5 Things to Do Before Going to Disneyland
If you’re heading to Disneyland soon, here are 5 things you need to do to prepare:
(1) Book your tickets:
Step one: figure out when you’re going to go to Disneyland – your best bet is to check the theme park reservation availability calendar. In order to get into Disneyland or Disney California Adventure, you need a valid ticket (theme park admission) AND a theme park reservation. You pay for the ticket, the reservation is free.
You can choose from one-park-per-day tickets and Park Hopper tickets. With the Park Hopper, you can go from the park where you start the day to the other park after 1 p.m. And then if you want to go back to park #1, you can (assuming there’s availability in the parks)!
Obviously, I highly recommend you work with a MickeyTravels agent (like me) to book your Disneyland vacation.
I also recommend the Park Hopper tickets. And consider how many days you’d like to visit. The price for tickets go down the more days you visit. Remember that adult pricing is for people 10+ and kids’ tickets are for kids ages 3-9.
(2) Make your theme park reservation(s):
Step two: make your theme park reservations! Once you have your ticket confirmation number, you can go to StartYourDisneylandExperience.com to reserve your theme park day in either Disneyland or California Adventure. You’ll need to create a Disneyland account or log into your existing account.
And when I say do it as soon as you have that confirmation number I mean it – do it right away so your days are secured.
You will receive an email with a QR code for each person in your theme park reservation party. Please bring the QR code(s) and associated ticket with you to enter the park, as both are required for entry. Guests must use the same ticket for park entry that was used to make the associated theme park reservation.
Remember I mentioned above that you should check the availability calendar before you book your tickets? June of 2021 is already almost completely booked for reservations, and July is starting to get booked up. So make your theme park reservations as quickly as you can!
(3) Make your hotel reservations
There are lots of great hotel options near Disneyland. I used to stay overnight even when I lived next door to Anaheim in Fullerton. It’s such a treat to totally escape and get into the Disneyland bubble.
There are three Disney hotels to choose from:
- Disneyland Hotel – reopening July 2, 2021
- Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa – open now
- Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel – reopening June 15, 2021
Plus there are several Good Neighbor Hotels close to Disneyland to choose from. When I say close I mean walking distance close. Many hotels are within a 15-minute walk of Disneyland, California Adventure and Downtown Disney.
Good Neighbor Hotels offer quality accommodations for every budget, and have been approved by Disney. Your MickeyTravels agent can find the right hotel and ticket package for you, your group and your budget.
(4) Decide what dining options work for you
Disneyland offers a great mix of dining options – from quick service to table service. Not all locations have reopened, so you should spend some time on the Disneyland app or website to figure out what sounds good for you and your group.
If you want to eat at table service restaurants, you really should get advance dining reservations. Not all restaurants are allowing walk-up diners, so online reservations are the way to go. Your MickeyTravels agent can make your dining reservations 60 days in advance of your arrival.
But if you’re more of a hit the rides, eat the hot dogs and churros kind of Disneyland visitor, mobile ordering is the way to go. You can order your breakfast, lunch and dinner from quick service locations via the Disneyland app. But you’re going to need to do some planning – it’s best to do your ordering early in the day.
(5) Know before you go
It seems like things are changing at Disneyland every day – and things are certainly different from pre-pandemic Disneyland. Read up on Disneyland here at MickeyBlog so you are prepared for your visit. Have lots of chats with your MickeyTravels agent to find out about current policies. Ask for tips and tricks about getting onto the newest attractions like Web Slingers and Rise of the Resistance.
A little bit of planning can go a long way. These 5 things to do before Disneyland are crucial. If you need help, reach out to your MickeyTravels agent for help!
Ready for a Disneyland vacation? Then work with me – an authorized Disney vacation planner! Fill out the form below or send an email to jbannon@mickeytravels.com for a FREE, no-obligation quote to book your Disney vacation. As an agent with MickeyTravels (a platinum-earmarked agency), I will be on hand to help you with everything from finding your perfect package and I offer rate monitoring to ensure you are receiving the best rate available from Disney! I work with all Disney destinations and destinations outside of Disney. Best of all, my services are absolutely FREE. Get in touch via jbannon@mickeytravels.com or follow me on Facebook, Instagram or Tiktok.