I’ll happily spend time reading about how families travel… from how they get from A to B, to where they stop to eat, to what the timing of their days are like.
I figure it’s time I gave back and shared what we do on a typical day of our trips to Disneyland and Disney California Adventure.
First, let me tell you a bit about our Disney group:
- We’re 3 adults (me and my parents) and 3 kids (ages 4, 7, 11 at the time of writing).
- We travel from Washington state to Anaheim in the summer, by car or plane
- We typically spend 4 days in the parks – Disneyland, CA Adventure, CA Adventure, Disneyland. We always like to spend our last day at Disneyland.
- I (mamma) have been visiting since 1980, and I’ve bringing my kid(s) since 2015
- We seek value – we buy fast passes (or whatever they’re called at the moment) but stay in budget hotels. We wear the same Disney shirts year after year, but pick up a souvenir or four each trip.
Here’s how a typical day looks for us on a Disneyland / California Adventure trip:
Quickly, Pre-Trip…
When we arrive in Anaheim, we go to a grocery store (Target is the best option we’ve found close to where we’ve been staying – the Alpine Inn).
If we arrive by car, we drive to/from Target. If we arrive by plane, we have our airport driver drop my mom and I off (with the stroller) at Target and we walk home.
At the grocery store, we stock up on:
- Sandwich supplies (bread, mayo, lunchmeat, cheese, lettuce, avocado, etc)
- Snacks (chips, carrots, hummus, pretzels, etc)
- Drinks (juices, soda, etc)
- Breakfast foods (yogurt, milk, cereal, oatmeal, etc)
- Fresh fruit (usually grapes and apples)
Helpful Tip: Bring a cold bag if you’re visiting in the summer, or your food will get hot on the walk back to the hotel. We usually arrive and go to Target in the evening so the heat hasn’t been a problem.
Good To Know: We also bring food in our suitcases (we carry-on). We make a run to Costco and get bulk bags of beef jerky, fruit snacks, etc.
We also remind the kids about our family plan if someone happens to get lost. You may roll your eyes and think it couldn’t happen to you, but it happened to us once so we go over the plan, just in case. [What happened, you ask? We got separated from our son coming out of the crowded Enchanted Tiki Room. We found him about 1 minute later with a Disneyland employee… but that was a very long minute.]
Wake Up and Get Ready
Rise and shine! Double-check the Disneyland and Disney California Adventure daily calendars for the park opening hours.
We wake early so that we can get to the park before it opens.
Good To Know: We no longer arrive an hour early (or more) so we can be first in line. We’ve done all of the rides and feel comfortable walking in and making our way to the rope drop before the park officially opens, but we don’t need to be the first in line for our first ride.
I lay everyone’s clothes out (except for my parents, they’re still good at dressing themselves) the night before.
Good To Know: I make sure my boys are clean (showered) the night before so we don’t have to get up early to deal with showers. Keepin’ It Real: Do they shower every night on our Disney trips? No.
Make Sure We’ve Got Everything We Need
Before leaving the parking lot of the Alpine Inn, we make sure we have:
- Hats, sunglasses, sunscreen
- Water bottles with ice from the ice machine by reception
- Snacks
- Backpacks (adults)
- Charged phones with the Disney app and we share our locations on WhatsApp. I also make sure each adult can pull up the tickets on the app on their own, which is helpful in the event someone goes back to the hotel and re-enters later on their own.
- External chargers with the right cords
Walk to Disneyland or Disney California Adventure and Go Through Security
The walk from the Alpine Inn to the security lines just outside the entrances takes about 15 minutes.
Sometimes, instead of eating breakfast in the room, we send one adult (and sometimes a kid, if he wants to go) about 15 minutes before the others to stop at the McDonald’s near the entrance. Then, we all meet up on the other side of security, have breakfast on the ‘Mickey ear’ benches, and walk to wait in line. If we’re running behind, we just bring our McDonald’s bag into the park and eat breakfast when we get a chance.
Wait in the Park Entrance Line
From the east entrance security lines, we head left to wait for CA Adventure, or right to wait to enter Disneyland.
Good To Know: There are toilets after security on the left, just in case you need to go before you wait in line to enter the park.
Enter Disneyland or Disney California Adventure
We enter the park and buy fast passes (again, I’m not sure what they’re called at the moment). We think it’s worth buying these so we can skip the line for some of the more popular rides.
Enjoy the morning!
We try to hit up the rides that are most important to us first. Then, the afternoon is more relaxed because we don’t have any ‘musts.’ Everyone in the group gets to pick a ride.
Don’t forget to take advantage of rider switch if you have a baby or smaller child with you. Scan your tickets when you enter with your original group and the adult who has to wait with the baby/young child can go on the same ride with 2 other riders.
Walk Back to the Hotel for Lunch
Yes, you read that right. We walk back to the hotel for lunch. Why? Because when we visit in the summer, it’s so hot and draining midday. A quick break during lunchtime refreshes everyone! Thanks to my dad for the suggestion that’s now a fixed part of our routine.
We swim in the pool, eat lunch, take naps, hide from the sun.
If we don’t feel like making lunch (usually sandwiches and fruit), we’ll grab takeout near the hotel (there are a few places on the corner of Katella & South Harbor Boulevard).
Walk Back to Disneyland or Disney California Adventure
Refreshed, we walk back to the park in the late afternoon.
We often stop for a Slurpee at the 7-11 on the way.
We walk through security, into the park, and dominate the evening! We go on any rides we missed in the morning, or repeat our favorites. We also try to meet any characters we missed in the morning.
We have dinner at the park if we’re staying late (yes, my older boys and I sometimes stay ‘til midnight). Otherwise, we stop and have something to eat on the walk back to the hotel or one of us will pick up takeaway and bring it back to the hotel.
Back to the Hotel & Good Night!
Off to bed (showers first!), and we do it all again the next day!
Good To Know: While we do sometimes stay up really late, we usually do this toward the end of the trip (often the last day) so we don’t get worn out at the beginning.
I hope this helps a bit. Do you have a routine for Disneyland? If so, let us know what you do!
Are you a Disney fan? You’ll want to check out
13 Disneyland Tips for Your 1st (or 13th!) Visit
Our Disneyland (& California Adventure) Basic Routine
Budget Hotels for Your Disneyland Trip
How to Daytrip to Huntington Beach from Disneyland
Tokyo DisneySea with Kids
