A great warm welcome to you, Drew, and I'm glad you brought this great question to planDisney! You'll be a conquering hero like Hercules when you arrive at
Disneyland Resort, so let's try to plot the best strategy for victory. Since your must-dos might differ from mine, I will focus on some tips to maximize your time. We all know that kids and Disney go together, but I've learned that you can experience just as much magic, if not more, on adult-only visits.
The first way to utilize your time wisely is to arrive early on both mornings. Lines will form at the gates, so I'd recommend being in the entrance line about 45 minutes before the park opens. If you're staying at a
Disneyland Resort Hotel, you can enter both parks 30 minutes before the listed opening time, so take advantage of that. Those first couple hours after the parks open is prime time to accomplish activities like rides and photos while the crowds are low, so I can't stress how important that will be for a two-day visit. Set that alarm clock, Drew!
My next time-saving tip is to purchase
Genie+. This service was awesome on my recent visit to both parks because it allowed me to bypass the standby queues on many popular attractions and use the
Lightning Lanes. With the time you save, you can do so much more during your park day. And Genie+ has the bonus of giving you digital downloads of your
PhotoPass and ride photos. Since you can choose a new attraction every two hours, I found it helpful to set the alarm on my phone to remind me. I tend to get caught up in the Disney magic and forget!
You have to eat, Drew, but since you're on a time budget, I recommend scheduling one sit-down meal each day so that you and your friends can take a moment to relax and regroup. You can book dining 60 days in advance, so choose a unique dining experience like
Blue Bayou Restaurant at
Disneyland Park or
Lamplight Lounge at
Disney California Adventure Park. Those are two of my favorites! Use
Mobile Ordering in the
Disneyland Mobile App to save time at Quick Service restaurants for your other meals or just grab some snacks. The churros at Disneyland Resort are unbeatable.
Drew, I could talk park strategy all day, so if you have specific questions or need recommendations, please
stop by planDisney anytime. The crowds will cheer when they see your face, my friend!
Magic awaits,
Elaine