Disneyland Tips for Planning A Magical Vacation

Disneyland is said to be one of the most magical places on earth.  Read on to see tips for planning your Disneyland vacation. 

 All images in this post courtesy of Dreams Time Photos unless otherwise specified

Disneyland sounds like so much fun in theory right?  Rides, food, games, and magical characters based on fairy tales from childhood.  Little do our kids know how much planning goes into pulling off such a fun trip!

We have never been to Disneyland in Aniheim, CA before and are currently in the planning stages.  (Shhh, don’t tell my kids, they don’t know)  In order to put together the best trip possible, I asked my amazing followers on Instagram to share with me all of their best tips for doing Disneyland.  As a result, I am now eyeballs deep in suggestions!  So many little details go into making sure no stone is left unturned.

Don’t worry, as promised, I have put together an organized list of all the information I gathered from so many helpful people who have actually been to Disneyland before and had a great time!

*Disclaimer, I have not actually been to Disneyland.  All of the information below is from other people (a few that I know personally but the majority that I have never met) who have been to Disneyland.  These people graciously shared their experiences with me, both positive and negative.  As you read the information below, please keep this fact in mind and proceed in your own planning with caution.  However, I do trust that this information will be helpful and I am using it as a guide to plan our own trip.

One last disclaimer, when planning specific dates, make sure to check the Disneyland calendar before you go for special events that may close down the parks on random days.

Here are some helpful tips I’ve gathered for planning a trip to Disneyland.  I’ve listed everything below in alphabetical order for easy reference.

DISNEYLAND AIRPORTS- Map out all of these listed below on your favorite traffic app an decide which one looks best for your family based on flight times, price, and connections.

• LAX-34 miles from Disney

  • A lot of people have very strong opinions about this airport. They say that the traffic is horrible and it’s a mad house because it’s such a large airport.  However, there are A LOT more flight options from here and more direct flights.  For our family in particular, we are weighing the choice between changing planes with a 2 year old and possibly being delayed or missing a connections plus an additional take-off and landing, or sitting in traffic with a 2 year old.  Decisions….decisions!

• Long Beach Airport-22 miles from Disney

  • Smaller airport and supposedly less traffic but less direct flight options

• John Wayne Airport-13 miles from Disney

  • Smaller airport and supposedly less traffic but less direct flight options

• Ontario- 35 miles from Disneyland

  • Smaller airport, supposedly less traffic but less direct flight options

Image from Mickeyvisit.com

DISNEYLAND APP- EVERYONE says to download the Disneyland App at the beginning of your planning to familiarize yourself with the features and to help with research.

• Tells you wait times for rides

• Ride height requirements

• Allows you to order food and pick up

• Virtual map

• Parade times

• Shows

• Dining reservations

• Fast passes for rides

• Parent Swap & Single Rider Option

  • Usually shorter lines

  • Allows parents to swap out kids and cut the line the second time around (Single rider good for radio springs racer car)

• Park Hopper Ticket

  • Allows you to go back and forth between the 2 parks in one day

• MAX PASS-

  • $15 per person/per day

  • Allows you to ride 3x as many rides

  • Enables you to get fast pass from phone multiple times a day

  • Gives you access to all pictures in digital version from the day

Image from Crazy for Crust

DISNEYLAND FOOD- use the app for order pick up!

• Golden Horseshoe Review

  • Inside Frontierland

  • On corner across from boat

  • Has shows

  • Mobile order available

  • Fun fact: this is supposedly where Steve Martin got his start

• Churros

  • Delicious and stands everywhere. Have to get a churro!!!

• Downtown Disney

  • Better food and wine

  • Go here for dinner

  • Good break from the parks then go back to the parks after dinner for fireworks and nighttime fun

• Character Meals in the park

  • Princess Luncheon

    • Luncheon with the princesses is worth it to meet 6 princesses without having to stand in line

  • Breakfast

    • 3 themes- you don’t get to pick which one you get and one may be Princesses that your boys have to go to if you get it

  • Book all meals in advance

• Blue Bayou

  • Definitely eat here! Supposedly delicious!

  • Need to make reservations. If full, check back for cancellations because they open all the time

  • Inside Pirates of Caribbean Ride

• DON’T EAT AT THE STEAKHOUSE IN THE DISNEYLAND HOTEL-SUPPOSEDLY GROSS!!!

HOTELS NEAR DISNEYLAND

• Do not stay at Pier 1 “its ghetto”

• Disneyland Hotel is under construction through Fall of 2020 so this may contribute to less rooms available and certain sections of the hotel being closed. Call ahead  before booking.

• Grand Californian is “the place to stay”!!

  • Pricier but worth it

  • Shuttle from airport to hotel

  • Don’t pay extra for view room. You aren’t in your room enough

  • Has its own entrance to California Adventure

  • “Magic Mornings” comes with your hotel stay each day. (see magic mornings section)

  • LUGGAGE: When you check in they will take your bags and text you when your room is ready.When they text you, don’t wait for bags to be delivered.  Go get your bags and bring them up to your room!

  • Free coffee down by the pool coffee shop

  • Don’t waste time at the gym

  • You will see characters hanging around the pool at 3pm

  • Character breakfast at the hotel with Mickey, Minnie, Chip & Dale, & Pluto. Must book in advance.  They are wearing safari clothes because its an adventure themed breakfast

“MAGIC MORNINGS” AT DISNEYLAND

• Days that have T’s (Tues, Thurs, Saturdays) open an hour earlier in Disneyland

• All the other days that don’t have T’s (Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Friday) open an hour earlier in California Adventure

• Check calendar for opening times each day because times vary

• Get to park 15 mins before Magic Morning opens

PACKING FOR DISNEYLAND

• Fanny pack (wododo brand)

• Gift cards to Disney shops for souvenirs to keep your kids on a budget and avoid tons of crap coming home with you

• Cup/thermos to refill (ice machine at hotel)

• Rent stroller (see stroller section)

• Portable battery charger for phone

• Portable fan

• Wipes

• Sunscreen

• Chapstick

• Sunglasses for everyone

• Soap

• Sanitizer

• IV drink packets

• Backpack

RIDES AT DISNEYLAND

• Rise of the Resistance- new Star Wars ride

  • Have to be at the park before it opens

  • Have to be in the park on the app to get in a boarding group que

  • Can’t get in line for the ride until you get in a boarding group and they call your number

  • 120 boarding groups a day

  • The app wont refresh on its own when you have this ride page pulled up. So, you must open the app 1 min after park opens (while in the park) then pull up the page for this ride and try to get a boarding group.

  • Souvenirs are expensive- $200 light saber and $100 for Droids

  • Check app for description of this ride. May be a little scary for young kids.

• Buzz Lightyear

  • Breaks down a lot so check the app to make sure it’s working before standing in line

  • If you are on it when it breaks down you will get more points on the app

  • Don’t wait in line, use fast pass, it goes quick

• Goofy’s Sky School

  • Feels like you are going to die.

  • Scariest ride ever

• Cars Land

  • Inside California Adventure Park (super hero stuff in here too)

• Fireworks Show

  • Sit close to the castle

  • Projection screen of some kind during fireworks and you can’t see it if you aren’t close to the castle

  • Worth the view from close to the castle

• Pirates of the Caribbean

• Thunder Mountain

• Best for Little Kids

  • Peter Pan

  • Dumbo

  • Teacups

  • Small World

  • Maters Junk Yard

  • Winnie the Pooh

  • Astro Orbiter

  • Buzz Autopia

  • Canal boats

  • Little Mermaid

  • Luigis

  • Monsters Inc.

  • Jungle Cruise

Image from Destination 360

PRINCESSES AT DISNEYLAND

• As mentioned above, Princess luncheon is the way to go so you can meet 6 Princesses at 1 time and not have to wait in line.

• Bippity Boppity Boutique

  • Waste of time if you only have a few days in the park.  Better to do on a cruise or if you have a full week there

STROLLERS FOR DISNEYLAND

• Rent from “City Stroller” or “Scooter Bug” and have delivered to the hotel. Or rent from Disneyland.  (see below)

• City Stroller

  • Customer Service 888-618-5020

  • CityStrollerRentals.com

  • Price-double stroller $55 total for 3 days when I called in February 2020 for Summer trip. City Mini GT to fit our family’s needs.

  • Pick up and return only with appointment. Have to be available to pick up the stroller from them at a meeting location and return. 4 time slots throughout the day.  Must meet out front of the hotel.  Won’t come in the hotel.

• Scooter Bug-Disneyland Sponsored Co.

  • Can rent wheelchairs, scooters, strollers

  • Price-first day then prorated after that

  • scooterbugrentals.com for pricing

  • Customer service was so helpful and nice!!! 800-726-8284

  • Can drop off and leave at bell stand without me being there and same for drop off when we leave to go home. Must be contracted by the hotel to do this.  Grand Californian is under contract with them.

• Disneyland

  • you have to pick it up inside the park $15/day for single $35 a day for double

  • return in park before you leave

  • not sure if you can bring back to hotels on Disneyland property??

SUPPORT- These are people that go to Disneyland quite often and are a wealth of knowledge!

• @DisneylandDailyCasey (from Louisiana went to LSU now lives in CA and goes to Disneyland all the time.  Has a blog about it too!)

• @disneyhungry (all about food at Disney)

• @itsjustemmy (IG highlights about Disneyland)

• FB GROUPS:

  • Disneyland-California Planning Mamas

HOW TO TELL YOUR KIDS THEY ARE GOING TO DISNEY

• Call from Mickey

• Box of Disney clothes and ears with calendar to count down

• Gift cards to spend at Disney gift shops in the park

Last disclaimer, all of the information listed above is subject to change based on availability and timing.  Before you go, verify every detail before you book anything!

I plan to update this post after we take our trip to Disneyland.  At that point I’ll be able to give you more of my personal opinion and any other tips we pick up while we are there. 

I hope this information has been helpful!  Let me know if you can think of anything important I need to know before we go that isn’t on this list! There are TONS of other blog posts out there and a plethora of good pins on Pinterest with even more information about planning a successful trip to Disneyland but this should atleast get you started! 

Can’t wait for our magical adventure to Disneyland!!