Recently, we were lucky enough to take our kids to Disneyland. Over the course of our trip we noted 10 things that made our trip a bit easier.
1. Bag Check – Disney has a way to prepare you for the many lines you will be in over the course of your visit: Security Check Point. Before you are able to line up to enter the park, you must first enter through a bag check and metal detector. To get through quickly, make sure to take your bag/backpack/purse/fanny sack off and have it open for inspection. It will make the line go quicker for everyone and get you into the Happiest Place On Earth that much faster.
2. Fastpass Tickets- If you have never used a Fastpass for the more popular rides at Disney, you may be doing it wrong. For those of you who don’t know, Fastpass is a way to “reserve” your spot in line within a certain time frame. Somewhere around the ride, there are kiosks where you insert your Disney ticket and a Fastpass ticket prints out with your return time. Just come back during the allotted time and skip the line.
| FastPasses saved us from waiting in the 90 minute line for the Cars ride. |
3. Jedi academy – Along the same lines as Fastpasses, if you have a kid under 10 that wants to participate in the Star Wars Jedi Academy show head to the Star Wars Launch Bay in Tomorrowland first thing in the morning. Starting when the park opens, Disney hands out passes for kids to participate in one of the shows that happen throughout the day. Pay attention to the time on the slip and arrive 15-20 minutes early so you don’t miss your show.
4. Star Wars Trivia –Make sure you take some time to enjoy the Star Wars Launch Bay after you grab your Jedi Academy Pass. It is full of memorabilia and props from the Star Wars franchise, including meet and greets with some of the characters (Chewbaca, Boba Fett and Kylo Ren were there when we were.) Be prepared for a potentially longish wait depending on when you are there….or, if your Star Wars trivia skill are strong, listen for the staff to announce a trivia contest. Using our nerdy family power we were victorious and our prize was to skip the line for any meet and greet. (We saved 30 minutes in the Chewbacca line!) May the force be with you!
5. Bring water – Although somewhere deep in the online rules of Disneyland they discourage you from bringing outside food and drinks, we had no problem with bringing in bottled water. With the temperature hovering right around 100 degrees while we were there, it was imperative to stay hydrated. We weren’t able to bring all the water that we needed, but we were able to save ourselves $25-$30 each day by bringing in a few bottles of water each.
6. Food – The same goes for food. To save on meals, we ate a good breakfast before we headed to the park and packed a simple lunch (sandwiches, snacks, and fruit) to eat at the park. That way we were able to splurge on one meal a day without focusing on the cost. And, while there is a designated “picnic” area, we sat down at one of the many shaded tables and ate throughout the parks.
7. Pokemon go for lines – In the past we have used various ways to keep us entertained in long lines. This year we are all playing Pokemon Go. It’s as if this game was created for people waiting at Disneyland/California Adventure. The parks are considered some of the best places to play, with dozens of Pokestops and people adding lures to them all day. Battling a gym or chasing down a rare Pokemon makes the lines seem shorter and the time pass quicker.
| Plus you can say you controlled the gym at Haunted Mansion |
8. Alternate air-conditioned rides/stores – To battle the heat in the parks, we learned to take advantage of the various pockets of air-conditioning throughout. Walking through the long stretches of interconnected shops found in most of the areas of the park became our favorite shortcuts. We also sought out the indoor rides as well as ones with covered and/or air-conditioned queues. Both of these tactics kept us from overheating.
9. Pin Trading – Our youngest discovered a new passion while at the parks: Pin Trading. Disney Pin trading has become quite the hobby for many of the visitors to the Disney Parks. Pins can be traded with many other visitors as well as with any Disney employees that are wearing/displaying them. (They have to trade with you; it’s part of the job) We met a great couple that gave us some quick pointers to trading. The biggest tip they gave us is to search on eBay or craigslist for bulk pins before heading to the parks. You can find bags of the more common pins for a reasonable price and trade them when you’re on vacation.
10. Downtown Disney – We found that taking the occasional break from the parks themselves made our return that much more enjoyable. The closest place for a break is Downtown Disney. With several great shops, including an amazing Lego store, and many great places to grab something to eat (as well as some incredible caramel apples) Downtown Disney gave us a slight reprieve from the crowds.
