Avoid the mistakes we made at Disneyland!
We had a wonderful time at Disneyland but as we looked back there were definitely some things we would do differently next time. Here is our list of mistakes to avoid at Disneyland.
Don’t compare Disneyland to Disney World
They are each fantastic in their own way! They are similar and different. By comparing the two I think I missed out on some of the magicalness of Disneyland.
Don’t let the crowds slow you down
I am pretty sure that my expectations were unreasonable in regard to the crowds. In reality I don’t think that the park was really that busy while we were there. But, on our first day at Disneyland I felt like I had a hard time walking through the crowds. This threw me a bit and so my momentum was slowed. As we were in the parks more days we figured out how to get done what we wanted while weaving through the crowds.
Don’t enter the parking lot/garage at opening time.
We tried hard but to no avail. Every morning we were driving in to the parking lot/garage right at opening time. It is really busy at this time. Many other guests are arriving at the same time. And then it will take you around 45 minutes to get into the chosen park. So, by the time you get to your first ride the park has been open for about an hour. All the popular rides have had plenty of time to get long lines. But while the popular rides’ fastpasses will have a return time quite a bit later you can still take advantage of fastpass for most rides. Fret not! You can still have a great day if you do make this mistake.
Don’t miss out on Fastpasses–Pay attention to the time on the bottom
Our first couple days we did not effectively use fastpasses (we only had the free fastpass option). We would grab one when we got there for something we wanted to ride much later. Then we would use standby lines for rides in the area.
By the 4th day we realized that it was beneficial to use as many as we could. When you receive your fastpass reminder ticket there is a time at the bottom that tells you when you can get your next fastpass. We would then get a fastpass as soon as it was time. Sometimes we would get a pass with a return time in 20 minutes even when the standby was around 30 minutes if we were in the area waiting for another ride. We would ride something with a short standby line, then on the fastpass ride and then get another fastpass. We were able to go on so many more rides this way. Too bad it took so many days to figure this out.
Don’t forget sunscreen
We were at Disneyland at the beginning of March. The weather was about 60 degrees F. It was partly cloudy most days. But there was some sun and apparently it was intense. The second morning we noticed that our 1 year old’s cheeks were quite pink. I remembered seeing the Baby Care Center in Cars Land so we headed there. They had just what we needed–SUNSCREEN. We were told by the wonderful ladies in there that it was cheaper there than in the shops in the park. We paid $4 (I think) for a decent sized tube. They also have diapers, wipes, baby food and other necessities that you might have forgotten.
Don’t forget proper clothing–layers and a raincoat
As I said before we were there in early March. The temperature was around 60 degrees F but often cooler. I know we are Alaskans and we shouldn’t have been cold but we were! Part of our (mainly my) chill stemmed from going to a more humid climate. But, I will say, we were not the only people in many layers. Although, the sun did give a little warmth in the afternoon, the mornings and evenings were cool. We ended up leaving many evenings a little after dark because we were cold. So, if you are traveling to Disneyland anytime in the colder months bring a few extra layers than you think you might need. Better too warm than have to miss fireworks because you are chilled to the bone.
Don’t get sucked into the stores during the day
If shopping in the park is what you really enjoy then disregard this tip. I definitely like to go through the stores but we really should have saved it for the evening when it got cold. We could have enjoyed more rides and shows during the day when it was warmish and been inside shopping when it was cooler. Due to the fact that the shops have this crazy ability to suck you in this tip takes some real determination to achieve.
Don’t miss your rider switch window
Rider switch passes are only good for a hour. If you are waiting longer than an hour go up to the cast member and have you pass updated. My experience–Radiator Springs Racers had a 40 minute wait time so my family got in line and I waited with my 1 year old and 2 year old. The actual time we waited was 1 1/2 hours. Already frustrated from a wait twice the anticipated length, I went to use the rider switch pass. It didn’t work! The cast member proceed to inform me that it was only good for an hour. I was a little incensed and didn’t handle myself as well as I should. They did end up letting us through. I still am not sure why they would have a rider switch pass expire before the length of the wait time but, whatever! Hopefully this info will help someone else not go thorough the same turmoil.
Don’t ignore calls from California while in the park.
We didn’t know it but our 6 year old had stepped away from us. I received a call from an unknown Anaheim, California number. My hands were full and I almost didn’t answer but I handed my phone to my husband. A wonderful cast member with our daughter was calling. Our daughter knew my phone number so the cast member could give me a call (the cast member did have to look up our area code–hooray for smart phones!). They actually were only about 100 feet away. This was the easiest, least traumatic lost parent moment for our daughter yet. Lessons to be learned: teach your children your phone number and answer it at Disneyland!
Don’t eat PB & J every day
This is my boys tip. They got pretty tired of these by the end. It was cheap though. 🙂
I hope you enjoyed reading some of the things we learned not to do on our last trip to Disneyland.
What have you learned not to do to make your trip even better?
Happy travels to you…until we meet again!
Other posts that might be of interest:
More about parking at Disneyland
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