Check out these top Disneyland tips for families that everyone in your family—from your toddler clear on up to dad—will enjoy. Today I’m sharing my best advice and recommendations to help your family have the best Disneyland trip ever!
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When is the best time to go to Disneyland?
Although you never can tell if any given day at Disneyland is going to be packed or a ghost town, in my experience, these are the best and worst times to head to the parks:
Best times:
- The week after Labor Day
- Just after Halloween
- Late November, after Thanksgiving
- Late January
- Early March
- Mornings/early afternoons of some holidays (we’ve gone on Memorial Day, 4th of July, and Halloween with relatively smallish crowds from morning til mid-afternoon, but it definitely picks up in the evening)
- Mid-late August
- Saturdays in the summer usually aren’t too bad (most annual passes are blocked and tourists will often avoid the weekends)
Worst times:
- New Year’s Eve
- Thanksgiving week
- First weekend in December
- The week before Christmas through the week after New Years
- Anytime around Valentines Day or Presidents Day
- Spring break (mid-March through the end of April)
- Fall break (mid-October)
*My very favorite time at Disneyland is Christmas time. It might not be the least crowded time to go, but it’s really magical (snow on Main Street, anyone?) Halloween time is also fun. It’s just cool to see the park in a different light during these two holiday times, and might be worth the extra crowds for the unique experience.
What to plan before going to Disneyland
Obviously before you head to the parks, you’ll need to buy your ticket and make your reservation, but it’s extremely helpful to pick your priorities before you leave. This is my #1 Disneyland tip for families. There’s no way you’ll be able to do absolutely everything—unless you’re staying for a week—so determine what are the must-dos for your family. I could give you a detailed itinerary, but honestly, every family is different and has different priorities of what they want to see and do. (If you want a detailed itinerary, check out this one from Disneyland Daily.
I promise you’ll have a much more enjoyable trip if you don’t rush around and try to do everything. Slow down, pick your priorities, and enjoy what you pick.
I recommend downloading the Disneyland app or checking out the Things to Do tab on the Disneyland website to see what might be of interest to each member of your family. You can even print out maps here.
This way, you and your family can see what sounds fun and interesting for your family. Some families may be parade people, while others prioritize roller coasters, and some have that kid who just HAS to meet a certain character. What works for one family might not work for another, which is why it’s so important to plan your priorities.
Our kids LOVE to pour over the maps before we go. We have each family member choose their top 3 things they want to do (rides, parades, shows, meeting characters, fireworks, etc), and one snack or treat they want to have. For our family of 5, this makes 15 things, which is totally doable in a day—even if it’s crowded.
If we have more time, great! We can do more! But if not, we make sure to get everyone’s top 3 in. That way, everyone gets a say in what we’re doing. This also helps the kids know what to expect and realize that everyone gets a turn to pick. It’s also a great way to build anticipation for the trip since they get to help plan out the day.
This is crucial for Zach, who has autism, and needs to know what’s coming. This helps manage his meltdowns if he knows what to expect and he feels like he has a say in what we are doing.
You’ll also want to download the Disneyland app before you go and play around with it so you’re familiar with it before you go. The app has current wait times, showtimes, mobile ordering for food, virtual queues, and you can link your tickets to use for things like rider swap. You can even watch videos of rides here so your kids know what to expect.
What to bring to Disneyland
Since you’ll be walking all day, you’ll want to bring your comfiest shoes and make sure they’re broken in. I like to wear my running shoes. They are super comfy and will get me through a 30k-step day. If you are planning to do any water rides, like Splash Mountain, you may want to bring a pair of flip flops to wear on the ride so you don’t have to walk around in wet sneakers the rest of the day.
As for what to wear, bring something that won’t cause chafing and dries quickly. My girls absolutely LOVE these super soft and comfy princess dresses. I love these biker shorts (seriously, these are the BEST!) paired with a cute Disney Tshirt and a fun pair of Minnie ears. And my husband likes to wear silly Disney Tshirts (Gaston is his fave…haha!). Depending on what time of year you go, you may want to bring a jacket. Even when it’s hot during the day, it often cools off at night in Anaheim.
We like to bring our own food and water bottles to the parks. In my honest opinion, unless you’re eating at a sit-down restaurant like Café Orleans or Blue Bayou, most of the meals at Disneyland aren’t all that great. So we bring our own meals, and buy a snack/treat there. We pack it in our cooler and hang it on our stroller. If you don’t use a stroller, you can stash your cooler in a locker. We also bring our own water bottles (we love our Hydroflasks!) and you can refill them for free by asking for a cup of ice water at any restaurant. Seriously, take advantage of the free water so you don’t get dehydrated!
What to know while you’re at Disneyland
General tips:
- Disney’s new Genie+ has replaced Fastpasses. So if your priority is rides, you may want to consider purchasing this. It allows you to enter many attractions through the Lightning Lane, which is often a shorter wait. Not all attractions have a Lightning Lane, so before purchasing, make sure the rides you want to go on are included. You can only use the Lightning Lane once per day for each attraction.
- The first 2 hours and the last 2 hours are usually the least crowded times of the day. Often they’ll open the gates before opening time and you can get in early. And you don’t have to be out of the gates at closing—just make sure to get in a line before closing time, and you’ll still be able to ride.
- Use the Disneyland app! It updates often with current wait times so you know what to expect. You can also use it to mobile order your food and snacks.
- Many attractions have single rider lines. Take advantage of these if you’re solo or if you’re in a group that doesn’t mind being split up. These lines are often half the wait time.
- If you have younger kiddos that don’t meet the height requirement for an attraction (or they’re too chicken to ride it) use the rider swap. It’s a lifesaver! One parent will wait with the little while the other parent rides with the big kids. Then the first parent gets to ride immediately, with 2 guests. So your big kids may get to ride twice! Just ask the cast member at the line entrance for a rider swap pass.
- Disneyland’s lost and found is fantastic. If you lose something, be sure to report it on the app or the online form. If your item is found, you’ll get an email with a choice to come pick it up if you’re still in the area, or if not, they’ll mail it to you for free!
- Disneyland really wants their guests to have a magical experience, and are great about accommodating disabilities. Their Disability Access Service (DAS) helps guests who may need accommodations. Simply ask at City Hall or Guest Relations and explain the disability and what accommodations you may need. You can also do this via video chat before your trip. For example, our autistic son has a hard time standing still. So DAS allows him to get a return time for an attraction so he can wander around while he waits his turn. It has been a lifesaver for us and has prevented so many meltdowns. He still has to wait the same amount of time, but can do it in a way that is better for him. For wheelchair users, most queues can accommodate your chair and you can wheel right on up! For queues that don’t, you can be given a return time directly at each attraction and enter the attraction through an alternate entrance. Please be honest and nice when requesting accommodations and don’t abuse this service!
- If you have a baby/toddler, check out the Baby Care Center. It has changing stations, nursing areas, high chairs, microwaves to warm up baby food, and even little toilets for potty-training toddlers. When Katie was a baby, we used this place all the time!
- And finally, be nice to the cast members! Ask them questions, ask them about their day, etc. Don’t expect special treatment, but the likelihood of them creating a little magic for you is much higher when you engage with them positively. And don’t forget to file a compliment for them at Guest Services if a particular cast member has made your day!
Hidden gems at Disneyland:
Sometimes you just might need a little break from standing in lines and riding rides! Here are of few of our favorite hidden gems:
- Redwood Creek Challenge Trail: A great place to let the kids run around while the parents sit on a bench in the shade! All our kids love this place!
- Animation Academy: A short drawing class by a Disney artist where you learn how to draw a Disney character. And it’s air conditioned! Great for older kids/teens.
- Goofy’s Playhouse: A cute little playground for toddlers in Toontown.
- Pirate’s Lair: Another great place to let kids run around through caves and stuff while parents sit in the shade.
- Hidden Mickeys: Sometimes we like to search for hidden Mickeys around the parks. They are all over the place and it’s like a treasure hunt! Here’s a book to give you some clues. Happy hunting!
- Celebration buttons: At city hall, they have free buttons for celebrations like birthdays, anniversaries, etc. They even have one where you can write in what you’re celebrating! Just ask for one at any kiosk or store or at city hall.
- Cars Land Lighting Ceremony: At dusk in Cars Land, they have a darling lighting ceremony where they light up Radiator Springs just like in the movie—music and all! It’s short, but totally cute!
- Easter egg hunt: Every year around Easter, you can participate in Disney’s Easter egg hunt. You purchase a map at any store near the entrance, which tells you where eggs are hidden around the parks. Find them all and get a prize! They usually have 3 separate hunts: one for Disneyland, one for California Adventure, and one for Downtown Disney. Super fun!
Best things to eat at Disneyland
As I mentioned before, I don’t think most of the food at Disneyland is all that great. So we will often bring our own. But, we do love the snacks! Some of our favorites include:
- Jack jack num-num cookies
- frozen chocolate horchata and other seasonal drinks
- beignets
- dole whip (now available in pineapple, orange, and raspberry!)
- lemon soft serve from the Adorable Snowman
- giant pickles
- slushies from Bing-Bongs Sweet Stuff
- seasonal churros
- blue milk
- chocolate-covered pineapple spears
- Mickey gingerbread cookie (only available at Christmas time)
Even though I usually will skip on most of the meals, some of the food is decent. Our favorites include:
- Plaza Inn (we like the fried chicken plate and the chef salad; our kids love the penne pasta)
- Gyros from the Paradise Garden Grill
- Café Orleans (the Monte Cristo sandwich and pommes frites are amazing!)
- Blue Bayou (everything is pretty good, and it’s an awesome setting inside the Pirates of the Caribbean ride)
- Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta
- soup in a breadbowl from Pacific Wharf Cafe (the soup is only ok, the sourdough breadbowl is what’s amazing!)
- corndogs
*If you’re going to go to any of the sit down restaurants, I highly recommend making a reservation. You can do this on the website or the app, and they open up 60 days in advance.
You’re ready to go to Disneyland!
So, there you have it! Some pre-planning and using these Disneyland tips for families really goes a long way to help you and your family have a magical trip to the happiest place on earth! Have a lively time! What are your family’s favorite things to do at Disneyland?
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