This past week we celebrated Hayden’s second birthday with a trip to Disneyland! It was a last minute decision (like the night before) but I am so glad we decided to go!! We always have so much fun! After all- it’s the happiest place on earth (between the no-naps, meltdowns, etc.) but really, we had a great time. Seeing the magic through their eyes has got to be one of my top favorite things in life. We live about an hour from the theme park and are able to go a few times per year, so I wanted to share a few tips with you that we have learned (some the hard way) to make your trip to Disneyland the best.
I know Disneyland has the nostalgia and if you’ve never been then it’s definitely worth a visit. But if you’ve been there done that, then I highly recommend getting a park hopper pass or just going straight to California Adventure. Here are a few of the reasons why we prefer CA Adventure: They serve beer and cocktails, sometimes you need a drink to survive the parks! It’s always WAY less crowded, the longest line we’ve had to wait in was 20 minutes which is way more practical with small kids. And there is much more room to walk throughout the park without squeezing through people. There is also way more shade, it was about 90 degrees when we visited this week and CA Adventure is full of tall trees and overhangs. It felt like a ten degree difference between the parks! All in all you can’t go wrong with either and our kids had an absolute blast!
Ten Tips:
- Check the Disneyland Forecast Calendar and try to plan a trip around that.
- If you have small kids, definitely bring a stroller!!
- Bring your own water bottles & snacks to save a few bucks. We usually bring a cooler and store it in the basket under the stroller.
- Pack multiple bags. One with a change of clothes and such to leave at the stroller and then also a small backpack or crossbody purse with your valuables to take on the ride with you. That way you aren’t carrying everything around and it’s already separated to grab and go.
- Get to the park a few minutes before they open and then run to your favorite ride. Chances are, that popular ride will have a long line for the remainder of the day so take advantage of the shorter line right at the start. We always head straight for Pirates and Haunted Mansion.
- Plan for a mid-day break if you have kids with you. If you don’t have a hotel you can go back to for naps, make a lunch reservation in advance (seriously, they book up fast). Somewhere you can get away for a little and reset. I recommend the restaurant inside the Pirates ride, The Blue Bayou, because it is nice and dark in there.
- If you plan on seeing the main parade at Disneyland (typically at night time), you will need to save your spot 1-2 hours in advance. I know, crazy. But it fills up fast and you’ll be fighting to have a standing spot to see at the end if you don’t.
- OR use this time that everyone is watching the parade to visit your favorite rides. We did this on our last trip and only waited 20 minutes for Haunted Mansion.
- Buy the Maxpass- $10 per person. It’s an app that allows you to book fast passes for the popular rides, saving you a ton of time and shortening your wait time.
- If Disneyland is crowded, head on over to CA Adventure!
Here are a few photos from our trip…
