Last week we surprised our kids with a trip to Disneyland! I’m not good at keeping secrets, but somehow we pulled this one off! They didn’t believe us at first because Chad always jokes about going whenever we are nearby, but they were so excited! You can watch their full reactions over on Instagram!
Disneyland in the Fall will forever be my favorite (just don’t tell Christmas I said that)!!! I turn into such a planner whenever we go to Disneyland and have our days all mapped out! My friend LeAnn (@yourdisneygirl_86) always has all the best tips and tricks for Disneyland, so I am so excited that I got her to sit down to answer all your questions! I have the Q&A saved as a highlight on Instagram, but I summarized all of her answers mixed in with some of my own experience here, so be sure to bookmark this blog post for your next Disney trip!
What is the new premier pass? Is it worth it?
I was kind of mind blown when I heard they were rolling out this new Premier Pass! It is $400 per ticket per day and allows you to not have to schedule your Lightning Lanes and just go anytime you want! Normally with Lightning Lanes (which is a different price every day – usually between $25-30), you have scheduled time to come back. I personally think the Lightning Lanes are totally worth it and do it every time, but I don’t think I could justify the Premier Pass since it would cost an extra $2,000 per day for our family!
If you don’t have Lightning Lane Multipass (formally Genie+ or FastPass back in the day!), is it hard to get on rides?
It’s not hard to get on rides, you’re just going to wait! How long you’ll have to wait really depends on what time you go in the day. If you rope drop (get there when the park opens at 7:30 and then you can get into the park right at 8:00 when they drop the ropes), you can get a lot done in those first two hours that you’re in the park. Overall I do think the Lightning Lane Multipass is worth it though with one caveat…
LeAnn’s Tip: If you have littles, a good strategy is to go to Fantasyland first! There are no lightning lanes in Fantasyland and it honestly has the most rides in a single area in the park. If you have older kids, hit the bigger rides first (Indiana Jones, Thunder Mountain, Space Mountain, Matterhorn, etc.) and save the smaller rides for later in the day. But is totally doable to do Disneyland without Lightning Lanes!
Do you bank your lightning lanes for later in the day?
With using the Lightning Lane Multipass we never waited longer than 20-30 minutes and I feel like it’s how we were able to get so much done in a day. And I don’t usually have a game plan! I just let the app show me what’s available and ask the kids which one they want to do! Don’t let it be too stressful!
LeAnn’s Tip: A good way to do it is to pay attention to which rides book out the latest (it’s usually the big rides like Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Indiana Jones Adventure, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, etc). If we get there early, I go straight to Space Mountain, do all of Tomorrowland, and then go to the other side of the park. And usually by that time you can bank the lightning lanes for later in the day.
What is a virtual queue?
I didn’t like the virtual queue at first because I kept seeing people get turned away who didn’t know about it! But once we got in the line I loved it because you get on so fast! Basically you request to join the virtual queue from the app and then if you are selected you’ll get a notification that you can go get into a special line! For some rides like Haunted Mansion there is no regular line, so if you don’t get into the virtual queue or don’t get selected, you don’t get to ride which is a bummer!
There are specific times and rules for joining some virtual queues, so definitely check the Disney website for all the details. And then make sure that you always check on the app whenever you get to the park!
Is the Rise of the Resistance lightning lane worth it?
Rise of the Resistance and the Cars ride have an option to pay for the lightning lane. I think it’s about $20 per person (depending on the day) and it’s for that ride only, which is annoying but also worth it, in my opinion, if there is a long line!
Definitely grab the Cold Brew Caf Black when your over by Star Wars: Galaxy Edge – it was so good!
Where is the pickle dog located?
Ok let’s be honest this is the real reason I go to Disney. Just kidding but it is seriously so good! It’s in Downtown Disney, so you don’t even have to be in Disneyland to get it! It’s at a cart called Blue Ribbon Corn Dog right across the street from the Lego Store!
Was it hard to get food in the park?
No, not at all! You don’t have to do a mobile order if you don’t want to either! You can still walk up and order like normal. And that’s what we did most of the time! But I will say the mobile order makes it so convenient that if you’re waiting in line for a ride you can order your food and then it will be ready when you walk up and you can just find a table and sit down!
LeAnn’s Tip: Mobile order from Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe (where you can get holiday snacks, the raspberry Mickey macaron, etc.) because their line can get pretty long since it’s right on Main Street!
Bringing along our 6 month old can she lap sit for most of the rides?
They’ll be able to ride anything in Fantasyland and rides like Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Astro Blasters, Astro Orbiter, etc. – really anything with “any height” as the requirement they’ll be able to go on! When I used to take the girls by myself they’d just make me take Henley out of the babywearing carrier and hold her for the rides!
LeAnn’s Tip: Check the height requirements for all the rides and plan accordingly! She has all the height requirements listed in a story highlight on her Instagram (@yourdisneygirl_86)!
Can you do both parks in one day?
Absolutely! We go for one day the majority of the time and it’s totally fine! We see and do everything we want to! But if it’s your first time going and you want to experience both parks fully, having an extra day totally helps!
LeAnn’s Tip: If you want to get everything done, I recommend rope dropping and starting with Disneyland! California Adventures is so much fun, but if you have little littles, there’s not so much they can do since the rides are really limited for anybody under 40”. There is a lot to do at California Adventures, but it’s more activities than rides, so you’re not really waiting in lots of lines.
How did the rider switch work?
We rely on the rider switch a lot because Pax doesn’t like certain rides and Henley doesn’t like certain rides. So let’s say for instance, Harlyn and Pax did the Star Wars ride, but Henley didn’t want to, so she stayed back with Chad. When you get up to the ride, there will be a worker there, and you tell them you want to do a rider switch. They just scan your ticket and take care of the rest of it! Then whenever the ride is over, whoever waited with the kid who didn’t want to ride will get to ride it without waiting in that long line all over again! And someone can go with them and ends up getting to ride the ride twice!
Did you love your hotel?
There are so many hotels. Between LeAnn and I, we’ve stayed at a bunch of different ones! I love the Disneyland Hotel because it’s so close and so nostalgic-Disney! The Grand is the most popular and convenient since it has direct access to California Adventure. But it’s also the most expensive. Some that are across the street will even have shuttles to the parks! There are so many to choose from you really can’t go wrong!
Chad’s Tips & Tricks:
Wear comfortable shoes, stay hydrated, and ride Rise of the Resistance! Also, get yourself some churros, and you’ll be fine!
