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Summary
Disneyland is located in Anaheim, California about 45 minutes from Los Angeles. Sleeping Beauty's Castle serves as the central hub of the park. The castle is surrounded by different themed lands: Tomorrowland, Fantasyland, Adventureland, Frontierland, New Orleans Square, Critter Country, and Mickey's Toontown. Disneyland is located across the plaza from the Disney California Adventure theme park. One day may not be enough time to see everything that both parks have to offer. |
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Model Itinerary
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Getting Started:
If you want to get the most out of your day, you should plan on lining up at the front gate 30 minutes before the park opens. If you have younger children plan to go straight to Fantasyland so you can ride as much as possible before the park gets crowded. If you have older children, you can go straight to Space Mountain and get a Fastpass for Buzz Lightyear or Star Tours, or go to Indian Jones and get a Fastpass for Pirates of the Carribean. Download the Disneyland App so you can check wait times at nearby rides and head to the rides with the shortest wait. Fastpass tickets for priortiy seating for Fantasmic are given out in the morning on a first come first serve basis, so go ahead and get your Fastpass for the latest Fantasmic show. |
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Fastpass:
Disneyland has a Fastpass system available that allows you to save your spot in line and return later to ride at a specified time. Using the Fastpass system can save you hours of time waiting in long lines. Check the Disneyland website for updated information about how the Fastpass system works and which rides offer the Fastpass ticket. You can reserve your Fastpass by taking your park ticket to a Fastpass distribution kiosk near the ride you plan to ride or you can purchase the Disney MaxPass. I recommend purchasing the MaxPass so you can use the mobile app to reserve your Fastpass tickets instead of having to spend your time going to each distribution kiosk. While you are waiting for your return time for your Fastpass look for nearby rides with shorter wait times. |
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Restaurants:
One of our favorite things to do is to take a lunch break at 2:00 and sit down for a nice meal. I recommend making reservations ahead of time for a table service restaurant instead of trying to deal with the crowds and lines at the counter service restaurants. It will also save you a lot of time if you have a reservatiion ahead of time. I like the Carnation Cafe on Main Steet and the River Belle Terrace in New Orleans Square. If you have a 2:00 reservation you should be finished in plenty of time to go find a spot to watch the 3:30 parade! |
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Tips:
One of our favorite time saving tips is to use the Single Rider Line. Check the website before you go to get an updated list of rides that offer a Single Rider Line. Wait times in this line can be much shorter than the stand-by line. People from the single rider line are used by Disney Cast Members to fill empty seats on the ride. Please note that your party will be seperated on the ride, but you can wait in line together and can meet back up again at the end of the ride. |
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Nighttime Shows:
Check the park calendar for parade and showtimes. The two popular nightime shows here are Fantasmic and the fireworks at the Castle. Fastpasses for Fantasmic are given out on a first-come first-serve basis. Fastpass holders are given priority seating. You can also book a Fantasmic dinner package that offers priority seating for Fantasmic. At 9:00 go to Main Street in front of the Castle for the best views of the Firework show and get Fastpasses for the second showing of Fantasmic. |
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Hotel:
The one question people always have is whether they should stay at the Disney Resort or at a hotel nearby. Guests that stay at a Disney Resort are offered some perks like getting into a park early or staying late, but for the price difference we have found that it is usually a better value to stay at a property near the resort. There are multiple hotels in Anaheim that are within walking distance of the park entrance. We booked 3 nights at the Fairfield Inn Anaheim Resort. |
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Extend your trip:
A trip to Disneyland can easily be combined with a trip to Los Angeles or San Diego. If you decide not to extend your trip then return home and start planning your next family adventure! |
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