TinkAgainU
Trust In The Pixie Dust
- Joined
- Dec 11, 2021
We went to Disneyland (and DCA) this week. I have a 10 suggestions for anyone going (these are for my fellow newbies):
(P.S. If you see an error above, let me know and I'll happily change or clarify something - I'm Far from the most experienced Disneyland visitor on this site
- Learn the terminology – make certain to know the difference between a ticket and a reservation, genie and genie+, single rider lanes, lightening lane and individual lightening lane (ILL) purchases. (Hint: Genie+ and ILL are paid upgrades).
- Play with the App for Mobile food ordering, the Maps section, and the Tip Board in advance. This is NOT a user friendly App – you will need to play with it a Lot and while navigating the park it’s even harder. Hint, hold on to someone who leads you to the next ride while playing on your phone – do not walk by yourself. Which naturally leads to …
- Lost Person/Phone Backup Plan – where will you meet another adult if their phone fails and they get separated – maybe in front of the castle at the top of the hour, for example? Kids need to know a plan – how to recognize a cast member by their name badge, and that you will pick them up at Lost and Found (hint: it is on Main Street).
- Link all tickets (Scan/Link ALL people into your App) in your group and make sure at least two of you do this who have the Apps on their phones, and have spent time a few days before playing with the functions! For example, the Map function has a way to show restrooms. The Tip section has a way to change to a different Park. Those two people need to have a credit card on file in the App to pay for food, genie+, and individual lightening lanes.
- Look at, or better, hand everyone a map of the park(s) and have them note their Very favorite rides (2 or 3) so you have a plan for what is a Must see and what is a If Time (and energy) see by the end of the day. Best to do this Before park arrival so you have a walking plan since walking Back to places you have been is tiring. A relatively tame day in the park without back tracking can easily exceed 20,000 steps!
- Book more Formal dining 60 days out at 6am on the App – or plan to go with the flow for Mobile ordering while in the park – but be aware if you do Not plan food – the snacks may not be as good for keeping up energy as Real food and Sitting quietly for a meal in between planned times to be at rides. You need to cancel Formal dining reservations 24 hours in advance or you will be charged $10/per person for a no show. Mobile ordering is more flexible.
- Do Rope Drop (ie: be thru security and the ticket gate at least 20 minutes before Park formal opening time) if possible (but plan for a healthy breakfast before you arrive too! - you'll need the energy just to get to the gate lol). The first couple of hours you can often go on half your favorite rides for the day. But that means be parked at least an hour Before opening – and have a plan for the first 3 or 4 rides and for “when” you plan to start booking Genie+ and ILL rides. This allows you to use Genie+ and ILL to book the late morning, afternoon, and leaves you time to sit for lunch and dinner. Be aware you cannot pick a time for Genie+ or ILL rides in advance – you will need someone to figure out the best times for different rides and Book them as they come available in your preferred timeframe. This is where planning makes the difference - and putting your best planner-techie on it is helpful (be KIND to them, this can be challenging).
- Absolutely plan the funds for Genie+ (allows booking many rides, one at a time) and Individual Lightening Lanes (ILL is for the top rides and a per ride fee). This makes ALL the difference in being able to do your favorite rides without standing in line for hours and hours and hours and hours. Side note: Rise of the Resistance stops unexpectedly for repairs during the day and is shut down at 8pm (waiting line may close much earlier) - you'll need to fit that in by early afternoon to be on the safe side.
- Take sitting breaks. If you or even one member in your party hits their physical limit, it changes the fun factor entirely. Sometimes sitting and having water/snacks and people watching is fun when you are tired - let everyone else go without you on the more "average" rides for a break - just meet them at the ride exit area.
- Stay hydrated (carry a water bottle), carry snacks, bring otc pain reliever, and extra sunscreen. Don’t even Think about coming without sunscreen and a hat! You can store jackets etc. in the lockers. Lockers in DL, DCA (and another set in between) work great for storage, but you do need to Walk back to get the stuff. Stollers are lifesavers for carrying stuff – but be aware things get stolen even at DL so never leave purses, cell phones, nice toys etc. in the stroller.
- Bonus hint. Take a couple photos early in the day before you are all tired or separated. You only need One good photo to relive the day later – good to have that out of the way. This is when those cute Disney shirts look the best (you can get them at Target, Walmart, Kohls, Amazon, Etsy). While having a theme shirt (or even Matching theme shirts) might not be "cool" in your typical day, I assure you seeing and sharing the Disney shirts are part of the "fun" for your Disney day. Enjoy!!
(P.S. If you see an error above, let me know and I'll happily change or clarify something - I'm Far from the most experienced Disneyland visitor on this site
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