Disneyland

Disneyland is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the entire world. And with their being over 5 theme parks all alike spread across the world, it has become even more achievable for people to have a fun trip with their family here. However; not all know how to be able to plan their day at Disney to be the best and most successful day ever! As a self proclaimed Disneyland expert, I will take you through the steps you need follow in order to get everything done in your day to have the most magical experience. Disneyland has gone up in price tremendously over the past couple of years so it’s important to get the most out of your trip and money.

Vocabulary:

• Park Hopper: an upgraded ticket from that of general admission that allows you to visit both Disneyland Park and California Adventure Park back and forth as many times as you’d like within one day
• Max Pass: an upgraded ticket from that of general admission that allows you to reserve fast passes online instead of going to the ticket booth and typically come in larger quantities
• Fast pass: a physical ticket that will give you a specific time frame of when to come back to a particular ride so that you can be put into a shorter wait line. Can only be redeemed at booth
• Cast Member: any employee who works for the Disney Theme Parks

STEP #1: MAX PASS

As you are planning your trip, one of the biggest expenses you’ll come across is buying your park admission tickets. These can be expensive enough on your own; which is why a “park hopper” is not necessary but for the extra purchase of $20 a day, you can purchase a max pass. This will allow you to make more reservations throughout a day for any attraction you want and gives photo pass capabilities. Compared to that of the regular fast pass (which is free within the park), you will be able to make the reservations for a ride from anywhere in the park and simply just on your phone. A regular fast pass requires you to walk to the specific booth of the paticular, desires attraction and physically scan your ticket, which can be a huge detriment in your time. The max pass also allows you to access and share any picture you take throughout the park on your mobile device for free. These pictures are taken professionally by the Disneyland Cast Members and are set up all over the park at various, popular photoshoot opportunities.

My group and I taking advantage of the Max Pass feature

STEP #2: Plan, Plan, Plan

If you’re anything like the majority of people that visit Disneyland, you’re probably traveling pretty far to get there. Maybe a couple hour car drive, plane ride, or maybe just down the street. No matter what the distance, however, it is a necessary step to get your group all on board before you set foot into the park. If you walk through the gates and still haven’t decided what you’re going to have for dinner or what the first ride is going to be, you will continue to see these troubles coming up throughout the rest of your trip. In the drive or fly over, you should be discussing with your group what your top five rides will be to try and go on, what places you would like to eat at, if there are any characters you want to see, etc. Find what similarities are present within each group member’s response and begin to plan your day. Food reservations can be easily done on the phone up to 6 months in advance or by going to the Disneyland website. Once you compile your list of to-do’s for the park, be sure to write them down and stick to that order. It will also help if you can plan to reserve those paticular attractions or events with your Max pass because it will ensure that you get on the ride of your dreams in a timely manner. This will also ensure that there is no conflict within your group and no fighting about what to do next.

STEP #3: Walking

No matter what time of the year you visit, Disneyland will never see an open spot of the ground where a foot isn’t stepping. You want to make sure that you are, at the very minimum, maintaining a steady pace, if not fast walking. Otherwise you will get run over by a stroller, shoved out of the way, or get just plain stuck. By keeping a fast paced walk, people who want to move slower than you will naturally make their way out fo yours; creating your own pathway and shortcut in between lands. This not only saves time but also those steps that you’ll be getting plenty of throughout of the course of your trip.

STEP #4: Cast Member Help

No matter what, do not be hesitant to ask a cast member for directions, help, or anything at all. They’re trained very well at your job and solve just about any circumstance. If you’re nice enough one might grant you extra fast passes, pins, other gifts, or just really great piece of knowledge for your trip.

STEP #5: Know Your Limits

When crafting together your Disney trip, it is important to recognize that you are in fact human. Going all day from opening to closing isn’t the most realistic and it can actually have a negative tole on whatever you have planned for the next day. Before you even set foot through the door, it is important to know your body and mind and how far it can actually go. If you find yourself dragging along half way through the day, it may be time to head back to the hotel for a nap so that you can be rested up to spend the rest of your day there later. By knowing your limits, you will also be able to set realistic goals for what you want to get done instead of projecting too far above your limit and feeling disappointed.

STEP #6: Set a Budget

If you’re anything like me and a huge Disney junkie, you’ll be tempted to spend every ounce of your bank account until you’re in the negatives. However this can be very detrimental to the overall success of your trip. By setting a budget each day, you can ensure that you’re only buying what you really need and will actually wear, use, or keep as a collectors item. On my most recent trip, I found it way easier to already pre-plan/think of the items I knew I wanted to purchase and limit it to that only. That was it felt very satisfying to just get those things and I didn’t have to worry about fitting it back into my luggage afterwards. It is also important to know when to buy things. If the item is something you’re going to want to wear, then you can buy it whenever. If it is a more novelty item, look around first to see how many shops sell the items and you can simply grab it on the way out so you don’t have to carry it around with you all day. Most rides will not allow for more than a backpack sized luggage; so by waiting you’re saving yourself the trouble. By waiting until the end of the day, it will also ensure that that item is truly what you want and not just some spur of the moment purchase.

STEP #7: Do Your Research/Know Your Disney

If it’s your first time visiting the park or you just don’t know a lot about the culture of Disneyland, it is important to do some research. There are certain rides or areas that stay open longer than others, close down at points, or become more and less busy throughout the day. An example of this is Fantasyland; which quiets down a lot after the firework shows because it by then a lot of the little kids who would’ve rode those rides will be gone and they will have just opened them back up after the firework show. To help better understand, I have compiled a list of tips and tricks for knowing when to do what.

• Most popular rides of Disneyland Park: Indiana Jones, Matterhorn, anything in Star Wars Land, Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Peter Pan’s flight, and Splash Mountain (depending on the season) (All of these rides are good to go on first thing when the park opens or to use a max pass for).
• Most Popular rides of California Adventure Park: Guardians of the Galaxy Mission Breakout, Radiator Springs Racers, Incredicoaster, Toy Story Mania, Soarin’ Over the World, Mickey’s Fun Wheel, and Grizzley Rapid Ride (depending on the season) (All of these rides are good to go on first thing when the park opens or to use a max pass for).
• The Indiana Jones ride breaks down all the time, if you are in line and it breaks down, just stay in line, it will be back up in about 10 minutes
• It is a smart idea to go on rides during the shows such as the fireworks and Fantastic because most people will be watching the show (unless you want to watch it of course)
• Mickey’s Fun Wheel and the Incredicoaster both shut down during the World of Color show, however many don’t know that Toy Story Mania remains open
• If you are going to want to ride Peter Pan’s flight, do it right when the park opens, otherwise good luck!
• Don’t Visit the Starbucks on Main Street; you’ll be there for literal ages
• Ride Autotopia and The Submarine at night, nobody will be on it then
• The train is a great way to quickly get in between parts of the land and avoid the crowds. They drop off and pick up at Main Street USA, Toon Town, New Orleans Square, and Tomorrow Land
• Whatever the wait time off Pirates of the Caribbean says it is, it’s always wrong. It typically takes only about half the time they predict it takes to get through the line and onto the ride.
• NEVER, and I mean NEVER, walk through New Orleans Square and into Adventure Land or Frontier land while Fantasmic is happening. The crowds are narrowed down to a single person walkway and it will take forever.

STEP 8: Have Fun!

It’s Disneyland. Don’t ever let your failed plans or spilt Dole Whip get in the way of making the most out of the rest of the day. If for some reason not everything goes as planned, the weather is off, or whatever it might be, just go with the flow. Nothing too awfully bad can ever happen if you make a good enough effort to turn the day around

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Bonus Tip

TOP 7 TREATS OF DISNEYLAND

1. Dole Whip- Found in Adventure Land only, soft serve pineapple ice cream that tastes like heaven
2. Raspberry Macron- Found on Main Street only, fresh raspberries inside
3. Churro- Found everywhere and anywhere, specialty churros are my favorite, especially with dipping sauces
4. Nom Nom Cookies- Found only on Pixar Peer, super soft and gooey
5. Red Velvet Mickey Cake Pops- Found in about just any retail shop of Disney but best when bought from Pooh’s Corner, super moist
6. Carmel Apple- Also found anywhere but best when bought from the Emporium, I recommend the Minnie Mouse one.
7. “Everything in the Kitchen Sink Sundae”- Found only in Clarabelle’s Ice Cream Shop, two cookies, 4 scoops of ice cream and endless joy

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