
With summer approaching, I am sure many families are planning a trip to Disneyland! We did our first Disneyland trip with Kolton and Shayne in November, and learned so much about how to make the most of our vacation. While Disneyland is definitely the most magical place on Earth, there are several tricks to making it even more magical!
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I grew up visiting Disneyland fairly regularly, but it feels like forever since I have been there. Taking my children there for the very first time was a big deal to me, and I wanted to make it memorable. With Kolton about to turn 5, this was going to be his big birthday trip as well, so the pressure was on to make it extra special, so I did some research and a lot of planning.

While a lot of people prefer to find last minute deals, I decided to go the opposite route and get a package months in advance. We purchased though the Disneyland website and got a 3-night stay at the Disneyland Hotel & Resort, 3-day park hopper passes and magical mornings (which let you into the park one hour before it opens). This was honestly the best idea EVER! Staying at the Disneyland Hotel, right on site gave us easy access to everything! And the resort has so many extra amenities, including a lot of character sitings and a pool with waterslides! We stayed in the Frontier Tower and the lobby had a miniature version of the Thunder Mountain Railroad. The kids loved it! Our first day there was spent solely at the resort so we could save our passes for a full day of fun. It was nice because we were able to wake up refreshed and enjoy a full day at the park.
NOW FOR SOME TIPS:
- Download the Disneyland APP!! This app is a lifesaver! With it you can find out the wait times to all of your favorite rides, you can make dining reservations, download your ticket so you don’t have to wait in line to get into the park, you can store all of your photos taken at the park, see menus, showtimes and so much more!
- Get a Fuel Rod!! If you haven’t seen these before, it is small, re-chargable device that you can plug into your phone to charge it while in the park. While in the park, your phone is very important for taking photos, getting in contact with your significant other when separated, and of course using the Disneyland app! Mine kept running low on battery, so this fuel rod was amazing! The best part is, there are Fuel Rod stations all around the park where you can drop your old Fuel Rod in and get another one fully charged at no extra cost!
- Character Dining!! This was the best experience for Kolton and Shayne! I am so glad we made reservations at Goofy’s Kitchen and were able to have one-on-one time with some of our favorite characters! It was worth every penny!
- Get a SPECIAL OCCASION BUTTON!! We told the concierge at check-in that we were celebrating Kolton’s birthday and that it was our first time and Kolton got a Birthday button and Shayne got a First Visit button! They were both excited and get some special attention from the cast members. It’s easy, it’s free, and the kids loved it!
- Rent a stroller there!! We rented from Traveling Baby, and they delivered a double stroller to our hotel when we arrived, and picked it up when we left. This was such a great idea because we did not have to bring a stroller with us, and this was perfect for in park naps when the kids were too tired to walk and for us to store some of our things. Just be sure to tie a bright colored balloon on it so you can find it when you are parked near a ride.












- Bring your own snacks!! This is huge for when you are waiting in line. You can even bring a mini bag cooler into the park with sandwiches, snacks, etc. if you don’t want to stop having fun to eat in the park. Disneyland just does not allow large coolers.
- Take a million pictures!! You will not regret this! There are so many photo opps everywhere! Also you can ask the professional photographers to use your camera as well as theirs. This way you are not stuck with one family member who never happens to be in any pictures because they are always behind the camera (this is usually me). The ones they take with their cameras will go onto a photo pass card that you can view from your Disneyland app and order from there.
- Wear comfortable shoes!! And bring more than one pair. If you are at the park for multiple days, switch up your shoes each day. This is a HUGE tip that my husband did not follow and he really paid for it by the third day!
- SUNSCREEN!! This is a no brainer, but I had to throw it in anyway! Southern California is HOT pretty much year round!
- Character sitings!! Use the app to find out when your favorite characters will be near you, and be patient and wait to see them. These are the memories my kids will have forever! They got so many autographs from characters, and along with the pictures I took, their autograph books from their first trip to Disneyland will be forever keepsakes! We never had to wait long since I had the app and planned ahead.










I hope that you found these tips helpful when it comes time to planning your Disneyland trip! We are already planning our next visit and are even more excited to do it all over again!! Please comment below with any tips I may have missed!
Check out more favorite vacation spots here!
XOXO


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Looks like a super fun trip! Your tips covered so much, I couldn’t think of anything to add. I hope you have a fabulous time the 2nd time around!
We want to go again this summer. Maybe just for the day next time. Although I could stay for a week no problem.
Disneyland is so fun to visit and all your tips were on point! I’m like you, I would rather plan way in advance rather than look for last minute deals. Less stress that way! You look like you had an amazing trip!
My husband gives me a hard time about my planning, but with little ones, it truly does make life easier. We had the BEST time!!
I love the Disney app! It makes it so easy to find where you’re going and keep a track on the fast passes. Great tips!
I hadn’t been to Disneyland in years. It is amazing how much easier it is with the app!
Bookmarking this for when we go to disney with the kiddos in the next few years – these tips are awesome.
I’m sure there will be some amazing new technology in a few years. Hopefully most of this will still be relevant. Thank you for reading! xo
Thanks for all the great tips. I’ll be writing some of these down for the future. I hope to take my two littles sometime soon.
They will love it! Disneyland is fun for any age. I felt like a kid being there and at times, had more fun than my little ones.
Great tips and tricks – thanks for sharing! Will definately be using the app and fuel rod. Love the Mickey ears btw
Thanks for reading. Both were lifesavers at the park!
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