Greetings, Anand, and welcome to planDisney. As a local who spends plenty of time at the Disneyland Resort with my two little ones, I can certainly provide some tips to help maximize the magic of this trip.
While a two-day ticket will allow you to see a lot, adding a third day can help you enjoy the parks at a more relaxed pace. You’ll be visiting during the
Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival and
Season of the Force, so you'll want to set aside time to experience those as well.
It's quite easy to park hop at the Disneyland Resort. You can walk from one park to the other in just a minute or two. If you decide to add the
Park Hopper option to your tickets, you'll have ultimate flexibility for what you do and when.
That said, it may be best for you to focus on one park per day so you can
immerse yourself in the experiences they offer. My dad recently visited the Disneyland Resort with us using a three-day ticket and we did one park at a time. We spent the first day in Disneyland, the second day in California Adventure, and the third day back in Disneyland. It was perfect!
One upgrade I'd recommend to make the most of your time, Anand, would be the
Lightning Lane Multi Pass. This pass allows you to select return times for popular attractions and then use the Lightning Lane entrance, leading to shorter queues. If you ride most of the
Lightning Lane attractions during your visit, I'd consider it a success.
As far as planning an itinerary goes, I've found it's best to identify priorities in advance for attractions, food, characters, and entertainment. Have each person (including the kids) pick their top two choices in each category and build an itinerary from there. Here are a few favorites of my kids (who are three and six years old):
- Disneyland: Rise of the Resistance, Thunder Mountain, Haunted Mansion, Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway, Mad Tea Party, Mickey's Toontown and Fantasyland, "it's a small world" and Tom Sawyer Island
- California Adventure: WEB Slingers, Radiator Springs Racers, Mater's Graveyard Jamboree, Soarin' Around the World, and Redwood Creek Challenge Trail
Character Dining is a great way to add extra magic. I love Minnie & Friends – Breakfast in the Park at
Plaza Inn in Disneyland. It’s a buffet with Mickey waffles, pastries, and more, plus visits from Disney Characters!
One last tip: Sprinkle in experiences that provide a break for your feet, such as a loop on the Disneyland Railroad, a ride on the Disneyland Monorail, the Enchanted Tiki Room (with a Dole Whip), Mickey's PhilharMagic, Animation Academy, and Turtle Talk With Crush.
Anand, I hope this information helps your plans come together as perfectly as a fairytale ending! If you have any other questions ahead of your visit, please reach out. We at
planDisney are always happy to help!
Wishing you magic,
Kriss