How To Survive Disneyland (12 EASY Tips)

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When many people think of Disneyland, they get excited. Flashbacks of happy childhoods come to mind, and the phrase, “The Happiest Place On Earth,” starts echoing in your head.

But let’s be real.

Disneyland can be TOUGH. There are long lines, random weather changes, huge crowds, unexpected ride closures, pricey food, etc.

So why even go to a place like this? Well, one, your kids are probably begging you to take them everyday. But two, anyone can have a nice, “magical” time at Disneyland. It all comes down to…..

PLANNING.

The information is all out there in order to take your trip from mediocre and anxiety-ridden, to exciting and STRESS-FREE.

A little background about me, at the time of this posting I have probably gone to Disneyland about 100 times. Yes, you read that right. One Hundred. I have been going since I was a baby, and a couple years into adulthood, I started getting annual passes (more about that later.) I have seen Disneyland grow and change over the years, and I have developed strategies in order to ensure that each trip is worth my time and my money.

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Read Along As I Cover My Top Tips For Surviving Disneyland…and California Adventure!

(in no particular order)

ANNUAL PASS

If you plan on going to Disneyland more than twice a year, an annual pass is SO WORTH IT! You can go to Disneyland and Disney California Adventure almost whenever you want! There are several different options for annual passes depending on your budget and how often you’d like to go. You also get a percentage off of purchases at restaurants and some products inside the park as well. For more information, click HERE.

SHOES

You MUST wear comfortable shoes. There is no other way! See, you’re going to be on your feet all day long walking from ride to ride, and likely standing in quite a few lines. Do not try to be cute with heels or boots or wedges or sandals unless you know for a fact that they can withstand a full day of walking in them. By that I mean about 12 hours, give or take. It isn’t a fashion show and you can have style in sneakers, trust me. I recommend THESE or THESE.

FASTPASS

This is the reason that many people come to Disneyland because without it, there is NO guarantee you’ll be able to ride your favorite ride. FASTPASS is a program that Disney has had for several years that allows you to bypass the line to some of it’s busiest rides. Some of these include Hyperspace Mountain, Indiana Jones Adventure, Radiator Springs Racers, and Soarin’ Around The World, just to name a few. Traditionally, you would go to a kiosk near the ride and insert your season pass or day pass. Out of the machine you would receive a ticket with a time frame where you could return and breeze through the “express lane” turning your two hour wait into a 5-10 minute wait. Now, you can either do that or use your Disneyland app and do it from your phone. The pro of using your phone is the convenience. You don’t have to run back and forth throughout the park just to get fast passes. The downside is that there is a cost to use the FASTPASS through your app, which is $20 per family at the time of this article posting. I do recommend using the app, especially if it is your first time there and/or your don’t arrive at the park as soon as it opens. You can read more about Fastpass HERE.

ARRIVE AS SOON AS IT OPENS

To trail off of my last thought, I highly recommend that you do arrive when it opens. Disneyland and Disney California Adventure will typically open at 8 or 9am. If you think that a lot of other people come that early, you would be surprised. In my experience, arriving this early ensures you can ride all the rides you want with little to no wait time. At the MOST you’re looking at 10-15 minutes for the popular rides. Some of the rides at the Disney Parks can have a wait time in excess of 2 hours. YIKES! It’s such a breeze to come that early that you don’t have to think about utilizing the app for FASTPASS, yet. There are two programs that allow you to enter the parks EVEN EARLIER. Extra Magic Hour is a program available to Disneyland Resort Hotel guests, allowing them to enter both parks one hour early on select days. Magic Morning is a program that allows those who purchase a Southern California CityPASS or a 3+ day park ticket in advance to enter just Disneyland early. Keep in mind that not all attractions and restaurants will be open this early before regular opening times.

GET ON RIDES DURING THE PARADE

At least once per day, both parks will host parades. Although they are wonderful to look at, this would be a strategic time to ride the rides with long wait times. The parade will draw huge crowds and make it hard to even walk through the park. Use this time to hurry to the attractions and you’ll be able to ride one or two rides pretty easily.

PACK LIGHT, PACK SMART

I often see people walking around the Disney parks with giant bags and purses, and it seems a little silly to me. There’s a difference between being prepared for anything, and being smart. For those of us that wear purses, I would highly suggest a backpack or a fanny pack. Personally, here’s all that I’ll typically bring to Disneyland:
- Debit/Credit Card
- ID
- Annual Pass
- Aspirin
- Empty Foldable Water Bottle
- Lipgloss or Lip Balm
- Jacket
- Sunglasses
- Hand Sanitizer
- Portable Battery and USB Cord
Just don’t overthink it! You could also add sunscreen, snacks, parkas, and essentials that you know your children will NEED if you are travelling with them.

CHECK THE WEATHER

Many people who travel to the Disney Parks, especially from other states or abroad, view California as a perfectly sunny paradise. Weather in Southern California can get blazing hot, super chilly, and unexpectedly rainy all in the same day! It is very important that you check the weather each day before you head inside the parks. Sometimes, you will be stuck in line in direct sunlight or the occasional downpour. I would suggest a t-shirt, layered with a light jacket or a coat depending on the month. It is helpful if you have a hood as well unless you are also bringing a parka. (Bring a light fold-able parka if you plan on riding Splash Mountain or the Grizzly River Run.)

TOON TOWN

Toon Town is one of the lands in Disneyland, and my personal favorite as a child. What I love about it is the unique architecture and how whimsical it is! If you are bringing children, you have to take them here! This is a great place for you to rest and for them to blow off some steam. There are plenty of areas to run around and explore, such as Goofy’s Playhouse, Chip ‘n Dale Treehouse, and Mickey’s House. It is essentially a glorified playground with Disney rides.

CHECK WAIT TIMES

I remember coming to Disneyland as a child and having to walk all the way over to each ride just to see what the wait time was. Very inconvenient. Luckily, you can view all wait times in real time on the Disneyland app. This will tell you which rides to wait for, and which rides you need to get a FASTPASS for. It will also tell you which rides are closed for the whole day (refurbishment), and which ones are closed just temporarily, which happens quite often.

PHOTOPASS

PhotoPass is an awesome feature available in the Disneyland app. There are many landmarks in Disneyland and California Adventure that people scramble to take pictures in front of. But why not let a photographer do it for you, with the pictures showing up on your phone right after? There are costs involved but it’s certainly cheaper than hiring a professional photographer to follow you around for the day.

CHARACTERS

Wanna meet your favorite Disney Character? Check the Disneyland app! The good thing is that you’ll be able to plan where to go in order to get a picture and an autograph. The downside is that there is no guarantee you will meet them. Sometimes there are very long lines that you may not want to wait in. Also, the times listed on the app will be very vague. For example, it might say that you can catch Goofy in Toon Town between 12pm and 6pm. This does not mean that the character will be standing out there for 6 hours straight because they need to take breaks, so meeting your favorite character may be a bit of a challenge. BUT, you will pass by all sorts of characters randomly, so keep your eyes peeled! (The following pictures are characters I randomly encountered in one day.)

BUZZ LIGHTYEAR ASTRO BLASTERS

Okay, I couldn’t conclude this list without mentioning this attraction. This is a ride where you and a partner square off to score the most points in order to defeat Zurg. I get extremely competitive in this game, and I just recently found out the surefire way to get the most points. In the game, you have to shoot targets encased in particular shapes. The points you receive are as follows:
- Circle= 100 Points
- Square= 1,000 Points
- Diamond= 5,000 Points
- Triangle= 10,000 Points
I wouldn’t even pay attention to the Circles, if I were you. If you find a good target, just keep shooting at it repeatedly instead of trying to hit every target once. Also, the ride always stalls at least once while riding, so make sure you never stop shooting! By the end of your ride, your trigger finger should be sore.