Disney 101 Planning Tips

Disneyland Tips from a Disney World Planner

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Hearing the question “You’re going to Disneyland in Florida?” makes me cringe a little, as I’m sure Disneyland lovers feel when people confuse their park with Disney World. While yes, they are both Disney parks, they are not the same – and my recent visit to Disneyland confirmed that.

Growing up a Disney World go-er, I wasn’t quite sure what I would think of Disneyland. I had been once before when I was young, so this was my second experience there but first time as an adult. We got there for rope drop and had the BEST day visiting Walt’s creation. It was really special to experience the park that started it all.

For those of you who haven’t been, Disneyland is made up of Disneyland (comparable to Magic Kingdom) as well as California Adventure. There’s also Downtown Disney which has some restaurants, bars, entertainment and shopping. 

What We Liked

It’s doable to do both parks in one day – and visit Downtown Disney, too! 

If you get a Park Hopper and MaxPass (which I recommend doing both), it’s so easy to go back and forth between Disneyland and California Adventure and to hit all of the attractions. We started at Galaxy’s Edge in Disneyland, hit the big attractions and had lunch at California Adventure, went back to Disneyland for the afternoon, had dinner at Downtown Disney, and then went back to Disneyland a third time! Since you go through security before the entry to the two parks (they face each other and share a common space), you don’t have to go through security again when you go between the parks – you simply scan your ticket to re-enter. It’s so easy!

Disneyland has better versions of some attractions.

While Disney World and Disneyland have some of the same rides and attractions, they are NOT always the same. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I liked some of Disneyland’s versions better than Disney World – Pirates of the Caribbean, Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, and last but not least, Space Mountain. Space Mountain (called Hyperspace Mountain a t Disneyland) is Star Wars themed, and within the first five seconds I was in love!! It was our last ride of the day, which was a bummer because I would have ridden it over and over 🙂

Galaxy’s Edge was quiet ALL day!

Like I mentioned, we ran at Galaxy’s Edge at rope drop with the crowds. We were able to walk right on Smuggler’s Run with no wait. I kept checking wait times throughout the day, and I was shocked to see that Smuggler’s Run was never more than 45 minutes! We went back to Galaxy’s Edge in the evening, and it was EMPTY – even quieter than our AP Preview at Disney World. We went into the Droid Depot and there was no one to be found. I spontaneously decided to build a droid and had so much fun since we had the place to ourselves!! Overall, Disneyland and California Adventure were much quieter than Disney World, but it was especially noticeable at Galaxy’s Edge.

What Was Different

The MaxPass system.

The Disneyland version of FastPass+ is called MaxPass. The biggest difference is that nothing is booked in advance – you can’t select Fast Passes until you enter the parks. Oh, and you have to pay $15 to use it. If you don’t, you can still get paper Fast Passes from the attraction kiosks that allow you to come back during a designated window (like the good old days ;)).

For MaxPass, you can only make one selection for your group at a time (link your party’s tickets together so one person can do it), and there are only specific time slots available for each ride. The time slots vary based on the popularity of the ride – they will get later as the day goes on and the popular rides will fill up, so keep an eye on them! After a certain window of time you can make additional selections even if you haven’t used your Fast Pass yet, and the app will tell you when that is. This means you could have multiple Fast Passes booked at one time once your waiting period is up. Set an alarm on your phone for the time you can book your next Fast Pass so you don’t forget! 

Overall feel to the parks.

Disneyland feels smaller and more condensed than Disney World. There’s less land than in Orlando, so it makes sense. If you haven’t been to Disney World you likely wouldn’t notice, but it gave me a new appreciation for how spacious Magic Kingdom is. However, Magic Kingdom needs to be bigger to accommodate the crowds. Even in the most crowded areas of Disneyland, it never felt overwhelming (and it was a Saturday on a holiday weekend).

While California Adventure has a ton of awesome rides (and some unique ones from Disney World), the feel of that park was a little strange. All of the different areas/lands didn’t quite seem to go together. Again, if you haven’t been to Disney World you probably wouldn’t notice, but it made me appreciate the theming in each of the WDW parks. 

WDW Park Planner Tips:

  1. Get a Park Hopper. It’s a necessity if you want to hit both parks in one day. The “big” rides are split between the two parks, so if you want to do all of those you need a Park Hopper ticket.
  2. Pay the extra $15 for MaxPass, especially if you only have one day. Again, this allows you to make Fast Pass selections from your phone for your entire group (you just simply link the tickets). We wouldn’t have been able to do a fraction of the rides without it. And most importantly, make sure you have a good understanding of it and have a gameplan before you enter the parks. My husband was our MaxPass expert and handled it for the four of us all day. 
  3. Take advantage of the hidden Single Rider lines. The Single Rider lines are not as obvious as they are at Disney World, and they don’t list a wait time. We didn’t notice them at first because it’s so subtle! Not all rides have them, but the ones that do will have a sign somewhere that instructs you to ask a Cast Member about the Single Rider line. So that’s what we did! We took advantage of Matterhorn (literally walked right on) as well as Indiana Jones (took about 15 minutes, but still not bad!). 

 

Disney 101 Planning Tips

Disney Dining Plan Pros and Cons

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Is the Disney Dining Plan worth it? 

It’s a question I often get from clients, friends and family, and there are a few things that need to be considered before answering it. 

What is it?

If you don’t know what the Disney Dining Plan (DDP) is, it’s a prepaid meal package that guests staying at Walt Disney World hotels can purchase in advance of their vacation. It’s been around since 2005 but has evolved over the years into a tiered system with a bit more flexibility to fit your group’s needs. 

The DDP is only for Disney resort guests who have purchased a vacation package or have used Disney Vacation Club (DVC) points to book their stay. How the plan works is that you’re purchasing a set number of meals in advance of your trip (based on the number of nights you’re staying) – and this will potentially save you some $$ and make your vacation as hassle free as possible. 

How do you track it?

Everything is automatically tracked through your MagicBand, so you scan your band to pay for snacks and meals. There are three ways to keep tabs on your balance:

  1. Use the My Disney Experience app (go to “My Resort Stay” and then “Check Dining Plan”)
  2. Check your snack or meal receipt (it will list the updated totals)
  3. Ask your resort Concierge or Guest Relations to confirm your balance

Dining Plan Options

Before we get into the pros/cons of the DDP, it’s important to understand the basics of four three tiers that are offered to resort guests. 2020 experienced a slight increase in pricing due to standard inflation as well as the addition of a NEW plan option called Disney Dining Plan Plus. Below are the 2020 tiers and pricing.


While the DDP may seem simple at first glance, it’s actually quite complicated and has a lot of ins and outs. You can read all the rules for the DDP on Disney’s website and get a full list of participating restaurants as well. Check it out here.

Pros:

  • “Hassle free” while you’re on vacation – Since you prepaid for your meals, you don’t have to stress about budgeting while you’re in the parks and resorts
  • (Potential) savings – If you do the advance work, you’ll potentially be able to save money by using the Disney Dining Plan (I can help with this!). Also, as the prices for food in the parks increases, the DDP prices are increasing less. This means you’re actually starting to save more with the DDP as park prices go up. 
  • Lots of food – While the prices for food in Disney can be shocking at times, the quantity of food you get can be even more shocking. You’ll never go hungry on your vacation!

Cons:

  • Requires a lot of work – Like I mentioned before, it takes a lot of work to really understand the system and get your bang for your buck. Just take a look at Disney’s website and you’ll see how complicated it really is! Many people end up with tons of their “snack” credits left over at the end of the trip, so they stock up on treats to take home! Not a bad option, but it seems like a bit of a waste.
  • Marginal savings – You can do the research to determine the math (or I can help with this) on how much you’ll really save, but most sources will say the same thing: you don’t save that much (if at all) for how much advance work is required. However, as the prices for food in the parks increases, the DDP prices are increasing less. This means you’re actually starting to save more with the DDP as park prices go up. 
  • Too much food! – The DDP typically includes multiple courses for your sit down meals (that you may not have ordered if you weren’t on the DDP).

When You Should Use the Dining Plan

  • If you’re a group with a lot of big eaters.
  • If you don’t want to stress about the costs of meals during your trip.
  • If you are willing to do the advance planning work to determine the plan that’s right for you – or have me to help you!! 🙂

When You Should NOT Use the Dining Plan

  • If you have young kids who don’t each much.
  • If you have a group of adults who can/prefers to split meals (we always have a “meal buddy” in our family!)
  • If you’re trying to stick to a tight budget during your trip – because the savings is marginal with the DDP, you’re likely better off doing your own budgeting while on your trip to save even more.

Is It Right For You?

Overall, the Disney Dining Plan is a personal decision. The savings are marginal (even when Disney offers “free dining plans,” you are not able to take advantage of any other discounts such a room rates, etc.). To determine if/which DDP is right for your group, it’s best to map out all of the Advance Dining Reservation restaurants you want to eat at during your vacation. Take a look at their menus to get a sense for their price points. Then you can see which DDP tier makes sense (if any) and make the best decision for you vacation!

If you have any questions, contact me today!