25 Tips & Tricks

While there’s an endless number of ways to make your park visit more enjoyable, get more rides in and save money in the process we’ve narrowed down all the tips and tricks we know to a list of 25 must considers. Review this list, print this list, send it to a friend and when you’re done with your visit be sure to come back and comment to add your own.

1. Set a spending budget. It doesn’t matter if you plan to eat at the best places for every meal, buy all the merchandise you can find or are trying to pinch pennies, Disneyland costs skyrocket when you spend without thinking. To keep things in check set a basic budget for your meals, entertainment and souvenirs. This way you won’t end the first day with a maxed out card and have to bring crackers in for the next 3 days.
2. If you can, visit mid-week, rainy or school season. It goes without saying but there’s less people in the park when it’s suppose to rain or when kids are in school and since the weather is almost always good in Anaheim odds are your favor. There’s also less locals around on the weekdays so combine the two and try to plan your trips for the weeks kids are in class and the weather isn’t perfect. This means mid to late September, February and March.
3. Priceline a hotel for a lot less. Local area hotels are rarely full so using Priceline can save you a boat load of money on a nice place. We’ve been able to book locations like the Hyatt and Hilton for $50 a night on weekdays and weekends and saved a ton. Learn more using priceline here.
4. Review the Park map before the trip. If you’ve never been to the park or if it’s just been a while it’s bigger and better with more rides, attractions and stores. Don’t spend your trip looking at a giant map and walking into people — review the park layout online, find the areas you want to visit (probably not the fairyland attraction) and go from there. That way when you grab a park map (free) you’ll know where to look.
5. Always use fastpasses. Short of the completely empty days fastpasses are essential to your visit and something everyone else will be collecting so you should too. When you start your day pick up a fastpass for a popular ride (space mountain, tower of terror, …) and save it. When it’s good get another and save it. You can use your fastpasses after they expire in the evening when the park’s busy.
6. If you have a sizable group identify a “runner”. Whether it’s getting more fastpasses or picking up dinner, you’re adults, you’re around to have fun and you’ll end up taking things slower. So identify a person who knows the park well and send them to do the simple tasks like getting fastpasses. There’s no reason 4 or 8 people need to walk the park to get a few pieces of paper.
7. Bring water, snacks, sunblock & a jacket into the park in a backpack. Most people understand that they’re going to need water, that sunburn is bad and that it gets cold but it’s also very tempting to toss your jacket in the backseat or leave it at the hotel when it’s 85 degrees out. While this is true it’s a short term thought. Hot days can have cold nights. Sunblock wears off. You will get hungry and don’t always need a Disney meal. So take all these essentials and cram them into a pack which you can take turns sharing. It’s a lot nicer to pull out your gear at night than to have to trek back to the car.
8. Forgot to bring water? It’s free if you ask. We admit it, there’s been visits where we forgot our water bottles or just plain ran out. But rather than spending $2.75 – $3.50 for a bottle just go up to any vendor with cups and a soda machine and ask for some. Disney looks down on having guests pass out during their stay so water is always free.
9. Get a headache? Advil is free. A little known Disney secret — there’s a first aid station in both parks (just pass main street in the main park) that will give you water and advil for free if you get a little headache or tired. Again, the park doesn’t want guests wandering around sick and passing out so if you need a little help ask a cast member and they’ll point you over.
10. Set your cellphone to vibrate. We’ve seen so many couples fight after spending hours apart because they couldn’t get ahold of each other. Lots of kids, rides and parades makes cellphones all but useless so
11. Need a quiet place to eat in the main park? Try the Plaza Cafe. It’s the middle of the day, hot and you just want to sit down. While most restaurants will have a table before dark, the Plaza Cafe always seems to have the most space. Add to that an air-conditioned dining room, fresh salads, pasta (we won’t talk about the chicken) and soda refills and it’s a good place to step outside.
12. Avoid California Adventure at opening. Everyone thinks that California Adventure will have short lines when it first opens so everyone lines up. While the lines can be short there’s often a line just to get in. Sit back, wait 15 or 20 minutes then head over and you’ll have one less line to wait in.
13. Walk California Adventure Right. When they designed the new park space was limited so things are a bit oddly laid out. When you get into California Adventure start with Tower of Terror (get a fastpass or wait) then head to Soaring if you can get another fastpass then to the back of the park for screaming, toy story and any other rides you may like. If you don’t have long lines loop back by the front rides (soaring & tower of terror) again before you leave. This way you don’t end up walking the park 5 times.
14. Want to get out of dodge in California Adventure? Go to the Hotel bar. The Grand Californian is quiet, air-conditioned and has a wonderful bar and two restaurants (one nicer the other grab and go) that most people never think about. So if you need to step outside and are on that side of the park step into the hotel. Sometimes the park employees will try and stop non-guests from entering the hotel but if you tell them you’re meeting someone at the bar or going to the restaurant there it shouldn’t be an issue.
15. Don’t be afraid to sleep in. Mornings can be a great time to catch rides but if you’re going to be out till park close at midnight you’ll have plenty of time for rides and are unlikely to really spend the whole day pushing hard even if you do get in at 7am. Plus falling over on your face from exhaustion is a really tacky look.
16. Going to the Blue Bayou? Make reservations before your trip. Believe it or not the Blue Bayou Restaurant can get booked solid days in advance during peak times and it’s almost always full for dinner by mid-afternoon. So if you’d like to enjoy this restaurant (who can blame you) call up a day or two before and make a reservation. (714) 781-3463)
17. Watch the late Fantasmic show, sit early. Fantasmic crowds are killer but getting a good seat doesn’t have to mean a 3 hour wait. After the first show is wrapping up send one person over to the outskirts of the area. After the Disney team clears the first crowd they can dart in and grab spots for everyone. This saves you from a lot of the families and the wait is under an hour. Just remember to give that person a blanket or something to mark your space and show up 15 minutes before the show or they may not let you in.
18. Watch the fireworks without the headache. There’s not a lot of great ways to get firework seats but there are a few good tips to avoiding bad ones. First get there early. No you don’t have to show up at 4pm and wait but you do need to show up when the crowds are small. Next find space by a rope. It doesn’t matter how close you think you are, someone will stand in front of you so being at the rope is your best choice. If there’s room sneak into the pavilion by the castle (adventure land side). The trees obstruct the view a bit but if you get a good spt you can actually pull a chair up and watch the show sitting.
19. Eating during the fireworks? Sit really early. 9:30pm rolls around and you decided that skipping dinner isn’t going to work so why not time your meal with the fireworks? Sounds great except there isn’t a seat to be found anywhere near adventure land or the castle. So if you want to try this nice little trick be sure to do so early enough to find something.
20. Not watching the parades? Stay in the back of the park. While most sites will tell you that the parade times are great for catching rides they fail to remind you of the simple reality that you’re going to have a hard time moving around. To get to as many rides as possible stay to the back of the park and make your way from ride to ride without getting near mainstreet.
21. Always park in the Mickey and Friends structure. If you do have to drive to the park for any reason do your best to get into the structure. Generally the easiest way to insure this happens is by driving to the backside of the park off Ball Rd. rather than using the Disney Way entrance. We’ve even had success in telling the parking staff we had to meet someone over there or just exiting.
22. Don’t take the first parking spot. Disney loves to stack park cars for efficiency and that means that you may end up with a long long long walk to the tram and back to your spot. If you end up parking in the lot when they are designating spots tell them you’re leaving and drive down the row. Except for the early mornings there’s almost always spots up front that open up as people leave. It’s no lazy to find a better spot when you’ll be walking miles that day.
23. Remember, you’re going to walk for miles. Some people like sneakers, some like hiking shoes, a few even swear by flip-flops. It doesn’t matter what you wear so much as you’re ok wearing it for hours on end and miles of walking. If you have bad feet or get tired feet bring something durable and supportive.
24. Is there a chance you’ll come back? Get a pass. If you’re buying a 3 day park hopper or more and have even a shot at coming back later in the near save yourself a kick in the butt later and get a pass now. If you have a SoCal friend they can get you a SoCal pass but if not a Deluxe will do. Even if you spend another $50 on the upgrade (your ticket can be upgraded during your trip) you’ll earn it back with just 1 more day in the park. Don’t wait until you return to realize the savings.
25. Park close isn’t really park close. Our last tip here for getting the very most out of your experience — whatever time the park closes at it doesn’t really close, the line just stops. Anyone in line at that time be it 9pm in winter or 12 in summer gets on the ride. So if you can finish a ride at 11:50 find another. You’re in.