| | | | Saving Your Sanity at Disneyland |
By Kat DeLong
Many books and articles have been written on how to save money on your Disneyland vacation, which is great. What they don’t often tell you is how to survive that vacation with your family intact. Long lines, cranky kids and burned-out parents can make Disneyland not quite the happiest place on earth. Here are a few tips that might make your vacation just a little more enjoyable, and if you save money at the same time, that’s an added bonus.
Stay close. It is a good idea to book a hotel that is either walking distance or has a shuttle that takes guests directly to the park. The hotels of the Disneyland Resort are nice and close but can also be pricey. Just outside the front gate are several hotels that are called “Disney Good Neighbor Hotels” and are much easier on the budget. Beware of hotels that are “within walking distance”. Blocks near Disney are long, and hotels that may look to be just down the street on a map are too far for little legs to walk after a long day at the park. Also consider whether you need a suite or adjoining rooms for older kids so that everyone can have a little privacy. Take a look at a hotel website to check out the pool, which is a great idea in the warmer months. For many adults, a good-sized jacuzzi is a must after a long day of walking.
Get the right passes. Disneyland’s Parkhopper tickets can be purchased at either the neighborhood hotel or online. These passes are generally offered at significant discounts over those purchased at the front gate. Decide how many days you are going to visit the park. Generally, one day is not enough time to see it all and five days can get a little repetitive. Three days is a good bet, and you don’t have to use them consecutively, so if you wanted a day in between visits to see other area attractions, you can. A Parkhopper ticket is the best way to go, even if you think you won’t want to go over to California Adventure. If you are visiting Disney for more than one day, you will. Disneyland has all of the E-ticket rides that have made the park famous, but California Adventure has a great roller coaster and many other attractions of its own.
Go early and break up the day. If you are traveling with young kids, it is a safe bet that they will be up early. Take advantage of this and hit the park right when it opens. Although it seems like a lot of people are streaming through the gates, you can generally avoid long lines on even the most popular rides for the first 1 1-1/2 hours after opening time. Opening times vary throughout the year, so check the calendar to find out when the park opens during your visit. Parkhopper tickets often contain an early entry pass so that you can enter Disneyland one hour before it officially opens. This early entry is good to use during the week in the off-season when the park usually opens one hour later than on the weekends. Be aware that not all of the rides will be operating this early, but you may get a chance to check out some rides that you’ve missed. You will notice around lunchtime that all of the rides are beginning to have long lines. This is a great time to exit the park and explore Downtown Disney, which is located between Disneyland and California Adventure, to get a bite to eat. While still in Disney-mode, restaurants in this area tend to be more reasonably priced and less crowded. If you need more of a break, head back to your hotel for a rest or a dip in the pool. Many of the local hotels offer mini-refrigerators and microwaves so that you can eat in your room. Some time away from the park in the middle of the day is especially valuable for families with young children. After you have eaten, gone swimming, or just rested, you will be better equipped to head back to Disneyland for afternoon and evening fun, or head over to California Adventure where it can be less crowded. Remember, it’s not a race, so take it easy and enjoy your time at the park.
Fastpass is your friend. Disneyland has instituted the Fastpass system, which can really cut down on the time spent waiting in lines. Most of the more popular rides have it, and it works by putting your park ticket into a special machine at the ride’s entrance. The Fastpass machine will then spit out a ticket that gives you a time frame when you can return. When it is your time, you enter using a Fastpass entrance and avoid much of the line. You can only hold one Fastpass at a time, but you are able to get another Fastpass ticket as soon as the one you are holding becomes valid.
There is no coffee at Disneyland. This might not matter to some people, but will be deal breaker for others. Nescafe has the concession at both parks, so if you are craving a real latte, you are going to have to look elsewhere. A few places at Downtown Disney make espresso, or you can bring in a thermos with coffee, or some of the new espresso-in-a-can coffees that you can purchase at the grocery store. The official line at Disney is that no outside food is allowed, but unless you’re hauling in a large cooler or bringing in glass, they won’t say anything. Pack a few snacks and bottled water to keep everyone else happy.
Decide how badly you want to see the fireworks. During the off-season they have the fireworks show on the weekends and during the summer it is nightly. Are they any good? Yes. It is probably the best fireworks show you will ever see. Should you go? That depends. The fireworks are concentrated over Cinderella’s Castle, and the space in front of the castle and down Main Street fills up 1-2 hours before the show. The staff ropes off the pathways and won’t let you stop to watch, so even if someone is saving space for you, it might get too crowded toward show time to even reach them. If you have the time and inclination, go early to get a space and wait. If not, much of the show can be seen from other areas and even outside the park. You will miss the ground-level fireworks and the music, but you won’t be yelling at the kids to sit still and wait.
Prepare for anything. Yes, this is Southern California, but it can get chilly, even in summer. Pack sunscreen, sweatshirts and bottles of water so that you will be ready for whatever weather arrives that day. There are all-day-use lockers at the entrance to each park so that you can stash your stuff if you don’t want to carry it.
Put the kids on a budget. Decide how much spending money each child should have, and unless they are very young, have them handle it. A coin purse or wallet can hold their money separate from the family money. They should be able to spend their money on whatever they wish, but when it is gone, it is gone, and they don’t get anymore, even if they find the coolest Mickey sweatshirt on the very last day.
With all of these tips, you may wonder if a Disney vacation is really worth it. It is. Whether you can make the trip once in a lifetime or every year, getting the family together and enjoying the Disney experience is worth the effort. For a few days, nobody is worrying about school or work but just enjoying being together and deciding which ride to go on next. Keep these tips in mind and you just might find that for a few short days, Disneyland is indeed the happiest place on earth.
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