will most likely go from
Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout up past Carthay Circle and ending
near or past Goofy’s Sky School. We have only watched the former Pixar Play
Parade here and we sat on the curb/sidewalk somewhere between Carthay Circle
and Bug’s Land but with our backs up against Grizzly Bear River Run. I’m not
sure how they will have the watching areas set up but the earlier you get a
seat the better it will be. Most likely you will get to sit for the entire
thing if you get up front. We have waited for front row seats for this parade
for two hours. Two! We hang around the area until people start saving spots and
then take our seats.
If want to get good spots like us, the earlier the
better. It does take some waiting so be prepared. This is when one of us saves
the spot and the other runs to get some yummy treats to snack on. We also play
games to make the time pass like Head’s Up on our phones. We also just enjoy
sitting down because by this point your legs, feet and whole body might be
aching real bad! Plus you get to people watch. Who doesn’t like people
watching?!
*If this plan doesn’t work out for you
(probably just due to massive amounts of people or unforeseen circumstances)
don’t get discouraged. You are still about to see an amazing show! We just
prefer waiting so we don’t have people shoving their way past us or having
anyone in our line of site. We paid a lot of money to be here, we want the best
show!
Kids
Like we mentioned
before, we have never done the parks with kids but Disneyland is known for
being so kid/baby friendly. There are a couple things we know will help out
your trip with little ones.
Baby Center. In Disneyland there is a building with so
many things to help with babies! Changing tables, high chairs, nursing room, a
fridge, microwave, etc. It also has a shop for things you might need. Yes, a
lot of these things you can do out and about at the park or even in the
restroom but sometimes it is nice to give you and those babies a break out of
the crowds and with air conditioning!
Rider Switch. This is a pass for your party to use if
there are members who can’t ride certain attractions – like kids who are too
short. It allows half of your party to wait to go on the ride and then the
other half to go through a shorter line after so someone is always waiting with
the kids but everyone can ride that wants to. Check with the Cast Members at
the attraction to see if they do rider switch.
Added
Magic
Here are some extra things that might make your trip more
magical!
-
Wear Mouse ears
-
Get a button from City Hall in Town Square
(First visit, anniversary, birthday, etc.)
-
Get recipes to all Disneyland Resort food also
at City Hall
-
Laugh at the Jungle Cruise jokes no matter how
cheesy
-
Stop to watch the band play - they are good!
-
Get pictures taken with characters! We don’t
care how old you are, give Mickey Mouse a hug!
-
Chase card holders – if you have a Disney
debit/credit card you get a personal Meet n’ Greet with a mystery character
over in California Adventure (over by Monster’s Inc) between 10:30am and
1:30pm. If you have a Star Wars card you get the same thing with a mystery Star
Wars character over at the Star Wars Launch Bay in Disneyland.
What’s
Going On at Disneyland Resort?
Pixar Fest
starts April 13, 2018 and ends September 3, 2018. This is Disneyland Resorts
summer party with the Pixar Play parade, Paint the Night parade, special
activities and added themed food items for the duration of this time. It is
unknown if the parades will stick around after Pixar Fest is over. Our fingers
are crossed over here!
Pixar Pier
opens June 23, 2018 and is there to stay permanently. What used to be Paradise
Pier will now be transformed with Pixar movie décor and themed rides.
Bug’s Land is
on its way to being replaced with more Marvel attractions. The theatre is
already shut down and the remainder of the land will shut down after summer.
Star Wars Land
is set to open in 2019. This 14 acre addition is highly anticipated. Our guess
is high (if not record breaking) crowds to visit during this time. We are
hoping just the land is crowded and the rest of the park and California
Adventure empties out some.
Odds
and Ends
The tip we tell people the most: Disneyland is expensive.
It just is. Yes, there are ways to save for your trip so do them! Save wherever
you can! But overall just know, expect and budget with that in mind and you
will have more fun. Is this churro worth $4? No, but we are going to eat it
anyway. With that being said, we NEVER
recommend going into debt to go on vacation including Disneyland. It isn’t
worth it! But that isn’t what you are here for and we aren’t your parents so do
whatever you want.
We know this is so much information. We also know some of
this information won’t apply to you or there is other information you need. You
can always email us at
shannon.nay@hotmail.com
and we will try and find the answers for you if we don’t know OR call
Disneyland directly. They are nice to work with and a wealth of knowledge. You can also follow us on
Instagram @naysbaby for more
tips, updates and adventures. They are nice to work with and a wealth of
knowledge.
We hoped this helped you plan your trip. We know
Disneyland is a lot to take on. There are still things we have yet to do and
try out. We will keep going back and updating this page.
With
Mickey hugs and magic fairy dust,
Jonathan
and Shannon Nay
