There’s a lot to fit into a Disneyland® Resort vacation. Between attractions, dining, entertainment, character experiences, and everything happening beyond the rides, even a few days can go by surprisingly fast.
Planning a few things before you arrive can help you spend less time figuring out logistics once you’re there and more time enjoying your trip.
From downloading the Disneyland app before you arrive to knowing when to take a midday break, these Disneyland® Resort tips can help your park days run a little more smoothly. And as an official Disneyland® Resort Good Neighbor Hotel just minutes from the parks, Anaheim Majestic Garden Hotel makes it easier to build some flexibility into your stay.
- Get Your Tickets and Park Reservations Squared Away Early. Guests ages 3 and older currently need both valid theme park admission and a theme park reservation for the same park on the same date.
Once your dates are set, double-check your reservations and link your tickets in the Disneyland app. It’s a small step that can save you from dealing with unnecessary surprises when you’re ready to start your park day.
Then you can move on to the fun part: deciding what you actually want to do.
As a Disneyland® Good Neighbor Hotel, you can buy tickets right through our hotel to start your magical vacation.
- Choose Your Travel Dates Strategically. Disneyland® Resort can be busy any time of year, so there’s no magic date that guarantees an empty park. But your travel dates can still make a big difference in the kind of trip you have.
Think about what matters most to your group. Do you want seasonal events? Cooler weather? A weekday trip? Are you hoping to experience Halloween Time or the holidays?
Before booking, take a look at our guide to the best time to visit Disneyland® Resort to compare seasons and decide what works best for your trip.
- Stay at a hotel near Disneyland® Resort. You’ve only got so much time — why waste it driving and parking? Plus, after a long day, you’re going to be tired and not want to deal with traffic. Staying at a conveniently located offsite hotel allows you to make the most of every moment. Not to toot our own horn, but Anaheim Majestic Garden Hotel is just up the road from Disneyland® Park, and we provide a free shuttle, our Dream Machine Shuttle, back and forth to Disneyland® Park and Disney’s California Adventure® Park — easy, convenient, and free!
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- Check the Park Rules Before You Pack. Before your trip, review the current park rules for Disneyland® Resort, including policies around bags, outside food and drinks, strollers, prohibited items, and other Guest guidelines. The last thing you want is to get stopped by security or not know what to do in an emergency situation. Knowing exactly what you can and can’t bring into the park, along with other important information, will help make your trip go smoothly from beginning to end.
- Pick Your Must-Dos, Not a Minute-by-Minute Schedule While it’s good to go with the flow, you don’t want to go into a place like Disneyland® Resort without at least somewhat of a game plan. Before your trip, have everyone choose a few things they’d really hate to miss. Maybe that’s Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, a character experience, a nighttime spectacular, or dinner at a favorite restaurant.
Prioritize those first and let the rest of the day have some flexibility. Attraction availability, wait times, weather, and energy levels can all change your plans once you’re inside the parks.
You’ll have a much better day if your goal is to enjoy your favorites rather than race through a checklist.
- Decide Whether Lightning Lane Passes Make Sense for Your Day If fitting more attractions into your day is a priority, take some time before your trip to understand Disney’s current Lightning Lane options.
Lightning Lane Multi Pass gives you access to Lightning Lane entrances at multiple participating attractions, while Lightning Lane Single Pass is available separately for select high-demand attractions. There’s also a Lightning Lane Premier Pass, which provides one-time Lightning Lane entry to each available Lightning Lane attraction without requiring you to schedule arrival windows.
You don’t necessarily need a Lightning Lane pass to have a great day. But knowing how the options work before you arrive can help you decide whether the added convenience is worth it for your group and budget.
- Take advantage of single rider lines. If you’re cool with splitting up your group, single rider lines can save you time at multiple attractions at Disneyland® Resort. They’ll split you up to fill empty seats on attractions. It’s not uncommon to save an hour or more on the posted standby time.
- Download the Disneyland App Before Your Trip. Your phone is one of your best planning tools at Disneyland® Resort, so don’t wait until you’re standing outside the gates to download the Disneyland app.
You can use it to check attraction wait times, view park hours and showtimes, navigate with the park map, manage Lightning Lane selections, make and manage dining plans, order food via mobile order, and more.
Spend a few minutes getting familiar with it before your vacation. Make sure your phone is charged and bring a portable charger because you’ll probably be using your phone more than you expect.
- Pack Your Park Bag for a Long Day. A few smart additions to your park bag can save you time (and a few meltdowns) later.
Bring refillable water bottles, sunscreen, a portable phone charger, and a few easy snacks to keep everyone going between meals. If you’re traveling with kids, throwing in a small activity or two for longer waits isn’t a bad idea either.
Just remember to review Disneyland® Resort’s current rules before packing food, bags, or other items for your visit.
- Have a Dining Strategy Before Everyone Gets Hungry. You don’t need to schedule every meal weeks in advance, but having a loose dining plan can save a lot of time.
If there’s a table-service restaurant you really want to experience, look into reservations before your trip. For quicker meals, use mobile food ordering in the Disneyland app at participating locations. You can choose an available arrival window, place your order, and spend less of your park day waiting to order food.
And don’t wait until everyone is starving to start figuring it out. A little planning here goes a long way.
- Plan games for waiting in line. Wait times are part of the package when you’re planning your vacation to Disneyland® Park, so why not make them as fun as possible? Games can help to pass the time. We recommend Heads Up!, Psych!, or one of the many fun Disney-themed games and apps for your smartphone to help keep that magical feeling going.
- Make Waiting Part of the Fun. Not every minute of your park day needs to be about getting somewhere faster.
When you have downtime, make a game out of searching for Hidden Mickeys throughout Disneyland® Resort. You’ll find Mickey-inspired shapes worked into attractions, décor, landscaping, and other unexpected places.
Traveling with kids? Turn it into a competition and see who can spot the most before the end of the trip.
Sometimes the little things you notice when you slow down become some of the best memories.
- Consider using the Disney PhotoPass. Of course, you’re going to want great photos to document your trip to “The Happiest Place on Earth.” However, large cameras can be heavy and are at risk of damage in crowds. With that in mind, we recommend springing for the Disney PhotoPass. Photographers are all over the park, including the rides and attractions, and they can take pictures for you. All the pictures are in one place, and everyone can be in them together. It’s a win-win!
The magic begins here!
We hope these tips help you make the most of your magical Disneyland® Resort vacation. We’d love to help you keep the magic going after a long day of Disney fun! At Anaheim Majestic Garden Hotel, our guests have access to:
- Free transportation from our hotel to Disneyland® Park and Disney’s California Adventure® Park
- Our Disney Desk with tickets, experts, and insider knowledge
- Magical castle-themed rooms and princess storytimes
- On-site dining options
- And so much more!
