Disneyland & C.A. Tips

We have been meaning to take a trip to Disneyland for...basically the last 3 years. We were planning on going, and then I got pregnant. (yay!) But then I was SUPER sick...and then I was huge...and then we had a newborn. Whew!

Then my husband found a great deal on 3-day tickets we couldn’t pass up, especially now that no one was pregnant or a newborn! So 2 days before we left, we told him because yes, we waited that long to tell our 7-year old in order to 1. Surprise him and 2. So we didn’t have to talk about it for 3 months.

He was absolutely ecstatic after he got over the initial shock.

So let’s get in some basics of what you need to know before you go.

try to avoid weekends

We went Thursday, Friday and Saturday and there was a HUGE difference in crowds/wait time even between Friday & Saturday. Saturday was by far the worst most crowded day...obviously. But the weekdays made it way less busy.

get the MaxPass

My sisters-in-law recently went to Disneyland and she told me that the MaxPass was awesome. So we got it for both Thursday (Disneyland) and Friday (CA Adventure) and it was worth every penny! It does cost $15 per ticket to get it, but since there were only 3 of us and we wanted to make the most of our time, we loved it. You can do fast passes right on your phone, rather than having to go to the actual ride to get your fast pass. This as also handy to be able to stand in line for one ride & while our fast pass time started on another ride, get another fast pass for a different ride! And it also comes with photo pass, which lets you scan a code when one of those photographers takes your picture or when you ride a ride that takes a picture...BOOM. Right on your phone. We loved it and tried to take full advantage of it.

bring your own food

Everyday we either packed breakfast and lunch or left to get it. Meals get pricey and we would rather spend money on our max passes & a few treats. Pack whatever meals you want, lots of snacks and plenty of water. We opted to water bottles instead of our bulky, heavy hydroflasks.

go when it rains!

Obviously you don’t plan your trip around weather, but if it happens to rain one of the days you’re planning on going...JUST GO! It rained the morning of our first day and it was a ghost town! We basically walked onto rides like Pirates of the Caribbean, Buzz, Star Tours, Haunted Mansion and Indiana Jones. Just pack ponchos or waterproof jackets, extra socks and an umbrella. Side note: ponchos are good to have for wet rides either way!

do some “research”

I started following some Disney-focused accounts on Instagram that post helpful info/tips/food about both DL & CA, so it was helpful to know before we went what I wanted to do or see or eat. 2 of my personal favorites were Disney on the Dime & DisneyHungry.