A Guide To Disneyland To Help You Maximize Your Time

A Guide To Disneyland To Help You Maximize Your Time

We’ve all been rookies experiencing something new at some point. Today, I am going to be sharing the basics of Disneyland Resort to help you maximize your time when planning a Disneyland vacation.

There’s so very much to know. Let’s get started-

Disneyland Resort is comprised of 2 theme parks (Disneyland Park and Disney’s California Adventure), 3 Disney hotels (Disneyland Hotel, Paradise Pier Hotel and Grand Californian Hotel)  and Downtown Disneyland. Disneyland is a fraction of the size of Disney World. 

Here is a map to give you an idea-

Everything at the Disneyland Resort is within walking distance, For most visitors to Disneyland, a car is not only unnecessary, but counter-productive. Most of the best hotel options are directly across the street from the parks, which are literally <100 yards from one another. However, you have other options, too. Here are your other options:

• *Monorail: If you take the Monorail to Tomorrowland from Downtown Disney, you can avoid the main gate entry. On crowded days, this is a great option to get into the park quickly and avoid that enormous crowd waiting to go into the park.
• ART (Anaheim Resort Transportation): It will work with most offsite hotels and goes up and down Harbor and more.
• Taxis & Uber: Take a look at this map for the main taxi pick up for off-site hotels. I recommend Uber over traditional taxis, but both will pick you up at the “Taxi Pick Up” area.You may also catch a taxi or Uber from the Downtown Disney drop off location, located in between Rainforest Cafe and the ESPN Zone. But, you will have better luck, though, with Uber drivers knowing how to locate the “Taxi Pick Up” on Harbor.

Now that we have gotten through some of the basic’s here are tips to Maximize Your Time at the Disneyland Resort-

1. Buy tickets online. 

When you buy tickets in advance, you’ll go straight through to the entrance and won’t have to spend any time in ticket booth lines. This can save you an hour on a busy day (plus save you some $$$ if you purchase your discount Disneyland tickets through Get Away Today or Undercover Tourist)! If you purchase a 3-day ticket or longer, you’ll be eligible for Magic Morning. With Magic Morning, you can enjoy one day of early admission to Disneyland Park, usually on Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday.

2. Pick the best times to visit.

While it’s always a good time to visit Disneyland, there are times during the year that are better than others. Holidays, school schedules and annual passholders have a big impact on Disneyland’s schedule. 

3. Ease your way through the security line. 

The best way to get through the security line quickly is to be prepared. Make sure all of your bags are out and open for the cast member to peek into. Have keys, cell phone, coins and any metal devices ready to be passed to the guard at the security scanners. Have something that you know will buzz, such as a belt? Take it off and shove it into a bag for a moment. The Harbor Boulevard security lines (the area where Toy Story Lot and offsite hotels tend to enter) have a special security line for people with no bags. If you have no bags to check you may save yourself a long line there!

4. Get to the parks before they open.

We say this a lot and here it is again. The shortest waits of the day are in the first hours of a park’s opening.  Rope dropping the parks is an absolute must, and you’ll want to be arriving at Disneyland about an hour in advance (particularly if coming from Harbor Boulevard hotels, as security backs up in that direction first thing in the morning).

Getting up at the crack of dawn and being to Disneyland or Disney’s California Adventure early doesn’t fit with the notion of relaxing and unwinding on vacation, but the reality is that you’d be better off showing up for the first 2 hours and last 2 hours and skipping the hours in between than you be doing only those middle-of-the-day hours.

 5. Download the Disneyland Mobile App.

Lifesaver!!!! Download the Disneyland Mobile app before you arrive. It has wait times, show listings, park maps, restaurant menus and so much more. If you buy your park tickets with the app, you only need to show your barcode at the gate for admission when you first arrive at the park! Having the Disneyland Mobile app is necessary for using MaxPass and the new Mobile Ordering Service is great for skipping some food lines.

6.Use FASTPASS.

Disney’s FASTPASS system is one of the best ways to maximize your time at Disneyland. In case you’re not familiar with the system, certain attractions in both parks allow you to insert your park ticket and get a pass, called the FASTPASS, which gives you a return time to the specified attraction. Keep touring the park then hop back through the FASTPASS Return Line for a minimal wait.

You can only use the FASTPASS during the specified one-hour return time window (although you can arrive 5 minutes early and up to 10 minutes late). You’ll grab your new FASTPASS after a waiting period once the return time window opens for the current pass you are holding or up to two hours have passed since you obtained your most recent FASTPASS. If the ride should break down in your return window, you can redeem the unused FASTPASS at another FASTPASS attraction in the park any time until the park closes. Finally, many attractions do run out of FASTPASSes by evening, so don’t count on FASTPASSes to be available at the most popular attractions later in the day — especially at Disney California Adventure.

Here are the attractions that have FASTPASS-

Disneyland Park FASTPASS Attractions

• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters
• Haunted Mansion / Haunted Mansion Holiday
• Indiana Jones Adventure
• Matterhorn Bobsleds
• Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin
• Space Mountain
• Star Tours — The Adventures Continue
• “it’s a small world” / “it’s a small world” Holiday
• Fantasmic (does not affect obtaining ride FASTPASSes)

Disney California Adventure FASTPASS Attractions

• Incredicoaster
• Goofy’s Sky School
• Grizzly River Run
• Guardians of the Galaxy — Misson: BREAKOUT! / Monsters After Dark
• Radiator Springs Racers
• Soarin’ Around the World
• Toy Story Midway Mania!
• World of Color (does not affect obtaining ride FASTPASSes)

7. Use MaxPass to obtain FASTPASSes and use PhotoPass

The ultimate way to maximize your time at Disneyland comes with a small price tag. Disneyland MaxPass is an optional add-on service that costs $15 per day per person. It allows users to make FASTPASS reservations from their smartphones. That means that the second you walk in the front gate, you can reserve a FASTPASS for Radiator Springs Racers instead of getting in a long line and waiting to obtain a pass. You can get a jump on other FASTPASS users. You can usually reserve earlier return times than other FASTPASS users and make your reservations wherever you are for either park (if park hopping) once you have entered a park for the day. If you plan to use PhotoPass, MaxPass will save money with included unlimited photo downloads compared to purchasing each picture individually. Note the time you can make your next FASTPASS reservation and reserve as soon as you can. You do not have to ride the other rides you have reserved first before making the next reservation. Choose earlier return windows in the morning to maximize the amount of rides you can get on in a day.

8. Take advantage of Extra Magic Morning and Extra Magic Hours. 

The only way you benefit from the Extra Magic Morning or Extra Magic Hours (EMH) is if you actually show up early for them. Both allow one-hour early admission into the park, You want to get to the park at least a half hour before the extra hour begins. Some rides now distribute FASTPASSes during EMH and Magic Morning, but availability is not guaranteed and the FASTPASSes’ return windows will become active once the park opens to the general public.

 9. If you are an early bird not staying onsite, start the day in the park not hosting Extra Magic Hours. 

Even if you arrive ahead of park opening, the park with Extra Magic Hours or Magic Morning will have more people in it and you’ll encounter some lines and fewer immediate FASTPASS options. You’re better off heading to the opposite park. You can usually enter the other park 30 minutes early, but you will have access to the entire park once the rope drops at official opening.

10. If you aren’t staying onsite and want to experience Radiator Springs Racers first thing, head to Disney California Adventure on a non-EMH day.

On days with Extra Magic Hours at Disney California Adventure, the park will already have plenty of guests who are in line for the attraction or its FASTPASS machine by the time you actually make it inside. You can pick up your Radiator Springs Racers FASTPASSes in Cars Land behind Flo’s V8. You’ll want to head that way first thing if you plan to use traditional FASTPASS for Radiator Springs Racers (but you can book your first ride from anywhere if using MaxPass). Note that FASTPASS is now sometimes available during Extra Magic Hour, so Extra Magic Hours will line up for the machine ahead of the official park opening and snag all the early return times.

Tip: The ride’s line moves fastest in the first hour of park opening because there are fewer FASTPASS users slowing down the standby line. If you want to do this attraction more than once in your day, grab your Radiator Springs Racers FASTPASS tickets then head to the attraction to ride it early or save more time and hop in the Single Rider line (all single riders must be 7 and up).

11. Only have one person in your party get FASTPASSes or schedule MaxPass FASTPASSes.

It’s much easier for one person to be your appointed FASTPASS “runner” or manager. My husband would always be the runner, like when we would enter Disney’s California Adventure, he would go through the no bag line and run straight for FASTPASSes for World of Color, while I would take the kids through the bags line. When using MaxPass, my husband manages the whole family and makes all our FASTPASS reservations to make sure we all have the same return window. If members of the group try to make their own FASTPASS reservations individually, everyone might get different return times, so it’s best to have one person manage everyone when you want to ride together.

 12. It Get’s Cold In Southern California

California is known for its perfect weather, and yes you can have plenty of fun in the sun. But, one important thing to now is it gets cool at night, as low as 50 degrees and with a cool breeze it makes it for jacket weather. We made this mistake our first year going, had to buy our toddler a jacket and it wasn’t cheap in the park. Remember to bring a jacket, especially for the littles as it gets quite chilly at night.

13. Make dining reservations.

Knowing when and where you’re going to eat can be a timesaver. By eliminating the time it takes to consider your options, going right to your restaurant really speeds up your day. Visit the Disneyland website or the Disneyland Mobile App to see your options and reserve. We really like eating a character dining meal at Goofy’s Kitchen, located in the Disneyland Hotel. Just a reminder, that this isn’t like Walt Disney World where you book your dining reservations 160 days in advance, instead it is usually 60 days out.

Plan meals around parade and show waits.

Choosing a great spot for Fantasmic!, World of Color or the fireworks is a something that we try to strive as a Family. We make the most of this time waiting for the show to start by making it “dinner time” as well. We find our ideal viewing location, and then one family member sets out for burgers, hot dogs, corn dogs, fried chicken from Plaza Inn or other grab-and-go type foods for the rest of the family. We eat sitting down while we wait for the show to start!

We hope you’ve enjoyed our guide to help you maximize your time at Disneyland. Do you already follow any of these tips? Have a tip we haven’t listed? Share in comments below!

Make sure to get in touch with www.getawaytoday.com  so they can help you save the most on your next Disneyland Vacation or You can also get discounted Disneyland tickets from www.undercovertourist.com

Come join in on the fun in our Facebook Group, there you can talk about this and all things Disney, compare notes, talk about your trips and most of all be apart of one big o’hana!