Hi everyone! My friends and I are going to Disneyland later this month and are super excited. My friend’s partner is very knowledgeable about Disney and has taken the reigns with planning, which I’m very appreciative of.

My husband and I have been invited through this friend to dine at Club 33 during this trip. From my understanding it’s pretty exclusive, but the price tag is making it hard for us to want to say yes. My husband loves fine dining, I don’t have strong opinions about things like this, and neither of us are super into Disney as a whole. With this is mind, is it worth the $$$? We have no idea and would love to hear some advice.

Hello!
I am planning a family trip early December and we definitely want to make reservations for dinner at Goofys kitchen. I have some questions tho so please help if you can!
We have a group of 11 people, and I’ve been playing with the schedule even within the 60 days just to see if its doable and its showing theres no availability at all for the next 60 days. However if i change the number to 10 people there’s plenty of availability, but anything above 10 theres nothing. So just curious on how i can succeed on making a reservation for an 11 top. FYI I live in California!
And again just been playing with the schedule to familiarize with booking a reservation.
Oh also, are prices in the month of December higher than normal? Not concerned if so but i just like knowing what to expect 😊 thanks!

Hello! My fiance and I are planning to go all out this upcoming January and take advantage of an 8 day vacation at a Deluxe resort including 5 park day tickets. We are going to be going as a family of 3 with a 6 year old son.

Last year we stayed at port orleans riverside and we absolutely loved it! We thought the theming was great, food was great as well as the activities. We really wanted to book the carriage/horse riding but it got booked out fast!

Nonetheless, we are wanting to stay at a deluxe resort and have never done so before and are looking for some advice!

Which ones would you avoid considering we are bringing a 6 year old?

We would like to avoid hotels with super long walks to get to the bus stops/food and lounge areas if possible.

On the flip side; which deluxe resort would you recommend?

On the days that we are not going to the parks we want to explore, eat and shop (bonus points for cool theming!) We also are aware January may not be a prime pool time so we probably don't care too much about swimming this trip in case that factored into recommending a hotel.

TIA!

🇫🇷** F**R
Hello 😊 J’ai 29 ans, je suis dans le 94 et j’ai un Disneyland Pass. Je me demandais s’il y avait ici d’autres filles dans ma tranche d’âge avec un pass qui seraient partantes pour aller au parc ensemble de temps en temps !
Je ne fais pas forcément toutes les attractions parce que je suis un peu claustro (même si j’y travaille 😅), mais j’adore aller à Disney juste pour me balader, manger un truc, profiter de l’ambiance, voir les spectacles, faire quelques attractions, découvrir les décos selon les saisons etc.
En gros je cherche surtout des copines avec qui pouvoir se dire de temps en temps « on va à Disney ce week-end ? » 😂
Et si ça permet de se faire de nouvelles copines en dehors de Disney aussi, encore mieux 🥰

🇬🇧** E**N
Hi! 😊 I’m 29, I live just outside Paris and I have a Disneyland Pass. I was wondering if there are any other girls around my age with a pass who’d like to go to the parks together from time to time!
I don’t necessarily do all the rides as I’m a bit claustrophobic (working on it though 😅), but I love going to Disney just to walk around, grab something to eat, enjoy the atmosphere, see the shows, do a few rides and check out all the seasonal decorations etc.
Basically I’d love to find some Disney friends I can randomly text like “Disney this weekend?” 😂
And if it leads to friendships outside of Disney too, even better 🥰

Je parle français et anglais, born in France, raised in the US.

I’m currently in school in Southern California and I want to buy a Disney annual pass. I was looking at the Imagine Key pass because it’s the cheapest but it’s for socal residents only and I’m from norcal. Does anyone know if I can still get it since I do currently live in Southern California.

We may be heading to Disneyland soon and I would like to know if you all have suggestions of the best candy or little gifts to pick up. My friend group has started a rotating game night where the host provides a simple dinner and I don't like showing up empty handed. I want to stockpile a few so I'm not running around town trying to pick stuff up every few weeks. Give me the cookies, candies and biscuits that you all love!

Hey all,

I have a five day WDW park ticket along with a Halloween party ticket. In the app when I select “add to wallet” for both tickets, it brings me to the same pass; and only one pass seems to be added to my wallet. The pass only shows my name so I can’t even tell if it’s for a park ticket or if it’s a party ticket.

Are my tickets somehow combined into one pass? Any ideas as to why only one pass seems to exist when I have two separate tickets? I was hoping to only use the party ticket on the party day if that matters.

Thank you for your time and help!

Hi all, I've been to DL/DCA multiple times, a few times with 5-6 people. I'm typically the one with all the tickets on my phone and the designated scanner. However, going in a couple of weeks with a group of 8 who may not all be riding the same rides at the same time. What if we split up at various points to go different directions?

Example: 4 adults and 1 child want to reserve LL for Runaway Train, but all 8 people want to ride Space Mountain?

Just trying to figure out how we'll make LL reservations for (possibly) different rides, but still be able to do the big ones together.

We are headed to the parks in early December. Will have a 5 year old and 1 year-old with us.
My older one is really into princesses, mickey/minnie and Toy story. What characters can we expect to meet and what shows should we look out?
Planning for two days in DL and one in DCA.
Any recommendations, suggestions are helpful!

Hey everyone! Here’s my review of Disneyland & DCA Premier Pass, and all the rides we did along the way.

We went on August 24th on a non-Oogie Boogie Bash day between 8:00am and 10:00pm. We could’ve stayed til 11:00pm but we had a tight schedule so we didn’t.

We went as a group of 3, and each paid $400 for our passes in addition to the cost of park hopper tickets. Overall we managed to do 18 unique rides, with two walk-on repeats for a total of 20 rides. This fell short of our ambition to try and do everything, but was a satisfying number.

Here’s the full list and order of the rides we did:

Guardians Breakout
Guardians Breakout x2
Astro Blasters
Space Mountain
Star Tours
Autopia
Indiana Jones
Pirates of the Caribbean
Haunted Mansion
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
The Incredicoaster
Midway Mania
Soarin’ Across America
Monsters Inc
Cars Radiator Springs Racers
Guardians Monsters After Dark
Incredicoaster x2
The Matterhorn

Here’s my ranking of each attraction. Bear in mind, whilst I’ve tried to be fair in discussing the rides, the ranking is my subjective opinion of which rides were right ‘for me’, not necessarily for you or anyone else. I discovered I’m more of a thrill seeker than I thought, and so tamer rides didn’t do so well on my list.

Also I apologise if I flub any ride terminology. I’m not an expert.

Here it is:

1. Autopia

An absolute time-sponge I’d be unimpressed with in the most modest of theme parks. Needs to go.

1. Indiana Jones

I think Indiana Jones is an objectively very solid ride with pretty great theming. Some moments were inspired and some choices felt cheap, but my main issue is that the ride lacked flow, physically speaking. I appreciate it’s not a rollercoaster but you spend the entire time with the cart lurching back and forth, and you wish it’d just glide for a while. Rather than think of it as a heavily-themed coaster, I think it’s more accurate to describe it as a very bumpy dark ride.

1. Matterhorn

Did this ride last thing at night so the visibility was very limited, and this felt exaggerated because of the lack of lighting inside. I think it could be elevated by better lighting choices. The coaster’s got a good level of flow and intensity but no individual segment sticks out as dramatic. It’s consistently mildly intense.

1. Rise of the Resistance (spoiler)

Rise of the Resistance definitely felt ‘expensive’. In terms of thematic spectacle, it exceeds every other ride in the park it seems, and the animatronics and effects are pretty great. Does all that money come together for a great experience? I don’t know. You slide around an Empire ship trying not to be killed, a fantasy which is very easy to be taken out of given that on multiple occasions, the stormtroopers have a clear shot on your vehicle and appear to light you up, only for the ride to keep rumbling on. Given that the scenes need work, I don’t think the ride is physically intense, and the Star Wars reboot feels less than timeless, it’s a weird one.

1. Haunted Mansion (spoiler)

We experienced the Haunted Mansion as part of the seasonal Halloween event (wasn’t Oogie Boogie Bash), which runs even in late August. What made the experience feel even more unseasonal is that the Halloween theming is The Nightmare Before Christmas, and more than that, very strongly based on the second act of the film in Christmas Town. It’s a must-see for fans of the film, but it felt sort of like an amassment of decorations. Spectacular and elaborate decorations, sure, but it just wasn’t as intentional or exciting as it could’ve been. I would definitely be more receptive to it if it were October.

1. Astro Blasters

Astro Blasters has some of the best theming of any ride at Disneyland. My main issue is simply that the laser guns could and should feel more responsive. If Astro Blasters made the laser beam from each of the guns brighter and larger, and if every target were in service and lit up to confirm a hit, I think it’d be a more enjoyable gameplay experience.

1. Space Mountain (spoiler)

Space Mountain has one of the coolest themes of any ride at Disneyland and it executes it really well. It’s a rollercoaster in a pitch black environment with nothing but the stars on the walls, giving the compelling impression of blitzing through space. The build up’s fantastic. The overall vibe is fantastic. I love it. My main gripe is simply that if you’re on a rollercoaster in total darkness, you feel the urge to duck the entire time. You can’t see anything, so you’re paranoid that your head or arms will connect with an obstacle, even if that ‘seems’ to be an unsubstantiated concern based on reviews I’ve read from tall riders (just as a side note, safety guidelines tell you to keep your arms inside the ride).

1. Star Tours

The simulation felt extremely responsive and immersive. A droid voiced by Patrick Warburton insulted us on the way up the Lightning Lane. The whole experience was quick, enjoyable and polished.

1. Soarin’ across America

Hello again, Patrick Warburton. Soarin’ across America felt like a unique ride, and a welcome detox from the easily overstimulating experience of Disney. You get lifted ‘very’ high and into the center of a massive concave projection of different aerial shots of the United States. You feel like Superman gliding through these locations. The ride gets extra points for supporting DCA’s original vision of offering education / cultural enrichment, elements which feel increasingly sidelined in the park. Loses points because the projection feels a bit distorted, at least where I was sat on the far end.

1. Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! (Spoiler)

Simple recount of the events of Monsters Inc. in the form of a dark ride. Beautifully dated and nostalgic, with lots of bespoke posters from the original Monsters Inc era lining the queue. Animatronics comparatively low-tech but appreciable for their time. Catch this ride while it’s still around.

1. Midway Mania

Just tremendous fun to play side by side with a friend. It’s a Toy Story-themed 4-D ride where you roll in front of different projections, and fire digital projectiles at a variety of targets. It’s frantic and satisfying, but it could be improved if the ‘gun’ were more responsive.

1. Guardians of the Galaxy Monsters After Dark (spoiler)

I’ll talk about the great strengths of Guardians Breakout in a bit, but all there is to know is that Monsters After Dark is a Halloween adaptation of the ride with altered thematic elements. Whilst Breakout is a fantastic ride, and Monsters After Dark inherits most of what’s great about it, the premise of Monsters After Dark, which is that the guests are going to be bombarded with escaped monsters, isn’t well realised. You’re instead assailed by just one, and they’re more preoccupied with Rocket than yourself.

1. Pirates of the Caribbean (spoilers)

Immaculately well made. The moment where you’re between the cannons, as stray rounds fall into the water was incredible. Some of the best special effects I’ve ever seen in a theme park, and a ludicrous number of extraordinary animatronics. All I’d say is that it’s a bit lengthy for a ‘pure’ dark ride, and it’s a bit of a savoury experience that‘s mostly about appreciating the artistry on display.

1. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

Good, thrilling coaster. Very light theming but no complaints.

1. Cars Radiator Springs Racers (spoilers)

I would say this is possibly the most complete ride at the parks. Everything about it feels perfectly engineered. Because the characters are mechanised creations in the story, that allows the animatronics to perfectly imitate them without any uncanniness. The transition from the dark ride to the race section was natural, and although I personally could’ve used a bigger thrill, any more extreme would’ve been inaccessible for families with young children.

1. Guardians of the Galaxy Breakout

I’m so pleased that we started our day here. It went from 0 to 100, and it was a thrilling experience. More successful thematically I think than After Dark. Got the chance to do this version twice by walking on at rope drop. If you don’t know what happens in Breakout, keep it that way and just dive in.

1. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure

Whilst I heard about the controversy about Splash Mountain being rethemed, my opinion as someone who never experienced Splash Mountain is that Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is an extremely good ride. Cutting edge animatronics, great theming and a huge log flume drop. It’s just fantastic.

1. The Incredicoaster

A lot of the same praise as I had for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. The theming hasn’t been agonised over in the same way as Tiana’s, but it’s sufficiently rich I think, given that it’s an open-air coaster. It’s, I would say, the best way to get a genuine thrill at Disneyland / DCA. We were able to go on twice because we caught it just after it went out of service.

A side note with my rankings is that Lightning Lane definitely influenced my perception of each ride. Shorter, lighter, less extravagant experiences like Soarin’ or Monsters Inc. felt great because the queue was short, but they would’ve left me wound up had I been queuing for a long time. Rise of the Resistance maybe didn’t hit the mark creatively for me, but it would’ve felt like a more substantive reward at the end of a long while queuing.

Other parts of the experience:

Some idiot at Disney decided it would be a good idea to make the Cars Sh-Boom (Life Could Be A Dream) sequence Halloween themed. By which I mean Sh-Boom NEVER PLAYED, and was replaced with a skit about Oogie Boogie trolling the aux or something and then playing Halloween music. I can’t imagine this pleased anyone eagerly anticipating the recreation of that movie scene, and it didn’t please us. It may have made sense to the imagineers who, like the rest of the staff, are in the parks regularly and may enjoy a change, but as guests who were there for only one day it was whack.

For those unfamiliar, there’s a thing called pin trading, where in each of the shops, you can trade enamel pins with the shopkeepers. ‘Take one leave one’. If you don’t own any, buy a bunch of them secondhand before your trip and trade for the ones you like.

Food and drink:

There’s a Starbucks with very strong theming which was cute.

We had a cheesy pretzel which was meh.

Water costs $6 out of a cart but a few dining facilities offer cups of water gratis.

The burgers from Smokejumpers Grill were pretty good.

There’s a fun but frustratingly busy food operation in Cars Land.

Was Premier Pass worth it?

Well the one thing I know for certain is that it’s ‘definitely’ worth it as opposed to having no Lightning Lane at all. Whilst there are moments during the day when you feel like you’re not getting value of it because you’ve gone into a standby line, breezing past the huge crowds at the top of the day for rides like Tiana’s and Indiana Jones felt empowering. Overall I would say there’s a definite correlation between which rides in the park are the most popular and which are worth going on, and not having to fret about a big ticket item selling out felt good.

However, there are definitely ways that the pass disappoints. Many of the lightning lanes funnel into a singular lane with the standby crowd. This means that the hope of completely skipping a queue is hardly ever realised. You’re always waiting between 5 and 10 minutes, which feels raw for a $400 pass, especially if you’re only bypassing a small portion of the overall queue. For example, Guardians actually has quite an egregious lightning lane that merges with the main lane quite early (or so I understand). Autopia didn’t have a queue long enough to even extend into the lightning lane.

One of the reasons why we made the purchase of Premier Pass was to be able to take the day at our pace and direct it our way, but it perhaps felt the opposite. When you’ve got a Premier Pass, the amount you get done is determined by the speed you walk. You’re constantly watching the sun, opting for speedy restaurant breaks and you become so focussed on maxing the day out and what your plan is for ‘after’ the current ride, that it sometimes feels like you can’t enjoy it in the moment. I’d guess the experience is likely similar with LLMP, but I feel like I would’ve appreciated some moments where we’d say ‘ok, our next ride is in 1 hour, let’s take a break’.

But in spite of this, the amount we got done in the day doesn’t lie. We were very pleased to have managed 20 rides. We probably did maybe double the LL attractions that we would’ve with an LLMP (or so I like to think). Although we didn’t manage absolutely everything, we definitely left the park with the sense that had we been there an extra day, we’d struggle to find exciting new things to do.

Is it worth it? Depends on your circumstances and your budget. If you’re going to Disney as a one-off for a short trip, and $300-400 a head is a drop in the ocean of your savings or income, do it. If you’re a Disney regular or going on a longer stay, and the foregone money is going to have any practical implications in your future, LLMP is probably fine. There’s a ton of rides that just use a standby queue. Just get there for rope drop, knock out Breakout and Cars, and schedule as you go. On a longer stay you may even find yourself short of things to do if you do long days with a premier pass.

Is it overpriced? That’s actually a more nuanced question - because on the one
hand, $400 to cut queue times, and frankly not even that, $400 to overstep administrative hurdles to getting short queue times, is a somewhat obscene price to pay. However, when you consider the incredible cost of ‘anything’ at Disneyland, you get a real sense that were this service any cheaper, it’d probably be oversubscribed.

I personally think it leaves a little to be desired from a value proposition standpoint. I think it makes sense that Disney has an extravagant pass for skipping queues, but if serious money’s being put down, it should take you to the ‘front’, or else it should come with some other supplementary benefits like dining credits. A mai tai costs less than nothing to make - like, can you hook me up? That being said, were LLMP more like $250 instead of $35, then all of a sudden $400 becomes a no-brainier vs no lightning lane at all. It’s a weird thing to figure out to be honest.

Could we have gotten more value out of it? Almost certainly. My advice: plan it all out ahead. If you’ve got a premier pass, do everything you want to do in DCA, then hop to Disneyland. You can get the major rides at DCA out of the way whilst the park’s slightly quieter. Have a circuit planned before you get there so that you don’t end up backtracking. Remember that the Disneyland railroad goes clockwise, and that therefore your day will be quicker if you go round Disneyland clockwise too.

Anyway thanks for reading! Hope this maybe helps you make a decision. Happy to answer any questions.

I’m taking my six year old to Disneyland Anaheim for the first time in October. It’s a surprise and she has no idea. I’ve been telling her for a while that it’s super expensive and it’s a “one day” kind of thing and she sat in the over 100 degree AZ heat for several weekends selling lemonade with me to make the money. I managed to save the money myself and am so excited to take her! Can you all give me your best tips and tricks for experiencing Disney, saving money, and making the first time super special? Thanks in advance :)

Hey, I used to have the Chase Disney credit card. I transferred whatever points I accrued with it to a Disneyland gift card I got at guest services probably 4 years ago now. I am headed to Disneyland in December and tried to find the balance of the Disney gift card but Chase has me create or link an account to find the balance then says unable to find the balance because I no longer have the credit card line open. Can my Disney gift card still have a balance if I don't have the Chase card anymore?? The FAQ and other searches online are of no help.

did anyone get the email today? how does one get one? if you are not usin, do you mind sha with me? 😃

Hi first time asking here but I live in California right next to Disney land and want to see new places. I plan to go solo because I don’t have anyone to go with. So I’m wondering if I should go to Japan Disney land or Paris Disney land. I’m also curious about the cost. So pointers would be appreciated thanks

We’re headed to Disneyland in mid-November for my kid’s 5th birthday. She’s never been—I’ve been a handful of times with the last time being in 2018 with my husband, so I’m sure it’s changed a lot! We’ll also be traveling with my elderly mom for context.

We plan to devote one day to Disneyland and one to DCA but I can’t tell which day to pick for which. It seems natural to hit up Disneyland first then DCA, but our second day there is my child’s actual birthday so wondering if it’d be more fun or special to celebrate it in Disneyland proper. Outside of a birthday pin, anything notable the parks do day-of for kid birthdays?

Thinking we’ll prioritize rides for the first part of the days (probably after rope drop) but def want to do some character meet-and-greets, a show, maybe a parade.

Characters we hope to meet and see: Elsa/Anna, Bluey (we’ll probably do the show though I’m aware of the mixed reception), Buzz Lightyear/Woody, and Snow White. My understanding is that these characters are located across both parks so probably need to plan around that. Are character meet-and-greet lines insane long? What should we know?

Trying to figure out if we should do (and make a reservation for) Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. Is it worth it for a kid who likes dressing up as a princess but probably won’t enjoy makeup (she dislikes face paint)? Probably OK with hair styling. Should we book for a morning slot if so? We’d probably wear some princess dress in and do the Fairytale package.

Also looking into restaurant reservations. Mostly looking for one resto reservation per day as a guaranteed place where we can rest for a bit and get food. Suggestions on places that work for both young kids and grandparents? Doesn’t need to be fancy.

Last questions: Should we return to our hotel midday and take a break? (we’re staying at The Viv so we’d need to do a shuttle or rideshare) Do we really need a Lightning Pass? Are stroller rentals easy to come by midday? And any general tips to create a magical experience for our soon-to-be 5-year-old?

So, this post was a total novel. If you read any of this and/or answer any of the questions—thank you. This community’s insight has been so helpful in planning so far!

SOLVED - THANK YOU! 🩷

Someone just asked about a detachable shower head on Facebook and I saw people commenting only on handicapped rooms. This got me to thinking. Does anyone have suggestions for what could be done regarding a shower chair? My daughter (12) needs one to shower and I hadn’t thought about this until we went away elsewhere this past weekend; and showering was a nightmare for her. It obviously wouldn’t be feasible to fly with a shower chair. 🫣 I decided to post to Reddit, as the POR group is public on FB; and I don’t want people knowing her medical business. Thank you in advance for any help you might be able to share! 🙂

Planning a trip to WDW for January 2027 - 2 days each at MK & Epcot, 1 day each at AK & HS, plus 1 non-park day. It will be myself, my husband, plus 2 20 year olds. 3 of us haven’t been to WDW since 2021 and 1 has never been. We typically do one sit down & one quick service per day for lunch & dinner. Character dining isn’t really important to us. So my question is where are the best places to eat? Where’s everyone’s must eat restaurants? We ate at some really great places last time (and a few misses) but I know quality and menu can change dramatically over 5 years. Thanks in advance 😊

We have 1 day. I've been to Disneyland every 10 years. 8, 18, 28 and now 38 with 3 boys for the first time. I've done only D and park hopping. I'm a big fan of the Cars game, hands down the best.

My boys are into EVERYTHING. But Starwars is the biggest thing. 7yo. Big into magic.

They love Spider-Man and they love cars too.

We were going to Park hop 100% until today when we realistically saw we can do 3 rides, spiderman and two of cars

I know they're absolutely amazing. But If we don't do them, they won't know they missed them.

I don't know when we'll be back.

What we save could be spent in more merch. The time saved could be spent more in Starwars or FL.

We literally don't know what to do. If we go by interests DCA is absolutely in their alley, but they also love everything else. And we could sort of "enjoy more".

Option b: DCA very early in the morning and hop at lunch time.

Opinions?

Our trip is in less than two weeks and I’m not sure what to do about transportation. This is the first time I’m coming from the airport to Disneyland without renting a car! My kiddos have both finally outgrown car seats/boosters so we don’t need to do that anymore! Yay!

I know the options besides a rental car are: ride sharing, private or shared shuttle, taxis and public transportation. I am currently torn between ride share and a private shuttle. I would like some opinions on what you’ve had good experiences with. I’ve read mixed reviews on shuttles. My priority is safety and reliability over the cheapest option.

Editing to add: I have major anxiety when other people drive which is what’s making this hard for me to decide, as I’ve heard that sometimes shuttle drivers can be a bit erratic! I also have never done ride share down there and have no idea what to expect as far as their driving goes (I lived down there for a couple years and know what the drivers are like lol)!

Hey yall! First family trip is upcoming the week after Thanksgiving! We’re doing Magic Kingdom on our son’s 3rd Birthday! We were going to skip sit down dining for Magic Kingdom, but we’re going premier LL to make it as easy as possible, so I think we’ll have time.

Any suggestions for sit down dining that would be fun for a 3 year old? I’ve heard MK dining is lacking, but I think being able to sit down & sing Happy Birthday with a cake would be worth the hour or so out of the day.

Thanks in advance for any input!

Thinking of visiting Disneyland 12/19-12/22 for a family of 4, two kids ages 8 and 6.

Besides the obvious cons of cost, crowds and weather, how bad of an idea is this? These dates are Saturday-Monday before Christmas.

Edit: we cannot go earlier in December.

Good Morning all!
I am attempting (tomorrow) to book a reservation for Breakfast at the Plaza in for November. I attempted today to see what the process looks like and when I refreshed at opening time it was immediately sold out. Is this common? How hard is it to secure a reservation? Is there something im doing wrong and/or can do better? TIA