I absolutely love taking my family to Disneyland. As a matter of fact one of the reasons I have my photography business is to pay for vacations like going to Disneyland with my family. I love how much my children love it!
I get asked all the time what are some tips and tricks about going to Disneyland. I always spend forever typing up a huge message (because I love talking about it) so I decided to put them all in one place!
Disclaimer: It’s my pet peeve when someone acts like a expert in something they know little about. So this is just stuff I’ve learned from taking my kids for the last 7 years in a row. I’m no expert but I have a lot of experience!
–Go during the off season. I can’t stress this one enough. It’s so worth pulling your kids out of school a few days. I hate waiting in really long lines. Especially with young children. We always try to go when it’s the least busy. Lets be honest, Disneyland is ALWAYS busy but I would much rather go on as many rides as possible then waiting in lines.
I use websites like https://www.isitpacked.com and https://touringplans.com/disneyland-resort/crowd-calendar to check the dates we want to go. It helps a lot!
Time of the week matters- the best days to go are in the middle of the week. Less people = smaller wait times. I know that isn’t always possible to go in the middle of the week but it does help.
Get to the park before it opens– they allow you in the gates before the actual opening time. It takes time more time then you think to go through security. The shortest wait times are right when the park opens so plan accordingly. We always try to hit a few of the rides that always have the longest whats right at first.
Fast passes– They are a must! Especially if the parks are super busy. Something that was new to me last year was you must have your ticket with you to use your fast pass not just get it. The printed ticket you get for a fast pass is JUST a reminder. Everything is saved on your disney ticket. You can also use the new Max pass for a small fee per ticket and get all your fast passes at the touch of a button. Click HERE for a list of rides that allow fast passes.
Rider Swap- if you have kids too young to go on big rides rider swap is your best friend. When your group goes to a ride have them ask for a rider swap pass from a cast member at the beginning of where you enter the line. It will allow you to get in the fast pass line when your group finishes and take a couple extra people with you. My older kids love it because they get to go on the ride twice.
Along with that almost all of the big rides in Disneyland have a smaller kids ride near it. For example- splash mountain has the winnie the pooh ride next to it. Indiana Jones has the jungle cruise next to it. I usually take my smaller children on one of those rides while the bigger kids are on the big rides.
-Side note-
Measure your younger kids before you go. This year my 3 year old is just a tiny bit under 40 inches (the height to get on most of the bigger rides). If he wears his favorite pirate boots it pushes him over the 40 inch mark though! So we are for sure bringing his boots even if it’s just to get on those bigger rides.
Get the Disneyland App! Not only can you check wait times for rides on it you can order some of your food as well! One year my son had to meet Buzz Lightyear so I just pulled up the app- looked up Buzz and it said when and where he would be. He was a happy camper and I didn’t have to search for him all day. Find the app HERE. (you use maxpass on the same app!)
Bring treats! – You can bring all sorts of food and drinks into the park! I bring bags of treats with me for my kids every day we are there. It saves a lot of money.
Plan meals and rides during show and parade times- when a lot of other people are crowed into other parts of the park the rides are usually a much smaller wait!
Meals– It can be really expensive to eat in the parks. Especially for my family- we have 7 people! Sometimes we have my husband run out of the park across the street and grab McDonalds and bring it back. Other times we take a break around dinner time to go eat outside the park. We also eat in the parks sometimes but just try to be smart about it. For example- if you eat at Pizza planet you can get a huge plate of spaghetti and I can feed three of my kids off of that. I’ve also been with family that brings lunch into the park with them.
Buy souvenirs ahead of time– they are pretty costly in the park so you can buy things online before you get there. For example I got my kids their own autograph books on amazon for a fraction of the cost of the ones in the park. They didn’t know the difference. I do let them earn some money to spend their on their own treats or souvenirs if they want as well.
Pressed Pennies are the best souvenirs!– Well maybe not the best but definitely the cheapest. My kids love collecting them and they are all over Disneyland.
Photos in Disney– I love taking pictures (I mean this is my photography website so I imagine that is pretty clear!). I always bring my big camera with me and carry it onto almost every ride in my bag. I wrote a whole post about it and you can check that out HERE.
Strollers- A must with small children! You will be doing a lot of walking and they will want a ride. I love having the extra storage in the basket under the stroller as well. You can rent them at the park as well for a fee. 
What to pack- I always bring lots of treats, extra clothes, and drinks into the park. Someone always needs extra clothes especially if they get wet on a water ride. Bottled water is really expensive in the parks so bring your own water bottle.
Backpacks– Bring one! I always carry my camera and wallet on me at all times. A backpack is easy to carry around and get on and off the rides. I leave all the treats and drinks with my stroller.
Have a lost child plan- I hate to admit it but we have lost (for a very shot time) kids at the parks before. We talk to my kids before our first day with the plan on what to do. Disneyland are pros at this- and they found my little guy within a minute of him loosing us. We tell them to find someone with a disney name tag and wait for us. I also take a picture of what they look like at the beginning of the day just in case. 
Where to stay- first off I am not paid to say anything! And this is entirely my opinion. We love staying close to the park. I hate waiting for shuttles at the end of a long day or walking a mile to the hotel. We like to stay across the street where we only have a 5 minute walk. It can be less money to stay further away though! So this is entirely up to you!
Cell Phones- My phone never stays charged all day. Between using the Disney app, taking pictures and video and finding members of our group it always dies. We bring a battery pack to charge it when so I don’t have to feel like I can’t use it. It’s a lifesaver! There really isn’t anywhere to charge them around the parks.
If you have any other tips leave them below! I would love to hear them!