OK so, I’m very excited to share this blog post! I have been a disney nerd for as long as I can remember. And since having kids, I have loved experiencing it through their eyes now! We are annual passholders and we will forever be because of how much we love it. I’m going to jump in to my must do’s! And this is all assuming you have at least two days in the park! I feel like that is optimal time to truly get the full experience with or without young kids! Alright, here we go… Two days and getting to the parks at opening and leaving around 10pm.
- First and foremost, DOWNLOAD the Disneyland app. It is the biggest time saver there ever was. It shows you any and all information, wait times, bathroom locations, restaurant menus, showtimes, and you can order your food ahead of time from most disneyland/ca adventure restaurants! I love this feature so much! I’ll explain more when I talk about food!
- Disneyland Rides- I always recommend starting with Peter Pan in Disneyland if you are really pressed for time! It’s generally the longest wait time and usually what everyone and their mother will wait hours for. From there I will go to Dumbo, Alice, and then make my way to Frontierland. From there, you’d get on the classics; Thunder Mountain Railroad, Jungle Cruise, Indiana Jones, and Pirates. Then ideally during the holidays, I would highly suggest Haunted Mansion. After September it’s decorated to the nines and something you won’t want to miss. And not everyone is a fan of Splash Mountain, but it happens to be my daughters favorite ride of all time! If you have kids, then toontown is a must. You really only need 1 hour in there depending on what you do. I know that seems like a lot of rides, but if you truly plan your day accordingly, you could squeeze this all in before 3pm. If you want to set yourself up for shorter wait times, then invest in the max pass. It’s only $15 a day and you can get fast passes right from your phone for any ride in the park that offers fast passes.
- Star Wars land- We went last night and it DID NOT DISAPPOINT! I absolutely loved every part of this land. The attention to detail is EVERYTHING. We spent 1.5 hours in there and I think that was plenty of time. My family went on the Millennium Falcom Ride and they loved it!
- CA Adventure Rides- I would go on these rides and in this order; Monsters, Guardians, Cars, Incredicoaster, Toy Story, Goofy’s Sky School, Little Mermaid, and Soarin’. You might need to start your second day at CA Adventure since all of these rides always have very long wait times.
- Meals/Snacks- I love starting the day getting a starbucks and a breakfast sandwich. I usually pack plenty of snacks for the park, but we do eat lunch and dinner at the parks. I recommend lunch at Disneyland and dinner at CA Adventure. And in-between rides, grab popcorn, churros, and a dole whip! My sweet treat to myself are the mickey shaped beignets in New Orleans Square. I also always get treats to take home on our last night in the parks! Caramel apples will last for 5-7 days after you leave disney! My recs for breakfast if you do was to sit down in Disneyland is Carnation Cafe. Love their food so much and there is something for everyone and usually only a 45 min experience depending on the size of your party. For lunch I really love eating on the CA Adventure side at the food court area or getting a quick bite at the new-ish Lamplight Lounge. The vibe is amazing and very family friendly… and theres adult beverages!
- Downtown Disney- I think this is a disneyland must do when you are here. The amount of cool restaurants and the World of Disney store is absolutely unreal. I would allot 30-60 mins for that store so you can look at everything. I enjoy ending every night in Downtown Disney for a few reasons. The vibe is so awesome. There’s always people playing music and it’s such a cool area for everyone. My kids love the Lego Store there and I personally have a fav restaurant called “Tortilla Joes.” They have the best food and margaritas EVER. But there are so many cool new restaurants like Ballast Point Brewery and Salt & Straw for the best ice cream you’ll ever taste!
- Merch- I love disney merch as much as the next person, so I always tell my kids that we will shop on the last night. I let the kids pick a toy each and I will buy my special item then too. I really love to window shop too and just see whats new, but I always buy a keychain everytime I come to disney. I always buy a postcard from disneyland and save it for the kids to send special notes to their friends or family.
I realize everyones wishlists for disney will be different but I this is my must see/do things for a quick two day trip! Hope you guys found this helpful!
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