Cast members at the Disneyland Resort are always looking for ways to help a guest have the most enjoyable visit possible. Here are some tips, straight from Disneyland, on how to stay cool and have fun on a summer visit to the Disney parks.
- Drink plenty of water and stay hydrated.
- Shop between the hours of 2 and 4 p.m. when most guests are enjoying the attractions. Use Packet Express to send your packages to the front of the park or to your hotel room if your a resort guest.
- Go inside to get cool. Disneyland attractions such as the Enchanted Tiki Room, Pirates of the Caribbean and It’s A Small World make perfect places to get away from the heat. At Disney’s California Adventure, try the Golden Dreams theater, Twilight Zone Tower of Terror or Soarin’ Over California.
- Check your guide map for specific times because the theme parks have extended summer hours and often have special entertainment.
- Make sure to bring your autograph book – that way you can prove that you really met Pluto!
Come to think of it, these apply to Walt Disney World too. What other tips do you have?
Meh, those tips are for amateurs. Here’s some more from a out-of-state Annual Passholder
1. Make sure to get a good breakfast. The crappy continental breakfast at your hotel doesn’t count. It’s all carbs, and your body will burn through it in minutes, then you crash. You need protein.
2. Forget shopping between 2-4pm. Instead, go over to DCA in the afternoons when Disneyland rides get really busy. DCA rarely gets very crowded. To maximize your daytime hours, shop in Disneyland after the rides close for the night. Main Street is open for an extra hour. True, it’s crowded during that hour, but it’s not *that* crowded, there’s always plenty of cashiers, and you’re not wasting “ride time.” Plus, all the shops in Disneyland offer the same merchandise, so you can get it all on Main Street at the end of the day.
3. Unless you make a dash right at rope drop and are first in line, or within the first 10 minutes, skip the e-ticket rides for the first hour. The opening lines grow fast and take about an hour to return to normal. Grab a Space Mountain FastPass, go on Peter Pan, and go get a good breakfast instead, then take advantage of the mid-morning slump.
4. Take advantage of Early Entry if you’re using a Park Hopper Bonus Ticket. I’ve been able to ride as many as 7 rides in Fantasyland in that early entry hour. Have you ever seen the walkways of Fantasyland empty? Early Entry is the only way. The rest of the time it’s a stroller derby. This tip doesn’t work for Anal Passholes, of course.
5. DCA is stunning at night, but often closes before dark in the off-season. Make sure to spend an evening strolling around DCA at night if your vacation schedule allows. Grab a beer, margarita, glass of wine or coffee, and enjoy the uncrowded ambiance.
6. Avoid the corn dogs and monte cristos unless you really like giant, greasy gut bombs, and especially if you’re used to eating healthy food.
-Ditto on the big breakfast. I usually go with the big breakfast; late lunch (beat some of the crowds here) and a light dinner.
-Stay hydrated. Can’t stress that enough. My mom, unused to the heat, had a donut for breakfast and wasn’t drinking enough. She was done by lunch.
-Swim! And it doesn’t have to be for long. A half-hour dip and a change a clothes and you’ll feel like a million bucks.
-Hit Fantasyland first. Those lines won’t get any shorter as the day progresses.
-There’s a lot of night-time entertainment at Disneyland. Fireworks, two showings of Fantasmic, and over at DCA, there’s a the Electric Parade. If you can afford to skip these, lines usually drop during these shows. And the crowds really clear out after fireworks.
-Dole whip. Hmmmmmmm.
Package Express has not existed for about 6 or 7 years. You have to take them to specific shops to be “checked.”
Also if you have a room, get out of the parks by 1 or 2 pm and come back in the early evening.
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