THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO DISNEYLAND (PLUS MONEY SAVING TIPS, TRICKS & PARK HACKS)!

DISNEYLAND & DISNEY CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE ARE FINALLY OPEN AGAIN! TO GET YOU READY FOR YOUR TRIP BACK TO THE MOST MAGICAL PLACE ON EARTH, I’M SHARING THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO DISNEYLAND! PLUS, SOME OF MY TOP MONEY-SAVING TIPS, TRICKS & PARK HACKS!

MY GUIDE HAS A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING. WHERE TO STAY, WHAT TO EAT, RIDE TIPS, VACATION PLANNING, WHEN TO VISIT TO AVOID CROWDS, DOWNTOWN DISNEY DETAILS, HOW TO SAVE MONEY, RIDE STRATEGIES, & MORE!

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO DISNEYLAND

This post is an updated guide for 2022 – a lot has changed recently! The first big change is the launch of the new Genie+ & Lightning Lane system which gives the option of paid line skipping. This is replacing the previous free FastPass.

There are also a lot of soon-to-be changes! Disneyland announced the return of Fantasmic, World of Color, Disneyland Forever Fireworks, and more for Spring 2022.

Disneyland also brought back their Annual Pass program, Magic Key Passes, and the top two tiers are sold out! More Magic Key Passes should be coming soon, but I recommend waiting until capacity increases to buy one.

You’ll also need a park reservation in addition to your regular ticket when visiting the parks. I recommend doing this in advance to make sure there are open reservations during the days you want to visit.

THE BASICS

A little Disneyland 101…

Disneyland was founded by Walt Disney and was the original “magic kingdom”. It opened in 1955 & is actually the only Disney theme park Walt himself visited.

Right across from / next to Disneyland is Disney California Adventure (also called DCA). DCA is inspired by California but also has Marvel, Pixar, and other Disney franchise elements.

The area is also home to Downtown Disney and three official Disney hotels. Downtown Disney doesn’t require a ticket! It’s basically a small outdoor shopping, dining, and entertainment area.

The resorts:

Paradise Pier Hotel
Disneyland Hotel
Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel

Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel is directly connected and has access to the DCA park. The other two hotels are within walking distance of the parks.

WHAT’S NEW AT DISNEYLAND IN 2022?

Before closing during the pandemic, a lot had changed at Disneyland in the last few years. The biggest change was the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, which included the addition of the Millennium Falcon Smugglers Run and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance rides.

The latest change to DCA is the new Avengers Campus Marvel Land which replaced A Bug’s Land. At Avenger’s Campus there is one ride, one restaurant, shawarma carts, meet & greet options, & Marvel Avengers themed shopping.

A few updates:

The new Genie system offers paid line skipping and replaced the FastPass and paid MaxPass.
Avengers Campus WEB Slingers: A Spider-Man Adventure
Interactive Spider Man attraction
Pym Test Kitchen
Snow White’s Enchanted Wish – previously Snow White’s Scary Adventures, the ride has been updated and is now open.
Haunted Mansion – The ride got some new upgrades when they closed it after the holidays. Inside and outside there are a handful of new design updates.
Jungle Cruise – The ride reopened with new characters, a new storyline, changes to the scenes, etc.
Paradise Pier – the area got a makeover and there are two new rides; Jessie’s Critter Carousel & the Inside Out Emotion Whirlwind.
The Main Street Electrical Parade, World of Color, and Disneyland Forever Fireworks have returned at long last, with Fantasmic and Tale of the Lion King on the way!

A few things coming soon for 2022, 2023 & beyond:

MagicBand+ – A new, wearable, hands free option for the park that has been available at Walt Disney World.
ElecTRONica is coming back! Which will be similar to the previous TRON experience in California adventure. (TRON: Legacy, the long-awaited 2010 follow-up to TRON).
Hey Disney – a voice assistant that works with Alexa on Amazon devices and will be featured in the Disney hotel rooms.
Downtown Disney Updates – The plan is to gradually transform the former AMC Theatres building and surrounding areas with a lawn area, more dining and shopping options.
Disneyland Hotel DVC – A new Disney Vacation Club hotel tower will be added to the Disneyland Hotel (most likely 2023 or 2024)
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway – In 2023, Toontown will expand and open the first Mickey Mouse attraction.
Toontown Reimagined – Toontown will get an upgrade and open in early 2023. CenTOONial Park will be a natural space with two interactive play experiences. There will be a fountain with water tables that will encourage guests to play with the water. A “dreaming tree”, inspired by the tree Walt Disney would daydream under in his hometown.
Splash Mountain Reimagined – the classic ride will be reopened with a Princess and the Frog theme.
Avengers Campus Phase 2 – A new ride where you step on board a Quinjet and fly alongside the Avengers. Teaming up with the Avengers to save the world.

HOW TO START PLANNING YOUR TRIP

Technically, there isn’t a ton of planning needed. But being organized will help you get the most out of your visit.

First, figure out a time you can travel or buy tickets.

Right now the park isn’t operating at full capacity, so it’s harder to get tickets on popular dates. Plus, this affects ticket prices & hotel rates.

If you’re overwhelmed and want someone to do the work for you, Mouse Counselors can actually help you plan your trip, for free!

WHEN TO VISIT

So, when is the best time to visit Disneyland? Well, that all depends…

I recommend avoiding school holidays, weekends and major holidays, and major ride openings. We find that late summer through the end of winter tends to have the lowest crowds.

The best time to visit Disneyland depends on a variety of factors.

The easiest way to plan your visit is by checking out a date range on the “IsItPacked Crowd Calendar” – the calendar takes the previous year’s occupancy into consideration to forecast future crowds.

buying tickets

There are four types of Disneyland tickets available right now.

These tickets fall into five tiers, with Tier 5 being the most expensive & unrestricted. The remaining tiers all have increasing blackout dates. Before you buy a ticket, check the theme park reservation availability calendar.

Disneyland considers children ages 3–9 and adults as 10 and older. Children 2 and under do not need a ticket.

Let’s take a look at each option.

Single day tickets

Single day tickets provide admission to one park only (either Disneyland or DCA).

Tier 1: $104 adult, $98 child
Tier 2: $114 adult, $108 child
Tier 3: $124 adult, $117 child
Tier 4: $139 adult, $132 child
Tier 5: $154 adult, $146 child

When you go to purchase a ticket, you will be required to pick a date or dates for your reservation.

Multiday tickets

Multiday tickets are available if you want to visit for multiple days in a row. The more days you go, the more discounted the ticket prices.

2-Day ticket with admission to 1 Park Per Day: $235 adult, $220 child
3-Day ticket with admission to 1 Park Per Day: $310 adult, $290 child
4-Day ticket with admission to 1 Park Per Day: $340 adult, $320 child
5-Day ticket with admission to 1 Park Per Day: $360 adult, $340 child

Multiday tickets get you into both. Disneyland and California Adventure, but not on the same day. That means you have to pick one park per day.

Park Hopper tickets

Park Hopper tickets allow you to visit both parks on the same day. These are the best tickets to buy if you want flexibility and the option to go back and forth.

1-Day Park Hopper

1-Day Tier 1 Park Hopper: $159 adult, $153 child
2-Day Tier 2 Park Hopper: $169 adult, $163 child
3-Day Tier 3 Park Hopper: $179 adult, $172 child
4-Day Tier 4 Park Hopper: $194 adult, $187 child
5-Day Tier 5 Park Hopper: $209 adult, $201 child

Multiple-day Park Hopper

2-Day Park Hopper: $290 adult, $275 child
3-Day Park Hopper: $365 adult, $345 child
4-Day Park Hopper: $395 adult, $375 child
5-Day Park Hopper: $415 adult, $395 child

Southern California Resident Weekday Ticket Offer

For as little as $67 per day, Southern California residents can buy a special 3-day, one park per day weekday ticket. Tickets can also be used on nonconsecutive days.

MAGIC KEY PASSES

Disneyland suspended Annual Passes during the pandemic and recently started rolling out Magic Key Passes. Most of the Magic Key Passes are currently sold out. There should be more coming soon. With a variety of reservation days, discounts, and prices.

The only current option available for purchase is the Enchant Key Pass for $649 annually. The enchant key offers:

Reservation-based admission to one or both theme parks select days of the year.
Theme park reservations can be made up to 90 days in advance. This pass can hold up to 4 park reservations at a time on a rolling basis during any 90-day window, subject to restrictions.
Park reservations are subject to availability and are not guaranteed for any specific dates or park.
Up to 10% off select dining.
Up to 10% off select merchandise in store.

HOW TO GET DISCOUNTED TICKETS

THERE ARE A FEW WAYS YOU CAN SAVE MONEY WHEN BUYING TICKETS.

Southern and Northern Baja residents (must live within qualifying zip codes) can get discounts of up to 40% on tickets. Proof of residence and a valid government ID are required.
AAA members can currently save up to $35 on multi-day Disneyland tickets.
CityPASS offers Disneyland ticket discounts ranging from $5 to $20.
Undercover Tourist is currently offering discounts ranging from $5 to $23 per ticket.

WHERE TO STAY

I recommend checking out my Disney Hotel Guide here! I have a list & interactive map of the best hotels for every budget.

The main thing you need to decide is whether you want to stay on or off-site.

Disneyland Hotels:

Paradise Pier
Disneyland Hotel
Disney’s Grand California Resort & Spa

These hotels are significantly more expensive than staying off-site. However, each of the hotels offers some added perks like Extra Magic Hour (admission to the parks an hour before the general public), preferred dining and shopping reservation access, character wake-up calls, etc.

Disneyland Good Neighbor Hotels:

There are 57 “Disney-approved” hotels nearby. A lot of them offer great packages and special deals. You can search all of the hotels by date & filter by price, category, distance, features & dining.

I like to use Get Away Today to book my tickets because they offer a ton of great discounts when bundling tickets & rooms.

Disneyland Hotel Guide - Ice Cream & Neon Dreams - Erin's Fake Travel Show

DISNEYLAND & DCA STRATEGY

Ok, so there are over 75 attractions at both parks. On a regular day with standard wait times, most guests will only get to ride about 10 attractions. If your goal was to ride every single ride that was open, you would need to be there for at least 6 days.

Since most people don’t want to spend 6 days in a row at Disneyland & don’t need to go on every single ride, it’s best to have a strategy!

A few of my top tips:

Download the Disneyland app onto your phone – this will give you the most accurate wait times for rides. You can also link your park tickets to it, make dining reservations, mobile order food for pick up, access your park photos and use the Genie+ feature.
Use the Genie+ feature to make ride reservations (that way you can make sure you get a chance to ride your top picks).
During summer and busy days, I recommend buying the Genie+ pass in advance & start booking selections at 7am.
I recommend going for 2 days & doing a park hopper ticket to get the most out of your time. You could also do a one day park hopper!
If you visit on a weekday, the parks are generally quieter. But if you visit on the weekend, the parks are open earlier and close later. Keep the house in mind when planning your day.
With Park Hopper tickets you have to pick one park to start at & then you can visit the second park after 1pm. We always choose Disneyland as our first park.
Have each person pick a few of their top rides to focus on first. Whether it’s riding them first or scheduling a time to ride them.
During summer, l recommend you get to the park at least 45 minutes before the official opening time. They will usually let you into the park 30 minutes before park opening & you’ll be there for the rope drop.
To skip the long lines at Goofy’s Sky School, Grizzly River Run, Incredicoaster, Matterhorn, Millennium Falcon, Splash Mountain, WEB SLINGERS or Radiator Springs Racers, use the single rider line!

ONE DAY ITINERARY:

START AT DISNEYLAND…

SPACE MOUNTAIN

STAR TOURS

BIG THUNDER MOUNTAIN RAILROAD

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN

HAUNTED MANSION

INDIANA JONES

GO TO CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE…

LUNCH AT THE LAMPLIGHT LOUNGE (MAKE A RESERVATION AHEAD OF TIME)

WEBSLINGERS (BUY AN INDIVIDUAL LIGHTING LANE PASS)

INCREDICOASTER

RADIATOR SPRINGS RACERS (PAY FOR AN INDIVIDUAL LIGHTNING LANE PASS OR RIDE AS A SINGLE RIDER)

SOARIN’ AROUND THE WORLD

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY – MISSION: BREAKOUT!

DINNER AT CARTHAY CIRCLE (MAKE A RESERVATION AHEAD OF TIME)

GO BACK TO DISNEYLAND

STAR WARS RISE OF THE RESISTANCE (PAY FOR AN INDIVIDUAL LIGHTNING LANE PASS )

MILLENIUM FALCON : SMUGGLER’S RUN

DRINKS AT OGA’S CANTINA (MAKE A RESERVATION AHEAD OF TIME)

SPEND REMAINING TIME ON OTHER RIDES THAT YOU DIDN’T GET TO!

TWO DAY ITINERARY

DAY ONE START AT DISNEYLAND…

HAUNTED MANSION

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN

JUNGLE CRUISE

ENCHANTED TIKI ROOM

PETER PAN’S FLIGHT

MAD TEA PARTY

GO TO CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE…

LUNCH AT CARTHAY CIRCLE (MAKE A RESERVATION AHEAD OF TIME)

LUNCH AT THE LAMPLIGHT LOUNGE (MAKE A RESERVATION AHEAD OF TIME)

WEBSLINGERS (BUY AN INDIVIDUAL LIGHTING LANE PASS)

THE LITTLE MERMAID – ARIEL’S UNDERSEA ADVENTURE

INCREDICOASTER

JESSIE’S CRITTER CAROUSEL

PIXAR PAL-A-ROUND FERRIS WHEEL

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY – MISSION: BREAKOUT!

DINNER AT NAPA ROSE (INSIDE DISNEY’S GRAND CALIFORNIAN HOTEL)

DAY TWO START AT CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE

radiator springs racers (PAY FOR AN INDIVIDUAL LIGHTNING LANE PASS OR RIDE AS A SINGLE RIDER)

MONSTERS, INC. MIKE & SULLEY TO THE RESCUE!

SOARIN’ AROUND THE WORLD

GOLDEN ZEPHYR

LUNCH AT THE LAMPLIGHT LOUNGE (MAKE A RESERVATION AHEAD OF TIME)

GO TO DISNEYLAND…

STAR WARS RISE OF THE RESISTANCE (PAY FOR AN INDIVIDUAL LIGHTNING LANE PASS )

MILLENIUM FALCON : SMUGGLER’S RUN

DRINKS AT OGA’S CANTINA (MAKE A RESERVATION AHEAD OF TIME)

BIG THUNDER MOUNTAIN RAILROAD

INDIANA JONES

STAR TOURS

SPACE MOUNTAIN

DINNER AT DOWNTOWN DISNEY: BLACK TAP CRAFT BURGERS & SHAKES

SPEND REMAINING TIME ON OTHER RIDES THAT YOU DIDN’T GET TO!

DISNEY FOOD FINDS

TRYING FUN FOODS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE PARTS ABOUT VISITING THE DISNEYLAND RESORTS! THAT’S WHY I PUT TOGETHER A FEW FUN GUIDES ON INSTAGRAM, DEDICATED TO DIFFERENT FOODIE FINDS!

EACH GUIDE HAS EVERY SINGLE LOCATION YOU CAN FIND THINGS AT WITH TAGGED PHOTOS. EACH LOCATION IS ALSO GEOTAGGED TO MAKE IT EASIER TO FIND!

DISNEYLAND FOODIE GUIDE

DISNEYLAND DESSERT GUIDE

DOWNTOWN DISNEY FOODIE GUIDE

DCA FOODIE GUIDE

DCA DESSERT GUIDE

DISNEYLAND & DCA DRINK GUIDE