*makes excel spreadsheet*…. This is EXACTLY the kind of video I needed! Planning our first trip to Disney for October and all of your videos have been so helpful!
Just wanted to say thanks for all the tips and the great videos! My family and I had only one day to spend at Disneyland. With all the pre-work I did watching your videos, we were able to get everything in we wanted to with very little waiting and even able to ride some of our favorites twice! I really appreciate all the help you and your channel provided!
Impressed with myself because I’m already doing exactly what you’re saying! Definitely not planning where to eat and checking prices beforehand is a huge mistake. Everyone I know that goes to a Disney park always complain about the food but never made an effort to actually plan anything. Also: I already got 4 day park hopper but when I heard you saying park hopper is a mistake… for two day ticket, I almost cried lmao
@@edwaffle For four days, Park Hopper is great because by Day 3 you’ll want it for sure if you don’t use it earlier. It’s just not necessary for anything less than 3 days.
Thank you thank you so much! My family and I just got back from our Disneyland trip. I came across this video when I was planning our trip as I hadn’t been in years, and many of your ideas helped us so much, especially bringing our own stroller-I cannot thank you enough for that tip!!! My family and I had an absolutely awesome and magical experience celebrating our son’s and my birthdays and I had to come find this video to express our gratitude for your useful advice!
I have to say it. You are doing so good. And I'm so happy I found your channel in 2020. You have been my # 1 favorite vlogger for a while now. Totally agree with mistakes you can avoid at Disneyland. It's so true. And I have done it.
Things are really picking up and doing well after two years of hard work. It took awhile to both learn what to do and break through the busy space that is Disney vlogging, but things are trending upward. They say every vlogger looks back and cringes at old videos, and I do too! I once did a whole video on finding a t-shirt at SeaWorld. 😅 FYI, I haven't announced this publicly anywhere, and not sure I will any time soon, but thought I'd tell you since you've been with us through all this. I've stopped posted SeaWorld and Zoo vlogs here as they statistically aren't helping us from a business standpoint, but that doesn't mean we've stopped going. I created a second channel called SoCal Parks Dad where I'm going to start putting those vlogs. We plan to visit the Zoo this Saturday and so I'll be putting that video up there soon and there's already a SeaWorld vlog live on the channel. All major events and announcements will still likely happen here, like when Arctic Rescue opens, etc. But if we're just doing a "day vlog" or a road trip vlog, they'll be over on the new channel.
Hey Traver, first of all I want to say I dig your videos and they were helpful for my family’s first trip to Disneyland (and my first time since 2022) this past week (the weather though…) I did want to point out that Paradise Pier has a back entrance to DCA that’s just across the street (obviously Grand Californian is closer). You also get to get past the ropes at Disneyland at 7:30, although at least some lands have another rope to wait at until 8. We stayed at Paradise Pier and were able to get on to the Runaway Railway by 8:05 with this trick. Worth it? It depends, but we drove down from San Francisco so paying a bit more for the hotel was budge-table.
I’ll probably stay at Paradise Pier at some point in the near future. It is the most affordable of all the on-site hotels. Depending on when you book, it’s only about $100 more expensive than some of the off-site favorites. I’m glad you found the videos helpful and hope you had a fantastic trip!
@@SoCalDisneyDad it’s about to rebrand as the Pixar Place and probably will go up in price… It was great even if my 5 year old decided she only liked a few rides (carousels, Winnie the Pooh, Dumbo, Soarin and Jumping Jellies) but Mr 8 learned he loves roller coasters and went on so many rides.
I do not like how to make dining reservations at all. We started trying to get reservations at Blue Bayou, 60 days out, and have not been able to get reservations yet. Have been checking since Feb 28, up to 10 times a day. I think Disney should go to a reservation system like open table, where they will tell you the next available date & time. Another problem is party size. We are a family of 7 and they expect us to split up our kids to have lunch or dinner. They should have a reservation phone line for larger parties, and not just saying "party too large". Also no dining packages for The Magic Happens, even 60 days out. Thanks for all of your videos! This will probably be our last time to Disneyland.
Sign up for alerts on Mouse Dining. They’ll send you alerts as soon as something becomes available (if it becomes available). I agree the system is broken out here. WDW’s is so much smoother. I’ve also been told by cast members that reservations release at different times. It’s usually 6 AM PST, but sometimes it’s 1 AM sometimes it’s later than 6. It’s random and not predictable which makes the process a pain.
Reservations are released 60 days in advance at 6 am PST. It use to be 3 am PST but has recently changed. Just set an alarm, and have your app ready and you’ll get the reservation.
Hmm it has to be exactly 60 days from your desired reservation night. Basically I just check the app and you’ll notice it doesn’t display anything past 60 days out. Waking up at 6am PST for a reservation that is only 30 days away doesn’t work. It’s not easy as this is a highly competitive process unfortunately. However using the strategy above the last 4 trips I have taken have produced success although a disclaimer I only have a family of 4 so smaller reservation size. Sorry and good luck.
Great list!!! Really interesting to add the on-property hotels, but I don’t disagree. They’re often literally 2-3x more than the good neighbors, which suit us better anyway.
I expound on it a little more in detail in another video have I planned. We are HUGE proponents of staying on-property at WDW. But I just find it unnecessary here. I might change my opinion if I could afford to stay on property here. 🫤 I wish Paradise Pier was priced like the WDW Value resorts ($150ish) and Disneyland Hotel was priced moderate ($300ish) and GCH was priced Deluxe ($480ish) I would change my tune a bit. But for the same test week (Nov 13-14), Paradise is $443, Disneyland is $538, and GCH is $716. In comparison, Candy Cane Inn is $199 for the same date. And has free parking, free breakfast, and is just an amazing hotel.
Thanks for letting me know about the shrimp pasta at Pizza Planet in another video . I tried it was pretty good,I may say I can make homemade better but it was nice for a quick bite from a mobile order.
We used to go every year and every time except thrice we stayed at the Disney hotels; mostly the grand California. It was always better. Of all of your tips that’s the only one I don’t get. This is my first year going with friends and planning it myself. So I really appreciate everything in your channel. I no longer have my father to help me so I can’t thank you enough.
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The spreadsheet! I am such a planner and my family is looking at me crazy when I tell them I know where we’re eating each day 😂😂 glad it’s not just me!
We don’t just plan where we are eating, but WHAT we are eating. Of course, it’s just a guide. We don’t rigidly follow it. If something sounds better in the moment, we will change our minds, but it’s nice to have an idea of all the food before you get there or you could end up eating burgers when there’s MUCH better food two minutes away.
I think hotels near the Toy Story parking lot are a great option. We stayed at Homewood Suites and it’s a quick free bus ride to the park, and free breakfast
I’ve heard this hack, but haven’t tried it yet (walking to the Toy Story Lot to use the bus). We stayed at the Clarion once a really long time ago and walked it every day. It was really long, especially on the return journey after dark. Had I known about this hack then, it would have saved us so much time and if not that, at least our legs. 😂
I don't know if you added this I'll have to watch again but not knowing bathroom locations as a parent is a big mistake 😅. Also I found with the reservations if you can't get 60 days in advance you have to try your luck night before your trip. There tends to be a few reservations that get released early morning from 12:05 am and onwards just have to pick them up as soon as they show up. Also is spring break super crowded there? We're going to try our luck at universal later this week after we came back from Legoland.
Great tips! I don’t even think about the bathrooms because we know where they all are. But the app is really handy for things like that and I did say to get familiar with the app. As to dining reservations, yes, I should probably share that tip. It works pretty well as folks need to cancel 24 hours before in order to avoid penalties. So actually checking for about 36 hours before and constantly checking is helpful as folks could release them at any time.
As far as Universal, wait times right now in the evening on a weekday look pretty insane compared to when we went at the beginning of March. If you go, Express Pass will be a must.
Having to make meticulous plans and run spreadsheets just to go to Disneyland. Yeah, I have a plan. I plan to go to Disneyland. If I wanted to run spreadsheets I'd stay at work. Remember when you could just go to Disneyland and just enjoy yourself?
A family member is taking us and got 2days for DL. They asked if we want to add park hopper, but I’m not sure. Our kids are 8 and 3 so it might be nice to not feel like we have to pack it all in. I don’t know!
Is this your first time or first time in awhile? Don’t bother with a hopper. If you are very familiar with the parks, a hopper is helpful for ditching Disneyland in the afternoon when it’s at its most crowded as DCA tends to have lower afternoon crowds by comparison (unless a festival is going on). Not having a hopper forces you to slow down a bit. If you pay for one, you’ll feel like you need to use it to get your money’s worth. And you may not need to. I have spent whole days in one park or another even as a seasoned visitor and have never felt “bored” or wished I could hop.
I don’t think it’s necessary. It’ll save you some money and help you slow down a bit because you feel the need to hop since you paid for it. We’ve done one park per day plenty of times and never regretted it.
I do the menu spreadsheet for food and merch as well. My husband and friends think I’m crazy but it let’s me know how much money I should have on each of my gift cards … because, yes, I have gift cards dedicated to categories (dining gift card, merch gift card per person, gift card for any possible extras…like a VIP Tour or Genie+)
That’s awesome! I love hearing that others do the same thing! I primarily use it for two purposes, to know how much money we are going to spend, and to know what food items we DIDN’T get that we wanted to. I didn’t say this in the video, but the green rows were items we successfully ordered. The non-green meant we didn’t get it that day. I used my spreadsheet during the trip to let myself know that if I still wanted that item, I’d need to get it on our second day in that park. Usually, I had more snacks planned for that second day as well, so it really just came down to prioritizing at that point.
Yeah, I’ve read about people stacking Disney gift cards with target promotions so the gift card balances are reduced or paid for by the target pay back promo! Or some people get special travel credit cards? What do you do?
FYI - I have been able to book before 6am when I have a hotel reservation. So restaurants like Blue Bayou and Olga’s are going to hotel guests and there may be nothing left at 6AM for everyone else.
I am not sure. I tested it at 3AM and it was kind of buggy but it worked. It did not work at 1AM. I tested at 5AM and it worked better. You have to try several times and be patient with the system. I tested my daughters account that didn’t have the linked hotel reservation and it was a no go - so I am confident that it worked only with the linked hotel reservation. This is the crazy stuff I do in the middle of the night! I think they may not promote it because it’s glitchy - but for every day of my upcoming 5 day stay I was able to get in well before 6AM and all the hard to get stuff was wide open. Blue Bayou and Olga’s are gone in minutes at 6AM. For Olga’s - you are guaranteed a booth if you have a reservation - so I always book those - and lamplight of course.
Each quick service meal is approximately $15/person, add $5 if you order a soda or something. Each snack is approximately $6/snack. So, for our family of 4, we order 3 adult entrees per meal time (the kids split), no drinks (only free water) and buy approximately 3-4 snacks throughout the day. So that would mean a rough estimate of $110/day If you add drinks, that’ll go up. If you have a sit-down meal planned, that’ll go up too.
I always forget how bad the alien pizza planet pizza is until I have it there in front of me. Yeah those strollers are horrible and they don’t recline and then you have to give them back before you can dump the sleeping kid at our car or hotel. Best tip I will learn from is plan but don’t over plan. Thanks!!
It always helps to have a list of food and rides to do, but realize that rides break down, things happen, sometimes they run out of the snack you wanted (Gingerbreads at Christmas). So have back up plans and don’t sweat it when things change!
These are great tips. I'm definitely going to use these for when we go in October. Quick question I will be going with a disabled person, does that help with getting on rides faster or do I need the Genie plus? TIA 😊
I am disabled, and I find at Disneyland you will get return times. The con to that is you cannot get another return time until you have rode the ride. Also, make sure that tge return time gets canceled. Sometimes they don't do that. They also only allow a party of up to 6. The disabled person is one of the 6. I also will be there in October. Have fun.
Definitely like the spreadsheet option. Any chance you'd be willing to share it? I could make my own but it looks like yours is exactly what I'd do so why recreate the wheel?
Another excellent video - all great advice. We always stay at Grand Californian but I agree that it’s very expensive. I always get the 25 percent off magic key deals or even better - rent DVC points which can be a big price break depending on the season and if you do weeknights. I’ve gotten some surprisingly good DVC points deals.
I’ll have to check out renting DVC as an option for there. I just can’t ever justify staying when a single night is $700 and I could stay at Candy Cane Inn for 3 nights at the same price. 😂 When we first started going to Disneyland 11 years ago $700 was my whole 3-day vacation, including tickets and hotel. 😂
I have paid way less than$700 - I never pay that. There are several point services. I have used the DVC rental store. High season weekend is expensive so look off season. The only problem is it books up but with Disneyland opening all those DVC rooms there should be more availability.
We are taking our kids for the first time in June. I have definitely planned, but am struggling with food. I have a kid with multiple food allergies and just don't want to make reservations and he's stuck not eating with everyone else.
Honestly, sit down restaurants aren’t necessary at Disneyland. If you’re used to WDW and planning a sit down every day (we usually do), that’s just not the case at Disneyland. Our quick services are amazing and sometimes better food than the table service. Disneyland is usually very good about being allergy friendly. And on the app you can check out all the allergy menus. If those menus aren’t enough, you can walk in to almost any restaurant and tell them what you need. About the only thing they can’t do is cook food on dedicated frying pans and things to avoid cross contamination.
your a bookcase full of knowledge Disney Dad. I was just wondering since it is a year ago you made this video do i still need to place a reservation to get into Ogas Cantina in Star wars land or is it walk up yet?
Oga’s still required a reservation. Yes. But you can join the walk up list if it’s not full, too. If it is full, and don’t have a reservation, then you won’t be able to get in.
Hi Traver! Do you know why some tickets are showing at $104 per day for one day - but if you book two days each day is showing at $164? It drops back down if guests go 3 or more days but I noticed this and wondered if you knew why? Love your videos and content!
So single day tickets are priced by the day. Whereas multi-day tickets are a flat rate and are good over the course of 2 weeks. For instance, you could buy a multi day ticket and use one November 16th and another November 29th. You could choose two tier 6 days when the tickets cost $189/each and $310 will be a significant discount. While if you are looking at booking 2 $104 days, it would only cost you $208. In that instance, you may consider buying two separate transactions of tickets. The only downside is they will need to take your photo upon entry to the park both days being two separate tickets. It’s not a huge downside, though. And I can’t think of any other potential complications with this method except maybe just having too many tickets to keep track of on your phone.
Yes, we did that! Bought the two days at $104 with two interactions. Both days a lead manager had to come over at the gate and override something. Still unsure what happened… the first day they said we didn’t have a reservation and the second day they said maybe the kids ticket was wrongly assigned to an adult. Very confusing. I feel like a lot of Disney stuff has such a steep learning curve. Thanks for the reply! And that’s interesting about the two day tickets, thank you for explaining
Thank you again Trevor. An amazing list but you really can be controversial. 😅 Looking forward to my stay at Disneyland Hotel. But you have helped me plan, yes, I am a planner, hopefully a wonderful getaway in July. Keep up the great work and so looking forward to trying those vegan options. 🇦🇺🇺🇸💚
Haha! Yes! I have opinions and don’t mind sharing them. 😂 You’ll have an amazing time at the Disneyland Hotel I’m sure. My comments are not that on-property is BAD, but just that the local area hotels are sometimes closer and just as good for half the price. As an example, Candy Cane Inn generally costs $200-$250/night, has free parking, free breakfast, is a really cute hotel, completely renovated, and the breakfast is genuinely great food. Disneyland Hotel averages around $500/night, charges you for parking, and doesn’t offer breakfast. BUT it gets you early entry, and the pool is way cooler. So there are some perks, but for me, they just aren’t enough to whole heartedly recommend staying on property.
@@SoCalDisneyDad I understand exactly what you are saying. With the Australian $ being 0.66 cents to the $US staying at DH is ouchie. 😮 looking forward to your next video. 👍
@SoCalDisneyDad man, thank you for that info. I know how much room a wagon takes.I understand why, I'm glad I found you because I wanted to ask someone that's been there resent and knows the rule 🫡🙏
We are heading to Anaheim in May and have brought a 5 day pass with park hopper and genie+… coming from New Zealand.. also doing Universal Studios are there other parks we need to visit?
Awesome! With 5 days, you’ll have plenty of time to get everything done. Universal is great, too. Especially if you love Harry Potter and Mario. If you have children under the age of 12, LEGOLAND California is another great theme park to consider. It has 20ish rides, a water park and an aquarium (though they cost extra admission). SeaWorld San Diego is good if you have marine animal lovers in your family. They have some big coasters too. But I’d place it say low on the priority list. Knott’s Berry Farm is about 10 minutes away from Disneyland, but everyone in your party should be above 48 inches to best enjoy that park. We haven’t gone very often because my youngest is still too little for most of the main attractions. They do have a “kiddie land” but even so. And the last major attraction is Six Flags Magic Mountain. We have yet to make it there as a family. It’s also geared towards older kids and adults.
That all depends on what you want to do. There’s a video we have coming out on Friday where we went a little crazy with rides and it was hard to squeeze in snack breaks because we just wanted to get to the next ride before the line got longer. But I’d say an average of 2-3 rides an hour is a decent estimate for the morning and 1-2 rides an hour for the afternoon. Give yourself a minimum of 10-15 minutes between rides for things like perusing shops, bathroom breaks, snacks, etc.
A lot of times, those carts will have specific seasonal or specialty churros you can only get at that one specific cart. But yeah, if you're just looking for the original churro, any cart will do.
Planning to go for 2 days but staying in Anaheim 4 nights so we can see the beach. Would you schedule a beach day in between Disneyland and DCA or end the trip with the beach?
Definitely do beach in the middle. It’s a nice break. I’d be sad to end on a beach day. I’d just want to go back in the park. Then I’d talk myself into upgrading to another day and then never going to the beach at all. 😂 But that’s just me.
@@christinacorn8556 That, I unfortunately can’t help you with as I’ve never gone to one up here. Huntington Beach or Newport Beach appear to be the closest.
@@thomaschurch3379 You’ll need to have scanned in at least once for the day, yes. But you can still edit selections if you leave and go back to your room.
Hi I watched many of your shows We are a retired couple and want to purchase annual passes. We live in So Cal and qualify currently the only pass available is the inspire pass. We are wondering if and when they enable the believe key. Do you suggest buying the inspire key now or waiting till the next round opens. We are not in a big hurry and can wait for a few months Thank so much for getting back to me.
The Believe was just on sale about two weeks ago. And it was previously on sale in January. So at best, I probably wouldn’t expect them to be on sale again until August. It would be up to you on whether you want to use the whole summer to go, or just wait for hopefully Believe to open up again in the fall.
Thanks! I agree looks like every quarter they open up till they sell their allocation. When I did the math, 48 visits per year costs about 33. Each for each of us after considering parking. Also I just noticed the second tier key has lost 50 days to blockout where the inspire lost 12. Looks like we have an answer. Thank you so much.
@@jerrygreenberg1074 Yeah, the rest of my family has Enchant. And we used to be able to go on Saturdays. They’ve wiped them all out this year, which is a huge bummer. We are looking to upgrade to Believe for them. We almost did a few weeks ago, but they don’t prorate upgrades, so we’d have to pay the full difference, even though our passes are half used already. We decided to upgrade at Renewal time. Right now, you can upgrade to any pass level, even if it’s not widely available.
@@SoCalDisneyDad sounds like a better way to go. One last question on the Genie. If you don’t buy the genie, how do you know the wait times for the attractions?
@@jerrygreenberg1074 There’s a map on the app. It’s one of the main features along the bottom of the app. It shows wait times relative to your location. You can also change it to a list of you’d rather see it alphabetically.
Unfortunately they’re pre-tax. We lived in Australia for a year and loved the built in tax prices. But alas, that is not how it is here. Tax is 7.75% for Anaheim.
I beg to differ when it comes to the food options at Disneyland. The food there is very mediocre at best. There are a few hidden gems there at the Holly jolly, the grilled cheese sandwich and the tomato soup. Also, the birria grilled cheese is good as well but everything for the most part is very meh. DCA is slightly better. Fyi DCA is a half day park. The cold brew at the docking station 7 is the best. The skewers at the Bengal cafe are small expensive and delicious, the Dole whips with all the extras are yummy. You're better off Uber eating food from nearby and bringing it into the park.
Some might feel that way, and that’s totally fine! I don’t think they’re necessary at all. But that doesn’t mean others have to agree with me. We stay overnight 4-5 times a year, and I’ve never been able to convince myself to stay at the Disneyland hotel let alone the GCH. I think about it, but then the drastic price difference makes me change my mind every time. It might be worth it for a once in a lifetime trip, or even a once in every couple of years, but I, personally, do not have the luxury of affording that. I’d LOVE to stay Deluxe at WDW sometime, but I just can’t do it.
Park hopper for 2 days is completely unnecessary. One park a day will yield better results and you can do so much more when you focus on one park per day.
If a park hopper were only “a few extra dollars” it would be worth it but it is an extra $60 per ticket or $240 for a family of four to park hop for one day.
@@SoCalDisneyDad It was sweet but I had that grilled cheese and tomato soup combo so maybe it was the right thing to have after something so savory. What is your fav snack in the park?
@@julumarie Hard to say. I love so many things. 😂 I always have to get whatever seasonal Grey Stuff they have. The mint one they had up until March 19th was very good. I also love all the macarons they come out with.
*makes excel spreadsheet*…. This is EXACTLY the kind of video I needed! Planning our first trip to Disney for October and all of your videos have been so helpful!
Yes! More spreadsheet users! 🎉 Glad you’re enjoying the videos.
Just wanted to say thanks for all the tips and the great videos! My family and I had only one day to spend at Disneyland. With all the pre-work I did watching your videos, we were able to get everything in we wanted to with very little waiting and even able to ride some of our favorites twice! I really appreciate all the help you and your channel provided!
Impressed with myself because I’m already doing exactly what you’re saying! Definitely not planning where to eat and checking prices beforehand is a huge mistake. Everyone I know that goes to a Disney park always complain about the food but never made an effort to actually plan anything.
Also: I already got 4 day park hopper but when I heard you saying park hopper is a mistake… for two day ticket, I almost cried lmao
@@edwaffle For four days, Park Hopper is great because by Day 3 you’ll want it for sure if you don’t use it earlier.
It’s just not necessary for anything less than 3 days.
@@SoCalDisneyDad awesome, that’s good to know! So glad I got hopper then haha
Thank you Traver!
Thank you thank you so much! My family and I just got back from our Disneyland trip. I came across this video when I was planning our trip as I hadn’t been in years, and many of your ideas helped us so much, especially bringing our own stroller-I cannot thank you enough for that tip!!! My family and I had an absolutely awesome and magical experience celebrating our son’s and my birthdays and I had to come find this video to express our gratitude for your useful advice!
I have to say it. You are doing so good. And I'm so happy I found your channel in 2020. You have been my # 1 favorite vlogger for a while now. Totally agree with mistakes you can avoid at Disneyland. It's so true. And I have done it.
Things are really picking up and doing well after two years of hard work. It took awhile to both learn what to do and break through the busy space that is Disney vlogging, but things are trending upward.
They say every vlogger looks back and cringes at old videos, and I do too! I once did a whole video on finding a t-shirt at SeaWorld. 😅
FYI, I haven't announced this publicly anywhere, and not sure I will any time soon, but thought I'd tell you since you've been with us through all this. I've stopped posted SeaWorld and Zoo vlogs here as they statistically aren't helping us from a business standpoint, but that doesn't mean we've stopped going.
I created a second channel called SoCal Parks Dad where I'm going to start putting those vlogs. We plan to visit the Zoo this Saturday and so I'll be putting that video up there soon and there's already a SeaWorld vlog live on the channel.
All major events and announcements will still likely happen here, like when Arctic Rescue opens, etc. But if we're just doing a "day vlog" or a road trip vlog, they'll be over on the new channel.
@SoCal Disney Dad I just subscribed. I am happy you have 2 channels now.
That first tip is actually really helpful, I have an imagine key yet I seem to not budget ahead of time so thanks 👍🏻
Hey Traver, first of all I want to say I dig your videos and they were helpful for my family’s first trip to Disneyland (and my first time since 2022) this past week (the weather though…)
I did want to point out that Paradise Pier has a back entrance to DCA that’s just across the street (obviously Grand Californian is closer). You also get to get past the ropes at Disneyland at 7:30, although at least some lands have another rope to wait at until 8. We stayed at Paradise Pier and were able to get on to the Runaway Railway by 8:05 with this trick. Worth it? It depends, but we drove down from San Francisco so paying a bit more for the hotel was budge-table.
I’ll probably stay at Paradise Pier at some point in the near future. It is the most affordable of all the on-site hotels.
Depending on when you book, it’s only about $100 more expensive than some of the off-site favorites.
I’m glad you found the videos helpful and hope you had a fantastic trip!
@@SoCalDisneyDad it’s about to rebrand as the Pixar Place and probably will go up in price…
It was great even if my 5 year old decided she only liked a few rides (carousels, Winnie the Pooh, Dumbo, Soarin and Jumping Jellies) but Mr 8 learned he loves roller coasters and went on so many rides.
I do not like how to make dining reservations at all. We started trying to get reservations at Blue Bayou, 60 days out, and have not been able to get reservations yet. Have been checking since Feb 28, up to 10 times a day. I think Disney should go to a reservation system like open table, where they will tell you the next available date & time. Another problem is party size. We are a family of 7 and they expect us to split up our kids to have lunch or dinner. They should have a reservation phone line for larger parties, and not just saying "party too large". Also no dining packages for The Magic Happens, even 60 days out. Thanks for all of your videos! This will probably be our last time to Disneyland.
Sign up for alerts on Mouse Dining. They’ll send you alerts as soon as something becomes available (if it becomes available).
I agree the system is broken out here. WDW’s is so much smoother.
I’ve also been told by cast members that reservations release at different times. It’s usually 6 AM PST, but sometimes it’s 1 AM sometimes it’s later than 6. It’s random and not predictable which makes the process a pain.
@@SoCalDisneyDad Thanks for the Mouse dining tip!
Reservations are released 60 days in advance at 6 am PST. It use to be 3 am PST but has recently changed. Just set an alarm, and have your app ready and you’ll get the reservation.
@@alex-j-cole Yup, did not work. Been trying as noted above and not able to get reservations. System does not work
Hmm it has to be exactly 60 days from your desired reservation night. Basically I just check the app and you’ll notice it doesn’t display anything past 60 days out. Waking up at 6am PST for a reservation that is only 30 days away doesn’t work. It’s not easy as this is a highly competitive process unfortunately. However using the strategy above the last 4 trips I have taken have produced success although a disclaimer I only have a family of 4 so smaller reservation size. Sorry and good luck.
We are visiting in June. I have made my list of rides we must do. I enjoy these videos. Lots of good information.
Great list!!! Really interesting to add the on-property hotels, but I don’t disagree. They’re often literally 2-3x more than the good neighbors, which suit us better anyway.
I expound on it a little more in detail in another video have I planned.
We are HUGE proponents of staying on-property at WDW. But I just find it unnecessary here. I might change my opinion if I could afford to stay on property here. 🫤
I wish Paradise Pier was priced like the WDW Value resorts ($150ish) and Disneyland Hotel was priced moderate ($300ish) and GCH was priced Deluxe ($480ish) I would change my tune a bit.
But for the same test week (Nov 13-14), Paradise is $443, Disneyland is $538, and GCH is $716.
In comparison, Candy Cane Inn is $199 for the same date. And has free parking, free breakfast, and is just an amazing hotel.
@@SoCalDisneyDad Yup. Totally agree on all points.
Thanks for letting me know about the shrimp pasta at Pizza Planet in another video . I tried it was pretty good,I may say I can make homemade better but it was nice for a quick bite from a mobile order.
Homemade is always going to be better than fast food, but we think it’s pretty tasty and easy to split for the kids.
We used to go every year and every time except thrice we stayed at the Disney hotels; mostly the grand California. It was always better. Of all of your tips that’s the only one I don’t get.
This is my first year going with friends and planning it myself. So I really appreciate everything in your channel. I no longer have my father to help me so I can’t thank you enough.
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Great video as always!!!
Thank you!
The spreadsheet! I am such a planner and my family is looking at me crazy when I tell them I know where we’re eating each day 😂😂 glad it’s not just me!
We don’t just plan where we are eating, but WHAT we are eating.
Of course, it’s just a guide. We don’t rigidly follow it. If something sounds better in the moment, we will change our minds, but it’s nice to have an idea of all the food before you get there or you could end up eating burgers when there’s MUCH better food two minutes away.
Love the food excel sheet idea!!
I think hotels near the Toy Story parking lot are a great option. We stayed at Homewood Suites and it’s a quick free bus ride to the park, and free breakfast
I’ve heard this hack, but haven’t tried it yet (walking to the Toy Story Lot to use the bus).
We stayed at the Clarion once a really long time ago and walked it every day. It was really long, especially on the return journey after dark.
Had I known about this hack then, it would have saved us so much time and if not that, at least our legs. 😂
Love watching your videos, you're one of the only vlog channels I enjoy watching. Glad i came across your channel last year :)
So glad to hear this! Thank you!
I don't know if you added this I'll have to watch again but not knowing bathroom locations as a parent is a big mistake 😅. Also I found with the reservations if you can't get 60 days in advance you have to try your luck night before your trip. There tends to be a few reservations that get released early morning from 12:05 am and onwards just have to pick them up as soon as they show up. Also is spring break super crowded there? We're going to try our luck at universal later this week after we came back from Legoland.
Great tips! I don’t even think about the bathrooms because we know where they all are. But the app is really handy for things like that and I did say to get familiar with the app.
As to dining reservations, yes, I should probably share that tip. It works pretty well as folks need to cancel 24 hours before in order to avoid penalties. So actually checking for about 36 hours before and constantly checking is helpful as folks could release them at any time.
As far as Universal, wait times right now in the evening on a weekday look pretty insane compared to when we went at the beginning of March. If you go, Express Pass will be a must.
Having to make meticulous plans and run spreadsheets just to go to Disneyland. Yeah, I have a plan. I plan to go to Disneyland. If I wanted to run spreadsheets I'd stay at work. Remember when you could just go to Disneyland and just enjoy yourself?
A family member is taking us and got 2days for DL. They asked if we want to add park hopper, but I’m not sure. Our kids are 8 and 3 so it might be nice to not feel like we have to pack it all in. I don’t know!
Is this your first time or first time in awhile? Don’t bother with a hopper.
If you are very familiar with the parks, a hopper is helpful for ditching Disneyland in the afternoon when it’s at its most crowded as DCA tends to have lower afternoon crowds by comparison (unless a festival is going on).
Not having a hopper forces you to slow down a bit. If you pay for one, you’ll feel like you need to use it to get your money’s worth. And you may not need to.
I have spent whole days in one park or another even as a seasoned visitor and have never felt “bored” or wished I could hop.
Good advice! I was debating about a park hopper for my 2 day mid December trip, but you helped me decide not to do it.
I don’t think it’s necessary. It’ll save you some money and help you slow down a bit because you feel the need to hop since you paid for it.
We’ve done one park per day plenty of times and never regretted it.
Great tips! Keep up the good work!
Thank you!
I do the menu spreadsheet for food and merch as well. My husband and friends think I’m crazy but it let’s me know how much money I should have on each of my gift cards … because, yes, I have gift cards dedicated to categories (dining gift card, merch gift card per person, gift card for any possible extras…like a VIP Tour or Genie+)
That’s awesome! I love hearing that others do the same thing!
I primarily use it for two purposes, to know how much money we are going to spend, and to know what food items we DIDN’T get that we wanted to. I didn’t say this in the video, but the green rows were items we successfully ordered. The non-green meant we didn’t get it that day. I used my spreadsheet during the trip to let myself know that if I still wanted that item, I’d need to get it on our second day in that park.
Usually, I had more snacks planned for that second day as well, so it really just came down to prioritizing at that point.
Yeah, I’ve read about people stacking Disney gift cards with target promotions so the gift card balances are reduced or paid for by the target pay back promo!
Or some people get special travel credit cards? What do you do?
@@melissap.c.7950Didn’t know this! Thanks for the tip!
FYI - I have been able to book before 6am when I have a hotel reservation. So restaurants like Blue Bayou and Olga’s are going to hotel guests and there may be nothing left at 6AM for everyone else.
I did not know Hotel guests got earlier access. That's good to know. Do you know what time that drops?
I am not sure. I tested it at 3AM and it was kind of buggy but it worked. It did not work at 1AM. I tested at 5AM and it worked better. You have to try several times and be patient with the system. I tested my daughters account that didn’t have the linked hotel reservation and it was a no go - so I am confident that it worked only with the linked hotel reservation. This is the crazy stuff I do in the middle of the night! I think they may not promote it because it’s glitchy - but for every day of my upcoming 5 day stay I was able to get in well before 6AM and all the hard to get stuff was wide open. Blue Bayou and Olga’s are gone in minutes at 6AM. For Olga’s - you are guaranteed a booth if you have a reservation - so I always book those - and lamplight of course.
Very helpful!
avoid long lines at the rides
Definitely do that! Genie+ is a life saver for avoiding the heavy Spring Break crowd levels.
Do you have tips for taking a 1 and 2 year old for the first time
How much would you average for food for a family of 4? I don't want my family to have to choose their food now, but would appreciate a rough estimate.
Each quick service meal is approximately $15/person, add $5 if you order a soda or something.
Each snack is approximately $6/snack.
So, for our family of 4, we order 3 adult entrees per meal time (the kids split), no drinks (only free water) and buy approximately 3-4 snacks throughout the day.
So that would mean a rough estimate of $110/day
If you add drinks, that’ll go up. If you have a sit-down meal planned, that’ll go up too.
I always forget how bad the alien pizza planet pizza is until I have it there in front of me.
Yeah those strollers are horrible and they don’t recline and then you have to give them back before you can dump the sleeping kid at our car or hotel.
Best tip I will learn from is plan but don’t over plan. Thanks!!
It always helps to have a list of food and rides to do, but realize that rides break down, things happen, sometimes they run out of the snack you wanted (Gingerbreads at Christmas). So have back up plans and don’t sweat it when things change!
These are great tips. I'm definitely going to use these for when we go in October. Quick question I will be going with a disabled person, does that help with getting on rides faster or do I need the Genie plus? TIA 😊
The DAS pass should be fine as it functions just like Genie+
I am disabled, and I find at Disneyland you will get return times. The con to that is you cannot get another return time until you have rode the ride. Also, make sure that tge return time gets canceled. Sometimes they don't do that. They also only allow a party of up to 6. The disabled person is one of the 6. I also will be there in October. Have fun.
Definitely like the spreadsheet option. Any chance you'd be willing to share it? I could make my own but it looks like yours is exactly what I'd do so why recreate the wheel?
Another excellent video - all great advice. We always stay at Grand Californian but I agree that it’s very expensive. I always get the 25 percent off magic key deals or even better - rent DVC points which can be a big price break depending on the season and if you do weeknights. I’ve gotten some surprisingly good DVC points deals.
I’ll have to check out renting DVC as an option for there. I just can’t ever justify staying when a single night is $700 and I could stay at Candy Cane Inn for 3 nights at the same price. 😂
When we first started going to Disneyland 11 years ago $700 was my whole 3-day vacation, including tickets and hotel. 😂
I have paid way less than$700 - I never pay that. There are several point services. I have used the DVC rental store. High season weekend is expensive so look off season. The only problem is it books up but with Disneyland opening all those DVC rooms there should be more availability.
We are taking our kids for the first time in June. I have definitely planned, but am struggling with food. I have a kid with multiple food allergies and just don't want to make reservations and he's stuck not eating with everyone else.
Honestly, sit down restaurants aren’t necessary at Disneyland. If you’re used to WDW and planning a sit down every day (we usually do), that’s just not the case at Disneyland. Our quick services are amazing and sometimes better food than the table service.
Disneyland is usually very good about being allergy friendly. And on the app you can check out all the allergy menus. If those menus aren’t enough, you can walk in to almost any restaurant and tell them what you need.
About the only thing they can’t do is cook food on dedicated frying pans and things to avoid cross contamination.
What are your adult go to rope drop rides for both Parks?!
your a bookcase full of knowledge Disney Dad. I was just wondering since it is a year ago you made this video do i still need to place a reservation to get into Ogas Cantina in Star wars land or is it walk up yet?
Oga’s still required a reservation. Yes. But you can join the walk up list if it’s not full, too. If it is full, and don’t have a reservation, then you won’t be able to get in.
Hi Traver! Do you know why some tickets are showing at $104 per day for one day - but if you book two days each day is showing at $164? It drops back down if guests go 3 or more days but I noticed this and wondered if you knew why?
Love your videos and content!
So single day tickets are priced by the day. Whereas multi-day tickets are a flat rate and are good over the course of 2 weeks.
For instance, you could buy a multi day ticket and use one November 16th and another November 29th. You could choose two tier 6 days when the tickets cost $189/each and $310 will be a significant discount.
While if you are looking at booking 2 $104 days, it would only cost you $208.
In that instance, you may consider buying two separate transactions of tickets.
The only downside is they will need to take your photo upon entry to the park both days being two separate tickets.
It’s not a huge downside, though. And I can’t think of any other potential complications with this method except maybe just having too many tickets to keep track of on your phone.
Yes, we did that! Bought the two days at $104 with two interactions. Both days a lead manager had to come over at the gate and override something. Still unsure what happened… the first day they said we didn’t have a reservation and the second day they said maybe the kids ticket was wrongly assigned to an adult. Very confusing.
I feel like a lot of Disney stuff has such a steep learning curve.
Thanks for the reply! And that’s interesting about the two day tickets, thank you for explaining
1:11 do you have an google sheet or excel to share for pricing out food?
Thank you again Trevor. An amazing list but you really can be controversial. 😅 Looking forward to my stay at Disneyland Hotel. But you have helped me plan, yes, I am a planner, hopefully a wonderful getaway in July. Keep up the great work and so looking forward to trying those vegan options. 🇦🇺🇺🇸💚
Haha! Yes! I have opinions and don’t mind sharing them. 😂
You’ll have an amazing time at the Disneyland Hotel I’m sure. My comments are not that on-property is BAD, but just that the local area hotels are sometimes closer and just as good for half the price.
As an example, Candy Cane Inn generally costs $200-$250/night, has free parking, free breakfast, is a really cute hotel, completely renovated, and the breakfast is genuinely great food.
Disneyland Hotel averages around $500/night, charges you for parking, and doesn’t offer breakfast.
BUT it gets you early entry, and the pool is way cooler. So there are some perks, but for me, they just aren’t enough to whole heartedly recommend staying on property.
@@SoCalDisneyDad I understand exactly what you are saying. With the Australian $ being 0.66 cents to the $US staying at DH is ouchie. 😮 looking forward to your next video. 👍
Again, props to The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland. First thing when you open the book, it says, "you either need a plan or a lobotomy.".
😂🤣
I heard they lifted the wagon stroller ban. Could I bring back my wagon stroller to Disneyland?
No. They haven’t. I witnessed a couple returning to their car wagon in tow at the parking garage on Monday because security turned them away.
@SoCalDisneyDad man, thank you for that info. I know how much room a wagon takes.I understand why, I'm glad I found you because I wanted to ask someone that's been there resent and knows the rule 🫡🙏
We are heading to Anaheim in May and have brought a 5 day pass with park hopper and genie+… coming from New Zealand.. also doing Universal Studios are there other parks we need to visit?
Awesome! With 5 days, you’ll have plenty of time to get everything done.
Universal is great, too. Especially if you love Harry Potter and Mario.
If you have children under the age of 12, LEGOLAND California is another great theme park to consider. It has 20ish rides, a water park and an aquarium (though they cost extra admission).
SeaWorld San Diego is good if you have marine animal lovers in your family. They have some big coasters too. But I’d place it say low on the priority list.
Knott’s Berry Farm is about 10 minutes away from Disneyland, but everyone in your party should be above 48 inches to best enjoy that park. We haven’t gone very often because my youngest is still too little for most of the main attractions. They do have a “kiddie land” but even so.
And the last major attraction is Six Flags Magic Mountain. We have yet to make it there as a family. It’s also geared towards older kids and adults.
Great video! If we wanted to rope drop (not staying at Disney hotel) what time would you suggest we get there?
Around 7:40-7:45 should be fine most days. The actual turnstiles open at 7:30, so you could show up then if you’d rather be “safe than sorry”
@@SoCalDisneyDad perfect, thank you!
3:25 how long do we need between each ride so we’re not over planning?
That all depends on what you want to do.
There’s a video we have coming out on Friday where we went a little crazy with rides and it was hard to squeeze in snack breaks because we just wanted to get to the next ride before the line got longer.
But I’d say an average of 2-3 rides an hour is a decent estimate for the morning and 1-2 rides an hour for the afternoon.
Give yourself a minimum of 10-15 minutes between rides for things like perusing shops, bathroom breaks, snacks, etc.
@@SoCalDisneyDad that’s just the info I need to plan my days. I look forward to your next videos. They’re always helpful. Thanks so much!
Thank You For Uploading This 9 Months After Me And Asian Wife (Maya-Minnie-Chu) Got Married At Disneyland.
So awesome for you guys!
We honeymooned at Walt Disney World ourselves. Much Disney love!
@@SoCalDisneyDad, She Wore Yellow Ego Quilted Square Toe Sandal Heels With Her Wedding Dress That Day.
Thanks for sharing
🔴 Churros long line must be avoided! There’s always churros carts with no lines in a different location
A lot of times, those carts will have specific seasonal or specialty churros you can only get at that one specific cart. But yeah, if you're just looking for the original churro, any cart will do.
@@SoCalDisneyDad gotcha thanks.
Planning to go for 2 days but staying in Anaheim 4 nights so we can see the beach. Would you schedule a beach day in between Disneyland and DCA or end the trip with the beach?
Definitely do beach in the middle. It’s a nice break. I’d be sad to end on a beach day. I’d just want to go back in the park. Then I’d talk myself into upgrading to another day and then never going to the beach at all. 😂
But that’s just me.
@@SoCalDisneyDad Good point! Disneyland Friday, Beach Saturday then DCA Sunday. What beach is the best option near Disneyland?
@@christinacorn8556 That, I unfortunately can’t help you with as I’ve never gone to one up here. Huntington Beach or Newport Beach appear to be the closest.
Hello, you mentioned that you can pin attractions to the top of the list . How is that done ?
It can only be done when you have Genie+ active.
There’s a link at the very top that says “Edit Selections”
@@SoCalDisneyDad thanks ! So does that mean we have to be in the park for it to be active ?
@@thomaschurch3379 You’ll need to have scanned in at least once for the day, yes. But you can still edit selections if you leave and go back to your room.
@@SoCalDisneyDad once again Thanks So Much !
Hi I watched many of your shows We are a retired couple and want to purchase annual passes. We live in So Cal and qualify currently the only pass available is the inspire pass. We are wondering if and when they enable the believe key. Do you suggest buying the inspire key now or waiting till the next round opens. We are not in a big hurry and can wait for a few months Thank so much for getting back to me.
The Believe was just on sale about two weeks ago. And it was previously on sale in January. So at best, I probably wouldn’t expect them to be on sale again until August.
It would be up to you on whether you want to use the whole summer to go, or just wait for hopefully Believe to open up again in the fall.
Thanks! I agree looks like every quarter they open up till they sell their allocation. When I did the math, 48 visits per year costs about 33. Each for each of us after considering parking.
Also I just noticed the second tier key has lost 50 days to blockout where the inspire lost 12. Looks like we have an answer. Thank you so much.
@@jerrygreenberg1074 Yeah, the rest of my family has Enchant. And we used to be able to go on Saturdays. They’ve wiped them all out this year, which is a huge bummer. We are looking to upgrade to Believe for them. We almost did a few weeks ago, but they don’t prorate upgrades, so we’d have to pay the full difference, even though our passes are half used already.
We decided to upgrade at Renewal time.
Right now, you can upgrade to any pass level, even if it’s not widely available.
@@SoCalDisneyDad sounds like a better way to go. One last question on the Genie. If you don’t buy the genie, how do you know the wait times for the attractions?
@@jerrygreenberg1074 There’s a map on the app. It’s one of the main features along the bottom of the app. It shows wait times relative to your location. You can also change it to a list of you’d rather see it alphabetically.
Are food prices shown pre or post tax?
Unfortunately they’re pre-tax. We lived in Australia for a year and loved the built in tax prices. But alas, that is not how it is here.
Tax is 7.75% for Anaheim.
Dieting at Disney is crazy😅😅🙃🫠🫠
Thinking 💭 that Splash 💦 Mountain 🏔️ ™️ still have the Brer animals
Coupon code doesn't work 😢
It only works on packages. So if you’re trying to book hotel only, or tickets only, it won’t work.
I beg to differ when it comes to the food options at Disneyland. The food there is very mediocre at best. There are a few hidden gems there at the Holly jolly, the grilled cheese sandwich and the tomato soup. Also, the birria grilled cheese is good as well but everything for the most part is very meh. DCA is slightly better. Fyi DCA is a half day park. The cold brew at the docking station 7 is the best. The skewers at the Bengal cafe are small expensive and delicious, the Dole whips with all the extras are yummy. You're better off Uber eating food from nearby and bringing it into the park.
This is your 30th comment and 99th like on this video!
Thanks for liking and commenting!
Grand California is worth the extra amount for access to the parks. Park hopper for a 2 day ticket is absolutely worth the few extra dollars.
Some might feel that way, and that’s totally fine! I don’t think they’re necessary at all. But that doesn’t mean others have to agree with me.
We stay overnight 4-5 times a year, and I’ve never been able to convince myself to stay at the Disneyland hotel let alone the GCH.
I think about it, but then the drastic price difference makes me change my mind every time.
It might be worth it for a once in a lifetime trip, or even a once in every couple of years, but I, personally, do not have the luxury of affording that.
I’d LOVE to stay Deluxe at WDW sometime, but I just can’t do it.
Park hopper for 2 days is completely unnecessary. One park a day will yield better results and you can do so much more when you focus on one park per day.
If a park hopper were only “a few extra dollars” it would be worth it but it is an extra $60 per ticket or $240 for a family of four to park hop for one day.
Not getting a strawberry cream croissant at jolly holiday is a big mistake. I ate it while in queue for RISE. Lol. 🍓🥐
I bought one the same day I filmed this. It wasn’t my favorite. 😂
My family loved it though.
@@SoCalDisneyDad It was sweet but I had that grilled cheese and tomato soup combo so maybe it was the right thing to have after something so savory. What is your fav snack in the park?
@@julumarie Hard to say. I love so many things. 😂
I always have to get whatever seasonal Grey Stuff they have. The mint one they had up until March 19th was very good.
I also love all the macarons they come out with.