10 Things You Need To Know To Make Your Disneyland Visit Amazing!

Author: Jose G. Barr

A family visit to Disneyland is a time to get away from every day life and enjoy the amazing world that Walt Disney created for all of us. Its a time to enjoy yourself and forget the every day worries of the real world.  Every time we have go as a family, we go to feel like kids again and enjoy the magic.  Joseph loves being able to interact with his favorite characters from Cars and Toy Story, while Ruby and I enjoy the cheerful and friendly atmosphere.

These tips will help you to enjoy Disneyland and Disney California Adventure just a bit more, whether you are returning again or visiting for the first time. Read the tips below and enjoy your visit to the Magic Kingdom.



1. When making plans to visit Disneyland, make sure to set aside at least 2 days for your visit. The Disneyland resort has 3 parts to it, Disneyland, Disney California Adventure and Downtown Disney, and all are worth spending time in. Downtown Disney has many great places to eat, so if you want something different than what is offered in one of the parks, you can go Downtown to visits restaurants such as ESPN, Tortilla Jo's (my personal favorite) or the Rain forest Cafe, just to name a few. If you will be spending a few days at the park you can save on you r tickets by buying the 3 day park hopper (allows you to go between both parks each day of your visit).

2. Disneyland uses the FastPass system to shorten the wait time for some of the most popular rides.  Getting one of these for your favorite ride will get you into the ride much faster. The FastPass is issued in 1 hour blocks. Bee careful not to miss your time window, Disney enforces the FastPass times and only gives you a 15 minute grace period (arrive later than 15 minutes after the end of your time and the FastPass will not be accepted.

3. May 22nd signaled the start of Disneyland's 60th anniversary celebration.  Disney has glitzed up the park with special decorations, including an amazing upgrade to the castle to make it glitter like a diamond. There is also a new parade to enjoy in the evening at the Disneyland park, a new World Of Color show at California Adventure and even grander fireworks.

4. An often missed attraction is the self guided tour of Sleeping Beauty's Castle. If you are not looking for it, you will most likely miss it. The attraction offers window vignettes of Sleeping beauty up and trough the castle and only takes a few minutes to get through, but its worth seeing.

Disney Grand Californian

5. Staying at a Disney Property - When looking to book a hotel for your vacation, it is worth looking at one of the Disneyland hotels. We especially like the Grand Californian which sits inside of Disney California Adventure and has its own entrance for guests only.  The 6 story lobby and the magnificent fireplace (you can stand inside it) of the Grand Californian will blow you away with its grandeur.  You have a choice of views (Downtown Disney, Courtyard or California Adventure). Check out the World Of Color water show from the balcony of the Grand (ask any employee about getting there).

6. The Magic Hour - If this is your first visit, stick to one park on each of the first two days. If you decide to stay at the park make sure you take advantage of the "magic hour". Disney opens one of the parks an hour early for registered guests of their hotels. Find out at the front desk what park is open on each of the days you are staying and plan to be there early. The magic hour allows you to get on the more popular rides before the crowds arrive. Once you are in the park, decide on a strategy for the day to maximize your enjoyment and see as much of the park as possible. On your third and any other days you can park hop to see those areas you enjoyed the most.

7. Photographs - A great way to get some great photographs is to ask a Photopass staff members to take your photograph using your phone or camera.

8. Getting One Last Ride In - As long as you are in a line for a ride at 10:59 PM (or whatever the closing time for the park is on that evening) you will be allowed to get on the ride. This is a great way to maximize the number of rides you can get on by choosing a popular, and therefore long line, ride without wasting a big chunk of your day.

9. Mine Train Through Nature's Wonderland - This original Disneyland ride opened in in 1960 and was permanently closed in 1977 to make room for Big Thunder Mountain. the cool thing is that the remnants of the ride still exist all throughout Frontierland. When you visit Frontierland, see if you can spot them among the new ride and park areas. I'll give you a hint, when in line for Big Thunder Mountain, take a look around at the small town the train station is located in... You might just be looking at a big piece of the old ride.

Roz from Monsters, Inc.

10. Monsters Inc. Ride - When you are at Disney's California Adventure make sure to enjoy the Monsters Inc ride located behind the Mad Tea Party Stage. At then end of the ride look out for Roz on your right hand side, she is interactive and will respond to the guests in the car.

Well folks, that is my top 10 tips to make your Disneyland Vacation a bit more enjoyable. Feel free to leave me a message on the blog if you like to know something in particular about any of the tips or the park in general.

Look for this sign as you enter Disneyland.