Dis Knee

In 1956 Walt Disney created the Happiest Place on Earth in Anaheim, CA. Admission tickets used to be $1 when the park first opened. However, as you may already know, prices no longer look like that. Prices vary depending on the day. Admission for one park costs $97-$135. One day park hopper costs $147-$185. In Anaheim, there are two Disney parks: Disneyland and California Adventure, which henceforth shall be known as DCA. Also, unless otherwise stated, every time I mention a hack for Disneyland it will also apply to DCA.

First thing to do before entering the park: Download Disneyland App onto your smartphone. It will save your life. The Disneyland app gives you all the information you will ever need during your visit to the parks including a map of entire park (no need to carry around the paper map). The app also allows you to check wait times and Fastpass availability, purchase a MaxPass, view character’s locations, find restrooms, reserve dining, and so much more!!

Crowd Tracker is a useful tool to get a feel of how long your waits will be. It’s not 100% accurate but good enough. The key is to go during the weekdays and non-holiday times.


If you’re staying at one of the Disneyland resorts, take advantage of their Early Magic Hour and Magic Mornings. Early Magic Hour gives you early admission to both parks one full hour before parks open to the general public. It’s for selective dates, but works for every day of your hotel stay. Similarly, Magic Mornings also give you early park admission for one full hour before parks open to general public on select days. However, Magic Morning can only be used once during your stay. It’s also only available for guests who purchase a valid 3+ day theme park ticket OR those who have purchased a Southern California CityPASS.

Bare minimum to bring

• For long lines, try not to use your phone so you can save your battery. Instead, talk with whoever you came with or maybe even bring a book or magazine so you’re not bored out of your mind because lines can get very long. 
• Hat + sunglasses + sunscreen for sunny days
• Sweater / layers for cold nights
• Water bottle so you won’t have to buy an expensive one in the park

Where to charge phone: First of all, always bring a extra battery pack or portable charger of some sort if you’re planning to stay the whole day. But if you forget, or run out of juice, there’s a couple hidden places to charge your phone. So someone else has generously taken the liberty to compile a list of outlets around Disneyland and DCA.

So once you find your way into the park, you obviously want to get on your favorite rides and see your favorite shows. So here are some hacks:

• Always consider the Single Rider option. There’s only a few rides that offer single rider passes and in Disneyland these include Matterhorn Bobsleds, Space Mountain, Indiana Jones, and Splash Mountain. In DCA these include Radiator Springs Racer, Soarin’ Over the World, Grizzly River Run, and Goofy’s Sky School. Although Single Rider passes will split you from your group, it saves soooooo much time.
• Use Fastpass and/or Maxpass!! Both passes allow you to skip the regular line and/or reserve a spot at a show. The Max Pass is just like the premium version of a Fast Pass.
• Let’s start with the Fastpass. Use the Disneyland app to check a ride’s Fastpass return time before heading to a distribution kiosk. Return times are a 1-hour window and you can return to the ride at anytime within the given 1-hour return window. If the return time works for you, then head to the ride’s corresponding Fastpass distribution kiosk. Once at the kiosk, insert your park ticket into the machine and you will receive a physical ticket. Make sure you read the ticket because it will tell you at what time you will be eligible to get another Fastpass. Sometimes you can get one once the 1-hour window begins and other times you only have to wait 2 hours since obtaining one Fastpass. One thing to note is that Fastpasses don’t work until regular opening hours.

• Now the Max Pass is a new Disney development. The Max Pass keeps everything digital (saving you time by not going to a physical kiosk), does the same thing as a Fastpass, and also lets you download your day’s PhotoPass photos. All these great benefits come with a price. And that price is $10 per day, per ticket. To get a Max Pass open the Disneyland app and select “Get FASTPASS with Disney MaxPass.” Then select all guests in your party who wish to use the Max Pass feature and you’re good to go. Remember that whichever method you choose to minimize your time in line, you will still need to strategize and prioritize shows you want to see and popular rides you want to ride (i.e. Space Mountain).

Good Food

• Disneyland 

• Breakfast: Carnation Cafe
• Lunch: Little Red Wagon corn dog cart
• Dinner: Plaza Inn
• Snacks: Churros, Pickles, Dole whip (juice, ice cream, juice + ice cream)
• DCA
• Lunch + dinner: Cove Bar, Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta
• Snacks: Churros (but low-key not as magical as the ones in Disneyland)
• Check if you need reservations.

Basically, the moral of the story is to strategize. Of course you want to maximize your visit to the parks, but so does everyone else. Hopefully this post helps with trip planning regardless of how long your stay is.

--Emily