Hey there! I have written you a short list on how to avoid long lines at Disneyland. With the cost of tickets going up every year, we need to make the most out of our trips! So, to kick off this list we are going to start with choosing your vacation time wisely!
Choose your vacation time wisely:
Plan a trip that is during offseason, such as Mid-January or most of February.
Utilize the Genie+ Lightening Lane Fastpass system:
Avoid traveling on Holidays or during special events:
Christmas time is beautiful at the Disney parks, but I would not recommend traveling to Disney during the month of December. There are days in early mid-November when the Christmas décor is already up. The crowds will still be high but a little less crowded. Avoid long lines by traveling in November or skip traveling around Christmas time altogether.
Utilize the Rider Switch program when traveling with small children:
For a complete guide on how to use the Rider Switch program and what rides have it, click here.
Download the Disneyland App:
Ride the more popular rides during parades, fireworks or shows.
Get to the park for rope drop:
You can hit at least 4 rides in the first hour you’re in the park.
Pick the ride with the longest wait time as your last ride of the day:
As long as you are in the queue before the park closes, they have to let you on the ride. You may be there for an hour after close to get on Space Mountain, but trust me when I say, the walk out of the park after hours is magical!
Avoid weekends at all costs!
The crowds are significantly higher on Friday-Sunday.
Take advantage of rainy or overcast days:
I just had a family member post photos of her and her daughter, hanging out at the hotel because it was raining while they were there. Don’t let the rain scare you away from having a magical day at Disney! Plan ahead and always pack ponchos!
Know where you want to be:
What does this mean? Know which park you want to be in and what rides are a must for you and your family. This way you can use the Disneyland App to keep track of wait times for your must ride list. How does this save you time? You may want to ride Indiana Jones with a 45-minute wait, but when you pull up the app and you see that Pirates wait time is 10 minutes and the Haunted Mansion is only 15 minutes… That’s 2 rides done before you would even step foot on Indiana Jones! Some rides have a wait time that does not fluctuate that much. If you keep an eye on them, you will see that Indiana Jones hardly ever changes from a 45 minute wait time.
Take advantage of your Magic Morning:
This will allow you to get in the park before other guests on certain days if you are staying at a participating Disney hotel. Check the back of your ticket to see if your ticket qualifies for Magic Morning.
Buy the Individual Lightening Lane pass
See a full review on when it’s worth purchasing and what it is here.
Make your in-park breakfast reservations for well before the park opens:
For example, if the park opens at 9:00am, try to get a breakfast reservation for 8:00am. Why? Because once you are done with breakfast, they will not kick you out of the park to stand in line again. You will be able to roam Mainstreet and perhaps take a crowd-free photo in front of the castle. Once a cast member drops the rope to open the main areas, you will be one of the first people in line for your favorite ride!
Avoid traveling during the summer vacation or any school breaks.
Stay at one of the Disneyland Resorts for easy entrance.
What are your secrets for avoiding long lines for your favorite rider? Let us know, leave a comment below!
Let us help you plan your next magical trip to Disney! Going to Disney can be very expensive, to save money on meals and snacks check out Our Favorite Snacks article. We go over our favorite snacks to bring to Disneyland. You will save massive money taking in your own meals and snacks. Our Items to Buy Before Your Next Trip to Disneyland post will go over what to buy and pack to save you time and of course more money. Follow us on any of our social media platforms for more tips and Disney fun!
Want to save money on Disneyland tickets? Undercovertourist.com has discount tickets for Disneyland! You can take advantage of a layaway program where you can make payments on your vacation with Getawaytoday.com! Use our promo code DTAT10 to save $10.00 off of your next Disney trip.
1 thought on “How To Avoid Long Lines At Disneyland!”