Tips to make your day at Disney easier
- Lucia Allen-Cannone
- May 14
- 3 min read
Growing up, my mom would plan a trip to Disneyland at least once a year. It took me a long time to realize that not everyone was as familiar with the park as she was, but knowing her tips and tricks makes the experience go so much smoother. As a kid her grandma lived by the park, meaning that she went regularly and became something very nostalgic for her. With all her trips at Disney, she gained knowledge for how to make the experience as seamless as possible. Here are her top tips to ensure you have the most fun on your trip to Disneyland!
Go on a weekday – With the crowds that you often see at Disneyland, it is best to go on a weekday. Weekends tend to draw the most people, so for a more peaceful experience it’s better to plan to go on a Tuesday or Wednesday, as those are the days with the lowest attendance. It can still be pretty crowded, but it’s much more manageable.
Get there early – By far one of the biggest tips that my mom has is to get to the park right when it opens. For the first hour or so you can expect that lines will be short and that the park will be relatively empty, so it’s good to be there when the rope drops at 8am. There’s even a shield reading “I made it to rope drop” that you can take photos with!
Go on your favorite ride first – This tip goes hand in hand with the previous one; when you get to the park at opening, it is best to do your favorite ride first so that you don’t have to wait in a long line for it.
Enter through the monorail – While almost everyone enters Disneyland at the front entrance, your ticket also allows you entrance through the monorail stop at downtown Disney. This entrance takes you right to the center of the park in Tomorrowland, but you can still exit at the main entrance to ensure you still get a chance to see main street.
Know what to skip – Disneyland is big, so it’s best to prioritize based on what you want
to do. This will differ depending on each person. For example, my mom recommends skipping Toontown unless you have a toddler. When creating a plan, it’s good to know that all rides are different; some are more exciting while others are more nostalgic. My mom’s top five rides are Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Jungle Tour, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and It’s a Small World. She also recommends doing Mr. Toad, Tea Cups, Alice in Wonderland, the Storybook Land Canal Boats, and Sleeping Beauty’s Castle Walk-though all for the sake of nostalgia. However, you don’t have to stick exactly to this list. Focus on doing what you want to do. Lastly, my mom recommends completely skipping California Adventure. For the purposes of this article, we are only focusing on Disneyland itself.
Performances – Over time, the various performances at Disneyland have decreased in quality. However, there are a few that are still worth finding: the Dapper Dans travel through the park, and if you can find them and watch them perform, it’s worth it. The Tiki Room is also a classic, and if you have a kid with you the Star Wars show in Tomorrowland is a good experience.
Phone charger – Make sure to bring your phone into the park fully charged! It will probably be a long day and you will want to bring a portable charger with you, too.
Pack food and water – You may not think that you’d be allowed to bring food and water into the park, but you can take as much as you want. My mom suggests packing snacks, water, and even meals if you want to. Most of the food in the park is very expensive, and a lot of it is not very good. However, if you can get a reservation at the Blue Bayou, it is one of the only places that’s worth it. This is the restaurant that you see as you are riding Pirates of the Caribbean.
While it can be overwhelming, Disneyland can also be a very fun experience. The best thing to do is not freak out too much trying to plan a trip, but do make sure that you have a plan to keep your actual day as stress-free as possible.
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