As someone who’s been to Disneyland a lot more times than Disney World, I’m always surprised when people who don’t frequent Disneyland don’t know some of these basic things about it.
So if you’re heading to Disneyland in the near future or hoping to, then this post has some bits of info in it that would be good for you to know before your trip.
1. The 2 Parks Are Right Next To Each Other
The Disneyland Resort has two theme parks. They are Disneyland and California Adventure.
The entrances to them are right across from each other. This makes it so easy to park hop or have a hotel that is close to both parks.
If you’re someone who only goes to Disney World, then this might be surprising since the four Disney World parks are more spread out.
2. You Need Tickets Before You Go
You don’t want to just show up to Disneyland and hope to buy tickets. While this might work out for you, please don’t plan a trip without having your tickets secured.
You’ll need to buy your tickets in advance and reserve the theme park you want them for on which day.
3. Lightning Lane Doesn’t Guarantee No Wait
Lightning Lanes will help you have much lower wait times for attractions in the parks.
You can get individual lightning lanes that only work for the attraction you bought it for, or you can get multi passes which work for several different rides.
This is an added cost that can help you have much lower wait times for rides, but it does not guarantee that you will not have a wait at all.
4. You Need The Disneyland App
Going to Disneyland without the Disneyland app on your phone would make it hard to do a lot of things.
So before you go, download the app, make a login, and get your tickets linked in there.
You’ll use the app to check wait times on rides, see parade times, see where to meet characters, place mobile orders for food, use your lightning lanes, get dining reservations, and more.
This means you’ll be on your phone a lot, so you’ll want to bring a portable phone charger with you into the parks.
5. You Need Dining Reservations In Advance
If you want to do character dining and table service restaurants, then get your reservations in advance.
You can make your reservations up to 60 days in advance. Do this online or in the Disneyland app.
You might be able to walk up to the restaurant you want to eat at, but this is not guaranteed.
6. Harry Potter Is Not Disney
Lastly, don’t go to Disneyland expecting to see Harry Potter. That’s located in Universal Studios.
It’s pretty cool and worth adding a day to your trip to go see it if you can, but you really can’t beat the magic of Disneyland!