Well, this is probably not much, but I would like to share few tips from my visit to Disneyland Resort, Anaheim, January 2011. If you plan to visit the place, this little guide might be useful for you.
1. Plan the time of your visit
Season does matter ! Winter is usually the least crowded (but remember that winter is rainy season in California). Expect a very busy park if you go during school holiday, this means that your ticket queue can be twice or thrice longer. You might want to check the weather from http://gocalifornia.about.com/bl_dl_temp.htm
2. Plan your stay
Basic rule is, the closer you are to the park, the more expensive the stay is going to be. Every hotel within certain range from the park will charge you an additional fee exclude their room rates.
3. Buy your ticket
You can buy your ticket directly from a ticket counter at the park entrance, or you can choose to buy cheaper tickets from ticket sellers few blocks away. Are these tickets legal? Well, there are people buying 5-days tickets and rent those tickets to visitors for cheaper price. Yes you will violate the terms set by the park as it states “Not For Sale. Non Transferable, Must be used by the same person”, but those tickets are legal, real tickets, and you will not have problem entering the parks. Your choice.
4. Dress for the weather
Depending on which season, you need to remember that you will spend most of the time in the park standing. It might be a good idea not to bring stuff that you don’t really need there.
5. Queue
A lot of people waste their time in long queue for popular rides. There are ways to do this smarter. First, if you have an iPhone, there are many apps there to help you. Second, just google the word “fastpass” and “ridemax”, you will understand what I mean. Third, arrive early. Most of the popular rides have shorter queue line early in the morning.
6. Plan your route
Near the entrance, get a map of the park. Disneyland park is divided into several areas, each brings different themes and attractions. Find the place where you want to visit the most, go straight there (don’t wait). After that first place, then you can start planning for the most efficient route to visit the others.
7. Plan your meals
All food in the park is expensive ! Remember that you are allowed to carry light snacks. Also, bring a bottle of mineral water and you can refill the water from fountains near the restrooms. Downtown Disney, not far from the park, has a wider choice of food, with better price.
8. Plan for the night
If you plan to stay in the park to watch Fantasmic at night, bring something to sit on. Bring a blanket if you go there in winter as it can be really cold. Some people already stand by at the best viewing spot 2 hours before the show.
9. Keep your ticket safe
Don’t lose your ticket ! It’s always a good idea to keep the ticket inside your bag or a place that won’t cause accidental drop.
10. Photos with Disney characters
There will be Disney characters you can take photo with. Generally they will have photo session for few minutes, then having a short break, then resume the photo sessions. During every break, the queue line is reset, so just stay near the area to get a good queue position when the character is back after a break.
11. Meeting point
If you come as a group, and plan to have different routes, decide a meeting point. It can be difficult to find your friends there during peak times.
12. Have fun
This is the most important. Some people are too busy with trivial stuff and forget to enjoy a good time there. I personally love their tagline as “the happiest place on earth” because I did experience that. Plan your visit well, and have a great fun moment there !
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