Planning your first trip to Disneyland can be an overwhelming experience. Without knowledge of how busy Disneyland can get and all of the different things to consider before going, it can be intimidating. Lucky for you, I am a self-proclaimed Disney expert and can help you navigate your first trip to the Disneyland Resort!
One thing to note: the Disneyland Resort consists of two parks: Disneyland and California Adventure. Both parks are right next to each other, making it very easy to visit two parks in one day.
Get the Disneyland App
This app is going to be your best friend for the day. This is where you can find a map of the park which shows where characters, restaurants, and pretty much everything is. The most important feature is showing what the ride wait times are. I recommend checking the wait times throughout the day to see what rides are worth doing. The Disneyland app is also where you can access your tickets through your account, make lightning lane reservations, see your ride photos, and mobile order food. Take advantage of the app and all it has to offer to get the most out of your day.
Rope Drop the Park
Rope dropping is when you get to the park before it opens. This helps ensure that you can get the most out of your day. Both Disneyland and California Adventure will let you enter the park around an hour before the park opens. Then when the park opens, you can speed walk to your favorite ride to be one of the first ones to ride it. I have always rope-dropped the parks and usually go to the most popular rides. These are rides like Rise of the Resistance, Space Mountain, Radiator Springs Racers, and Thunder Mountain. A good tip is to not be discouraged when the line extends out from the ride queue. For example, right in the morning, the Disneyland app will probably say that Rise of the Resistance is already a 60+ minute wait. Chances are if you rope drop the park and head straight for that ride, you won’t wait an hour for the ride. From my personal experience, the line will look long, but that is because it is still forming and people are still filing in.
Get Genie+
If you want to skip the long lines for rides, consider getting Genie+. This is a “skip the line” system where you can choose a ride or attraction to get in a shorter line for. These shorter lines are called “Lightning Lanes.” Depending on how big your group is, Genie+ can get pretty pricey, but I have found that Genie+ is worth it when I go. Even if you think it will not be very busy when you go, I think it is still worth the buy to not have to spend so much time waiting in the standby queues. You can get Genie+ through the Disneyland App, and you can make your Lightning Lane reservations there too.
Do note that Lightning Lanes for some bigger attractions such as Rise of the Resistance, Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway, and Radiator Springs Racers are not available with the Genie+ package. If you want a Lightning Lane for these rides, there will be an additional cost.
Make a List and Be Flexible
Before you go to the parks, make a list of what rides and activities you want to do most. What I do not recommend is making an itinerary of what rides you will do in a certain order. The reason I say this is because wait times can be unpredictable. What I do recommend is rope dropping the most popular ride on your list, and then going from there. Check the app to see what ride has the most reasonable wait time and go to that one. Once you’ve ridden that one, see which rides have the next best wait time and so on. The Lightning Lanes will also play a big part in making sure you get to ride all of the rides you want to. I usually make a list of rides I want to ride and then check them off as the day goes on. This helps me visualize what rides I still want to do and the rides I’ve already done.
There’s More than Rides!
Not much of a ride person, or want to do something more on your trip? No problem! Disneyland and California Adventure have some awesome shows and attractions to see! At Disneyland, I always recommend watching the midday parade if there is one running. The floats and parade performers are a ton of fun to watch! If you choose to go to a parade, I recommend getting your spot around an hour before the parade starts. Another classic thing to see is the Disneyland fireworks. There are usually cool projections on the castle and beautiful music to go along with the show. I would also recommend getting your spot for the fireworks around an hour to an hour and a half before the show starts.
As for attractions, my favorite attraction at Disneyland is Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room. Get yourself a pineapple Dole Whip and watch a whole show with animatronic birds and incredible music! California Adventure has a spectacular nighttime show called World Of Color. This is a fountain show with projections, lights, fire, and great music. Once again, it would be good to get your spots for this an hour before the show.
Go at your own pace
It may feel like you have to do every single thing at Disneyland to have a worthwhile trip. That is farthest from the truth. Your trip to the Disneyland Resort should be taken at the pace that you want to. If you want to wake up at 6 am and rope drop the parks and do as many rides as you can, go for it! But, if you want to sleep in, ride a few rides, eat some food, watch a show, and take the day more slowly, that is perfectly fine too! There is no wrong way to do Disneyland. List out the things you want to do, and how fast or slow you want the day to go. No matter what, it will still be a magical time!