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As a first timer at Disneyland you won’t know everything about the theme park yet, and that’s okay! We were all first timers once.
If you don’t want to stand out as a first timer, then there are certain things you can avoid doing and things you can do before your trip to make it go smoothly
1. You Didn’t Check The Disneyland Calendar Before Booking
Check the event calendar and also check the park hours before booking your park tickets.
There are certain days where the parks close early for after dark events (like Oogie Boogie Bash) and days where the parks will be busier than normal (like the first day of an event such as the Food & Wine Festival).
You should also check for ride closures. If your favorite ride will be closed for refurbishment, you may want to choose a day before it closes or after it reopens.
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2. You Try To Do It All In One Trip
Disneyland is big! It has two parks, Disneyland Park and California Adventure Park. Both parks have expanded overtime with new lands, restaurants, and shops.
It’s very hard to do everything in one trip. We recommend making a list of all the rides you want to go on, the food you want to eat, and everything else you want to do.
Do the things you want to do the most first, then work your way down the list from there. It’s not possible to eat at every restaurant and do it all in one trip.
3. You Wore The Wrong Shoes
We’ve all been there and worn shoes that were horrible for the amount of walking you do in a day at Disney. It’s seriously a lot of walking, so this is not a rookie mistake you want to make!
It’s a must that you wear shoes that are comfortable and good for walking.
My favorite walking shoes are linked here. I can wear them for multiple park days in a row without my feet hurting.
4. You Didn’t Plan For The Weather
You definitely need to check the weather before you go so you can plan and dress for heat, cold, or rain.
The rain is the biggest thing to plan for, but we suggest bringing ponchos with you on your trip whether you think it’ll rain or not.
I linked a pack of ponchos here that you can bring with you so you don’t have to pay extra for them in the parks.
We also think you should bring a sweatshirt on your trip, even if you plan on buying one there. You might not find one you completely love.
One time as a teenager my husband had to buy one in the parks and the only one he could find in his size had Grumpy on it and said Grumpy. He didn’t like it, but had to go with it anyway.
When I was a teenager the weather showed it was going to be a bit cold, so I didn’t bring any shorts, but it ended up being hot and I was definitely wishing I had shorts!
So pack for different types of weather to make sure you have what you need.
5. You Need A Map To Get Around
People who go often don’t need a map to get around because they already know where everything is. There’s a map in the Disneyland app, which is much more convenient to use than a paper map.
Before your trip spend a little time getting to know the map so you don’t have to waste a lot of time figuring it out in the parks.
6. You Didn’t Mobile Order In Time
Mobile ordering for restaurants opens in the morning. You can place all your mobile food orders first thing in the morning for the whole day by choosing the time slots you want.
This is a great way to maximize your time in the parks so you won’t be waiting in line for food.
Also, some popular food items sell out fast, like the Raspberry Rose Macaron at Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe in Disneyland.
Place your mobile order for it first thing in the morning to make sure you don’t miss out on this delicious treat!
7. You Don’t Choose A Hotel Within Walking Distance
If it’s in your budget, the Disney hotels are the best option because they’re very close to the parks and you’ll get early entry, which means you can go to the parks 30 minutes before other guests can.
If you can’t stay on-property, then choose a hotel really close to the parks so you can walk instead of taking buses or Ubers. This will save you a lot of time and be more convenient.
We love staying at the hotels just across the street on S Harbor Blvd. Our favorites are the Fairfield Anaheim Resort and the Howard Johnson Anaheim Hotel.
8. You Don’t Know How To Use The Disneyland App
Familiarize yourself with the Disneyland app before your trip so you know how to use it. Nowadays you’ll use the app for pretty much everything.
You’ll use it for Genie+, Lightning Lanes, the map, dining reservations, mobile orders, checking wait times, and it’ll have your tickets to get into the parks.
9. You Don’t Bring a Portable Phone Charger
Since you need your phone a lot to function in Disneyland, there’s a good chance you’ll need to charge your phone throughout the day.
I linked our portable phone charger here in case you need one. It works great and we always bring it to the parks with us.
10. You Didn’t Make Dining Reservations
Unfortunately, a lot of the table service restaurants require dining reservations to eat there. Make your reservations as soon as it becomes available.
If you’re unable to get a reservation or forget to, you can walk up on the day of and see if they can squeeze you in, but it’s not guaranteed that this will work.
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