The BEST Way to Do Disneyland

If you’re looking to have the BEST Disneyland vacation, what’s the BEST way to do it. First off, I want to say that every family’s goals and needs from a Disneyland trip is different. Today I want to give you a few things to think about. In my other life I’m a Labor & Delivery Nurse — so I sort of want you to think of this as your Disneyland Plan — like how a birth plan helps you prioritize what’s important to YOU! I’ll also give notes as to what we pick for every segment — but no answer is right for everyone (except a couple — and I’ll note that).

Find Your Hotel

Unless you’re staying with friends (or live close) — you’ll need a hotel. Sure, you can look, and book on the park websites (which is what I do for every other travel destination) but for Disneyland I’ve found a company that gets me prices that are SO much lower.

Honestly, zero ideas how they do it — but I can’t recommend them any more. I’ve used them since 1998. I’ve also arranged for you to save $10 with coupon code curls10 with them too!

When I had little kids I had specifics to a room on where a playpen needed to be, etc — and they are SO good because they’ve seen the rooms and can advise you.

My favorite hotels are:

• Best Western Park Place (the closest hotel to the parks — I believe even closer than the Grand)
• The Viv – this one’s note walkable but for the price it might be worth it to take the shuttle (picks you up at the front doors) or Uber. It’s quiet, and I just love it (previously called Raddison Blu)
• The Anaheim Hotel — This is where I’d stay if it was just me and a husband or a friend. The price is nice and I like all the open spaces that close to Disneyland (plus the on-site pizza place)
• Castle Inn & Suites — HUGE fan of this one when we had little boys. They loved the castle theming. The price is nice and they also have a giant suite if you want that.
• I also really like the Tropicana — it’s really close and the price is a bit less than the Best Western.
• If you want somewhere nicer I’d check out the Westin or the JW Marriot.

When looking for a room — a few things to consider:

1. Price point — Get Away Today has rooms to fit ANY budget. The Clarion is great for budget-seekers (but very bare-bones). Check out my post on Cheap Hotels in Anaheim by Disneyland for more!
2. Location — you’ll notice many of the rooms I listed are very close to the parks — because we love that. Check out my post on Hotels Nearby Disneyland: Close enough to walk to Mickey! OR save some cash and use Hotels with a Disneyland Shuttle
3. Amenities — want a nice pool, or a hotel near Disneyland with free breakfast, or a kitchen? What’s important to you there? BTW, want a nice pool I love the Cambria (or, if your budget is more check out the Courtyard). Pro tip: The Cambria pool is an upcharge if you purchase on their site, but is included when you book with Get Away Today. Crazy, right?

Honestly, budget is the biggest part of this — and I have a Disneyland trip calculator that will help you out with that:

Honestly, I’m good at hotels near Disneyland. I’ve toured most of them, and stayed at many of them. Here are a few more posts that might help you out:

• Disneyland Hotel Packages for Families: Alternative to Costco Travel
• Best Hotel Close to Disneyland
• 30+ Best Affordable Hotels Near Disneyland
• Disneyland Hotels in Anaheim, California: 10 of the nicest hotels around Disneyland
• 16+ of the Best Disneyland Hotels for Families: Near the Anaheim Action

Get Your Tickets

Ok, here is the one thing I am ADAMENT ABOUT:

Do NOT buy your multi-day tickets from Disney.

It’s the best (and and possibly only) place to get a 1-day ticket, but most people are getting more than one day and there is NO benefit to purchasing from them (but they will cost more).

Save and get your tickets right here.

That link can also save you on other parks like Universal and Sea World if you’re looking for that as well.

When you get tickets you need to know:

1. How many days do you want?
2. Do you want to park hop — that means you can go to both CA Adventure and Disneyland on the same day (or just stay in one park for the day — this helps a lot Disney Feet)
3. Do you want to include Lightening Lane (helps spend less time in lines — personally, I need it — but you need to know how to work it, and it can add “stress” to the day)

Our family has done this a variety of ways:

We love a 1-day Park Hopper with Lightening Lane to just DO the parks. We’ve done them a lot, and this is a rope-drop to close strategy that isn’t for the faint of heart, but we hit the rides we’re interested in and often ride them twice. This strategy is only to be done with older teens+ and if you’ve been to the parks before. I would NOT recommend this for a newbie.

We love a 3-day one-park-per-day with Lightening Lane — this allows us to take our time and do what we want, and likely go back to the hotel for a nap. Who doesn’t love a nap?

We also love a 2-day pass with Lightening Lane. Depending on our budget we may park hop, or we might not.

Want more info on tickets/other parks?

• Can I Buy Disneyland Tickets at the Gate? Updated with 2026 Info!
• Knotts Berry Farms vs Disneyland? Which one is right for you?
• San Antonio Family Fun: Is Six Flags Fiesta better than Disneyland?
• 7+ EASY TIPS for the Universal Orlando Resort + 3 JUST For Epic Universe!
• Dollywood vs Disney: A Theme Park Comparison

Pick Your Parks (& Get Reservations)

Ok, now that you have the basics down — what park do you want to go to on which day.

When you purchase tickets you can get one-park-per day or you can get a hopper that allows you to go to both parks.

Honestly, that hopper is pricey — and I enjoy not walking, so one-park-per-day is pretty snazzy too.

BUT the flexibility of the Hopper is also great.

The most popular option is to get a 3-day pass. If that’s you, we like to Disneyland our first day, CA Adventure our 2nd Day and then back to Disneyland on the 3rd (or, if you have Hoppers, that’s the parks I’d start at).

As of me writing this, you do need reservations to go to Disneyland. I’m hopeful this stops at some point, but it hasn’t as of yet.

If you buy your tickets with Get Away Today (honestly, smart) — they will give you explicit instructions on how to get a reservation with your tickets — it’s not hard at all!

Travel?

How will you get to the parks? Since we live in AZ we drive if it’s more than 2 of us, but we will fly if it’s two or less of us. We most often fly on Southwest (love their credit card – I think it’s worth the fee).

Then we Uber to the hotel. I’ve also used the Eve shuttle if I’m flying into John Wayne.

I know a lot of people think they should rent a car, but I couldn’t disagree more. If you rent a car you’ll be paying the car price, plus driving in the yucky LA traffic PLUS you’ll likely pay for parking at your hotel (and maybe at the parks too). However, I know for families with young kids this might be your best option with car seats, etc.

I do love the Art Shuttle if you have kids — no car seats necessary!

There are shuttles that provide car seats that you could check out as well.

If I can avoid parking I will do it.

Get Away Today often discounts the parking fees at hotels as well — a huge perk!

Dining Reservations?

If you want to eat at any of the sit-down restaurants at Disneyland/California adventure you’ll want to get reservations early.

Honestly, this isn’t a “need” for us — we most often use mobile ordering and are very happy with the results.

But there is something nice about having your own table and having a server bring you water.

My favorite restaurants are:

• Lamplight Lounge in CA Adventure
• Blue Bayou in Disneyland (this is the restaurant in Pirates — it’s fun, but pricey). Want somewhere similar, but cheaper, check out Cafe Orleans?
• And, I’m crazy, but I like the Riverbelle Terrace… and you can often get a reservation there.

I have a few posts about food at Disneyland:

• Best Disneyland Restaurants for Families
• Best Food at Disneyland: Eating at Disneyland easily!
• Food I hate at Disneyland that Everyone Else Loves
• 12 Easy Ways to do Disneyland on a Budget

Rope Drop?

Ok, what time do you want to arrive to the parks? I’m a rope dropper, but I an a morning girl.

Rope drop will allow you to get on more rides when it’s less busy, but it’s not for everyone — closing down the parks can be nice too. I rarely do that. I’m old.

But, decide what time you want to get there.

If you want to hit rope drop you want to plan to get to the parks about an hour before it opens to get through security, etc.

Top Rides First

What rides do you want to ride a lot? For us we love to hit Space Mountain first thing and save our Lightening Lane for later in the day because we love that ride.

Other things to think about is rain — outdoor rides may close if it’s raining (more important at Disney World where it rains more) — but I think this is something not a lot of people think about. So, we try to hit outdoor “must-do” rides first.

Beyond rain, rides will randomly close sometimes — so if you have a “must-do” I say hit it early on.

Beyond that — popular rides are awesome to hit early on. I have them listed in my planner here:

Mobile Order In Line

Mobile order is one of my favorite Disneyland things.

It’s just basically ordering your food on your phone. But I love to order when we’re in line for rides (hook onto to Disney wifi if you don’t get a good signal). It allows everyone to pick their food, and then pick the time slot when we will get off. It saves time, eats some wait time and then we can eat as soon as we’re off.

This post talks more about mobile ordering if you need more specifics.

This speaks to one of the most important part of a Disneyland day — being on top of things. Once you use a Lightenin Lane which one are you picking next. When you’re in line do you need to Mobile Order. If you want to get the most out of your park ticket you’ll want to be thinking ahead. If you want to chill out, I recommend Dollywood (love that place).

Mid-Day Break?

Going back mid-day for a little break can be a good use of your time.

I love to stack Lightening Lanes and give us a little break in the afternoon to either take our time eating, or go back to the hotel. Your legs need a break.

There is definitely a strategy to using Lightning Lanes effectively. I detail it here.

Shows/Parades?

Any shows or parades you want to hit — be sure to plan those into your day.

Personally, our family much prefers to ride rides at this point in time, so we hit rides during those times (often they have less lines).

Our strategy has 100% changed since my kids were little. Kids love parades right now, but you hate them? I promise it won’t last forever. I can’t imagine all the moaning I’d get if I asked them to sit for a parade now. 🙂

Exit Strategy

Finally, you’ll want to think about when you’re leaving.

The most popular time to leave is after the fireworks show — and for many people that’s just when you’ll leave.

You just need to know it’s a mob of people.

If you can avoid it, you might be happier. Maybe a late night snack, or another ride on a few favorites will make it less crowded as you leave. Important if you’re taking a shuttle or an Uber (less important if you’re walking to your hotel).

So, that’s how we do a Disneyland day. It all starts with hotel & tickets with Get Away Today. I hope you enjoy your upcoming Disney trip as much as our family enjoys ours. It’s a great day, as long as you know what you want from it!

Here are a few more Disneyland Planning tips that might help you out!

• Disneyland Hotel Packages for Families: Alternative to Costco Travel
• How to Plan a Disneyland Trip: 5 EASY Steps
• Gift Ideas for Someone Going to Disney
• Disneyland Untangled – Making the Most of Your Trip
• When Is Disneyland the Least Busy?
• 4 Things to Avoid When You Plan Your Disneyland Trip
• 6 Ways to Skip the Lines at Disneyland