We typically go to Disneyland once a year as a family. It’s enough that we know our way around the parks and know a lot about them, but there are always some changes or cool things we learn about each time.
We just got back from a trip, so I wanted to share the things I learned on my most recent Disneyland trip.
Hopefully this will help you navigate your next trip better and make it even more magical.
The Disneyland Resort has two theme parks. They are Disneyland and California Adventure. I’m going to share things I learned from both parks.
1. Changes to DAS Passes
Disneyland has DAS (disability access service) passes that are available to those who need it. Neurodivergent people qualify for it if they have a hard time waiting in traditional lines for attractions.
We always get this for one of our kid who needs it. Disneyland made some changes to it since our last trip, so we had to learn about those changes this time.
We did a video call with a cast member before going and had it all setup in the app waiting for us when we started our trip.
Disney has changed who qualifies for it, but that did not affect our family as my son still qualifies.
The biggest change that affected us was that it used to be that you could scan into a ride and immediately get in the virtual line for your next ride.
They have changed this now so that you have to wait 10 minutes after scanning in to book your next ride. This isn’t a big deal, just something I noticed.
Another change is that if you have more than 6 people in your group, then people who are not immediate family cannot ride at the same time as you, but will ride after your family.
This did not apply to our group, but I thought it was strange and don’t understand the reasoning for it.
2. Where To Cool Off
Unfortunately, we went during a crazy Anaheim heat wave. Everyday was over 100°F, which was pretty miserable.
We had to spend a lot of time cooling off and making sure our kids didn’t overheat. We found some great places to cool off from the heat though.
The two places we went with the absolute best air conditioning were the attraction It’s A Small World and Mickey’s House in Toontown.
I know some people don’t like It’s A Small World, but we love it. It’s about 20 minutes long and has big blasts of AC every now and then.
Mickey’s House in Toontown is very cooled off and feels amazing. There are a few benches right when you walk in where you can sit for a little bit if you want to. Then you’ll wind around and look at all kinds of things around his house.
At the end you wait in line while watching Mickey Mouse cartoons, then go meet Mickey Mouse.
Other good places for cooling off a little were any of the indoor rides, restaurants with indoor seating, and the Main Street Cinema.
We forgot to go to the Enchanted Tiki Room, but that would have been a great place too.
In California Adventure our favorite place to cool off was the Animation Building. Adam did an Animation Academy class where he drew Bruno from Encanto while the kids and I waited in line in there to meet Elsa from Frozen.
3. You Can Meet Steamboat Willie
I mentioned going to Mickey’s house already, but something we were not expecting while there was meeting Steamboat Willie!
It’s actually Mickey Mouse on the set of Steamboat Willie. He’s wearing an all gray outfit and looks so insanely cute.
I thought you always meet Mickey Mouse in his tuxedo outfit, but I guess that’s not the case.
A few minutes after we went through, my sister-in-law went to meet Mickey with our baby and she met Mickey in his tuxedo, so I don’t think there’s a way of knowing which outfit you’ll meet Mickey in.
4. Radiator Springs Racers Skip The Line Card
My two year old son is just under 40”. The height requirement for the California Adventure attraction Radiator Springs Racers is 40”.
We weren’t quite sure if he was tall enough or not, so we took him over to the ride and had a cast member measure him to see if he was tall enough.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t tall enough. The cast member did something so cool though! He opened up a little locker next to where they measure you and gave my son this skip the line card.
My son can bring it back when he’s tall enough and he and 5 other guests can use it as a lightning lane for Radiator Springs Racers.
We thought this was so cool and such a sweet thing to do. It helped my son not be so sad about not being able to go on the ride.
5. Free Ice At First Aid
In both Disneyland and California Adventure you can go to First Aid to get a bag of ice for free if you need it.
I got it to use in my little cooler bag with breast milk that I pumped for my baby throughout the day.
I also got ice from some quick service restaurants and put it in Ziploc bags that I brought.
First Aid in Disneyland is located at the end of Main Street, USA on the right side just after the Baby Care Center.
First Aid in California Adventure is located on Buena Vista Street next to the Chamber of Commerce.
6. Where To Wait For Characters In Toontown
My kids love to meet the characters in Toontown since their favorite characters are Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, and Mickey Mouse.
You meet Mickey and Minnie in their houses, but the other characters walk around Toontown and go to designated spots to meet you. If you wait where the characters come out, it makes your wait times much shorter to see them.
When you’re facing Minnie’s house you’ll see a crosswalk to the right. It leads to a door where characters and cast members come out of. Don’t go over to the door, but you can hang out in the little street area and wait for characters there.
On our last trip we saw Pluto, Max, and Donald Duck here. My son’s favorite character is Donald Duck, so when he came out my son was able to give him a quick hug, then he had us follow him over to his boat where he does character meets.
We only had to wait about a minute to see him and get our pictures with him. We’ll definitely hang out in this area again.
7. Character Times In The App Change A Lot
Since my kids wanted to meet a lot of characters on our trip, I spent a lot of time looking in the Disneyland app to see who was going to be out that day and at which times.
The characters it showed and their times changed nonstop. It made it so hard to plan who we were going to see and when.
One time we walked from Alien Pizza Planet to the beginning of Main Street to meet Minnie Mouse. It showed in the app that she would be out at that time and a few more times, but when we got there a cast member told us Mickey Mouse was the only character that would be out that night.
Another time we hurried to wrap up lunch at Red Rose Taverne to meet Mirabel and Isabela from Encanto. A cast member came out and told us they wouldn’t be out the rest of that day and they didn’t know why.
I know that stuff is subject to change, but my kids were really sad about it and it added a lot of extra walking to our days in the park.
8. Mickey On The Slushes
It was very hot while we were at Disneyland, so we got a slushes to stay cooled off.
Our favorite slushes were from Edelweiss Snacks in Fantasyland. They have a few different flavors including Cherry, Blue Raspberry (my favorite), and Coca Cola.
The coolest part of the slushes from here is that they usually put Mickey on top with 3 circles of slush that make up his head and 2 ears. It’s so cute! We did have some slushes from there that didn’t get Mickey, so just ask the cast member for a Mickey on top if you’re wanting one.
9. Best Places To Nurse A Baby
We had our five month old baby with us, who I’m pumping breast milk for. This is not our first Disneyland vacation where I’ve been nursing and/or pumping for a baby, but I found better places to do it on this trip.
I’m not afraid to pump at restaurants and other places that don’t offer a lot of privacy since I stay covered up pretty well.
This was my first time pumping at the Baby Care Center and I didn’t think it was a great experience, so I only did that one time. The workers were not friendly and seemed unwelcoming. Also, it was very hot in there and I didn’t have much room for my baby and all of my pumping stuff.
In Disneyland I preferred pumping in the Main Street Cinema. In California Adventure I preferred pumping in an area under the Silly Symphony Swings ride. There were benches, shade, ceiling fans, and not a lot of people there.
10. New Hidden Mickeys
I’m always on the hunt for new hidden Mickeys and I found quite a few on our last Disneyland vacation. My favorite one was the Mickey in the wires in Cars Land.
To find it, go to the end of the road where the Stanley statue is. Then you’ll look up and to the left to see it. It’s so cute!
Conclusion
I hope reading about my experience from our last Disneyland trip helps you to better plan yours. As always, you can let us know if you need any tips or have any questions!