ToBo on the Go Go

What I Love About Disneyland: Easy to get to on the west coast, can experience both parks in 2 days, lots of lodging options near the parks, don’t need to have a car.

Last time visited: February 2024

Disneyland General Tips & Considerations

• Planning is Key: Disneyland is a magical place and you are going to have fun. However, with a little planning, you can have even more fun.
• IMPORTANT! Download the Disneyland App (there is a different app for Disney World). This will be critical for navigating your day including selecting ride times, checking in for dining reservations, and mobile ordering.
• Things Change: So make sure to check on the latest updates before you go at https://disneyland.disney.go.com. For example, park reservations are required currently, but may not be required at some point next year. Also, early entry times for those staying at a Disneyland resort are in flux. It’s a good idea to keep current by reviewing other online tips. One of my favorite resources is https://www.undercovertourist.com/  
• Disneyland and Disney World Operate Differently: So what may be true for Disneyland may not be true for Disney World and vice versa (for example, the date that you can start making dining reservations may vary, though currently they both are 60 days out).
• Go Early: The best time to beat the crowds is in the morning and then late in the evening.
• John Wayne Airport (SNA): Is a very easy and family friendly airport (and my favorite) about 15 miles away from Disneyland.
• Transportation: There are many transportation options from the airport to Disneyland (but none run by Disneyland itself). If the Disneyland Parks and surrounding area are your only destination, you likely won’t need a car because everything is in walking distance. Check out transportation options here https://disneyland.disney.go.com/guest-services/transportation/
• Payment: If you book as a vacation package, you only have to pay a down payment and then you can make payments so the trip is paid for before you go.

Dining

• If you are interested in dining at Disneyland, reservations open 60 days prior to your ticket date. Reservations start opening around 6am PT. If you want to eat at a specific restaurant that’s highly desirable (for example, The Blue Bayou or Lamplight Lounge) then set your alarm and make reservations (I find it easier to do so on desktop versus the app). PS- Lamplight Lounge is my favorite.
• If you’re interested in seeing characters, check out dining options that include character visits so you don’t have to wait in line.
• If you don’t make dining reservations, you can take advantage of mobile ordering. Note that you can pick a time slot for ordering/pick up. I would recommend doing this a couple of hours before you are actually hungry so you can get a reasonable time.

Where to Stay

• If you can, stay at a Disneyland Resort Hotel (we usually stay at Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel, now Pixar Place) to take advantage of the perks (for example, early park entry, designated entry paths, next day package delivery, etc.). We’ve also stayed at the Westin and that was close (walking distance) and the room and hotel were very nice (and less expensive).
• Early entry is available again for those staying at a Disneyland Resort hotel and that is great for hitting Fantasyland (or other priority rides) before the crowds arrive. One note about early entry is that there is a schedule for which park has early entry and it doesn’t switch parks every other day. When we went, California Adventure had early entry Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and Disneyland had early entry Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday so make sure to check the schedule.
• If you can’t stay at a Disneyland Resort, stay close by and plan to get there 30 minutes before the park officially opens. The best time to beat the crowds is in the morning and then late in the evening (though they often close Fantasyland for the evening fireworks so plan for that).

Maximizing Your Time

• I highly recommend paying for Genie + to save yourselves a lot of time in line. Tip: You can purchase Genie+ with your tickets for Disneyland.
• I also recommend paying extra for Radiator Springs and Rise of the Resistance (or other rides that might be offered as Lightning Lane purchases) if you can to avoid waiting in the standby line for those (which can be > 2 hours).
• Familiarize yourself with Genie + so you are ready to start booking rides as soon as you enter one of the parks.
• Important Note: You have to enter a park before you can purchase Lightning Lane rides or make Genie+ ride reservations (this is different from Disney World where you can purchase Lightning Lane rides at 7am from your Disney World Resort prior to entering a park)
• There are time constraints for when you can book your next ride through Genie +, so make note of the time or set a reminder to make sure you maximize the number of ride reservations you are able to make that day (and availability will dwindle as the day goes on).
• Make sure to have a plan for the rides that are high priority. Use the app to check waiting times so you can be as efficient as possible (or as efficient as you’d like).
• Sometimes Disneyland will offer exclusive early hours (for example in Fantasyland) as extras. If this type of extra is being offered and is in your budget, it’s a great way to knock out all those rides with very little wait before the park opens to the public.

When to Visit

• If you are visiting any time during a school break or near a long, holiday weekend it’s going to be busy.
• I personally love visiting during Halloween (so fun!) or the winter holiday break (so beautiful!) when parks can be at their busiest. This makes planning even more important and impactful!
• If you have flexibility in scheduling, review the crowd calendar for dates when crowds are lower https://www.undercovertourist.com/los-angeles/crowd-calendar/  
• Note that each park’s crowds can differ on the same day. Using a crowd calendar can also help you pick which park you want to visit on each of day of your trip.

Other

• Make a droid- We liked this so much we did it twice! You can pick the droid style and color, then select the pieces, assemble, and bring them to life. They also interact with the other droids in Galaxy’s Edge which is awesome!
• Make a lightsaber- This is a very cool and immersive experience for Padawans of all ages. You get to select the style, core, and color and get a very cool carrying case. It’s a bit pricey so this could be your splurge item on the trip. Make sure to make reservations as they are usually booked up the day of.
• Visit Olga’s Cantina- Not super kid friendly food options, but it has the Star Wars fan wow factor that should be experienced (as well as tasty drink concoctions)
• Check out Downtown Disney- They have fun shops (like The Lego Store!) and lots of other food options (Salt & Straw is a favorite) and it may be easier to get dining reservations in Downtown Disney than in one of the parks.

Day 1: Arrive at Pixar Place Hotel & Downtown Disney

• We flew into John Wayne Airport and took a taxi to the hotel (just walked outside to the taxi line once we gathered our luggage and hopped into a taxi with no wait)
• I used the mobile check-in so our room was ready before we arrived and I was able to use my phone via the Disneyland app to open the door
• The renovations at Pixar Place Hotel are visually delightful! When you enter the hotel you are greeted by the Pixar Lamp atop the Pixar ball with lovely character mobiles hanging above and the hotel has large drawings of many of the well loved Pixar characters throughout the lobby. They also had a person playing the piano a la the Soul movie which was charming.
• The pool area was redone with a Finding Nemo theme and includes a splash area.
• We had a standard room with two beds (and a mini-fridge, etc.) but ended up on the 3rd floor with an outside sitting area that led directly to the pool. I was a little worried that the location might be noisy, but it was wonderful! Our kiddo enjoyed the outside sitting area and we were able to walk right out to the pool and hot tub when we took an afternoon break from the park the next day. Also, the fireworks viewing deck was on the third floor so we were able to catch the fireworks both nights (I believe the fireworks are only done on the weekends) by just walking out the back of our room to the viewing area a few feet away. Fantastic!
• After we placed our luggage in our room we headed off to Downtown Disney District (via the Grand Californian Hotel shortcut allowed because we were staying at a Disney resort) to do a little shopping before dinner. I love going into the Lego store, World of Disney, the Disney Home Store, and Pin Traders (I like to get a pin to commemorate every trip).
• When it was close to our reservation time we headed to Tortilla Jo’s for a nice Mexican dinner (note: I just read that they will be closing end of March 2024 and I’m not sure what’s replacing it). Reminder: We were visiting during a school break which is a very busy time, hence I made dinner reservations two months in advance. I highly recommend making reservations even at restaurants in the Downtown Disney District as the standby lines can be long.
• Post dinner we had a nice leisurely stroll back to our hotel through the Grand Californian Hotel and were back in time to catch the fireworks (they started exactly at 9:30pm) from the viewing deck (accompanied by music from the Disney films) before getting ready for bed. Incredible first evening.
• While I loved staying at the Pixar Place Hotel and will absolutely stay there again, I have two critiques. One, the walls are very thin and we could here the person in the next room coughing. We always travel with earplugs just in case and they certainly came in handy during our stay. Second, the pillows were the worst I have ever slept on; they were too lofty and not squishy at all.

Day 2: Disneyland

• I personally do not like to have a sit down breakfast the morning of a park day as we, as a family, do not like to get up earlier than absolutely necessary while we are on vacation, and also it could end up eating into the morning hours at the park which is generally when the park is the least crowded and the wait times are lowest (low wait times can also be had in the last few hours that the park is open). Fortunately we were able to grab coffee and pastries at the Sketch Pad Cafe in the hotel on our way to Disneyland.
• Disneyland did not have early entry that day so we wanted to arrive prior to park opening (which was at 8am). We did not go through the Grand Californian Hotel, but rather went out the back of the Pixar Place Hotel to the main Downtown Disney entry as they had more security checkpoints and it would be faster (and we did get through quickly).
• We arrived at the Disneyland entrance and got to the rope drop for Fantasyland by 7:50am. Note: There are rope drops for each area so you’ll have to prioritize which area you want to go to first.
• Once we were in the park I was able to purchase Lightning Lane entry for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and also make a Genie+ reservation for Space Mountain.
• We decided to do a couple of rides in Fantasyland before the lines got long and before we moved to a different area in the park. We did not go to Peter Pan first as that usually gets a line quickly and we wanted to do a couple of no-wait rides first. We rode Pinocchio’s Daring Journey (no wait) and Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride (no wait) before heading to Frontierland to ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (20 minute wait).
• Then I really wanted us to ride Indiana Jones Adventure but the standby line was already an hour long. So we went and rode Pirates of the Caribbean which had about a 10 minute wait.
• Then it was time for our Genie+ reservation for Space Mountain so we rode that (so fun!). Also, once we checked in for Space Mountain I was able to make Genie+ reservations for Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run.
• After Space Mountain it was time for us to ride Star Wars: Rise of Resistance which is an awesome and immersive ride. We had a couple of young people next to us who were riding it for the first time and they couldn’t stop saying wow!
• I ended up making a Genie+ reservation for Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run right after Rise of the Resistance so we were able to do both back-to-back in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Once we checked in for Smugglers Run I was able to make another Genie+ reservation so I grabbed a time for Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters which we were able to squeeze in before lunch. After we checked in for Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, I was able to make Genie+ reservations for the Matterhorn Bobsleds which we planned to ride after lunch.
• We had an excellent lunch at Cafe Orleans in Disneyland (in the New Orleans Square area). We had the Squash & Farro Risotto, the Beef Bourguignon, and Battered & Fried Monte Cristo Sandwich and everything was tasty (my husband gave the risotto rave reviews).
• During lunch I received a notification that the Matterhorn Bobsleds ride had experienced a closure during our Genie+ reservation timeframe. Pro Tip: When that happens you can use the Lighting Lane for pretty much any ride that offers a Lightning Lane and it’s usually good for the rest of the day (check the notification for details). We decided to use that option to ride Indiana Jones Adventure later in the day instead.
• After lunch we rode Snow White’s Enchanted Wish (20 minute wait), had some delectable ice cream at Salt & Straw in Downtown Disney, then headed back to the hotel for some pool and hot tub time.
• Once we were rested and got a little sun at the pool, we headed back to Disneyland to use our Lighting Lane option to ride Indiana Jones Adventure (for me this is a can’t miss ride at Disneyland) before heading to California Adventure (note: we purchased two-day park hopper passes).
• Dinner was at Wine Country Trattoria in California Adventure. They serve solid, traditional Italian dishes like Chicken Parmesan, Spaghetti Bolognese, and Roasted Vegetable Lasagna. Great choice for families and for anyone looking for a nice, comforting dinner and maybe a glass of wine (or two).
• Shout Out to Lost and Found: I ended up accidentally leaving my credit card at Wine Country Trattoria which I did not discover until the next morning. I spoke to the hotel concierge the next morning and they gave me information for filing a lost item report. I stopped by the restaurant the next day and they let me know that they have a protocol where all cards that are left get sent to lost and found at the end of the evening. From there, I headed straight to the Lost and Found office (which is near the entrance to Disneyland by the lockers) and sure enough, my card was there and I was able to retrieve it quickly and carry on my merry way. Such a relief!
• Post dinner we headed back to Disneyland (which was open longer than California Adventure) to squeeze in a couple more rides before heading back to the hotel to watch the fireworks. We rode Peter Pan’s Flight and the Disneyland Railroad. I hadn’t been on the Disneyland Railroad in a long time. At that time in the evening (around 8:45pm) there wasn’t a line to ride, but it took a long time to traverse the park so plan for that. Also, towards the very end, the train goes by a Grand Canyon display and a pre-historic display that are dated and a bit random but also interesting in an unexpected way.
• We closed the evening with another fireworks viewing from the hotel (9:30pm sharp), then off to sleep in preparation for an early morning to take advantage of early entry at California Adventure.

Day 3: California Adventure (1/2 Day)

• To make our 1/2 day schedule feasible, we asked for a late checkout at noon (versus the usual 11am checkout) so we would have time to ride some rides in the morning and come back and pack up before lunch. We then grabbed coffee and pastries from Sketch Pad Cafe before heading to California Adventure for the 7:30am early entry (for resort guests).
• We went through the Grand Californian Hotel as they have an entry directly into California Adventure. Once you enter the park, you have to get in the line for early entry (they will check your hotel key). Note that there is more than one line for early entry. We went to the early entry line just outside the entrance from the Grand Californian Hotel (or if you are coming through the park entrance go through the Grizzly Peak area). There was no line in that section and we were able to head right to Pixar Pier.
• There was no wait for the Incredicoaster (one of our favorite rides) so we rode that twice while we waited for Toy Story Mania to open at 8am.
• Also, since I was in the park, I was able to purchase Lightning Lane reservations for Radiator Springs Racers and make Genie+ reservations for Guardians of the Galaxy- Mission Breakout.
• At 8am we headed to Toy Story Mania (another favorite) and rode that without any wait.
• We had a few minutes to spare before our Radiator Springs Racers time slot expired, so we rode Web Slingers: A Spider-Man Adventure (about a 20 minute wait).
• Then it was time for Radiator Springs Racers! This is such a fantastic ride that makes you feel like you’re actually in a Cars movie. I highly recommend purchasing Lightning Lane reservations for this ride if it’s in your budget as by about 9:30am the standby line was already over two hours long.
• After Radiator Springs Racers it was time for our Genie+ reservation for Guardians of the Galaxy- Mission Breakout! This is one of our very favorite rides and a can’t miss ride in my opinion, especially if you’re a Guardian’s fan.
• At this point it was about 10:30am so we headed back to the hotel to pack up and relax a few minutes before our lunch reservations at 12:15pm. We packed up, left our luggage at the Bell Desk, and headed back to California Adventure via the Grand Californian Hotel shortcut.
• Lunch was at Lamplight Lounge which is one of my very favorite restaurants in Disneyland or even at any of the parks in Disney World. The inside decor is Pixar-rific and the food is fabulous. We had the Al Pastor Pork Chop (one of the best dishes I’ve eaten period), the Salmon Poke, the Impossible™ Burger, and the Donuts which usually have a seasonal twist (ours had a boba twist in honor of Lunar New Year) and are always delicious. We also happened to be seated in an area with a fire pit in the middle of the table which was extra cozy as it was raining steadily by that time.
• Note: Lamplight Lounge is an extremely popular restaurant and it’s unlikely that there will be reservations available day-of especially during busy times. This is the first restaurant I try to book when the dining reservations open 60 days prior to the trip.
• Happily satiated we walked back to the hotel (clad in our rain ponchos), gathered our belongings, and took an Uber to our next adventure in LA. Until next time Disneyland!