Hi there Becky! Welcome to planDisney, you've come to the right place to help plan your magical celebration!
What a wonderful occasion you and your family have to celebrate! We also took a trip for my parents' 50th wedding anniversary, and it is truly one that we will never forget!
When you're ready to begin planning, I always love to secure my theme park tickets and hotel stay first with a
Disneyland Resort Hotel Vacation Package or a Disney-approved
Good Neighbor Hotel Vacation Package. You'll decide which hotel you'd like to stay at, and then how many days you'll want to visit the theme parks. We love staying at a Disneyland Resort Hotel for the proximity to both theme parks, and to take advantage of
early entry. If your party loves to ride attractions, I highly recommend staying at a Disneyland Resort Hotel so you can have access to early entry!
As you're selecting your theme park tickets, you'll be given the option to upgrade your tickets to the
park hopper option, as well as adding
Disney Genie+ Service which will be transforming to Lightning Lane Multi Pass later this month. Since both theme parks are located so close together, I always recommend adding on the park hopper option, it's just a short walk across the Esplanade to get to the other park, and you'll be able to enjoy both parks in one day. Having access to
Lightning Lane entrances will truly save valuable time during your trip since the lines do have shorter wait times, so if your family loves attractions, I highly recommend adding both of these options.
A great benefit that comes with purchasing Disney Genie+ Service (transforming to Lightning Lane Multi Pass later this month) is that you'll receive unlimited digital
Disney PhotoPass downloads from each day that you purchase the service. It would be so special for your entire family to get some wonderful family photos in front of iconic spots around the parks such as in front of Cinderella Castle, on Route 66 in Cars Land, or on Pixar Pier in Disney California Adventure Park! We love to download the photos from our
Disneyland app and print them after our trip.
Our family loves to celebrate with a
special dining experience, and there are so many great options at the Disneyland Resort! You can begin to make
dining reservations up to 60 days prior to your trip, and some of our favorite special restaurants include Blue Bayou Restaurant and Cafe Orleans at Disneyland Park, as well as Lamplight Lounge at Disney California Adventure Park. I would definitely let the restaurant or your server know that you're celebrating such a special occasion!
Whew, I know this was a lot of information, Becky! I'm happy to help answer any others questions you may have, so don't hesitate to
follow-up with me directly if I can help with anything else!
Cheers to 50 years!
Melissa