I’ve been to Disneyland three times: once as a child, once as a parent and recently as a grandma. This last visit was definitely the most fun because I got to see it through the eyes and excitement of my two granddaughters, 12 and 8, who were experiencing Disneyland for the first time. I didn’t have to make any decisions; I just followed my daughter and son-in-law who’d done their research before coming to the parks. As a result, we all got the most out of our Disneyland visit.
Disneyland can be the happiest place on Earth, but to make the most out of your visit do some research and planning before you go.
If anyone in your family is celebrating a birthday during your visit to Disneyland, be sure to stop in at guest services. My granddaughters and I each got a “Happy Birthday” button personalized with our name. We wore them on our shirts and every Disney staff who passed us wished us a “happy birthday” by our name which added to the fun of the visit.
Here are some tips for making the most of your visit.
Navigating the Parks
Study the Disneyland and California Adventure maps before your visit so you’re familiar with the park layouts. You have two options for admission: one park per day, or a “park hopper” which allows you to visit both parks on the same day.
Be sure to check park opening and closing times — they vary from day to day.
Arrive early before the parks open. Leave in the afternoon for a rest at your hotel and then return for the fireworks.
The guest services website has 36 different service categories to help you enjoy your visit and they will personally research any requests you bring them. They helped us find a vegan frozen treat for my granddaughter.
Download one of the Disneyland “Wait Time” apps on your smart phone. The app tells you the wait time on all the rides and which ones are closed. There will be rides closed for the day or just down for a period of time.
Take a shuttle to the park — don’t drive. You need to buy the shuttle pass in your hotel before boarding.
Consider renting an electric scooter if you’re mobility challenged. I logged 9 miles on my pedometer each day walking around from ride to ride. You can rent a scooter at the parks or you can order one in advance from a mobility travel solutions store and have it delivered to your hotel early in the morning.
Study the FastPass options for shorter wait times on rides. Even with a FastPass the wait times can vary from 15 to 45 minutes or more.
Check the Disneyland Park Hours and Schedule for parades, special events and night time fireworks. We watched a live musical/dance performance, “Red Car Trolley News Boys” in California Adventure that was spectacular.
Personal Comfort
Wear comfortable shoes, a hat, and sunglasses and carry a backpack rather than a purse for your sunscreen, tissues, band aids, and other personal items.
Bring your own food, water and snacks which you can eat while you’re waiting in line for the rides.
If you plan to eat lunch or dinner at one of the many restaurants, avoid peak times and eat lunch at 11 am and dinner around 4 – 5 pm.
What to Do While Waiting in Line
You’ll spend more time standing in lines than actual time on the rides so get creative while you’re waiting.
While waiting to ride Radiator Springs Racers, we played “Guess what instrument I’m playing” by pantomiming different musical instruments. In the line for Autopia, we noticed people playing charades with their Smart phone. We downloaded the “Charades! Free” app on my phone and every time we played, all the people standing around us wanted to join in the fun.
You can entertain your grandchild with games like “Rock, Paper, Scissors,” “I Spy,” “I’m going on a picnic,” “20 questions,” “thumb wrestle,” “Would you rather?” or “tic, tac, toe” (there’s an app for that.)
Disneyland is a fabulous place for people watching. My granddaughters and I noticed people’s t-shirts, mouse ears, hairstyles, cute babies, foreign languages, pin collections, and tattoos.
Rides That Cause Motion Sickness
If you’re prone to motion sickness, which can happen as we get older, check with guest services to find out which rides could make you feel sick. I went on all the roller coasters (even “California Screamin'” which goes upside down) without any problems — until I rode Space Mountain. My granddaughters wanted to go on that one over and over again. Once was definitely enough for me. Another ride that made me feel queasy was “Star Tours” in Tomorrowland. This 3-D motion simulated space flight launches you into the world of Star Wars and made my stomach do a few flip flops. I declined the invitation to go again.
The ride that still captures my heart after all these years is “Small World.” Sharing that ride with my granddaughters truly made me feel like I was in the happiest place on earth!
