During our trip to Los Angeles, we were able to squeeze in a visit to the happiest place on earth – Disneyland! We only had time for a single-day trip this time around but we definitely made the most of it. As usual, finding parking really felt like the longest 30 minutes of our lives. But once we got on the tram, the excitement took over. The four of us were all grinning from ear to ear when we entered the park. The music, the lights, the smell of churros – no wonder why people love it here!
Pro Tip: Be careful of what you bring through security check. I brought a selfie stick (rookie mistake) but was told it wasn't allowed.
1. Get the Genie+ service.
I strongly recommend adding the Disneyland Genie+ service to your ticket purchase. At the time of writing, it is a $30 add-on per ticket. But if you need to maximize time, it is worth it to have the peace of mind.
In short, it really helped keep our family on schedule and organized. We first signed up for a ride with Lightning Lane. Usually, this is the ride we really wanted to go on. While we waited, we lined up for another ride. With that said, be strategic when you are looking at ride times as certain rides may malfunction and close intermittently during the day.
2. Use the car locator in the Disneyland app.
This feature conveniently logs where you park your car so you don’t get lost in the sea of cars after the day is done.
3. Use the Disneyland app to order food.
This saved us a lot of time! It is also super helpful for kids who need a visual menu or extra time to order. We used this for almost all of our meals: Tiki Juice Bar, Bengal Barbecue, and Beignets. The app notifies you when the food is ready and it also maps out directions for you.
4. Buy souvenirs early on in the day.
There are a ton of location-specific swag and souvenirs. Being time-conscious, we didn’t spend a lot of time looking during the day. As a result, we ended up spending a lot of time at the end our day looking for gifts and knick-knacks (think shopping at 10pm with two tired kids).
If there is something that catches your eye, I would suggest getting it right away as it might be difficult to find later on in the day.
5. Bring a power pack for your phone(s).
This may be a given for a lot of savvy travelers but it is a must at the park. With the Disneyland app being so integrated with the park experience, I was on my phone a lot! My phone’s battery would have been drained by noon if not for a power pack.
