The Guide to Visiting Disneyland

Just what you need to know. And nothing more.

A warning… this post is out of date, and isn’t fully updated for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Avengers Campus… or COVID protocols, for that matter. I’m going on a trip to Disneyland in early November 2021, and I’ll be sure to get everything up to date after that. That said, you still might find some value here. :)

I love Disneyland, but it’s a complicated place. Here’s what I tell people when they ask me for advice.

Disneyland: a definition.

What people call “Disneyland” is technically called The Disneyland Resort. It has two theme parks — Disneyland, and California Adventure — a retail and dining area called Downtown Disney, and three Disney-managed hotels. (There are dozens of non-Disney hotels on the outskirts of the property.)

Everything is in one area, and nothing is more than a twenty-minute walk. There is a monorail at Disneyland, but it only has two stops; it’s more of a pleasure ride than an actual transit system. Walking is generally the best way to get around.

Disneyland Resort map courtesy Louie Mantia.

When to go.

Disneyland on a crowded day can be a lousy experience, so picking the right time to visit is the most important decision you’ll make.

No surprise: avoiding holidays and school vacations are your best bets. But you can do better than these rules-of-thumb: both Disney and a service called TouringPlans offer crowd predictions for given dates; I’ll show you how to use these in Appendix A at the end of this post.

How long to go.

If you want to see everything in both Disneyland and California Adventure, it’ll take three days. That doesn’t mean that you can’t go for two days, or even one. You’ll still have a great time; just set your expectations accordingly.

The Universal Studios question.

A lot of folks are interested in visiting Universal Studios on the same trip they visit Disneyland, especially now that Universal has added Harry Potter. This can be done! Two things to keep in mind:

1. Universal Studios is in Burbank, a good 90-minute drive from Disneyland.
2. If you just want to see Harry Potter, you can easily do that in a single day. If you also want to see the rest of what Universal has to offer, it can still be done in a (very full) day, though two days might make the the experience less harried.

Traveling to Disneyland.

If flying, your first impulse will be to fly into LAX. That works, but realize that LAX is an hour or more away from Disneyland depending upon traffic. Your best bet: fly to John Wayne Airport (SNA). It’s small, easy, and 20 minutes from Disneyland. From SNA take a Lyft or Uber to your hotel for around $35. (Don’t take the Disneyland Shuttle Service… it’ll cost more and take a lot longer.)

Where to stay.

There are three hotels I consider when going to Disneyland:

• The Grand Californian is a deluxe, Disney-owned hotel. It’s the closest to the parks, but it’s expensive: $425–$575 per night is typical. Pro: great location; it’s beautiful. Con: pool is nice, but not as fun and kid-friendly as the Disneyland Hotel’s pool.
• The Disneyland Hotel is also Disney-owned. It’s cheaper, but not cheap: $350-$475 per night is typical. Pro: pool with amazing water slides, Trader Sam’s tiki bar. Con: while it’s very walkable to the parks, it’s the furthest away of the three hotels I’m recommending.
• The Fairfield Inn Anaheim on Harbor Boulevard is not luxurious, but it’s clean, less expensive ($200-$350/night), and is actually closer to the parks than the Disneyland Hotel. Pro: a Panera Bread and McDonald’s in the parking lot make for convenient, quick eats. Con: the pool is boring. If you want a fun pool at a value hotel, the Courtyard by Marriott or Howard Johnson’s on Harbor Boulevard are options.
• There is one other Disney hotel, the Paradise Pier. It’s the least expensive Disney hotel, but for my money, I think it’s a little too far away to be convenient. I’d choose the Fairfield instead.

There are other good hotels, but none I’ve found match the value, quality, and proximity of the three I’ve recommended.

Before you go.

1. Download the official Disneyland app, if you have a smartphone. It’s useful while you’re visiting, showing you a map, wait times, park hours, and other information. You can also buy your park tickets and make dining reservations.
2. Figure out a few things that you want to do and see. Peruse the maps for both parks (Disneyland and California Adventure) for an idea of what’s available in terms of attractions, shows, and restaurants. You don’t need a down-to-the-minute schedule , but knowing a few things you want to see is a good first step.
3. Decide what kind of tickets you want to buy. There are several (confusing) ticketing options to consider: 1) How many days do you want to go? Tickets can be bought for 2–5 day durations. The first day is the most expensive; succeeding days cost less. 2) The Park Hopper option lets you bounce back and forth between Disneyland and California Adventure on a whim. It’s pricey, but if you can afford it, you’ll appreciate the flexibility. 3) Do you want MaxPass? Probably; read more about MaxPass below.)
4. Decide where to buy your park tickets. There are a lot of counterfeit Disneyland tickets for sale online, so I recommend buying tickets via one of these three options: 1) the excellent Disney Tourist Blog says that Get Away Today sometimes has good discounts. I haven’t used it myself yet, but I plan to try it in the future. 2) Costco (which can offer some nice packages), and 3) Disney themselves.
5. Make dining reservations. You can make them 60 days in advance, and should, for some of the most popular places. (See “Dining”, below.)

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in Frontierland, Disneyland Park. Photo courtesy Louie Mantia.

Planning your day at the parks.

• Operating hours for the two parks (Disneyland and California Adventure) are different from each other, and vary from day to day. Check the site, or check the Disneyland app, to find out the hours on a given day.
• If you’re concerned about crowds, the earlier in the morning you enter the parks, the better. (Note that if you go before a park opens, the line to enter the park will look enormous. But it moves quickly, and it won’t feel as crowded once you’re inside.)
• There are two ways to get in an hour early: 1) If you’re staying at a Disney-owned hotel, see if there are Extra Magic Hours on the days you’re visiting. 2) If you have a 3-Day or longer ticket, check for Magic Mornings.
• Disneyland has recently increased the security procedures for entering the park. As a result, it can take 10–15 minutes to go through security lines, and on busy days entering from Harbor Boulevard (if you are not staying at a Disney hotel), it can take over an hour. (A tip: if you are entering via the Harbor Boulevard side, Disney sometimes offers an express No Bags entry line. On the right day this can save you 20–60 minutes of waiting… if you can manage to survive in the park without a purse, bag, or stroller.)

What to do in the parks.

Disneyland

What’s worth doing at Disneyland? I’d say the very best things that everyone should see are Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Haunted Mansion, and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge: the whole land, including its Milennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run attraction. (An exception can be made for small kids, who might find any or all of these a little scary.)

What else should you do? To be honest: everything. It’s all fun. But go on the most crowded rides early in the morning, then spend the afternoon doing everything else. The most crowded rides include [takes deep breath] Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Dumbo, Peter Pan, Roger Rabbit, Storybookland Canal Boats, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Matterhorn Bobsleds, Autopia, Star Tours, Buzz Lightyear, the Finding Nemo subs, and Indiana Jones.

California Adventure

What’s worth doing in California Adventure? Like Disneyland, it’s all fun, but I tend to be a little choosier here.

Everybody likes Soarin’ Around the World, a gentle and beautiful simulated flight to the world’s landmarks. Radiator Springs Racers is a spectacular, high-speed race through Cars Land that’s exciting, but docile enough that those afraid of thrill rides will be fine. Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout is Disneyland’s newest attraction, a re-theme of the old Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. (It’s a free-fall ride, and not for the faint of heart.)

In Pixar Pier, the Incredicoaster is a great roller coaster, probably Disney’s best. If you ride the Pixar Pal-A-Round (the ferris wheel), be aware that there are two kinds of cars to ride in. The “sliding” cars are, not kidding, completely terrifying. The stationary cars aren’t very scary, as long as you’re not scared of heights. (Also note: the line for Pixar Pal-A-Round moves more slowly than you think.) Lots of people like Toy Story Midway Mania; if you like video games, you’ll defintely enjoy it. There’s other good stuff, too, but those are the highlights.

Shortening your waits.

Fastpass

To help avoid lines, some attractions have a thing called Fastpass. A Fastpass is like a reservation to ride an attraction later in the day. When you come back at your assigned time—the time is chosen for you, you don’t get to choose—you get to skip to the (approximate) front of the line. It’s great, and saves you a lot of time you’d otherwise be spending waiting.

FastPasses aren’t available for everything, but most of the major attractions like Space Mountain and Haunted Mansion have them. They can be picked up near the attraction’s entrance. (If you don’t have a FastPass, you’re not shut-out: you can still wait in the attraction’s “standby” line.)

You’re only allowed to get FastPasses every hour or two, so you can’t just grab them for everything; you’ll want to be a little choosy.

MaxPass

Disneyland now offers a service called MaxPass that makes Fastpass more convenient. For $15 per person, per day, MaxPass lets you claim—via the Disneyland smartphone app—Fastpasses directly from your phone.

Is MaxPass worth it? While I am loathe to recommend that people spend even more on their Disneyland vacation, the MaxPass upgrade is worth it. You’ll definitely ride more attractions than you would otherwise; it’s doubly worth it if you’re going on a crowded day and want to be as productive as possible.

As an additional benefit, MaxPass also gives you free access to Disney’s PhotoPass photography service. (PhotoPass lets you claim all your ride photos and photos taken of you by park photographers for free.)

Rider Swap, and Single-Rider Lines

If the people in your party are willing to ride individually and not together — or if you’re visiting by yourself — you can save a lot of time by getting in a Single-Rider Line, offered at attractions like the Incredicoaster, Radiator Springs Racers, Indiana Jones, and others.

Also, if you are parents with young kids, Rider Swap is a great way to get more out of your day. Touring Plans does a great job of explaining it.

FastPass+ and MagicBands

You may have heard about a slightly different reservation system in use at Florida’s Walt Disney World called FastPass+, and things you wear called Magic Bands that you use in place of tickets. Disneyland doesn’t use either of those things, so don’t worry about them.

The World of Color show at California Adventure.

Nighttime Shows.

There are four big nighttime shows. They take place on most days, but not every day, so check your app or park guide for showtimes. I’m not big into shows myself, but most people love them, so you probably owe it to yourself to check one or more out:

1. Fantasmic takes place near Disneyland’s New Orleans Square and combines fountains with fireworks and lots of other stuff; people generally love it. To see Fantasmic, you need either 1) Fantasmic Fastpasses 2) a dining package (Blue Bayou has somewhat better food than River Belle Terrace, but costs more) or 3) a somewhat cheaper on-the-go meal package. Note that with these dining packages, you won’t be eating and watching the show at the same time.
2. Depending on the time of year, there are different fireworks shows that happen nightly in Disneyland. They always take place in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle, and viewable all down Main Street. If you want the very best view, right in front of the castle, I’d recommend getting there 30–45 minutes in advance. If you are content to be a little further away and watch from Main Street (which is fine) you can probably show up just about anytime and be okay.
3. World of Color is fountain show in California Adventure. There are a few ways to see this. 1) Just show up. This is doable, but will result in the poorest view. I’d show up at least 60–90 minutes in advance. 2) Get a Fastpass the morning of the show over by the Grizzly River Run attraction. You’ll get a much better view than if you just show up, but I would still recommend getting there 60 minutes before showtime for the best view. 3) Dining reservations. Pro: you’ll get the best view of all, and will have a lovely experience. Con: reservations aren’t cheap. The best seats are saved for people at the pricey dessert party who eat while watching the show; with the slightly more affordably priced dinner packages, you’ll eat first and watch the show later. As with Fantasmic, the higher-priced package you choose, the better view of the show you will get.
4. There are a few different parades running at Disneyland and California Adventure at any given time; check the entertainment schedule for what’s happening when. If you want to see the Disneyland parade, line up along Main Street about 20 to 30 minutes in advance. (Note that you’ll see people staking out spots hours in advance. You can do that, but in my opinion the better view isn’t worth it: sitting on a curb for two hours isn’t how I like spending my day at Disneyland.)

Dining.

Food at Disneyland has gotten much better in recent years, probably better than you’d expect for a theme park.

The newest wrinkle to in-park dining is that the Disneyland phone app allows you to place advance orders for food. Place your orders in advance via the Disneyland app: it can easily save you more than a half-hour of waiting. It works at almost all of the restaurants, and even some of the snack stands, like the Tiki Juice Bar (home of the pineapple Dole Whip.)

Casual

• In Disneyland, some of the better meals I’ve had are at the Plaza Inn (I love the fried chicken here), Cafe Orleans (the Monte Cristo sandwich is famous), and Bengal Barbecue.
• At California Adventure, the diner-y Flo’s V-8 Café is generally pretty good, and it has beautiful views of the Radiator Springs Racers ride. And I loved the chile cone carne at the Cozy Cone Motel. In fact, everything I’ve eaten at the Cozy Cone, I liked.
• I’ve only eaten at a few places in Downtown Disney (a shopping/eating area in-between the parks and the Disneyland Hotel.) My favorites: Tortilla Jo’s has surprisingly good chile rellenos and margaritas. The Earl of Sandwich has delicious roast beef sandwiches, plus other offerings. La Brea Bakery is a great place for breakfast before the park opens, though it’s fine for other meals as well. (La Brea has both quick-service and sit-down areas.)
• At the Disneyland Hotel, Tangaroa Terrace has decent — very casual — poolside meals, including breakfast. And Dole Whip.

Fancier

The places below take reservations. Reservations can be made 60 days in advance, and are highly recommended. Click here or dial 714–781–3463 to reserve.

• The Blue Bayou Restaurant in Disneyland is notable because it takes place inside the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. (You don’t see any pirates, but you do see the “bayou” scene that’s at the beginning of the attraction.) You pay a lot for what you get, but it’s a unique atmosphere. Reservations highly recommended.
• For high-end dining: the Grand Californian’s Napa Rose is good. Definitely on the “fancy” side, but kids used to that won’t feel out of place. Again, click here or dial 714–781–3463 for reservations. Steakhouse 55 at the Disneyland Hotel is good if you’re into a very traditional steakhouse vibe. My favorite place for a higher-end meal at Disneyland is the Carthay Circle restaurant, inside California Adventure. It’s generally very good, and exceptionally beautiful.

Character Dining

• If your kids like the Disney characters, there are many opportunities to do a character meal at various restaurants around the parks and hotels. Each venue features different characters, and you’ll need to make reservations.

Snacking

• There are way more options for snacking than I could possibly list, but a couple of things I like: The Golden Horseshoe is a nice, cool place to stop for ice cream. The pineapple Dole Whip at the Tiki Juice Bar and Tropical Hideaway is a sensation. (Personally I like the Float over the plain Whip. And remember: use the Disneyland app to place an order and skip the line!) The beignets in New Orleans Square (Mint Julep Bar, next to Pirates of the Caribbean) can be very good.

Drinking

• There’s no alcohol in Disneyland Park (save for Oga’s Cantina in Galaxy’s Edge), but there is in California Adventure. The most elegant place is the Carthay Circle Lounge in the center of the park. At the hotels, the Napa Rose at the Grand Californian has a very nice bar, and Trader Sam’s at the Disneyland Hotel is a fun, beautiful tiki bar. Drink quality varies, but it’s such a fun place to visit, it’s still worth your time. (It can get very crowded in the evenings.) Steakhouse 55, also at the Disneyland Hotel, has a bar that slants more toward wine and martinis. Go here if Trader Sam’s is too crowded.

It’s A Small World, decorated for Christmas. Photo courtesy Louie Mantia.

Fall and Winter changes.

Just something to be aware of: some of the attractions at Disneyland are re-themed for the fall. September through early January, The Haunted Mansion becomes Haunted Mansion Holiday, featuring characters from the movie The Nightmare Before Christmas. September and October, Space Mountain turns into the very slightly scarier Space Mountain: Ghost Galaxy. November through January, It’s A Small World becomes It’s A Small World Holiday (the dolls sing Christmas carols instead of the normal theme song.)

New in 2017, Cars Land will be specially-decorated for Halloween. My guess is that will start mid-September and run through early November. And Guardians of the Galaxy — Mission: Breakout! has a special Halloween program they run after 4:30pm each day that I’m told improves on the standard ride.

Halloween parties at California Adventure

On select dates in September and October, California Adventure closes early and holds special nighttime Halloween parties. Your normal park tickets will not get you in to these parties, and the upcharge is steep, around $90–100 per person.

That said… the Halloween parties are fun. They have special parades and shows. They hand out free candy all over the park. And attendance is much less than normal day at California Adventure, so most rides — all of which are open — are a walk-on.

Should you go? It’s pricey, so it’s a tough call. But given the smaller crowds and special events, most people really enjoy it. (A bonus: if you feel like dressing up for Halloween, you’re welcome to do so. Disneyland doesn’t normally let adults dress up in costume, but they make an exception at these parties.)

Note: If you’re a ticket holder on one of these party days, it’s definitely a bummer that they kick you out of California Adventure early, around 6pm. On the plus side, however, locals don’t show up on these “short” days, so the park is much less crowded. It’s possible you’ll actually ride more stuff on these truncated days than on a normal day. So… it’s not all bad!

And that’s it.

You’re an expert now! Seriously, even if all you do is pick a less-crowded day because of these tips, you’re already way ahead of the game.

Just remember that when it comes to Disneyland…

1. Despite your best efforts, it’s probably going to be crowded. That’s okay.
2. It’s almost certainly going to be expensive.
3. Despite 1 and 2, you’re still going to have fun.

Have a great time!

P.S.

While it’s not focused on “tips”, I am a host of a Disneyland podcast called the Golden Horseshoe Review. If you want to indulge in some inside-baseball Disneyland talk, check it out! Thanks.

Appendix A: How to figure out when to go…

1. If you want to visit in the next nine months, check out Disney’s ticketing page. Choose “1 day” (no matter how long you want to visit) and you’ll see a calendar. If your schedule is flexible, go on the light blue days and avoid the dark blue days. (If you’re visiting for just one day, the light blue days are cheaper. But multi-day passes are the same price no matter when you go.)

A sample Disneyland pricing calendar. Darker-colored days are more crowded.

2. If your plans are more than nine months out, use TouringPlans.com’s Crowd Calendar: they give you a nice one-to-ten rating describing how crowded each of Disneyland’s two parks will be on a given day. You pay $7.95 for access to TouringPlans’ information, but $7.95 is a bargain compared to the misery of going on a super-crowded day.

Ride closures

To figure out what attractions are closed for maintenance during your vacation, click here. Find the days you want to go, then scroll down to Closed for Refurbishment.

(In general I wouldn’t recommend planning your trip around what attractions are closed: there’s always more than enough to do. That said… it’s still best to know in advance what will and won’t be open. It’s no fun dreaming of Pirates of the Caribbean only to see a “Closed for Refurbishment” sign when you arrive.)

Appendix B: “I want to ride something now.”

If you’re sick of waiting in lines and want to do something right this second, seek out these attractions that typically have short lines:

In Disneyland

• Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough. Beautiful dioramas tell the story of Sleeping Beauty, and you get to literally walk inside Disneyland’s castle. I love this.
• Mark Twain Riverboat & Columbia Sailing Ship. A pleasant, beautiful 15-minute trip around the Rivers of America.
• Pirate’s Lair on Tom Sawyer Island. One of my favorite things at Disneyland. Caves to explore, rickety bridges to cross. Set aside 75 minutes or so for this.
• Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes. A fun paddle around the Rivers of America.
• Disneyland Railroad. Board at Main Street, New Orleans Square, Toontown, or Tomorrowland. If you ride the Tomorrowland-to-Main Street leg, you see dinosaurs.
• Tarzan’s Treehouse. Fun exploration through an oversized jungle tree.
• The Enchanted Tiki Room. A ’60s musical variety show presented by animatronic birds. Goofy, but deeply loved by many folks. Before the show, hang out in the tiki gardens and use your phone to order a Dole Whip float. (You can take it in the show with you.)
• Pinocchio’s Daring Journey. Always a shorter wait than Peter Pan or Mr. Toad.
• Casey Jr. Circus Train. Not always a short wait, but way shorter than Storybookland Canal Boats or Dumbo. And more fun than either.
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. A pleasant dark ride, just past Splash Mountain.
• Star Wars Launch Bay. Over in Tomorrowland, check out authentic Star Wars models and costumes. You can also meet Star Wars characters, though the line to see them is sometimes long.
• Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln. Animatronic Abe Lincoln recites excerpts from his famous speeches. It’s amazing, in its way, but not for everyone. (You’ll know if you’re the sort of person that would like this.)
• Emporium Windows. Five astonishing animated window displays, each depicting a scene from a Disney animated film. Outside the Emporium on Main Street.
• If Disneyland history interests you at all, stop by the Disney Gallery, next to Mr. Lincoln on Main Street. It showcases vintage Disneyland artwork, and a model of what Disneyland looked like on opening day.
• Main Street Vehicles. On any given day there will be some subset of the omnibus, horse-drawn streetcar, fire truck, or horseless carriage running up and down the street. So pleasant and fun. Board near the Main Street train station, or down by the castle.
• Monorail. Takes you from Tomorrowland to the Disneyland Hotel, and back. Useful if you’re staying there, but fun even if you’re not. (Ask the attendant if you can ride in front.)

In California Adventure

• Grizzly Peak Nature Trail. This is a beautiful, scenic walk by the Grizzly River Rapids attraction. Start at the spot where the Grizzly Peak rafts plunge into the water, then follow the path past great waterfalls, geysers, and a forest. A nice way to spend 10 minutes.
• Redwood Creek Challenge Trail. Like Tom Sawyer Island: explore, and ascend to treetops via rope nets. Fun.
• The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Undersea Adventure. Pleasant, and there’s rarely a wait.
• Jessie’s Critter Carousel. Likely a shorter line than King Arthur’s Carrousel at Disneyland. (Yes, they spell “carousel” differently in the two parks.)
• Silly Symphony Swings. Fast and fun. (If the look of this ride scares you, you probably don’t have to worry. Unlike the terrifying Pixar Pal-A-Round, the Swings are less frightening than they look.)
• Golden Zephyr. Not a superbly fun ride… but not bad, especially with little kids. (And a much better deal than the Jumpin’ Jellyfish next door, which has huge waits and a short, not-very-fun ride.) When you’re done, ask if you can stay on board. In my experience, they’ll let you ride as many times as you want.
• Not that fun for the kids, but I think the interior of the Carthay Circle Restaurant is really beautiful; 1930s-era perfection. Worth a quick tour if you happen to be in the vicinity.