Disneyland Resort, often dubbed “The Happiest Place on Earth,” is a dream destination for families and Disney fans alike. With its enchanting attractions, beloved characters, and immersive experiences, it offers something for everyone.
However, to truly maximize your visit and create unforgettable memories, careful planning and insider knowledge are essential. This guide provides tips to help you navigate the parks like a pro.
Choosing the Right Time to Visit
Timing can significantly impact your Disneyland experience. The best seasons to visit are typically during mid-January through mid-March, late-April through mid-May, and early December. This helps you avoid the summer crowds and the weather is generally pleasant. Avoid major holidays like the week between Christmas and New Years, Thanksgiving weekend, or Spring Break which tend to the the most crowded times.
Understanding Ticket Prices
Buying tickets online before your visit used to be recommended, but is now a requirement!! That’s because of the park reservation system, which requires all guests to make a reservation prior to their visit.
While I’ll talk more about reservations in the next section, first it’s important to determine which Disneyland tickets are right for our visit.
First you’ll want to decide if you want single-park tickets or park-hopper tickets. Park-hoppers allow guests to go back and forth between Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park.
Next you’ll need to know how many days you’ll be visiting the parks. Multi-day tickets are a better value than single-day tickets. If you want to experience everything the Resort has to offer, I recommend three days.
Finally, I recommend purchasing your Disneyland tickets through an authorized ticket seller such as Undercover Tourist. You’ll get the exact same tickets you’d get through the Disneyland website at a lower price.
Make Park Reservations
If you haven’t visited Disneyland Resort in a few years, you may not know about the theme park reservation system. Starting in 2021, all guests visiting Disneyland Park or Disney California Adventure must make a theme park reservation in advance.
Making a theme park reservation is pretty easy, especially if you’re purchasing your tickets through the Disneyland website. Once tickets are purchased and assigned to a guest, you’ll be taken to a calendar to make your reservation. If you have park hopper tickets, you will need to reserve your starting park. Guests can park hop after 11am.
Theme park reservations open up 180 days in advance (about 6 months), and it’s important to make your reservations as soon as possible, especially if you plan to visit Disneyland during a busy season.
You can check reservation availability by going to the Disneyland Theme Park Reservation Calendar.
Using the Disneyland App
The official Disneyland app is an invaluable tool during your visit. It features wait times for attractions, show schedules, dining reservations, maps of both parks, and mobile ordering capabilities … all features that will make your visit smoother. If you are utilizing Lightning Lanes you will use the app to make your attraction reservations as well.
Dining Reservations
Dining plays a crucial role in your Disneyland experience; thus, making reservations well in advance is essential, especially for popular spots like Blue Bayou Restaurant or character dining experiences at Plaza Inn or Goofy’s Kitchen. Dining reservations open up 60 days in advance and can be made through the Disneyland app.
Mobile Ordering Food
If sit down dining isn’t your style, I recommend utilizing mobile ordering via the Disneyland app for quick service meals. This will safe you a bunch of time in lines. Keep an eye on mobile order wait times for popular spots such as Jolly Holiday and Docking Bay 7.
Arrive Early
This one is pretty simple … many guests don’t arrive until late morning, so I highly recommend taking advantage of low crowds (and low wait times) in the morning.
Expect the Unexpected
Many guests plan their Disneyland day down to the minute but as a frequent visitor, I’ve found the magic is in the unexpected moments, like stumbling upon the Pearly Band playing in Fantasyland, Aurora from “Sleeping Beauty” riding the carousel, or interacting with Stormtroopers in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
The best insider tip I have is to go with the flow, and be sure to look for the magical moments happening all around you all the time.
