Are you thinking of doing a Disneyland visit with your kiddos? If you’ve never been to Disneyland before, it can be very overwhelming. There are so many events, rides, areas to visit, things to see, that it helps to prepare in advance regarding little things that would be good to know before you go. From our experience, there are 5 key tips that we picked up that all parents would benefit from knowing as they prepare to do their first Disneyland visit.
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Reservations
Character meals are a great idea! While you dine, the characters come directly to your table to chat with your little ones and you have the opportunity to take some photos with them. These meals are quite pricey but are worth it. However, they fill up fast and I would recommend making reservations in advance. You can view available spots and reserve a time online up to 2 months before your trip.
Snacks
Obviously there are tons of cool places to eat and special treats at Disneyland. However if you’re on a budget, the high prices at the park can really take a bite out of your wallet. To help keep your costs down, bring water bottles and snacks. We chose a hotel that had a free breakfast, so after we ate we grabbed muffins, bananas, and other small items to bring with us. There are also water fountains all over the park to stay hydrated. We did grab a few items but it helped keep costs low.
Make a Schedule
There are so many things going on at Disneyland that it can be hard to catch everything. Before our trip, I went online and sketched a rough outline of what we wanted to do. I wrote down times and locations of parades, fireworks, shows, and events that we wanted to watch. In between events, we would wander the park and ride the rides. We had tons of fun and didn’t miss a thing.
FastPasses
Some of the more popular rides can have huge line-ups so they offer FastPasses for them. A FastPass gives you a time to be at the ride and it will allow you to skip the line. You just have to find the location of the stations, which I suggest doing before you leave. Just hop over and grab your FastPass in the morning and then come back at your allotted timeframe. On one ride, it saved us a 75 minute wait, so they are worth it.
Special Occasions
If you are celebrating a special event while at Disneyland, stop by any store within the park and pick up a button reflecting what you’re celebrating. Whether it’s a birthday, wedding, anniversary, or it’s just your first time at Disneyland, they have a button for you. It’s a great keepsake and it also may get you special treatment while in the park.
Have you been to Disneyland before? Do you have any tips to add?
*Images courtesy of Shutterstock
We went when my kids were 2.5 and 5. By mid afternoon everyone was usually pretty cranky and tired, so ice cream or dole whip and an air conditioned show did the trick to give the everyone abreak and help the kids power through the rest of the afternoon.