Disneyland Resort Tips PART ONE

So you planned a trip to Disneyland- you have your plane tickets, your accommodations, and decided on tickets. The big stuff is all ready to go, but now what?

Gone are the days of being able to show up at a Disney theme park and expect low crowds and easy access to attractions, characters, and dining. Your family vacation is a big investment in both resources and time, and of course you are going to want to make the best of it. You can spend the months leading up to your trip watching You Tube, checking blogs, and scrolling Instagram for nuggets of information OR you can hire Castle Sisters Vacations and relax!

Our planning services include all kinds of information and help on maximizing your day- and we meet with you for an hour Zoom planning session before you go! Here we are including a few of our best tips that will make your Disney vacation days a little smoother!

Plan Your Priorities in Advance

Do your homework! This is our #1 tip for maximizing your experience. Don’t show up and not know what options for entertainment are available to you. You should know what shows/fireworks are being offered, which attractions will be closed, and where you can find the characters your kids want to see. Even a little bit of research and knowledge will help you know what you CAN do, so you can choose what you WANT to do!

We recommend making a list of your travel party’s must do experiences before you go- this way you have some direction on how to spend your time and make sure everyone gets their first priorities taken care of.

Want to make this super easy? Use Castle Sisters to plan your trip. We give you all this information in advance and help you with the planning! We save you planning time and time on our trip waiting in line and figuring out how things work!

Know How to use the Disneyland App

The Disneyland App is your friend! Download the app and log in on your phone BEFORE you even leave on your trip. Know where to find your tickets, Photopass, Genie+ selections, Mobile Ordering etc. Learn how to use the map to find attractions, bathrooms, guest services, and characters- and know how to filter it for what is useful to you each day.

If you book your vacation with Castle Sisters, we go over the entire app with you before you travel and show you our best tips and tricks for using it!

Pro Tip: don’t ever go to Disneyland without an external battery pack. The App is your BFF, but it drains your battery like crazy!

Breeze Through Security

Unlike Florida, the Disneyland Resort if fairly compact. Disneyland Park, California Adventure, and Downtown Disney are connected by pedestrian only plazas and pathways. When you want to enter any of those three areas, you will have to pass through security. Security encompasses all three, so once you go through once, you can visit both Parks and Downtown Disney without having to do it again. There is security on the north side by the Disneyland Hotel, and there is also security on the south side by Harbor Blvd. Disney transportation from parking lots have their own security as well.

It is important to note that lines at security can be LONG in the mornings. If the parks open at 8:00 am and you show up at 7:45 am, plan to wait in a decent line to get through security to wait in line at the Parks. Want shorter lines? Follow our morning plan and be at security about 45-50 minutes before official park opening. Much less stressful and you can sleep on It’s a Small World later!

One other tip to note- the bags you bring matter! If you want to fast track your way through the security line, have your bags open and ready to be checked. DO NOT bring a backpack with tons of pockets and zippers. The security team will open every pocket and zipper of your bag (including your wallet), so save yourself some time and choose a bag with a smaller amount of pockets.

My family will keep all our items in a clear Ziploc bag inside our bag for the day. Not only does this protect our items on water rides and in the rain, but it also means you can pull out the plastic bag for the security team to see, and you can speed right through!

Sometimes if you are running late, it is helpful to know that there is usually a line for individuals without any bags. You can use this if you have a phone with you, but not a fanny pack. If we are trying to make a reservation, or rope drop a specific attraction, sometimes we will send one person through regular security with all the bags so that the rest of the party can speed through to make it for their plans.

Don’t Sleep on Early Entry

If you are staying at one of the three Disneyland Resort Hotels, complimentary early entry is included with your stay. This means hotel guests staying at the Disneyland Hotel, the Grand Californian, or Paradise Pier Hotel can enter the parks and visit select attractions 30 minutes before regular guests.

It is important to note that not every attraction is open during these extra minutes. In Disneyland Park, plan on riding Fantasyland and Tomorrowland attractions (Galaxy’s Edge is closed). In California Adventure, note that Radiator Racers is not included in Early Entry.

Both the Paradise Pier and Grand Californian hotels have the added bonus of their own private entrances directly into California Adventure, so you can walk straight into the magic. Disneyland Hotel does not have the same benefit, but it does have the Monorail right outside the entrance that can take you directly into Disneyland.

Depending on what your party is most interested in, you can ride 2-3 attractions before the morning crowds arrive. It’s worth it to get up!

Wait in the Right Spot for Rope Drop

What is rope drop? That is a term for being in the Parks early enough that you are standing and waiting at the “rope” to enter when the Parks officially open. Disney has you scan your tickets and enter the parks about 30 minutes before official opening, and then they hold you in the main area (think Main Street) until opening time. There are different “rope” areas to wait for different attractions- for example, those wanting to start at Space Mountain wouldn’t wait for the rope that lets you into Adventureland to ride Indiana Jones. You would wait in a different area to ride Radiator Racers than you would Guardians of the Galaxy. Know where you are going first and wait in the best spot for that attraction. You got up early so make the most of it!

Castle Sisters sends you rope drop plans and we talk strategy during our Zoom meeting prior to travel.

If You Don’t Rope Drop, Use Genie+!

Not everyone wants to be up before the sun and at rope drop every morning. Late nights, small children, and not wanting to wake up early on vacation are all valid reasons for skipping rope drop when at Disney. How else do you avoid long lines? Use Genie+! If you know you aren’t morning people, and that you would be happier not waiting in long lines, planning for Genie+ in your budget will allow you to skip lines during the day.

The average price for Genie+ is $25 per person, per day, but in busy seasons it can flex a little bit higher than that. There is a little bit of a learning curve to maximizing your investment here, and we will show you how to do that!

Use Lightning Lane in the Afternoon

Some attractions at the Disneyland Resort have the option to purchase an Individual Lightning Lane. Unlike Genie+ that allows you to skip the line on a list of attractions, Individual Lightning lane is a purchase to skip the line for an single experience. Radiator Racers in California Adventure, and Rise of the Resistance and Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway in Disneyland Park are the current offerings for ILL (please note: these attractions are not included in Genie+). The price is variable each day, but can range from $15-25 per person. Rise of the Resistance is almost always $25, while Mickey and Minnie’s and Radiator Racers us usually more in the $18 range.

When you purchase an Individual Lightning Lane, we suggest purchasing them for a time in the early to mid-afternoon. If you are going to invest extra money to skip the line, you might as well skip the line when things are the most busy! Don’t use an ILL in the morning when lines are short, do it when you can maximize your time- skip in the afternoon instead of waiting in lines during that time when the lines are the longest.

The way ILL selection works in Disneyland is different than Disney World- you cannot pick your own time from a list, you simply get the time that is next available. That means to get an afternoon time slot, you need to watch the Disneyland App and then select your Individual Lightning Lane when the afternoon becomes available.

Utilize Mobile Ordering

Mobile Ordering can be one of the greatest time savers at the Disneyland Resort! Gone are the days of waiting 30-45 minutes in line for your lunch- simply order your food on your mobile device and then collect it during your pickup time.

Mobile Ordering is found in the Disneyland App. Most quick service restaurants and snacks can be ordered using the mobile order feature. The exception to this would be snack carts around the Park- things like churros, pretzels, and popcorn are mostly excluded from mobile order and utilize a traditional line.

How does it work? The Disneyland App has full menus for each restaurant listed. You simply open the App and choose a pickup window of time for your order- you will be choosing a half hour time slot to return to collect your meal. You will select and add all food items to your cart in the App and then check out. You have the ability to add/subtract things from your menu choice, or to order with dietary restrictions. Apply Pay, a credit card, or a Disney gift card to can all be used as payment methods. Your card will not be charged if you do not pick up your food- so no need to stress if you can’t make your window!

When you are within your selected pickup time, simply go to the home screen of the App when near the restaurant and select the button that says, “I’m here, Prepare my Order.” Your food will then be prepared fresh (they don’t prepare it and let it sit for 30 minutes until you show up). I will hit the button when walking from an attraction to our meal location—it usually takes 5 minutes or so for the food to be freshly made and prepared for your party. Your phone will notify you when your order is ready to be picked up. Each restaurant has numbered windows, and you simply go the window you are assigned, and pick up your food. Super easy!

Please note that you can order food while waiting in a morning line for Indiana Jones for the evening when you are leaving the park. You can use the time you will be waiting in line to set yourself up for success when everyone gets hangry!

Eat During Off-Peak Hours

If you are wanting to maximize your time- eat when other guests aren’t eating. If you choose to take your meal breaks from 12-1 and 5-6, a good portion of others around you will also be eating- which means longer lines if you don’t mobile order, and a little more trouble in finding a table, especially for a large party. Our solution? Don’t eat at those popular times! Take your lunch break between 1:30-3:30pm. The attraction lines are longest then, and it is the hottest part of the day. Spend that time relaxing (and sitting in air conditioning), and avoid the attraction crowds this way.

Don’t think your kids can make it to a later lunch? Remember that you can bring SNACKS into Disneyland Parks with you- there isn’t a limit on how much you can bring. We like to load up on snacks with kids or hangry husbands- it makes for a more pleasant experience!

USE A TRAVEL AGENT!

Last, but definitely not least, use a knowledgeable travel agent is the best tip we can give! Using Castle Sisters to book your Disneyland package is NO COST TO YOU- Disney builds in a travel agent commission to every package they sell, and you are paying for it whether you use an agent or not. Why woudn’t you have someone help you navigate all these tips and tricks, answer all your questions, and make sure you are confident in maximizing your vacation resources? We are ready to help you anytime!