Disneyland Basics. 10 Things To Know

Disneyland Basics. My Favorite Tips

From the day the late Walt Disney came up with the concept of Disneyland at Griffith Park until today, over 60 years later, Disneyland is really the only place where you leave today and enter the world of yesterday, tomorrow & fantasy. After 100 visits to the park, here are my Disneyland basics.

Next week, we are headed to Disneyland for a few days. It is a busy time of year to visit Disneyland but going back to Disneyland is a special experience full of great memories, great history and great fun. It is one of our favorites as a family

Each year, over 18 million people visit Disneyland annually.  Over the last several, I have put together a list of tips and tricks for visiting Disneyland. We do our best to keep it updated and add to it, which includes great recommendations from our friends.

Below is our favorite tips & tricks when visiting Disneyland. Consider these the Disneyland basics.  

Remember, life is a game never won or lost, only played.

Disneyland Basics: Download The Disneyland Mobile App.

Technology has done amazing things for the Disneyland experience. I would strongly recommend the Disneyland App. It offers park information and entry (wait times, tickets, shows, etc.) and also great information about your profile (MaxPass, Disney Dining, etc.) Before you even enter the park, the Disneyland App is a must.

Disneyland Basics: Things Moves Fast. Get Regular Park Updates.

Mouse Planet is a great BLOG to stay current on all things Disneyland (+Disneyworld) the BLOG offers the latest news thru their weekly update, includes, crowd forecasts, ride closures, and event upcoming events. It is one that I would highly recommend. It is a quick read, always current and something you can read a few days before arriving.

Disneyland Basics: Fantastic Dining Choices. Plan Ahead

Disneyland offers great dining choices all at different prices, different venues and in some cases can be hard to get into.  Personally, I make reservations most times we visit simply to avoid long lines after a long day of great rides and avoiding hungry kids and meltdowns. Call it preventative maintenance, LOL.  A few things to consider.

Character Experiences: A great way to have access to the Disney characters for autographs. For first-timers or those with young kids it can be much easier than chasing them around the park or waiting in lines. It is an expensive outing, but well worth it on occasion.

Make Reservations: We have our favorites at Disneyland (& California Adventure). I would suggest main street on Disneyland as it has lots of options to eat at and if you are in the mood for a bit of shopping, it has great stores. I included restaurants that have reservations accepted. You can make them online or thru the app directly.

Disneyland Basics: Spend Less Time In Line. Fast Pass Is A Must.

Disneyland introduced Fast Pass several years ago. It’s a ticket that holds your place in line for a ride. It lets you leave and do whatever you want and then get back in a special shorter line later. Sort of like if your buddy agreed to stand in line for you and call your cell when he got close to the entrance. More recently, Disney introduced MaxPass which enhances the Fast Pass experience where you can link it to your Disney account and offers a way to use your mobile device at an additional cost ($10 per day, per person).

Fastpass is an absolute must for your Disneyland experience and Disney has done a great job of expanding this to new rides. At the same time, there are important things to know (availability, distribution location, return times, etc.). This is a great link to review with all of the details and tricks (e.g. some rides are on their own independent Fast Pass loop)

Disneyland Basics: Look For Hidden Mickeys

One of our favorite games in Disneyland is hidden mickeys. It is a great way to kill time in line waiting for a ride, or when walking around the park. A hidden mickey is a representation of mickey mouse that has been carefully designed into a ride, attraction or a location within Disneyland. The most common hidden mickey is the formation of 3 circles (a head and two ears) and will take all different types of shapes and forms and may include different objects and come in different sizes. There are several great resources you can use to help you including books, websites, apps, etc. One of our favorites is Hidden Mickey Guide where they include hidden mickey photos and a great catalog.

Disneyland Basics: Improve Your Rider Experience. Try Single Rider & Rider Switch

There are also great ways to improve your rider experience. This is great for guests who have young kids or guests who may be unable to ride and ways to reduce your wait times but allowing groups to split up and embark on select attractions individually.  There is far too much to go thru in this update but would strongly recommend both the rider switch and single rider line web pages. They are great resources to improve your Disneyland experience and also make you aware of restrictions (e.g. what attractions offer these services and where to access them)

Disneyland Basics: Attractions Are Endless. Get Educated & Plan Ahead

There are 90+ rides at Disneyland. It is important to understand ride location, accessibility restrictions, height requirements and even when rides or open.  There are restrictions at different heights that you will want to be aware of (36, 40, 42, 48 inches, etc.) Disney has done a great job on outlining all of this on their website and has included all types of filtering options including “thrill types”, “interests” and even age interest (e.g. preschool thru adults and all ages). It is worth spending time here before you even enter the park.

Disneyland Basics: Make It A Magical Experience. Check Out Tours

Disneyland offers a wide array of tours and different ways to see the park. They are an amazing experience but are expensive and are a big commitment. The two most common are the Disneyland Resort VIP tours and the Walk In Walt’s Disneyland Footsteps guided Tours. The overviews and customer reviews are a fantastic resource and they both look to be nothing short of amazing. Personally, it is not something I have done yet, but it’s on my list. I will gladly take advice from any of our readers on their experiences!

Disneyland Basics: Hotels & Accommodations. Many Family Friendly Options

I enjoy Disneyland and have had the opportunity to visit countless times over the years. If I was taking inventory it is well beyond 50 visits. It may not sound like a lot, but remember, I don’t live in Southern California, so its not a quick trip down the I5. Over the years, I have had the privilege of staying at all types of hotels and venues with the family. I have stayed both onsite at Disney properties (e.g. Grand California, Disneyland Hotel, etc.) and outside the park at different good neighbor hotels.

Below are a few of our favorites. If you can afford it, I would suggest you stay close to the hotel if you can. Having the flexibility to walk to and from the park can save you a lot of time away from buses, parking garages and traffic.

Grand California / Disneyland Hotel / Paradise Pier Hotel / Good Neighbor Hotels

Now it’s time to go enjoy a few of our favorite rides.

Remember that life is a game never won or lost, only played.