First Time At Disneyland Resort? Everything You Need To Know (2026)

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Visiting Disneyland for the first time had been a dream of ours for years — and when we finally made it happen with our girls at 3 and 5, it was every bit as magical as we’d imagined. Exhausting, yes. Expensive, absolutely. But the look on their faces walking down Main Street for the first time made every bit of it worth it.

We’ve been to many Disney Parks since and picked up plenty of tips along the way. This guide covers everything we wish we’d known before that first visit.

The Ultimate Disneyland Travel Guide & First Time Tips

While many of these tips will apply for Disney themed parks around the world, for the purpose of this article, our focus is on the Anaheim Disneyland parks – Disneyland and California Adventure Park and how to make the most of your first visit!

Before You Go

Doing your research before you go is going to ensure your trip is as incredible as you hope!

We did a lot of research in the lead up to our trip to make sure our visit went smoothly and we got to do and see as much as we could in the time we had!

The costs for a Disneyland trip are usually pretty high so you want to save a few dollars where you can by doing some pre-planning at least a couple of months out!

And being your first trip, no doubt you will want a fun Disney trip reveal idea to surprise your family!

Best Time To Go To Disneyland

The best time to visit Disneyland is during the quieter months — typically early September to late November, and mid-January to late February.

Crowds are lower and the weather is usually more comfortable.

If you’re visiting during peak times like school holidays or summer, expect bigger crowds and plan accordingly.

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If you’re visiting with younger kids, shorter days may work better as it can be a long and tiring experience.

If visiting theme parks with very young kids, one day at each may be plenty as little people get tired quickly and there are a few things they won’t be old enough to do yet, like the big thrill rides.

Disneyland Tickets

Your First Visit to Disneyland

WOOHOO!!! Your first visit!

Arrive early — ideally 10–15 minutes before opening.

Although Disneyland Resort has nothing on Tokyo Disneyland lines before opening. Holy moly that’s an eye opener!

The first point is a bag search before you reach the actual gates.

There are a few things on the banned list… the usual offenders – weapons, alcohol etc and then the one that gets a lot of people, no selfie sticks!

They were banned from Disneyland parks a couple of years back so make sure you leave yours at home or at the hotel!

Head straight to your top rides before the crowds build.

If rides are your first priority, making a beeline to the most popular ride first… or using a Lightning Lane pass, both will be your best option!

Use the app to check wait times and plan your next moves.

👉 The first few hours of the day are the most important.

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Magic Mornings

If you have a 3 or more day ticket, you get a special bonus included – a Disneyland magic morning.

Magic mornings happen a couple of days a week on set days at both parks and allow eligible ticket holders to enter the park an hour earlier than the standard entry times.

If you are able to plan your trip around a Magic Morning, we highly recommend it!

Our first day was a Magic Morning at Disneyland, and we got in the park super quickly, and we got on 3 or 4 rides before the crowds spilled in.

It gave us a huge head start on the day and allowed us to see and do so much more in our 1 day at the park!

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Lightning Lane — Is It Worth It?

If you’re visiting for the first time, you’ll quickly hear about Lightning Lane — Disneyland’s paid skip-the-queue system. There are two options currently available:

Lightning Lane Multi Pass gives you access to shorter Lightning Lane queues at a selection of popular rides, one at a time throughout the day. Once you’ve used your current selection, you can book the next one. It’s purchased per person, per day through the Disneyland app.

Lightning Lane Premier is the premium option — it lets you skip the queue at the most in-demand attractions like Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and Radiator Springs Racers without booking windows. It costs significantly more but is sold per ride rather than as a day pass.

Our take: For a first visit with kids, Multi Pass is worth considering — especially on busy days or if you only have one day in the park. We didn’t use it on our first trip and missed out on a couple of rides we really wanted to do, partly also because the kids were so young.

These days, we almost always splurge on some form of premier access to skip the queue on popular rides. We don’t want to spend our day in massive lines!

That said, if you arrive early, use the app to check wait times, and hit the most popular rides first thing, you can have a great day without it. It’s not essential — but it does give you breathing room.

On The Day Of Your First Visit To Disneyland

Having a rough plan of the must-do rides and attractions you don’t want to miss before you arrive will help you prioritise your time and fit a lot more in, however, a great way to structure your day is around the set attractions you want to see.

If there are certain shows or parades you would like to see, make sure you know what times they are.

And be mindful that you will need to arrive around half an hour or so earlier to get a good spot… sometimes even sooner for the night time attractions!

Then you can work out the pockets of time to fit everything else in!

There usually isn’t too much scheduled early in the day so this is the best time to fit in some rides, especially before the lines get long!

The same goes for that late afternoon period when a lot of people start making their way home. Some of the ride lines end up quite short again not long before it starts to get dark.

Disneyland parks are open for long hours so you may not want to stay all day! Especially if with young kids.

Our first day was massive, staying for the Disneyland electrical parade by not the fireworks. It was an exhausting day even with little people taking in turns for a nap in the pram!

What To Eat At Disneyland

What To Eat At Disneyland

There are plenty of food options inside the parks, from quick snacks to full meals.

Food can be expensive, so it’s worth budgeting ahead or bringing your own snacks to save money.

Or you could always pack your own snacks and meals if you wanted. Simple foods like sandwiches and fruit would be a good option and easy to transport.

Souvenirs At Disneyland

Souvenirs can quickly add up, especially with kids. This is one of the really big expenses that some people sometimes fall into the trap of when caught up in the excitement of all things Disney!

We have a limit of one new pair of Mickey ears per visit and even that is a big splurge!

But you can also find cheaper alternatives outside the parks.

Special Events At Disneyland Resort

Disneyland are known for putting on some pretty epic special events through the year to coincide with seasonal celebrations.

These are some of the best times of the year to visit however they are also some of the busiest.

Halloween, Easter, Food and Wine Festivals, and of course, Christmas!!! There is so much going on during these times and it can be downright chaotic.

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Accommodation Near Disneyland

Unless you are an Anaheim local or have friends nearby, you will likely need accommodation for your stay.

There are so many options within walking distance to the Disneyland Resort area.

There are also Disneyland resorts too so you can enter and exit the park straight to your hotel! A fantastic convenience.. but expect the much higher price that goes with it!

There are many resorts and hotels in the area that are noted as ‘Good Neighbourhood Hotels‘ as well. These are not associated with Disneyland, however they are recommended accommodation in the area.

They range between economy and premium pricing to suit everyone’s budget and many have shuttle services or similar available to take you to the park if you are not wishing to walk.

You can find the best hotels near Disneyland.

First Visit To Disneyland Quick Tips

• Do your research
• Know your top see & do rides and attractions before you go
• Buy tickets online before you go
• Install the app and add your passes
• Arrive at the gate early
• Make use of Lightning passes & Magic Morning entry
• Take your own snacks to save $$
• Get cheap souvenirs from the surrounding gift shops
• Stay at a Good Neighbourhood Hotel for more budget-friendly accommodation
• Arrive early for parades and shows to get a good viewing point
• HAVE A BLAST!!!