“We have our heading…Here we go!”
You’ve booked the trip. In no time, you will be in Disneyland with your best friends. The problem is, none of you have been there before. You have no idea what to expect. You may have pirated the Caribbean, but watching Disney movies isn’t the only preparation you need to have a successful trip.
That’s where I come in. Make sure you X-mark this spot, because I’ll show you where the treasure is at Disney. I have advice in nearly every area–Lightning Lanes, restaurants, hotels, scheduling, etc.–that will help your trip be seamless.
BEFORE BOOKING:
Before you buy your tickets, look at hotels. The last thing anyone wants to do after a long day at the parks is to walk a half mile or more to your hotel. The buses can be busy, and some stop running shortly after the parks close. Instead of booking a nice hotel farther from the park, save extra money by staying at a cheaper inn close to the parks. I saved over $200 by staying at the Best Western Plus Anaheim Inn in June because it was across the street from the parks. Split four ways with my friends, we each only paid about $120 for the hotel (and it had complimentary breakfast!). Especially if you are a group of girls, you don’t want to walk too far back to your hotel after midnight.
With the money saved from a cheaper hotel, consider investing in Lightning Lane Multi-Pass–formerly known as Genie Plus–to save time in lines at the park. I highly recommend doing the two-day Park Hopper as well. With that program, you pick a starting park (California Adventure or Disneyland) and stay there until around 11 am. After that, you can move between the parks as you please. It’s convenient at the CA parks because they are next to each other, connected by a middle area that leads to Downtown Disney.
AFTER BOOKING:
In the couple of weeks before your trip, I recommend getting the Disneyland app. Even when you aren’t near the parks, you can use it to scope out where the rides you want to prioritize are, general wait times, the restaurants you are most interested in, and more. Consider talking with the others in your party before your arrival to make sure you are all on the same page. If anyone is nervous about whether they think they can handle a ride or not, they should consider watching a ride-through video on YouTube! There is one for every ride.
AT THE PARKS:
The second you scan into a park, book your first Lightning Lane in the app. You can only hold one at a time, so don’t book a lightning lane that is late in the day. I recommend not bothering to book the rides with the longest wait times, such as Guardians of the Galaxy or Space Mountain. The good wait times will be gone seconds after the parks open, and you will waste time scrolling to find them. Instead, go for a ride that has a moderately long and consistent wait time. I will list a few below:
Disneyland: Indiana Jones Adventure, Pirates of the Caribbean, Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, or Matterhorn Bobsleds
CA Adventure: Toy Story Midway Mania, Pixar Pal-Around (Swinging), Web-Slingers, Incredicoaster
Unfortunately, I have too much advice for one blog entry. I hope none of you are planning to fly out to California and visit Disneyland in the next week. You’ll have to wait a bit longer for the rest of my tips!
Picture source:
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
I really liked your blog. My family and I have never been to Disneyland, we have always gone to Disney World. This is very helpful as you recommended specific things to do. If I ever go to Disneyland, I’ll be sure to pull up this blog!!
As someone who’s never been to Disney Land this will be very helpful if I ever decide to go. It’s like looking at a bunch of blogs that highlight separate pieces of Disneyland and putting it all into one (or two) nice and concise blog.
I loved all of the fun little puns that you added in your blog. Im a big fan of the Pirates of the Caribbean so the puns were a lot of fun to read. Overall i thought this blog was very helpful as i have never been to Disney Land and now i know what to do if i ever go.
This blog could be really helpful for families or those planning to go to Disney Land. I also relate to some of the things you recommend as my family did the same things!