7. It's Time!!

Question 7: It's time to go! Any travel tips?

You must be so excited! It's time to head off to Disneyland! I do have just a few tips to get you through the long journey to Anaheim. As for tips of what to do when you're in the parks, that is another post for another day. Be patient! :)

When I'm on my way to the Happiest Place on Earth, I like to fully immerse myself in all things Disney. I spend a couple of weeks beforehand watching all the vital Disney movies, and listening to my Disneyland and Cars Land soundtracks.

Whether you are driving or flying, you've probably got a few hours to kill. As far as music goes, obviously Disney is a must! If you don't already have your own collection, I do have some tips on how to get your hands on a hefty amount. The most obvious (and most expensive) is the iTunes route. Just buy some of your favorites. To get a quick selection of the best disney music, simply hit up Disney's Greatest, volumes 1, 2, and 3. 
If you don't want to spend the money to actually buy any of these albums, the next route to go is something like Spotify. If you pay for Spotify Premium (which is currently $10/month) you can save playlists to your phone or tablet to use offline (so you can listen on an airplane!). Or you can simply access their entire library from a mobile device with an internet connection.
If you want the completely free route, simply make a Disney station on Pandora. This is great to use if you're driving to Disneyland and have a smartphone. The smartphone app is free across all devices, and in my experience it doesn't take up a completely ungodly amount of your data plan, although it could vary across devices. I'm not sure on those kind of specifics. You can also make a playlist to use on Spotify, which has a free version that is riddled with ads and doesn't always play exclusively what is on your playlist. It's kind of like Pandora part 2 if you're using it on a phone.

If you have kids there are a few things that you simply must have on your trip, whether driving or flying. I always like to have a few Disney coloring books. They keep me quiet and focused...hopefully they will do the same for your children. You can get some good coloring book packages at most supermarkets, as well as craft stores. 

As far as the driving itself goes, there are the obvious car supplies. Baby wipes and napkins, a small garbage bag, movies to watch, snacks to eat...but there is one other thing I usually like to add to the trip. As you may know, smell is the sense most strongly associated with memory. When I go on these trips, I like to pick a scent for the drive. I usually go to my local Bath & Body Works and get their Scentportables for my car. They all smell so good, and then every time you smell the particular scent you chose you will remember your fun Disney trip. It may seem silly, but I think it's kind of nice when I put a nice scent in my car and then I get just a little bit of Disney memory throughout my day. And at BBW, their scentportable scents often branch out to their Wallflowers or even lotions! You can wear your Disney memories! Alright I'm starting to sound crazy, lets move on :)

If you are getting into Anaheim the day/night before your first Disney day, there are some things you can do to get a little taste of the magic before you're in the park. I usually go to dinner at Downtown Disney, which is a shopping district that is totally free to enter and right next to the parks. In fact, parking is free for the first two hours, possibly longer if you get validations from various shops. So if you have a car, driving there isn't too inconvenient after all! There are a lot of great restaurants in Downtown Disney, and they each have a completely different style and type of food. My personal favorite for when I get in a little late would be the ESPN Zone. They have this Philly Cheesesteak Pizza that is to die for. And the best thing about it would have to be the fact that it is actually an appetizer, so it won't completely break the bank! There are also shops filled with activities for the munchkins. There is a Build-A-Bear Workshop, there is a place where you can build your own racecar, and there is even a Lego shop! Not to mention the World of Disney store...basically all the Disneyland shops mushed into one big store. It's fantastic. 

Seriously though this pizza is completely amazing...we had to go back for seconds another night!

If you go to Downtown Disney, make sure to go walk through the Esplanade. If you didn't already know, the Esplanade is the space between the entrance gates of Disneyland and California Adventure. Obviously, since you wouldn't actually be in the parks, walking through the Esplanade doesn't cost a thing! And yet the atmosphere there and the music gives me the chills every time. Walking through the Esplanade just may be one of my favorite parts of the trip, it gets me so excited for the next morning! 

I think the rest of my travel tips are just widely known little things you can do to make things a bit easier. For instance, if you are flying don't check any baggage if at all possible. Not only will this save you money, it will save you a lot of time that you would have spent at baggage claim. This is especially important if you are flying into California the morning of your first Disneyland day. If you are only going to be at Disneyland Resort and you're not planning on needing to drive anywhere else, consider getting a shuttle, taxi, or Uber from the airport instead of renting a car. It can be a lot cheaper, and you won't get lost on your way to the hotel. And then when you're ready to go home, a shuttle can come and pick you up at the hotel...again, no getting lost. 

And my biggest travel tip, which actually is a part of packing your suitcase...LEAVE ROOM IN YOUR BAGS OR CAR FOR SOUVENIRS!! I don't know about you, but I have never been able to leave Disneyland without at least one big bag of goodies for myself and the people who begged me to bring something back for them. Don't make the mistake of having to carry bags and bags of souvenirs through the airport. 

Those are my basic travel tips, feel free to comment with any questions, or ideas I should add to the post!

Happy planning! :)

UPDATE JULY 2014:
Unfortunately, that incredible, amazing, delicious philly cheesesteak pizza has been discontinued at the ESPN Zone. I arrived there on my next trip, in December, and not only was the pizza (or any other pizza) not on the menu, but when I asked if they could pretty please make it anyway (I'm not usually THAT customer but this pizza is really important to me) they told me they don't have the stuff to make pizzas anymore. I am sad, but at least they still had nachos.

6. One More Week!

Question 6: Just one more week, anything else to do?

You're almost there! Just one week until your trip!  There's not really anything major to do in terms of planning, but there are a few things you can do!

First, and most important, you need to print off any tickets you might need. This includes your plane tickets, park tickets (only print those if you want/need to - they can scan your e-ticket directly from a smartphone now!), ride max itineraries, driving directions... Whatever needs to be printed, go ahead and do it. After you've printed those important documents, put them somewhere safe where you won't forget to bring them with you. I would recommend putting them in a file folder and then into your backpack, or whatever you are going to use as your carry-on on your flight (that way if your luggage goes AWOL you still have all the important stuff). If you are driving, perhaps put those things in a safe space in your car or in a backpack you know you are taking with you. Either way, do NOT forget them! But they should be on your packing list you've been making for the past week, right? ;)

Head to the store (if you haven't already) and stock up on medicine-type items. Grab some band-aids (maybe the kind with Mickey Mouse on them? Just a suggestion....), some painkillers, and some Dramamine for when you get car/plane/Star Tours sick. I would recommend getting this stuff more than just a couple of days before you leave (hence its presence on this post as opposed to another one) because you never know when your usual store will be out of stock of something you need. And you don't want to be out going to multiple stores the night before a huge trip! Don't do that to yourself. And that may seem unlikely, but the store I go to the most is out of Dramamine more than it should be. 

And you'll probably need that Dramamine if you want to ride this beauty multiple times!

While you're out at the store, you might want to stock up on gum. I'm the type that has to chew a stick of gum after every meal. So if you're anything like me you'll need to bring your own, because guess what...you literally cannot purchase gum anywhere in the Disneyland resort. I've heard that this is because Walt Disney didn't want anyone to have to step on gum while they are in his park. Whether or not that is the real reason is beyond me, but that doesn't change the fact that Disneyland doesn't sell gum. (And I'm talking the entire resort, including California Adventure. Not just the Disneyland park itself.) 

If you haven't already, procure yourself a ride to the airport, if you need one. Don't wait till the day before to frantically start calling around. C'mon now.

See, I told you there isn't much to do! Just finish up your homemade autograph books and shirts and you'll be just about ready to go! Now go watch Disney movies till your eyes fall out! :)

Happy planning!

5. Two Weeks Left!

Question 5: It's coming up soon, what else do I need to do now?

It probably seems like the planning never ends! But I promise, everything from here on out is much much easier. 

A lot of your planning is done at this point. You've got your plane tickets, hotel reservations, Disneyland tickets, restaurant and character dining reservations, you've ordered your various gadgets and fun things online... what else could there possibly be?

Well lemme tell ya!

First of all, this is the time to make sure you've ordered anything you were going to order online for your trip. Get those last-minute orders in, to make sure you have everything! 

Now, this is the time that I like to start making lists. I'm just that type of person, but I recommend you become that person too so you can make sure you don't leave anything important at home. There are a couple of different lists you should be making. The more obvious being a list of things to pack in your suitcase...clothes, shoes, phone charger, shampoo, that kind of stuff. I've made a sample list here. It probably doesn't have everything you will need, as everyone's trips are different...but it has various items for different types of weather, and most importantly it includes your plane/park tickets and things of that nature. The easiest way I find to make a list is to start one on my phone, and add to it ANY TIME I think of something else to put there. My biggest tip about making your list is to include even the most obvious and tiny things that you think you might never forget. Like your makeup. I've almost left that at home because I left it off the list! And do NOT delete an item or check it off of your list until it is IN your suitcase. You don't want to forget anything when you will be so far from home.

Another type of list you can make is a shopping list. You probably don't want to buy all your snacks two weeks in advance, especially if you want to bring along a lot of fruits and other perishables. But a list never goes rotten, so list away! And make sure to add the little things to your list!

There are a few things you can definitely buy two weeks in advance though, if you so desire. Start grabbing some travel items. Travel size tissues, hand sanitizer, extra batteries... the little things you'll keep in your fanny pack or backpack. Also make sure you grab medicines. Things like Advil or Tylenol, and ESPECIALLY Dramamine! As I've been getting older, I've come to love more and more the huge thrill rides like California Screamin' and Tower of Terror. Unfortunately, another effect of aging (Ha I'm acting like I'm so old...I'm only 23.) is that I get motion sick much easier than I used to. Dramamine is an absolute must for me on these trips, or at least it is if I want to ever ride Star Tours! 

I love this ride, but sometimes it makes me sea-sick!

There are only a couple more things I would suggest doing at the two-week mark, and they are typically for those of you traveling with kids.

When you go, the kids will definitely want to meet some princesses and other characters. An easy way to add to the fun is to get their autographs as well! However, the autograph books at Disneyland can get expensive... a fun things to do a couple of weeks before the trip is to have the kids make their own autograph books! Cute, right? Just head over to your local craft store and grab some construction paper and a few little scrapbooking supplies. And I'm sure you can find a cute Disney pen at your local supermarket. 

Make sure they have an autograph book for when they meet their favorite princesses (and princes!)

While you're at that craft store, grab a few blank t-shirts and fabric pens and have the kids make a Disneyland shirt as well! They can put whatever they want on it, and I can guarantee you it will save you tons of money on the outrageously priced Disneyland merch. And imagine how excited they will be to show their favorite princess the shirt and autograph book they made! That's a kind of cuteness that can't be found anywhere else. I'm already excited for you just thinking about it!

Speaking of kids, make sure you measure their height so that you already have an idea of which rides they may not be able to ride. You can click here for a list of all the attractions in both parks, make sure you take a look at the height requirements.

The last thing (and possibly the most important) I would suggest doing before you leave is to start looking at that attractions list above - get yourself a game plan! You don't need to create anything down to the minute, but definitely get an idea of what things you definitely want to do and what things you might skip of you find you are low on time. Again, this can all go back to lists. Sit down with the whole group and find out what everybody considers a "must-ride" and what everybody would be okay skipping. Do this with the park entertainment as well. This can save you a surprising amount of time. There was a time that I went with extended family, we had 4 families as well as the grandparents...all that good stuff. I can't tell you how irritated I got when the entire group would just stop and talk about what they wanted to do next, and what the kids wanted to do, and what they shouldn't do....they never had those conversations beforehand and it cost us a LOT of time! Disneyland is expensive, so every minute counts...don't waste your park time with conversations you could have had weeks ago.

So go have fun making your own cute Disney stuff for your trip!

Happy planning!

4. One month out!

Question 4: Everything's booked, now what?

I hate to break it to you, but your planning and preparation is not done quite yet! There is still a lot you can do to prepare and make sure your trip will be as easy and pleasurable as possible. 

There are a few things that you can do when your trip is about a month away. Some of these things are all about your activities at the park, and some of these things are to make those activities easier. 

Park Activities:

• Make reservations for any restaurants you may want to visit. Back in the olden days (early 2013) you had to call Disneyland to get any meal reservations, and you could only do it 30 days in advance. Now, not only can you do it 60 days in advance, but you can do it online right here!! Their reservation site is pretty easy to use, and you can even tell them about any dietary restrictions you have so they can accommodate your meal. Not every restaurant takes reservations, but some of the ones that do fill up very quickly. I'm mostly talking about the Blue Bayou. You can also make reservations for character dining, my favorite of which would have to be at Goofy's Kitchen.
• Update: You can also make reservations on the Disneyland app, and your reservation will then show up on your "My Plans" section so you don't forget!

One of my personal favorites... Cafe Orleans!

• Book some Disneyland Tours. Whether you've been to Disneyland two times or two hundred times, tours are a really fun way to get to know the park a little better than you did before. There are lots of different tours to fit your interests, and they all include various little gifts in the price. Look at and reserve tours here. Annual Passholders get a discount!
• Book activities in your hotel. If you are staying at one of the Disneyland Resort hotels, they have plenty of activities for everyone in the family. Take a look at the Grand Californian, the Disneyland Hotel, and the Paradise Pier Hotel.

Prepare yourself:

This is the time to start ordering things online that you might need for your trip. Not that shipping takes an entire month, but you're going to want to have adequate time to do your research not only to make sure you get the best quality products, but to make sure you find out about the best products to begin with. Here are a few things that could greatly benefit your trip:

• Frogg Toggs Chilly Pad. This is a super nifty little gadget that you are definitely going to love if you are going at a warmer time of year. When the towel gets wet, by some type of magic it becomes colder than the air outside. All you need to do is give it a splash and wring it out! Once the towel warms up a bit, just get it wet again. This will be your best friend at Disneyland in the summer!
• Camera/photography equipment. You're definitely going to want about a kajillion pictures from your awesome trip, so make sure you have a good camera! My personal tips (specific to Disneyland) as far as digital cameras go are as follows:
• Make sure it has good zoom! You'll see things from far away that you'll want cool pictures of. Or maybe the thing you want to snap a picture of is blocked my massive crowds. This might sound silly, but trust me, you'll use that zoom. A lot. 
• Make sure it's durable! You're going to be using that camera quite a bit over a number of days, you don't want it breaking on you. It might also get a little wet, or you might drop it a couple of times when you're scrambling to grab it when you see your favorite character. 
• Battery life is crucial. There are days that the park is open for 12-14 hours. If you're anything like me, that's 12-14 hours of potential Kodak moments. I go to the parks for the entire day, and I take a LOT of pictures. I don't need my camera dying on me, and I'm sure you don't need that either.
• Portable battery chargers. Speaking of my camera battery dying, I'm definitely going to need to make sure that none of my other electronics die either. Due to the fact that it is 2016 and everything needs to be posted online, my phone battery is at risk. Luckily, there are some pretty dang cool portable chargers out there. My personal favorite is the Flexion Power Bank Card. It's small, lightweight, easy to use, and it charges my phone quickly and fully. Its default cord is a micro USB, but it comes with a lightning adapter for Apple phones. This little guy is just the size of lipstick, and it can typically give you around two full phone charges, depending on your phone. I've heard that this one is also pretty good. 
• Mini USB power strip. Everyone knows that hotels are seriously lacking in electrical outlets, especially if you have a whole family trying to plug in their smartphones, tablets, cameras, etc. This guy not only has multiple outlets, but a couple of USB outlets for any of your devices that don't plug directly into the wall!
• Pedometers. Have you ever been to Disneyland for an entire day, and when you get back to your hotel and put up your aching feet wonder "Goodness, how much walking did I do?!" Well, take wondering out of the equation. I only started doing this last time I went, but I got everyone pedometers and it was a lot of fun to see how far we had walked throughout the days! I got this one from amazon, and it was great. It even kept a running total of my entire trip, which was great to look at. It comes with a little strap, but you can also get a belt clip for it. I got one and was so glad that I did. 
• A small wallet/business card holder. This is something you may not think of, but it comes in handy if you are trying to lighten your load. Or even if you just want a safe little holder for all your valuable Disneyland tickets! Etsy usually has some really cute ones at a reasonable price, and some of them are even made from Disney materials! You can also find some on Amazon, of course. Or just about anywhere that sells wallets. Anyway, I loved having a teeny little wallet in my fanny pack (yes I carry a fanny pack at Disneyland...don't judge, it's so handy!). It didn't take up much space, and it allowed me to just take my debit card, ID, and Disney passes. SO much easier than carrying around a huge wallet!
• Speaking of fanny packs... Guys, I know they get a bad rep but fanny packs are SO awesome to have at Disneyland! They're never that big, so they can't really get heavy and they make you really limit what you can take. Which may not sound like a good thing, but if I took a backpack to Disneyland I know I'd be toting around a whole bunch of things that I didn't really need. A fanny pack is hands-free, you don't really need to think about it AND it keeps all your stuff at extremely easy access. This is the fanny pack that I use, but of course find one that you like. I didn't order mine online, however. I managed to find it at a sporting goods store. I will say though, if there is a certain day that you know you will be buying a lot of souvenirs and your hotel isn't close enough to make a midday run to drop off all your new toys, you might want to have a full size backpack to carry stuff in. Make sure it's just about empty when you get to the park though!

You probably don't need a fanny pack this big though...

There are a few other things that you should do a month out from your trip. One of the most important is to START EXERCISING. You will be doing a LOT of walking during your trip, so make sure you can handle it! You don't need to become a marathon runner, just go for a walk every morning or night (or whenever you can, I'm not your mother). On that note, decide which pair(s) of shoes you want to wear on the park and wear those on your walks. You'll find out which pairs were a good or bad idea, and you'll make sure your shoes are plenty broken in. There's nothing worse than a big blister on your foot 4 hours into your first day on the park! 

I would advise that when you are a month out from your trip you start looking around online and on Disneyland's website at what kind of attractions are going to be available during your trip. There are different things going on seasonally, and different rides will be closed for refurbishment. Disneyland posts specific entertainment schedules about a month in advance, so make sure you take a look at those. Doing so will help you to get an idea in your mind about what you'll want to do, especially regarding the major entertainment events at night in each park (World of Color, anyone?). 

One last thing. If you have a Twitter account, there are a few crucial accounts to follow! If you don't already, make sure to follow @Disneyland, @DisneylandToday, and @DCAToday. They post really cute pictures, updates of ride times throughout the park, and if you're lucky they'll post a place where you can meet them for free buttons, cookies, or even fastpasses! I've loved following them over the past few months. And if you tweet to them, they'll usually tweet back! You can ask questions and stuff, they're there to help. 

Now GET PLANNING!! And have fun! :)

3. Booking Stuff.

Question 3: Which hotel? Which flight? Which tickets?

While not exactly the most difficult step, this is definitely the most tedious. Well, it doesn't have to be...I just am the type that constantly checks and checks for weeks at a time until a really good deal comes along. But this is all the stuff that's going to drive or drop the cost of your trip, so it is all very important.

Flights and Hotels

Everyone knows that flights need to be booked early for the best seat/room selection and best price. The best sites/apps that I prefer to use are Kayak and Expedia. Those Kayak commercials don't lie when they claim to be basically a combination of all the other travel sites...it's a great website/app. And the iOS app is really user-friendly! I've found that although Expedia has many of the same deals and locations as Kayak, every once in a while their fees are a little lower. Any other travel sites and apps I have used are less user-friendly, more expensive, or both. But hey, that's just my personal experience. Whatever you do, don't use just the first site or app you find. Check multiples and then pick a favorite. 

On the note of flights/travel. If you are coming from out of the country, make sure everybody has their passports. If you haven't already, put in the applications for everybody's passport as soon as you possibly can. Back when I got mine, I was super lucky and it only took a week and a half to get to my house. But just in case, get those applications in as soon as you can.

There are a few things to consider when booking your hotel. The biggest for me, and the most obvious, is location, location, location. I've stayed places a few blocks away from the park, a few miles away, as well as right across the street. As I'm sure you can imagine, staying right across the street from the park is my favorite way to go. There's no waiting for a shuttle out in the cold late at night, no enormous amounts of walking after you were already on your feet for 12 hours. Just a quick 5-minute walk and you're in bed. But if staying so close to the park is not an option, make sure you look into how you'll get to the park each day. Some/most shuttles require an extra fee per person, or if you drove to California you can always look into parking at Disneyland. 

A quick note on parking: The Disneyland Signature and Signature Plus Annual Passports have theme park parking included. You can park at any of the lots. My favorite is the Mickey and Friends parking structure. As long as one person in your car has one of the qualifying annual passes, I would recommend considering staying at a hotel that is a little farther away from the parks, which will likely cost less, and driving to the parks each day since you can park for free.

The view from my Anaheim Plaza hotel room. Not bad! Love that Hollywood Tower!

I have some hotel reviews:

Anaheim Plaza: It was about a block away from the park, definitely great location. The room itself wasn't the nicest, and there wasn't free breakfast, but the hotel's price was unbeatable (under $70/night!). Especially considering it's proximity to the park gates. 

Super 8 on Katella Avenue: It was surprisingly nice, and again the price was insanely good. It had free wifi and free breakfast, and was about 2 1/2 blocks from the parks. The room was very spacious and clean, and the hotel staff was incredibly friendly. I think this hotel was overall my favorite I've stayed in. If you pay in full at the time of booking (which is only available on their website), they'll give you 15% off your total. This can make for huge savings, but they don't allow cancellation when you book like that. Something to consider! 

Staybridge Suites: It was extremely nice! It was a couple miles away from the park, so walking was out of the question. We had to pay a little extra for a shuttle, which also required waiting for what seemed like forever at the end of every night just to get a lift home. The hotel was very nice, though.

I once went for a school trip, and we stayed at the Holiday Inn right next to the Staybridge. Since it was a school trip, we had the benefit of our buses taking us to and from the park. But the hotel was absolutely wonderful.

Best Western Raffles: I was fairly young when we went to that hotel, but I don't remember having any complaints. You can walk to the parks from there in about 20 minutes if you wanted to. 
Anaheim Islander Inn: On Katella Ave, across the street from the Super 8 I mentioned above. I really liked it; the room was nice, they had free parking and WiFi, and it was close enough to the parks to walk. They had a pretty decent free breakfast too. However my dad used the same hotel for a trip the next June and he wasn't impressed. His room had a funky smell to it, he says. I would still go back there though, since my own experience was so pleasant. Just be cautious I guess.
Rodeway Inn: The price was awesome, one of the cheaper hotels I've stayed at. The location isn't the most amazing - similar to the Best Western Raffles, where you could walk if you wanted to, but it will take 20-25 minutes. The room itself was not the best. I could tell that they are trying to spruce it up, but it is also what you should expect for such a cheap room. They didn't have enough parking (although parking is free for hotel guests). By the time I got back to the hotel each night (I drove to the parks for that trip) I had to double park behind other cars, per the instruction of the hotel employees. Luckily for those other people, I'm an early riser so it didn't cause any actual problems. It was just a little irritating. 

I have a couple of warnings when booking: 

When searching online for flights, delete your cookies. Most flight websites will actually raise their prices the more you get on their website. Deleting your cookies will basically make them forget you were on their website, and you will get the lowest price every time. A simpler way to do this is to simply browse in incognito mode. I know this is a very easy feature to use on Google Chrome, although I do not know if any other browsers have the feature. 

Before making any hotel reservations from a travel website, go to that hotel's own website. There you can see other deals they may not be boasting elsewhere. I've seen things like discounts of up to 20% just for paying upfront. This is something that will void any cancellation policy though, and you can't get your money back most of the time. Only do this if you know for absolute sure your travel dates and that you will be able to go on the trip.

Another note on hotels: sometimes, oddly enough, the best deals can be found by simply calling directly to the hotel. I have avoided various fees by doing this. Similarly, if you find a really good deal online but you call the hotel to make the reservation, they will match the price as long as they can find it online too. I prefer to make reservations with a human rather than a website, so I'm really glad that many hotels will do this. With a person I can ask questions and attempt to get fees waived. You might be surprised at how far some simple kind human interaction will go. 

Disneyland Tickets

I'm gonna be real with you guys. It's not easy to get discounted Disneyland tickets. There are some companies that sell them for a little cheaper if you are lucky enough to work for them. For the rest of us, there are a couple of other options.

Get Away Today is definitely the most well-known Disneyland travel site, at least in Utah (although it serves just about everywhere as far as I know). Every once in a while they will have great specials, but those specials only last for a number of days. For example, last month I was able to get a 4-day ticket for the price of a 3-day. That is the best ticket deal I've ever seen, and it was only available for about 5 days and I haven't seen a better deal since. 

Places like Costco Travel will sometimes have discounted tickets, although they receive them sporadically and they tend to go fast. 

If the hotel you are looking to book happens to be a "good neighbor" hotel, you can often get your tickets through them. They won't be much of a discount though, if any, in my experience.

I am lucky enough to have a friend that is actually a cast member at Disneyland. Those people get surprisingly good perks, such as free admission for other people or at least discounted admission. They only get so many per year, so I guess it depends on your relationship with that person. Two trips ago I got free admission from that friend, and last time she got me in for only 50 bucks a day. Moral: it's all about who you know.

If you can't find any deals anywhere, you might just have to get them from the Disneyland website. You'll notice though that even though they are a little pricey, the more days you go the less it costs per day. There is some convenience to getting the tickets directly from Disneyland, though. They will email you an e-ticket that you can take right to the admission gates. This means no paying for shipping, no waiting in the ticket booth lines, and they can even scan the ticket directly from your smartphone. If you can't find any ticket discounts, I would recommend just going directly through Disneyland.
Update: If you download the free Disneyland app you can now purchase tickets through the app, and the ticket can be scanned from your phone at the park gates, similarly to having it emailed to you after buying through their website.

Warning: Do not buy tickets from another individual. People try to sell partially used tickets; i.e. they bought a 4-day ticket but only used 2 days, so they are trying to sell the remaining 2 days. This is not allowed, and if caught the tickets will be voided and you're out of luck. Disneyland now takes your photo when you first use your ticket, and they always look at the photo again every time you enter the parks. They'll definitely know if the ticket isn't yours. So although it will almost always cost more, ALWAYS buy your tickets through Disneyland or an approved ticket retailer. 

For your consideration: 
If you're a Disneyland fanatic like myself, you might want to look at how often you're going and consider an Annual Passport. There are 3 different ones to choose from. 

The cheapest option (Disney Deluxe, currently $600) has the most blackout days. These days include most Saturdays and holidays. With this pass, you'll get a 10% discount on food and merchandise. 

The middle-tier option (Disney Signature, currently $850) is only blacked out over Christmas break in December. Additionally, you get a 15% discount on food and 20% on merchandise. Recently added to the list of perks is PhotoPass downloads (my favorite thing ever) and free theme park parking.

The most expensive option (Disney Signature Plus, currently $1050) has the exact same perks as the Disney Signature, but for that extra $200 you get NO blackout dates.

Hopefully with these tips you can find all your lodging reservations and park tickets with ease, and for a good price! After all, you'll need all the extra cash you can get once you get to the park. :)

Happy planning!

2. How Many Days?

Question 2: How long will I be at Disneyland?

Alright, you found a time when you can take a trip! Congratulations, that is one of the toughest parts of planning. The next step is far easier, I promise. You now need to decide how many days you want to spend in the parks. 

This doesn't have to be a difficult decision, but there are other factors that contribute other than just "how long do I want be in the parks?"

For instance, something you need to figure out is how long you can afford to escape real life. Do you have a week? Two weeks? Three days? 

After you figure that out, you need to sort out your transportation. Will you be flying or driving? And how many days will travel consume? Being in Utah, I am lucky enough that it never takes me more than one day to travel to California. However, if you are close enough, you can even fly into California and go to Disneyland on the same day. I'm not sure I would recommend this, but it depends on your own travel needs. I've done it before, and it was a little tough. It requires getting up really early. I mean REALLY early! You've got to make sure you have time to get out of the airport and to your hotel and THEN into the park. I'm the type that likes to get to the parks right when they open, which is why I don't always take that option. Another thing to consider is that many hotels do not allow check-in until after around 3:00pm. I remember that the time I flew in in the morning the hotel allowed us to store our luggage there, but they charged us a fee. Not every hotel will charge a fee, though! You can always call when reserving your hotel and ask about that. 

As for driving, you're going to have to live pretty close to drive to anaheim the morning of your first day on the parks. If you don't live that close, you'll need to take an extra day or two just for travel. This could cost you more for your hotel as well as cost you in terms of days you can spend in Disneyland. Make sure to do the calculations and figure out which option works for your vacation time, as well as your budget. 

Now let's say you figured out your travel days. How many days can you afford to spend in the parks? I'm sure you've heard by now that you can't do Disneyland in a day. If a day is all you have, don't worry,  I will help you out. But if at all possible I would recommend going for at least 3 days.

After you figure out how many days you will be there, there's one last choice. Park Hopper passes or One-Park-Per-Day passes? Each has its benefits. The Park Hopper, as you can probably guess, allows you to go back and forth between Disneyland and California Adventure as many times as you want throughout the day. This is nice because you can get a change of scenery, and you can also hit all of your favorite rides every single day! However, since the expansion of California Adventure, the OPPD passes are gaining value. They are less expensive, typically by about $40 per person depending on how many days you are going for. Again, as the name hints at, you can only go to one park per day with these passes. It doesn't matter to them which park, but once your ticket is scanned into one park you cannot enter the other for that day. The benefit, other than the cost, is that you don't feel so rushed to do everything in one park and then do everything in another. You can take a leisurely stroll through one park, knowing that you have all day there. It's a lot of peace of mind that you're gaining with these tickets. However, if you are going at a time of year that is a little slower, the biggest entertainment won't be happening during the week, only on weekends. Sometimes park hopping is necessary to see all the best stuff, because you might only have one night to see both World of Color and Fantasmic, or something like that. Just make sure you consider that before making your decision. I personally think that having the Hopper passes is worth the extra money.

Now here's an example of all this craziness. My friends and I had never been at Christmas time, so we want to go in December. We decide on the first week of December, since crowds are low but we still get all the Christmas decorations and entertainment. We have about a week that we can spend away from home. We decide to drive rather than fly, so that's one day each way. We want to do four days on the park (with Hopper passes), during the middle of the week to get the best hotel rates and low crowds. Now, since two days travel + four days park only totals to six days even though we have a week to travel, we decide to split up our park days with a day off in between. I'm talking driving day, two days at Disneyland, day off, two more days at Disneyland, and then a day to drive home. That way we have a day to rebuild some stamina, seeing as how we are the type that gets to the park early and stays till it's closed. We also get to see some other California sights, to get even more out of our trip. 

Well, hopefully this can help you to decide the length of your trip. Fear not, the boring stuff is almost done! 

Happy planning!

1. When To Go

Question 1: When are we going?

This might seem like a super obvious question, but the date of your Disneyland trip is so important. There are lots of things to consider; time of year, holidays, whether or not the kids are in school, California temperature, cost... Yes, different times of year can have different costs. 

The first thing I always consider is the size of the Disneyland crowds. There are times of the year that are so crowded you can't take normal-sized steps, and there are times that are so empty you can frolic throughout the land with your eyes closed and you won't bump into anyone for at least 10 steps. If you want to get a fairly detailed crowd index for the exact dates you want to go, head over to TouringPlans for some easy-to-follow stats. You may have to pay for a subscription though. If you just want a general idea of the best and worst times to go, just keep reading.

The not-so-good times to visit Disneyland are as follows:

• All summer. Not only will the park be busy, but it gets extremely hot! I suggest not going in the summer unless it's your only option.
• Update: I just went at the end of July in 2016 and it actually was not very busy at all. I don't know why, it just wasn't. We were even there on the weekend. I would keep an eye on more current crown indexes during the summer to make your decision, but I guess the summer at Disneyland shouldn't be feared anymore. It was still extremely hot though!
• Weekends. Year-round, the weekends get pretty busy at the DLR. However, a lot of the time Annual Passes are blocked out on Saturdays. Click here to go to the calendar on the Disneyland website - you can see annual pass blackouts there. If passes are blocked, it's probably going to be a busy day! However, since many passes are blocked on Saturdays rather than Sundays, I would recommend going on a Saturday if you're going to go on a weekend. 
• Major holidays. If you want to be able to see the ground under your feet, I would recommend staying far away from Disneyland on Thanksgiving Weekend, as well as the week before Christmas up until New Years. If the kids are out of school for the holidays, families will be flocking to the DLR. If you want to visit during a holiday, I'll post more about how to safely do so below.
• Other holidays, namely ones that boast 3-day weekends. I'm talking holidays like Memorial Day, Labor Day, President's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and Veteran's Day. And even though it doesn't have a long weekend, I would also be wary of visiting around Easter.
• During special events. MouseSavers has a good page about various DLR special events. Not every event will draw a huge crowd, but some will. Be careful.
• Some lesser-known events. Things like Dapper Day, Bats Day, and Gay Days can bring in huge crowds. There are also Grad Nights (mid-May through mid-June) and lots of conventions through February. Do your research and find out what is going on when you're trying to go to the park. 

And now for some good times to visit:

• September-December, but not during holidays. Once those kids go back to school, Disneyland empties out. And this is your way to go during the holidays but not have insane crowds. Starting in mid-september is Halloween Time. Haunted Mansion goes all Nightmare Before Christmas on us at this time, and I can personally tell you that it is a treat. I've been during Halloween Time a few times, and I love it. Mid-November brings the Christmas decorations. The trick is to go after Thanksgiving, but BEFORE winter break. Or you could simply go before Thanksgiving. The kids might miss a little school, but if the Christmas celebrations minus the crowds are worth it to you then I say go for it. 
• Mid-January through March. I mentioned before that there tend to be conventions in February, but don't be too worried; I've been twice in February and it's really not that bad, as long as you go mid-week. But even though the crowds are smaller, it's not always the best option to go at this time of year as there tend to be more rides closed for refurbishment. You can head here to once again check out Disneyland's calendar. This will show you which rides are scheduled for refurbishment. And remember, watch for 3-day weekend holidays in January and February. 
• Rainy days and weekdays. Bad weather seems to deter a lot of crowds, and as long as it's not raining too hard the rides typically stay open. The more exposed rides, such as Dumbo, may close if it starts pouring but will reopen once the rain calms down. And Disneyland typically sees smaller crowds in the middle of the week. Tuesday and Wednesday seem to be the slowest, by my personal observations.

As you may have guessed, it is actually more expensive to go when the parks are expecting big crowds. Hotels are less available, and therefore cost a lot more. Similarly, hotels cost more on weekends as opposed to the middle of the week. Anyone who has tried to fly anywhere during holidays will know that airfare goes way up. Travel tends to be more expensive in general throughout the summer, whether you are flying or driving. Just make sure you look into hotel reservations and prices far, far in advance to make sure you get the best rates, as well as the best ideas in regards to crowd levels. 

Second day of Halloween Time - these crowds aren't so bad!

In summary, there is a lot to consider when planning your DLR trip. You just need to prioritize. For me, the most important thing is crowd levels. For those of you with children, you need to consider school and if you are willing to let your kids miss some of it just so you can have a less crowded trip (in my experience, totally worth it). It can all take a lot of research and planning, but that's what I'm here for! This may seem like a lot of trouble, but I can guarantee you that it is always worth it to experience the magic the way you want to. 

Happy planning!

*UPDATE MARCH 2016*
Disneyland has adopted a tiered ticketing system for the one-day tickets! The "value" tickets are cheapest when the park is slowest, coming in at $95, or $155 for a park hopper. The "regular" tickets, for days that crowds will pick up a little, are $105, or $160 for a hopper. And the "peak" tickets are a whopping $119, or $169 for park hopper. See, I told you it pays to go on slower days! You can find a calendar displaying which days allow you to attend for the different types of tickets on Disneyland's website. However, the tiered system is only for the one-day tickets. The tickets for two consecutive days and up, have consistent prices year round.