Disneyland Tips and Secrets

Disneyland Tips and Secrets - Go prepared to save money, time and headaches. Disneyland vacation tips for a hassle free, fun trip..

If this is your first time to Disneyland, you're in for a special treat. In fact, if this is your 10th time, you are also in for a special treat, but you already know that and that's why it's your 10th time.

Below you'll find vacation tips, tricks and some Disneyland secrets that we've put together to hopefully help your trip be all that much more memorable.

In addition, we always want to hear from you. We're sure you've got some tips, tricks or secrets to share that could help others, so don't be shy.

Feel free to make your own list, or expand on ours at the bottom of the page. Here's a link to get you there faster - Your Disneyland secrets, vacation tips and tricks.

Our Disneyland Tips and Tricks

1. Plan your trip during the slow times.

   We've found that the winter months, typically 2nd half of September to January (minus holidays) are the slowest times of the year. This means smaller crowds and better deals for you.

   If you can plan your trip during the week - Monday to Thursday - you'll usually get much more bang for your buck!

   You can often double, maybe triple, the amount of rides you'll be able to enjoy and may pay half as much as peak times. Who wants to stand in a line for an hour for a 3 minute ride? Not us!
   
   

2. Have a flexible plan.

   Take a look at a map of Disneyland and layout a general plan, either ride to ride/show to show or by specific sections of the park.

   Flexibility is key as some rides you may want to do over and possibly over if the lines are short. Justin can't get enough of Buzz Lightyear and the Toy Story rides, so we have to allow for several rides before he's willing to move on...
   
   

3. Check Disneyland's schedule before you go.

   Check ahead to be sure which rides and attractions are open and those that are down for scheduled maintenance. It's a real bummer if you are traveling from a far away land only to discover the Toy Story ride is closed, we learned the hard way our last trip...Justin was devastated!
   
   

4. If you're bringing little ones...

   Of all the Disneyland tips and tricks, child safety is a priority. Use a permanent marker to write mom or dad's name and cell phone number on their arm. In addition, show them how to identify Disneyland staff in case you get separated.

   With a little work the marker will come off when you want it to, but won't when you don't!

   In addition, for older kids have a designated meeting place in case you get separated and someone doesn't have a cell phone.
   
   

5. Bring plenty of bottled water.

   Our only gripe about Disneyland is the outrageous cost of water! We understand big mark ups on sodas, food, souvenirs, etc. but not on water...You need it to live and Southern California can get hot during summer months.

   We're talking $3 a bottle here, so bring enough water for everyone. They have no problem with you bringing it in to the park.
   
   

6. Bring ear plugs for the kids.

   Some of the rides are very loud, which makes them either scary or very uncomfortable for the youngin's. Jonas had a rough time on Space Mountain, because at his height the speakers were right by his ears...Justin had a rough time trying to cover Jonas' ears while spinning around in circles.
   
   

7. Take advantage of the FastPass system.

   If you are going during peak times it's a must to learn how to use the FastPass system to bypass much of the lines. This will help you get more rides in and avoid long waits. It's free and available to everyone.
   
   

8. Get to fireworks show, parades and World of Color early.

   These all fill up quickly and if you want the best seating be sure to get in place at least 20-30 minutes early.
   
   

9. Be sure to check the weather.

   Just because it's Southern California doesn't mean it's always 80 degrees and sunny. Sometimes it's much hotter, colder or rainy. Be sure to bring sunblock no matter what the weather. You'll be exposed to the sun all day.
   
   

10. Bring a backpack or fanny pack.

    It makes traveling a lot easier and you can take all your valuables with you instead of renting an expensive locker and/or leaving items with the stroller.

    We've never had anything stolen from a stroller, but better safe than sorry.
    
    

These are some simple Disneyland tips that will help make your trip all the more enjoyable and can save you some money in the process. We'll be adding even more Disneyland tips, tricks and secrets as we think of them (see below).

If you've got any to add in the mean time, please do share...

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