Please help! Going to disneyland next month.

[ElChief007]

Hey all,

well my original plan was vegas for spring break and then i realized i have lived in california for over 10 years and have never been to disneyland. That is why i am making it my mission to go next week. Although i have been in southern california before, i have never been to disneyland. I will be staying with family in south central l.a. But need advise on certain things.

How does the fast pass work?
Do i pay for entrance and rides or are rides free once you get in?
Would you reccomend park hopper or 2 parks in two days?
Is parking crazy?
Im latino so you know ima try to sneak food in....do they kik me out if they catch me? Lol
any reccomendation for rides?
Anyone needs me to bring them back some firewalls? Lol.


Any info you can provide will be greatly appreciated guys. I've done some research and asked friends but everyone seems to give me different answers.

 

[katrina]

i went to disneyworld once, and im pretty sure someone else would be able to help you better
1. theres a seperate line just for fastpass i think. just show the person youre fastpass ticket and theyll bring you to the front.
2. all rides are free with the admission ticket. food is not
3. my mom bought parkhopper tickets and we never used them. we visited a different park each day, there was a lot to do lol
4. we stayed at a hotel onthere so i cant really answer lol
5. i really doubt theyre gonna kick you out for food tbh
6. no idea whats there at all lol

 

[PAL_Kolya]

Hey all,

well my original plan was vegas for spring break and then i realized i have lived in california for over 10 years and have never been to disneyland. That is why i am making it my mission to go next week. Although i have been in southern california before, i have never been to disneyland. I will be staying with family in south central l.a. But need advise on certain things.

How does the fast pass work?
Do i pay for entrance and rides or are rides free once you get in?
Would you reccomend park hopper or 2 parks in two days?
Is parking crazy?
Im latino so you know ima try to sneak food in....do they kik me out if they catch me? Lol
any reccomendation for rides?
Anyone needs me to bring them back some firewalls? Lol.


Any info you can provide will be greatly appreciated guys. I've done some research and asked friends but everyone seems to give me different answers.

Hey! I'll actually be there monday
You're going to have a blast there

As for your questions...

How does fast pass work?
On certain attractions, there are fastpass booths. Insert your park ticket, and it gives you a fastpass. With a fastpass, you can return to the ride between the times printed on the ticket, and skip forwards in the line! Makes getting on rides like Tower of Terror, Soarin', etc. a lot faster Keep in mind though that you can only hold 1 fast pass at a time. I.E, you will have to wait for your current fastpass to expire to get a different one.

Do i pay for entrance and rides or are rides free once you get in?
You pay one entrance fee, and can ride any ride you like as much as you want

Would you recommend park hopper or 2 parks in two days?
I personally get the park hopper, so I can spend the morning in Disneyland and the afternoon in California Adventure, or vice versa. You can do both parks over two days, and spend a day in each, but if you want the flexibility, I recommend the extra money for the park hopper.

Is parking crazy?
Depends on when you go. Disneyland provides a decent parking complex, with shuttles to the park.

Can I sneak food in?
No. If you bring a bag, they will check your bag. You are (sadly) not allowed to bring in your own food. Meaning, no packed lunches or picnics in the park.

Any recommendations for rides?
All of them Definitely hit the bigger attractions, like Tower of Terror, Soarin', the Matterhorn, Space Mountain, etc. But all of the rides are fun there. It just depends on what you're looking for Keep in mind that the bigger attractions will have the longer wait times. The better time to hit the big attractions are early morning, during the lunch/dinner hours, or after the nightly show (World of Color in California Adventure, and Remember: Dreams Come True at Disneyland), as these are the times more people are either leaving the park, or busy eating, or not there yet.

Anyone needs me to bring them back some firewalls?
Yes please

Have fun!

 

[LisaMarie]

How does the fast pass work?
Fastpasses work by going to the attraction itself, going to the FP Kiosk then placing your ticket in. You will be given a time (which is displayed by the kiosk as well) It is an hour time frame to go to the ride. You have to wait till the other fast pass starts to get another one. If you are staying in DLR then you can get FastPass+ Which you use the web or your smartphone to pre-schedule your fastpass. You only get to choose one park, and 3 attractions per day. However, you get the choice of ONE popular attraction and TWO other attractions. You then go to the ride to the FP lane, scan your wrist band and you're in. You can make these all back to back if you want. It has it advantages. I personally enjoyed it. Everyone in your party MUST have a FP.

Do i pay for entrance and rides or are rides free once you get in?
Rides and Attractions are all free. Unless you are at Downtown Disney, where there are some kiddie rides.

Would you reccomend park hopper or 2 parks in two days?
If it's your first time, I would say two parks in one day. It is very hard to see it all in one day, UNLESS you don't NEED to see everything. It just depends on what you want to do.

Is parking crazy?
No, parking is not crazy. They direct you where to go in the lot. It is very organized.

Im latino so you know ima try to sneak food in....do they kik me out if they catch me? Lol
No, they won't. You can bring in food, (not a cooler) and drinks. I always do this and never have been questions, or asked to throw anything out, let alone kicked out.

any reccomendation for rides?
ALLL OF THEMM. Esp, if it is your first time.

Anyone needs me to bring them back some firewalls? Lol.
I wish -_-

 

[Oscar]

I recommend getting fastpasses for Indiana Jones or Space Mountain first. Those usually have the longest lines. If you're going to California Adventure, fastpasses for Radiator Spring Racers are usually all given out by the morning so get those quickly, otherwise you'll have to wait about two hours or more just to get on. Also, get a fastpass for the World of Color show. It's located right next to Grizzly River Rapids.

Bring food, don't buy any. It's pretty expensive. They let you bring in food, don't worry. However, the Mexican restaurant in Frontierland is really good for its price. Also, try their turkey legs or churros sold at the food carts. They're amazing. Have fun

 

[ElChief007]

Hey guys thank you so much for all your info. It really helps.

 

[Sarie]

Everyone answered all the questions with great detail so i won't answer them all but if your bringing a bag, sometimes you can sneak food in. I usually bring some granola bars or something and wrap them in a sweatshirt! All they really do is peak inside. Im a season pass holder and I've never been caught with food!

 

[Captain-Heather]

People who talk about sneaking food in...Disney does NOT have a strict no outside food policy! You don't need to sneak it in! People have brought in McDonalds, Subway, Uncrustables, juice boxes. You are not allowed to bring glass in, though, or hard side coolers. So bring stuff in plastic and a soft, fabric cooler, and you are fine! I have seen other FAQ's that do talk about food...but seriously, I have been dozens of times, and people bring entire bags of chips in, and are not turned away. Now, 6 Flags, that's a different story.

Also, if you are looking to save money, I'd suggest doing a 1 park per day pass. You can easily spend one entire day in each park, and it will save you a little bit...and every bit counts considering it's like $90+ per day now.

https://disneyland.disney.go.com/faq/parks/#parks-q12

https://disneyland.disney.go.com/faq/dining/#dining-outside-food

 

[Bird]

Hey! I'll actually be there monday
You're going to have a blast there

As for your questions...

How does fast pass work?
On certain attractions, there are fastpass booths. Insert your park ticket, and it gives you a fastpass. With a fastpass, you can return to the ride between the times printed on the ticket, and skip forwards in the line! Makes getting on rides like Tower of Terror, Soarin', etc. a lot faster Keep in mind though that you can only hold 1 fast pass at a time. I.E, you will have to wait for your current fastpass to expire to get a different one.

Do i pay for entrance and rides or are rides free once you get in?
You pay one entrance fee, and can ride any ride you like as much as you want

Would you recommend park hopper or 2 parks in two days?
I personally get the park hopper, so I can spend the morning in Disneyland and the afternoon in California Adventure, or vice versa. You can do both parks over two days, and spend a day in each, but if you want the flexibility, I recommend the extra money for the park hopper.

Is parking crazy?
Depends on when you go. Disneyland provides a decent parking complex, with shuttles to the park.

Can I sneak food in?
No. If you bring a bag, they will check your bag. You are (sadly) not allowed to bring in your own food. Meaning, no packed lunches or picnics in the park.

Any recommendations for rides?
All of them Definitely hit the bigger attractions, like Tower of Terror, Soarin', the Matterhorn, Space Mountain, etc. But all of the rides are fun there. It just depends on what you're looking for Keep in mind that the bigger attractions will have the longer wait times. The better time to hit the big attractions are early morning, during the lunch/dinner hours, or after the nightly show (World of Color in California Adventure, and Remember: Dreams Come True at Disneyland), as these are the times more people are either leaving the park, or busy eating, or not there yet.

Anyone needs me to bring them back some firewalls?
Yes please

Have fun!

That's so weird that DLR is so different than WDW. You can bring in all the snacks you want to WDW parks. There's no parking complex at WDW ( but there will be soon at Downtown Disney ( AKA Disney Springs ) ). And the Magic Kingdom WDW parking lot is 2x larger than the entire DLR park!

 

[PAL_Kolya]

That's so weird that DLR is so different than WDW. You can bring in all the snacks you want to WDW parks. There's no parking complex at WDW ( but there will be soon at Downtown Disney ( AKA Disney Springs ) ). And the Magic Kingdom WDW parking lot is 2x larger than the entire DLR park!

I was wrong about the snacks one. The whole time I was there this week, people were bringing in packed lunches.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[kalyee]

You can definitely bring in food, though be wary about how much you're carrying around because it gets to be a lot to trek with when you're spending an entire day at the parks. Utilizing the lockers is a really good idea if you're packing for multiple meals, otherwise it's easy to make a sandwich or two and enjoy the cheaper snacks instead of shelling out a lot for the full sit down restaurants .
Definitely take advantage of fast passes while you're there, and try and plan to do things that might be busier around less busy times - more kid friendly rides like the ones in fantasyland tend to be less busy in the evening, a lot of attractions die down during fireworks and parades.

I'd say if it's your first time and you want to see as much of each park as you can you could easily get away with one park a day, that way you wouldn't have the added confusion of hopping back and forth a lot. I like the freedom of jumping around, especially since one park closes earlier, but I've been there many, many times.

Have fun!

 

[Tremaine]

Hello!

First of all, a warm welcome to the Disney parks. You're in for a great time.

You can find information regarding fast passes on the official website here:
https://disneyland.disney.go.com/guest-services/fastpass/

If you continue to search about it further, be sure you're looking at Disneyland and not Disney World. Fastpass+ just opened in the eastern parks, and it's a very different system. People who don't frequent the parks tend to mix up the names, so just making sure.

Once you get in the park, it includes all attractions. The only thing that may be extra is if you're interested in tours, but these are not advertised. You have to seek them out. Here is a list:
https://disneyland.disney.go.com/events-tours/
Different tours cater to different interest, like if you're a Walt Disney fan, or if you're new to the park, and want to know how to best utilize your trip. The "Welcome to Disneyland" tour can be found here:
https://disneyland.disney.go.com/events-tours/welcome-to-the-disneyland-resort/

On this one, you & your group will walk around the park, and you will learn things like how to use a fastpass. You also get a collectible pin and lanyard.


I'm not sure how parking is there, because I'm in Orlando. I would imagine that it's very crowded. But Disney is efficient (at least in my neck of the woods) at keeping things organized. If they operate similarly, you will have parking attendant's guiding you to your spot. This avoids chaos that comes with so many people rushing to get in & out.


They won't mind some food. But keep in mind that it can be difficult to lug a bunch of extra possessions all day. If you want to bring a bit of stuff, then get a locker. You have to pay a rental fee. If you're taking items to save money, don't forget water! Bottles are 2.50. Whether you bring or buy one, remember you can refill it at a fountain.


Be sure to go to Guest Service's to get a "1st Visit" pin (it's complimentary) when you get to the park. If Cast Member's see celebration pins on you, you sometimes get special treatment. (I know they have these at WDW, but I'm not 100% sure they do at Disneyland..)

If you need further assistance, you can message me or call/email somebody on the official Disneyland website.
https://disneyland.disney.go.com/help/phone/

Have fun!


Edit: Forgot to mention that I would definitely recommend 2 full days, instead of a single park-hopper day.

 

[relizabeth]

wow you have never been and lived there. i wish i could live in california to go more often. anyway you can bring in all the food you want as long as you dont bring in a giant cooler and no GLASS. They do not like you bringing in anything with glass.

Disneyland does not have a wrist band thing yet. Their fastpass is just a paper you keep and bring back. You can hold more then one fastpass at a time. Radiator springs racers is disconnected from the rest of the fastpass system and also you can have one from each park at a time because they are not connected. You can get a new fastpass 2 hours after you got the previous one or when your fastpass time for the previous one has come. You have an hour gap to come back and use it. They use to take them late but not anymore. They are sticking to the times now.

Also there is an app you can get called mousewait. People post how long the wait is on the rides and you can look at that instead of going all the way across the park to see the wait time is super long. If you dont have a smart phone you can also use Otto. his number is 714-520-7090. Its an automated answering service that you can call and get wait times or times of different events. Lines will be long because its spring break time.

Since its your first time i would study a map as much as possible. You can even go on ebay and buy one for a couple dollars from someone so you have a hard copy. The map is going to be your best friend. I have taken many trips to disneyland and still plan my day out to make sure i can get as much things into my day. i even sometimes plan where im going to be eating.
here is a food blog that has pictures and you can kind of see what is good to eat and what people thought of different foods.
http://www.mousewait.com/disneyland/tag/Food

If you need any more information just message me. I know way to much about Disneyland. I spend my days obsessing about the park.