6 Things to Know Before Visiting Disneyland, California
Disneyland is one of the most beautiful, traditional theme parks out there. It has a certain charm about it that places like Universal Studios, Hollywood, another old theme park, just doesn't have. From the well-rounded, thrill-seeking rides to classic shops and confectioners that are designed with the most gorgeous store fronts and the prettiest of fonts on the signs, Disneyland has it all, and it's had it all since 1955, when it first opened. But what if you're going for the first time? Here are 6 things that I wish I knew before we visited Disneyland, so I hope it helps you in your exciting new venture!
1. You can bring your own food into the park
This is something that you can do at Walt Disney World, Florida as well. You shouldn't be restricted to buying theme park food, when visiting Disneyland, and you don't have to be. When we went, we brought our own drinks and snacks in.
Definitely bring your own drinks if nothing else, because a bottle of water in there can cost anywhere from $3.50 to $7, depending on which one you get.We buy large bottles from CVS and use those to fill up our flasks. But you have to get some Disneyland food while you're there, right?!
2. It might take a while to get through security
They're very hot on their security, at all Disney parks, but the security point at Disneyland California is particularly inefficient we compared to how quickly you get through the checkpoints at Florida. Be prepared to be waiting in line for a good while.
The way we got around this is by getting to the park when it opened. It was far quieter than when we passed by the checkpoint again to get to Disney California Adventure at around 10:30am. The trick? Get there as early as possible.
3. It's not worth staying in a Disney hotel
Given that the park is sat in the middle on Anaheim, you're not short of places to stay. As such, don't bother spending loads of money on a Disney hotel if you go to Disneyland, CA. It's just not worth it considering how many hotels there are, literally, a stone's throw away from the park itself. We could walk from our hotel to the park, so don't bother booking a hotel on property just to cut the travel time down. It's a waste of moolah!
4. Don't always believe the wait times
Don't get me wrong, 9 times out of 10 the wait times are fairly accurate, give or take about 5 minutes. However, there are instances where we've waited far longer in line than the sign stipulated, but we have also been in lines that moved far quicker than the wait time said on the way in.
What I would do is make the time for the rides you really want to go on and then save the other ones for any spare time you have left at the end of the day. Also, keep checking the app, because the wait times on there are often more accurate and update a lot faster than you'll see on the waiting time signs.
5. Rise of the Resistance in Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, closes at 10pm
We learnt this the hard way. We got there at 10:01pm and they wouldn't let us join the queue. The only saving grace was that we got to go on this ride twice while we were there, which happened to be on May 4th (Tom was very happy about that, as you can imagine). But while the other rides will close when the park does at midnight, Rise of the Resistance shuts 2 hours early. Keep this in mind if it's something you have to ride while you're there - don't leave it too late!
6. The park is always busy
No matter when you decide to go to Disneyland, it will always be busy. Be prepared for crowds, long queues for food and considerable wait times, especially if you're going during Spring Break or just during the summer in general. It wasn't too bad when we went, but it was still busy and that was considered to be off-peak back at the start of May. It's just something you should be aware of before choosing a time in the year to visit.
***
I hope you enjoyed this blog post and that you found it somewhat useful if you're looking to visit Disneyland anytime soon? Drop some more tips in the comment section below and I will see you again very soon with some brand new content!
***
WHERE TO FIND ME
PREVIOUS BLOG POST
COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
Comments
Post a Comment