Disneyland Vacation- Top 10 Tips

10 Disneyland Tips

Are you heading off to Disneyland soon and looking for some pointers?  Me too!  My family and self are packing up for a few days and spending some time together at Disneyland.  I love Disneyland, to me it feels like I am stepping into another world… a magical world where we get mingle with our favorite childhood characters and see our children’s excitement when they experience it for the first time.  Even though it is “The Happiest Place On Earth” there are ways to make your experience happier.  I have put together a list of my top 10 tips for a Disneyland vacation.

*Please note:  This blog post contains affiliate links, which means that if you make a purchase using one of these links, at no additional cost to you, I may receive a commission from those purchases.  You can read my full disclosure here.

1. Buy Gift Cards @ Target using your RedCard and save 5%

Disney gift cards can be used on the purchase of Disney Park tickets, Disney hotels, dining, gift shops and more.  I have heard that you can only purchase four gift cards at a time with your RedCard, but with how frequently I shop at Target this was not a problem for me.  If you are saving for a Disney Vacation, why not buy a gift card or few each visit.  Disney Gift Cards can be found in $25, $50 and $100 amounts.  I saved $75 on the purchase of my family’s four ages 10+  tickets!  

2. Combine gift cards into one gift card up to $1000 using the Disney Website

Remember how above I mentioned buying gift cards at Target?  Well, you probably don’t want to have to carry around a stack of gift cards or pay for your tickets with a bunch of different gift cards.  The easiest thing to do is head on over to www.disneygiftcard.com, create an account and manage your gift cards online.

3. Download the Disneyland App on your phone

• Buy park tickets
• Make dining reservations (up to 2 months in advance)
• Order food ahead of time, then pick-up at your selected arrival window.
• MaxPass/ FastPass
• View PhotoPass pics
• Check out the day’s showtimes

4. Check out a crowd tracker website

I have found several different websites that offer some sort of insight as to what your visit may look like.  My favorite is IsItPacked.com.  Here you can find tips from patrons, current updates as to what it is looking like at Disneyland.

5. Battery Pack

With how much we use our phones as it is, throw in using the camera non-stop trying to capture all of those wonderful family vacation moments, then using the Disney App… your phone is likely to need a recharge or two.  I found a great Anker Battery Pack on Amazon.  Make sure that you have a charging cable too, it costs $27 for a lightening cable at Disney!

6. MaxPass

Alright, so the MaxPass, Is it worth the money, I think so.  The MaxPass costs $10 per ticket per day.  With the MaxPass you get to use your FastPass from your phone!  No running all over the park just to get a fast pass ticket to then have to come back at your Fast Pass time.  If you are over at California Adventure and want to get set up with FastPass for Space Mountain, you can without having to drag your whole party over there.  I think that this is alone is pretty awesome.  Just make sure that you pay attention to your next fast pass time, you can set up another time before redeeming your first.  But wait there is more… you can also access all of your PhotoPass photos and PhotoPass photographer photos for the day on your phone with MaxPass.

*** Also, if there is an option somewhere in Disneyland or Disney’s California Adventure to sit through a 30 minute presentation (It is sort of a timeshare thing), in exchange for fast passes, DO IT!  We received three fast passes per person and it gave us the opportunity to ride some rides that had insane wait times.  It was super hot on our last day at Disney and spending 2+ hours in line waiting to ride the Radiator Springs Racers vs. 30 minutes in air conditioning, complimentary water and giveaway items for the kids.

7. Refillable water containers

Bringing in your own water bottles is totally permitted, just NO GLASS.  We all have our own water containers that can be filled up throughout the park.  There are even water bottle filling stations.  I am constantly thirsty so having my own accessible supply of water is a must.

8. Bring in your own snacks

I am not an annual pass holder, so when I go to Disneyland I want to experience everything, the food included.  Disneyland has some pretty amazing food, but while waiting in line or for a dining reservation and hunger strikes, it is nice to have some snacks on hand.  You are allowed to pack in your own snack type foods.  We brought beef jerky packs, trail mix, string cheese, dried fruit and applesauce pouches.

9. Check the weather

I know this kind of goes without saying but, its always a good idea to know what sort of a day to pack for.  If it is summer time, it will more than likely be hot.  I have a couple of ways staying cool (especially coming from the Phoenix area where we know HEAT).  Below are a few of my favorite items that I have purchased on Amazon.

 

The weather can be somewhat unpredictable, having some light rain ponchos packed is a good idea.  Also packing lightweight jacket or sweater is recommended, it can get chilly at night pretty quickly especially if you are riding water rides close to dark.  Speaking of water rides, bring extra socks, wet feet all day can lead to discomfort and possibly even trench foot.

10. Bring a positive attitude

Crowds are not fun, having to make your way through them and stand in long lines can be a real bummer.  Instead of getting frustrated, I try to remember that I too am part of that crowd and more than likely in somebody else’s way, everyone is there to have a good time and has to stand in the same long lines.  Having a bad attitude does no one any good.  Try to keep your cool and stay positive.  We know that the best way to deal with grumpyness is to be flexible.  If it is too hot, maybe now is a good time to take a break head back to the hotel and cool off in the pool or even take a nap and head back to the park later… they are open late.

Well readers, that is my top 10 tips to surviving Disneyland.  We had a great time and can’t wait for our next visit.  Do you have any tips you would like to share?  I would love to hear them in the comments section below!

Thank you for reading!

April aka ZonaMom

 

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