Have the Perfect Day at Disneyland

As you probably know, Disneyland is a large theme park located in Anaheim, California. This how-to will give you tips and hints on how to have a great day at Disneyland, and to minimize wait times and maximize fun!

Steps

Only Disneyland Park

  1. Buy tickets early. Instead of waiting in line to buy tickets at the park, buy them in advance online via Disney's official tickets website. If you order early enough, you can have your tickets shipped to your house before your trip. Or, you can download e-tickets and print them directly from your email. You can get tickets cheaper on various different websites too.
    • Keep an eye out for deals. Disney will occasionally run promotions that add an extra day to a multi-day ticket at no cost.
    • Know what you're buying. If you only want to go to Disneyland Park, not California Adventure, there's no need to buy a ParkHopper ticket. Simply purchase a one-park ticket.
    • If you plan on parking at Disneyland, you can buy your parking pass online as well.
  2. Get to the park early. Early morning is the perfect time of day at the park: it's mostly empty, temperatures are cool, and the kids are still happy. You can get FastPasses and knock out a few of the popular rides before the crowds get crazy. People start to queue up at the park gates about an hour before opening.
    • If you want to do the Fantasyland rides, do them in the morning before all the families show up — the lines will never be shorter.
  3. Use a FastPass Ticket at a Disney Theme Park! The system can seem a little intimidating at first, but it's easier than it looks — and worth skipping the standby lines. Here's a quick rundown on how the system works:
    • You can get new FastPasses every 90 minutes. Dispatch someone to get your first round as soon as you walk into the park. (He or she will need to take everyone's park tickets along.) If you're not sure when 90 minutes is up, the next time you can get FastPasses will be printed at the bottom of your most recent ones.
    • Each ride that allows FastPass use will have a little FastPass station with four to eight FastPass machines. You stick one ticket at a time into the machine, and it will spit out a paper fastpass below that has a one-hour window of time printed on it. They have to be used on the day you got them.
    • Once you have your FastPasses and the first time printed has passed, you walk up to the FastPass line instead of the standby line, which should be clearly marked for each ride. The person at the front will check your passes to make sure they are valid, then you hang onto them and give them to a second person at the end of the line.
    • FastPass times are now being enforced! If your ticket says 1:45 to 2:45, you must show up between those times.
    • Some popular rides will run out of FastPasses. If you really want to fastpass Space Mountain, Indiana Jones, the Haunted Mansion (during Halloween/Christmas) or AstroBlasters, do it early in the day. Some of the other rides that utilize the FastPass service (like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad or Splash Mountain) will have short lines at the end of the day anyway, and you won't need FastPasses.
  4. Eat wisely and well. Food inside the park can be expensive, especially if you're feeding a family, though there are some unique dining experiences you can try. Here's a rundown of what might work for you:
    • Eat meals earlier than usual, or after the mad lunch rush of 11am-2pm and the equally mad dinner rush between 6:30-8:00pm. This way, you can go on rides while everyone is eating and avoid lines when you're ready to eat.
    • Be warned that New Orleans Square eateries have the worst lines. Head over to Frontierland or Critter Country for shorter lines.
    • If you're eating cheaply: Pack lunch and dinner, and stash your meals inside a locker (near the park entrance). There are plenty of tables around the park for you to sit and eat, and picnicking on Tom Sawyer Island can be a good way to cool off in the afternoon. If you do need to buy food in the park, fruit is generally cheap and portions at the fast-casual eateries are large enough to split between two people.
    • Make advance reservations for any full-service dining. There are only a few sit-down restaurants inside Disneyland, such as the Blue Bayou and Cafe Orleans, but they fill up quickly. If it's really important to you to eat at these places, make an advance reservation with Disney Dining at (714) 781-3463.
    • Plan ahead with character dining. Character dining is offered at the Plaza Inn — where costumed characters will roam the restaurant to take pictures and interact with guests as they eat. This is an easy way to get some character time if you have kids, but it tends to be expensive and fill up quickly. Your best bet is to make reservations in advance at (714) 781-3463.
  5. Bring food and games for long waits and to save money. Not all rides have FastPasses and waiting is inevitable, and it will save you a bunch of money! Bags of cereal, popcorn, granola bars, grapes, and peanut butter & jelly sandwiches are great to pack, along with a DS or iPod.
  6. Decide when to buy souvenirs. As with eating, there are a few different ways to manage souvenir shopping depending on your needs. Here are a few possible game plans:
    • If you want to wear the famous mouse ears (or any other headgear), consider buying them at the beginning of the day so they'll be in all your photos.
    • If you're not sure what you want, pass through a few souvenir shops during the heat of the day or when you need a break. If something catches your eye, return to buy it as you walk out of the park, so that you don't need to carry it around all day.
    • If you have little ones and you're concerned about souvenir whining, try this trick. Buy Disney souvenirs less expensively online and pack them with you. The night before you go to Disneyland, arrange your kids' souvenirs as if Mickey came and left them overnight, like Santa. They already have new fun things to play with, and you don't have to worry about shopping at the park. Problem solved!
  7. Know where to find characters. If you have kids, seeing costumed characters is probably high on your list of things to do. Though characters used to roam freely around the park, they're now found at designated areas:
    • If you want to get character autographs, make sure you have a pen big enough for the characters to grasp — they won't be able to maneuver a small ballpoint pen as easily as a large marker.
    • Visit Toontown. For an audience with Mickey or Minnie, visit their houses inside Toontown. Be prepared to wait in lines, though. Other costumed characters should be wandering around Toontown as well.
    • Visit the Princess Fantasy Faire: If you want a picture with a princess, this is pretty much the only place to get one. Try to go early, since the wait can be up to 2 hours on peak days. To get to the faire, walk toward it's a small world, turn left, and keep walking past the Toontown gate. Or, you can simply take the Disneyland Railroad to the Toontown stop.
    • Visit Pixie Hollow: Pixie Hollow is another area with specialized characters, located between the Astro Orbiter and the Matterhorn. As with the princess faire, the lines can be long.
    • Wait at the secret character gate. To snag characters as they enter the park from backstage, wait at the gate in the northeast corner of Main Street, between the Main Street Cinema and Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln. Characters will periodically appear here to pose for photos and sign autographs. There is also one between the Main Street Camera Shop and the Plaza Inn, and one next to the bathroom that is off the Hub and outside of Tomorrowland.
    • Go to Alice and the Mad Hatter's Musical Chairs at Refreshment Corner at the end of Main Street. Although only little ones can play, this is a fun event to watch for all because of Alice and Hatter's antics. The Times Guide does not publish the time. so ask the piano player as early as possible what time this will be at!
  8. Find good seating for shows and parades. Disneyland hosts a few parades throughout the day, depending on the season, as well as night-time showings of Fantasmic and fireworks. (Check the park schedule to see what will be happening when you're there.) Most shows are crowded, but you can manage to get good seats with some clever planning.
    • For parades: Head toward Tomorrowland, and right before you enter turn left and follow the path to the King Triton Statue. This is a great spot to see the parade without all the people.
    • For Fantasmic: Fantasmic seating is tricky, but doable. If you really want prime seating right by the waterfront (directly in front of Cafe Orleans, by where people board boats to Tom Sawyer Island), your safest bet is to set out a blanket a few hours before the show and rotate who gets to sit and hold the spot. If there are two shows that night, your best bet is to be hovering in the area just as the first show wraps up. As soon as people start to get up and exit the area, swoop in and grab a seat.
    • Fireworks: Most people crowd to watch fireworks in Main Street, so they can see them going off behind Sleeping Beauty's Castle. If this is what you want to do, try staking out a a bench in the central square, by the statue of Mickey and Walt, or snag an outdoor table at the north end of the Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlor.
    • Alternate fireworks: If you don't mind missing the castle panorama, the fireworks are also visible from the path that connects Frontierland and Fantasyland, behind Big Thunder Mountain. Or, if you like roller coasters, riding on Big Thunder offers a spectacular view of the show — and the line for the ride is usually short enough that you can go multiple times throughout the fireworks.
    • If you don't want to see any of the shows, then it's a great time to hit the rides while everyone else is preoccupied. Attractions like Splash Mountain and Space Mountain are usually easier to get on during Fantasmic and fireworks.
    • Enjoy smaller shows like the Dapper Dans or Mickey and the Magical Map.
  9. Don't force people to go on rides. No one wants to feel pressured on going something they don't want to. Maybe they'll want to go after they see how much fun you had on the ride. In the meantime, jump in the single rider line and get on the ride much faster.
  10. Know when areas close. The park generally stays open later during the summer and on the weekends, closing earlier during the colder months and on weekdays. However, certain areas will close down sooner if shows are happening. Here's a quick rundown:
    • If Fantasmic is showing, Tom Sawyer Island will shut down around sunset.
    • If there will be fireworks, Toontown will close early.
    • Fantasyland is one of the first areas of the park to shut down at the end of the night, so don't assume you'll just go on the rides there once the crowds clear out.
    • Specific closing times are posted on most rides.
  11. Exit wisely. There will be a mass exodus out of the park right after fireworks (or about an hour before closing if there are no fireworks). The walk will be slow, and the lines for the tram back to the parking structure will be long. If you want to avoid the rush, you can leave halfway through fireworks or stick around until the park closes.

Disneyland Park and California Adventure

  1. Get ready for a packed day. If the crowds are thin and your energy is high, it's possible to do both parks in the same day. Try to arrange your schedule so that you're not constantly criss-crossing between the parks, or you'll end it with some sore feet.
  2. Buy tickets early. Instead of waiting in line to buy tickets at the park, buy them in advance online via Disney's official tickets website. If you order early enough, you can have your tickets shipped to your house before your trip. Or, you can download e-tickets and print them directly from your email.
    • Keep an eye out for deals. Disney will occasionally run promotions that add an extra day to a multi-day ticket at no cost.
    • Know what you're buying. If you only want to do both parks in the same day, buy a ParkHopper ticket.
    • If you plan on parking at Disneyland, you can buy your parking pass online as well.
  3. Get to the park early. Early morning is the perfect time of day at Disneyland: it's mostly empty, temperatures are cool, and the kids are still happy. You can get FastPasses and knock out a few of the popular rides before the crowds get crazy. People start to queue up at the park gates about an hour before opening.
    • Both Disneyland Park and California Adventure open at the same time, so pick which one you'd rather do first. California Adventure used to be the emptier of the two early in the day, but that might not be the case anymore with the popularity of the new Cars Land area. Your best bet is to pick the park that has the rides you really want to go on first. California Adventure does close earlier than Disneyland Park.
    • If you want World of Color seats, it's probably a good idea to do California Adventure first. (More information below.)
  4. Take advantage of FastPasses throughout the Disneyland parks! The system can seem a little intimidating at first, but it's easier than it looks — and worth skipping the standby lines. Here's a quick discussion of how the system works:
    • You can get new FastPasses every 90 minutes. Fast Passes are a completely free way to get the most of your time at Disneyland. Dispatch someone to get your first round as soon as you walk into the park. (He or she will need to take everyone's park tickets along.) If you're not sure when 90 minutes is up, the next time you can get FastPasses will be printed at the bottom of your most recent ones.
    • Each ride that allows FastPasses will have a little FastPass station with 4 to 8 FastPass machines to dispense the necessary FastPass ticket. You stick one ticket at a time into the machine, and it will spit out a paper fastpass below that has a one-hour window of time printed on it. They have to be used on the day you got them.
    • Once you have your Fastpasses and the first time printed has passed, you walk up to the FastPass line instead of the standby line, which should be clearly marked for each ride. The person at the front will check your passes to make sure they are valid, then you hang onto them and give them to a second person at the end of the line.
    • FastPass times are now being enforced! If your ticket says 1:45 to 2:45, you must show up between those times.
    • Some popular rides will run out of FastPasses. If you really want to Fastpass a certain ride (such as Radiator Springs, Soarin' Over California, California Screamin', or Midway Mania or Tower of Terror), do it early in the day. Some of the other rides that use FastPasses will have short lines at the end of the day anyway, and you won't need FastPasses.
  5. Eat wisely and well. Food inside the park can be expensive, especially if you're feeding a family, though there are some unique dining experiences you can try. Here's a rundown of what might work for you:
    • Eat meals earlier than usual, or after the mad lunch rush of 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and the equally mad dinner rush between 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. This way, you can go on rides while everyone is eating and avoid lines when you're ready to eat.
    • Be warned that, for California Adventure, the Fisherman's Wharf and Cars Land eateries have the worst lines. Head over to Hollywood Land or Paradise Pier for shorter lines. For Disneyland, New Orleans Square is the busiest; hit Critter Country or Frontierland instead.
    • If you're eating cheaply: Pack lunch and dinner, and stash your meals inside a locker (near the park entrance). There are plenty of tables around the park for you to sit and eat. If you do need to buy food in the park, fruit is generally cheap and portions at the fast-casual eateries are large enough to split between two people.
    • Make advance reservations for any full-service dining. There are only a few sit-down restaurants inside Disneyland, such as the Blue Bayou and Cafe Orleans, but they fill up quickly. There are several more in California Adventure, such as Carthay Circle and the Wine Country Trattoria. If it's really important to you to eat at these places, make an advance reservation with Disney Dining at (714) 781-3463.
    • Plan ahead with character dining. Character dining is offered at the Plaza Inn (Disneyland), as well as Ariel's Grotto (California Adventure) — where costumed characters will roam the restaurant to take pictures and interact with guests as they eat. This is an easy way to get some character time if you have kids, but it tends to be expensive and fill up quickly. Your best bet is to make reservations in advance at (714) 781-3463.
  6. Decide when to buy souvenirs. As with eating, there are a few different ways to manage souvenir shopping depending on your needs. Here are a few possible game plans:
    • If you want to wear the famous mouse ears (or any other headgear), consider buying them at the beginning of the day so they'll be in all your photos.
    • If you're not sure what you want, pass through a few souvenir shops during the heat of the day or when you need a break. If something catches your eye, return to buy it as you walk out of the park, so that you don't need to carry it around all day.
    • If you have little ones and you're concerned about souvenir whining, try this trick. Buy Disney souvenirs less expensively online and pack them with you. The night before you go to Disneyland, arrange your kids' souvenirs as if Mickey came and left them overnight, like Santa. They already have new fun things to play with, and you don't have to worry about shopping at the park. Problem solved!
  7. Know where to find characters. If you have kids, seeing costumed characters is probably high on your list of things to do. Though characters used to roam freely around the park, they're now found at designated areas. Here's what you need to know:
    • If you want to get character autographs, make sure you have a pen big enough for the characters to grasp — they won't be able to maneuver a small ballpoint pen as easily as a large marker.
    • Characters do still wander around California Adventure, most notably in A Bug's Land. If you want to up your odds of running into costumed characters, though, your best bet is Disneyland. See the section above for more information.
  8. Plan way ahead for World of Color. If you'd rather see Fantasmic or the fireworks, see the shows section above for how to do so in Disneyland. World of Color shows exclusively in California Adventure, with two shows a night during peak season and only one during the off season. If you'd like to see World of Color, though, here's a guide to both general seating and dining passes:
    • Get a fastpass for general seating. World of Color seating is divided into different areas by (you guessed it) colors, and the color for your area will be printed on your fastpass. Grab everyone's park tickets, head over to Grizzly River Rapids to the World of Color fastpass machines, and get a ticket for each separate person. If the same color is on each fastpass, you're good to go.
    • About an hour before world of color starts, head to the general seating area on Paradise Pier, where a cast member will direct you to your seating area. General admission is standing room only, so if you want to be up-close and sit down, arrive extra early. (Though be prepared for some splashing in the front seats!)
    • Do World of Color Dining. If you want a meal and a sure ticket for the show, you have two World of Color Dining options. You can pick up a picnic meal at any time during the day and get a guaranteed general seating pass with it, or eat a full-service prix fix meal with prime seating and viewing. See Disney's World of Color Dining page for more information.
  9. Know when areas close. The parks generally stay open later during the summer and on the weekends, closing earlier during the colder months and on weekdays. However, certain areas will close down sooner if shows are happening. Here's a quick rundown:
    • On the weekends and during peak season, California Adventure will close an hour before Disneyland.
    • If Fantasmic is showing, Tom Sawyer Island will shut down around sunset.
    • If there will be fireworks, Toontown will close early.
    • Fantasyland is one of the first areas of the park to shut down at the end of the night, so don't assume you'll just go on the rides there once the crowds clear out.
    • Specific closing times are posted on most rides.
  10. Exit wisely. There will be a mass exodus out of the park right after fireworks (or about an hour before closing if there are no fireworks). The walk will be slow, and the lines for the tram back to the parking structure will be long. If you want to avoid the rush, you can leave halfway through fireworks or stick around until the park closes.
    • If you're leaving through California Adventure and you're at Paradise Pier or Grizzly Peak, consider taking a shortcut through the Grand Californian Hotel. Exit the park at the hotel, directly across from Grizzly River Rapids, walk through to the lobby, hang a right, and walk past the convention center, following the signs to Downtown Disney. Once you're outside, turn right again to walk toward the parking tram.
  11. Take breaks! Go back to your hotel and rest a bit. The crowds and heat can be overwhelming so it's important to cool off and have a chance to get out of the park. You don't want anyone getting grumpy.
  12. Only use your cell for calling! Using your cellphone for apps and picture taking, will burn down the battery. It's important to have a working cellphone in case you and a family member or friend get separated.
  13. Make a priority list. If you've never been to Disneyland, gather everyone in your party and ask them one thing they want to accomplish while at Disneyland. Maybe it's seeing all the character houses in ToonTown or going on Splash Mountain. That way everyone feels accomplished.
  14. Don't stress about money. While it's necessary to get a little bit stressed about costs, carrying around a notepad and a calculator is not the way to go. Bring your own water and food, or bring a notebook instead of buying an autograph book. If you're stressed about money all the time, no one's really focusing on fun, but how much money they can save.
  15. Have kids who can't go on rides? Ask for rider switch pass! While one rider waits in line, the other rider stays back and watches the kiddos. Then when the rider has finished enjoying their ride. The other rider takes the past and zooms to the front of the line.

Tips

  • Remember that Disneyland is a family place, so enjoy yourself and be considerate of others that are in the park.
  • Pick up a map and an entertainment guide when you enter the park. This will be invaluable to the planning of your day.
  • Ask the Cast Members (workers) if there are any Hidden Mickeys on the ride you are on. Most will be glad to tell you.
  • The train ride is also a good way to rest your feet and take a break. The Enchanted Tiki Room is a good place to cool down on a hot day.
  • If you are in the park and have a touchscreen device on you, you should be able to find free and paid apps that you can download on that device to grab Ride-Wait times from clear across the park or right next door. Type "Disney World" or "Disneyland" into your app store's browser and you'll see a list of these apps. They are very accurate.
  • If you have a stroller and both parents can't go on the ride, ask the cast member at the entrance to the lines for a stroller pass. It's like a Fastpass, but it's good for two people and can be used anytime in the day.
  • If you already bought those cute little mickey ears and hats the last time you were there, bring them along! Your child will be wanting another one when they see a little girl happily walking next to them. You can just pull it out of your backpack and your child will be satisfied.
  • One of the many overpriced things at Disneyland is the water bottle. You can save money if you bring a water bottle and refill it.
  • Before your visit, check out Disneyland's website for operating hours, entertainment schedule, special events, and weather forecasts.
  • The wait times early in the morning are about ten minutes.
  • All cast members, from janitors to supervisors, will be wearing large name tags (with the exception of costumed characters). Remember, they've all been hired because they love helping people, so feel free to ask them questions!
  • City Hall on Main Street has maps in the most common languages (English, Spanish, Japanese, etc) and "Honorary Citizen" stickers, so go in and ask for one. They are more than willing to give you one.
  • Direct your kids to find a cast member (with an identifiable name tag) if they get lost. The lost and found for both parks are near the front gates.
  • If you have kids, take advantage of stroller passes. Visit City Hall as soon as you enter the park to request one.
  • Avoid going to Disneyland on weekends, holidays, and during the extremely hot days of summer. Most of Disneyland's guests are locals, so it will always be crowded on those days. Late August and spring are great times to go because most kids are in school and days it's raining will scare a lot of people away (some rides will be closed because of this however like the Matterhorn.)
  • Make sure to get your FastPasses for Radiator Springs Racers early. They go away quickly.
  • Bring your own snacks! It will save you quite a bit of money. Bring things like pretzels, granola bars, cereal, gummies, fruit, etc.

Warnings

  • If you are afraid of a ride or have a major medical problem, do not ride the attraction. Always pay attention to warning signs.
  • It is easy to forget that every attraction that you are visiting involves high-tech machinery that could cause serious injury or even death. Therefore, always pay attention to cast members' directions for your own Keep Safe When Riding the Rides in a Disney Park.
  • Don't bring a selfie stick with you into the park. The person checking your bags at security will confiscate it and it's a pain trying to get it back.

Things You'll Need

  • If you're traveling with a family, you'll need:
    • A backpack
    • Sunscreen
    • Water bottles
    • Jackets for evening
    • Sunglasses
    • A blanket for saving seats at Fantasmic (optional)
    • An app that can tell you ride wait times (optional). Browse your smartphone's app store for several choices.

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