How to Plan the Perfect Trip to Disneyland and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge

When I told my friends that I was going to visit the first weekend of Disneyland’s new Star Wars Land, also known as Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge , they had one common reaction: horror.

And they had every right to question my sanity. When Diagon Alley opened in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in 2014, wizards and Muggles were enjoying the magic of eight-hour queues in a single ride . (The same thing happened earlier this month with the all-new Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure – a ten-hour queue per ride.)

As it turned out, they were wrong.

Not only did I do everything I wanted to do in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge , but I also ran the park’s other rides perfectly — and no annoying queues in over an hour.

While I was a bit lucky as most of the annual pass holders were banned from coming to the park that weekend and all the other Disneyland fans seemed too scared by the crowd to show up, I also came up with a solid plan to attack Disneyland.

Research, research, research

I have friends who just go to Disneyland on a whim, and I always envy their carefree attitude. As I go, I explore everything and everything I can to get the most out of the annoying downtime (or waiting) as much as possible. During my trip to the first weekend of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, this entailed:

• Explore Disneyland’s blogs andsocial media feeds to pinpoint the exact opening date for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge , and immediately book a hotel (or Airbnb, if you like) before it gets known and everyone has sharply increased prices.
• Prior to that, I surveyed hotels in the area to get an average idea of ​​who has the best prices, amenities, and locations for the various summer weekends (to ensure that when the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opening date is announced, I don’t have will waste valuable time researching hotel prices). This included visiting the always helpful site mousesavers.com to check for available discounts.
• Knowing what extras I would like to pack for my trip to Disneyland (dinner at Steakhouse 55 and drinks at the new Lamplight Lounge), I was able to make that reservation immediately after setting the travel dates. You can book a table at Disneyland no later than 60 days in advance; at Disney World this time increases to 180 days. You will want to do this sooner rather than later to secure your place (and ideally have a great time).
• For the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge booking process – which won’t make a big difference to your next trip – figure out when Disney opened the online check-in to enter the country and make sure my travel group was ready to sit in the virtual queue (to maximize our chances of getting inside).
• Read Opening Day Trip Reports (Twitter and Reddit) to get a feel for what experiences I might make or miss, and which exquisite merchandise sold where (and for how much).

To be honest, these are the usual steps I take for any trip to Disneyland. Research is critical. You will want to know what special events, if any, are happening, including whether the park closes early for its special events, such as a prom, or if there are informal events planned that could turn the park into a real treat. madhouse whenever you think to go.

You will also want to check the Disneyland renovation schedule to make sure the rides you enjoy actually work when you plan your trip. (It’s really annoying when your favorite ride opens up a few days after you head home.)

If you still have questions or want to view even more information about Disneyland, I recommend taking a look at the Moms Panel in the Park. Ask, although the chances are good, your question has probably already been addressed. Disney moms are pretty scrupulous. I also enjoy browsing the Disney , Disneyland, and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge subreddits, which are also a great way to keep track of what’s happening in the parks (and get advice from others’ travels).

Planning the logistics of the trip: dates, hotels, tickets

If you are at the very beginning of the travel planning stage, consider the obvious: If you can get away with not going during the summer, especially on summer weekends, you will probably have a lot more fun for a lot less money. Pick a casual winter day when most of the kids are at school.

So what are the best days and times? There are entire websites dedicated to this very analysis , and you are free to cross-reference them as you see fit. I confess it gives me a headache. Instead, I’m looking at Disneyland closed access dates for annual passport holders. If Disneyland doesn’t want fans to come to the park, it’s going to be a busy day. Then I’ll avoid the obvious pitfalls like three-day weekends or holidays, and choose a time when most of my entertainment can take place in the middle of the week – a trip on Thursday, Friday, Saturday – instead of a weekend extravaganza.

Where do you stay?

If you are looking to stay on the property because you are making money, it is worth waiting to see if the various Disneyland hotels offer any seasonal discounts or when they do. They may not be so generous right now, knowing they could fill the park with impatient Star Wars fans, but it’s worth paying attention to. MouseSavers has a detailed FAQ listing all Disneyland hotel discounts since 2015, so this will give you an idea of ​​when you can save some money (and when Disney might offer a deal).

Otherwise, you will be playing the hotel game. There are plenty to choose from in the Anaheim area, and what ends up on your final list depends on how much you are willing to pay and how much you are willing to drive – remember to include $ 25 per day for Disneyland. the cost of parking , unless canceled as a result of someone on your trip with a Signature or Signature Plus Passport .

(Because of this small fee, I prefer to stay in hotels that are within walking distance of the park – it is often faster to get to the main gate than it would be to travel and catch the shuttle or bus from the Disneyland parking lot. Candy Cane Inn is always well connected. I’ve been contacted – and they have a small annual discount for ticket holders – but there are many other options in the area. Yelp is your friend .)

How can I get cheap tickets?

Another important question that you need to decide as part of your Disneyland planning is what kind of pass you intend to purchase to get to the two main Disneyland parks. Unless you plan on visiting the park more than once a year, the answer is obvious: some kind of hopper park that gives you unlimited passage between Disneyland Resort and California Adventure.

Sure, you will save money if you buy a “you can only go to one park every day” ticket, but this is a stupid mistake. Jumping from one park to another to avoid crowds, eat an exclusive meal, or spice up your day is a professional move. As much as you plan your trip – rides, shows, events, dinners and everything else – in advance, the reality when you are on earth will be very different. Your interests may change. Lines can affect your day. You can skip the Disneyland Fantasmic Fastpass ! show, but check out California Adventure’s equally impressive World of Color Show. Give yourself the freedom to do whatever you want; pay for this hopper park.

In all the years that I go to Disneyland, I have never seen a discount on park tickets that 1) I can use and 2) were worth the time spent studying it. You won’t find a super magical summer deal that gets you a half price ticket. Disneyland is smarter than that. And there are plenty of eBay and Craigslist scammers out there who are more than willing to take your money for a “discount” ticket that won’t count as a legitimate entry ticket. While MouseSavers has a good and detailed list of discounts, I wouldn’t go there hoping to save a fortune on your trip (unless you or someone in your group is an active or retired US military, which could bring you some pretty good savings).

If you plan on making multiple trips to Disneyland in one year, you’ll have to tally up the numbers to figure out if it’s worth spending the money on a yearly ticket or not. They are expensive (starting at $ 599 for those who do not live in SoCal) and they have different limits depending on what level you get, but they will absolutely save you money in certain Disneyland-related scenarios. Be sure to factor in how much you plan to go, how much merchandise you usually buy, how much food you eat, and how much parking you’ll need in your calculations, as some of the discounts on the annual pass can help soften the blow of its incredible cost.

The maximum amount of time spent in the park is also worth the money.

I hate the fact that going to Disneyland always seems to suck money. That doesn’t mean you can’t do it cheap – pack food , not buy expensive items, make adequate use of all the free water that Disneyland gives out at its various food stalls. One item I will always spend money on , however, is Disneyland’s MaxPass .

MaxPass, for those who don’t know, is a digital version of Disneyland’s FastPass system – accelerated entry to an attraction within a specified hour window. If you choose the FastPass route, you will have to walk to the small kiosks outside the attractions you want to ride, scan the park entrance ticket, and get a second physical card that tells you when to return so you can get to the attraction faster. Repeat this for every ride you want to continue.

If you opt for MaxPass – $ 15 a day per ticket or a $ 100 surcharge on an annual pass – you can use your smartphone to create digital FastPass for any supported ride from anywhere in the two parks. It’s incredibly convenient. So much so that you cannot imagine life without it, if you have it. I love being able to book new rides while I’m queuing up for something else (usually a snack, but maybe a completely different ride).

Of course, MaxPass has some caveats. First, you need to actually enter the park before you can start choosing the rides you want in digital FastPass format. You are also subject to the same time limits as regular FastPass, so don’t assume you can quickly dial FastPass for your 13 favorite trips on your smartphone in one go. You will also want to make sure that you link your tickets (and those of your fellow travelers) to your devices so that you can all plan your next trip together.

Plus, don’t forget that MaxPass also gives you unlimited downloads for any photos taken that day using Disney Photopass. In other words, let Disneyland photographers scan your device after they’ve taken a great photo (or more) of your trip, and you’ll be able to upload whatever you took that day when you return to your hotel.

Mobile ordering is also your friend

A fun free service that Disney introduced last year is a new “mobile ordering” feature in the official Disneyland app ( iOS , Android ). It’s like FastPass for your stomach. It’s completely free for you, it allows you to prepay for food, and it’s a great way to save your time as much as possible (and avoid crazy lines) if you want to grab something as you run away for another experience or ride. Not all Disneyland food outlets support mobile ordering, but many do . Yes, that includes the Tiki Juice Bar, also known as the Dole Whip Ride, which sucks my wallet every ride.

The Play Disney Parks app is fun, but …

If you’re looking to save precious battery life on your smartphone because you’ve forgotten the charging cable, portable charger, or don’t want to spend your entire vacation staring at the screen, you can probably skip the Play Disney Parks app ( iOS , Android ).

This app – yes, Disney has many apps – it’s a fun way to pass the time, don’t get me wrong. I love Disney trivia. It also automatically checks you for trips, so you can earn small in-app achievements for your travels (all done automatically via Bluetooth, another nifty touch). This is not necessary for your stay at Disneyland – with one important caveat.

If you’re visiting Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge , you should probably try out the app. I say this because going into Batuu turns the application’s user interface into a full-fledged Datapad that you can use to interact with different parts of the earth and participate in a big us versus game. It’s not insanely fun, but more addictive than the usual user interface and features of the app. It will be a great distraction as the crowds begin to flood Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge today, when Disney turned off the reservation system to get inside. Good luck to all of you.

How about some tips for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge ?

So here’s the thing. I had a great plan when Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge first opened, and a clever combination of exploration and terrain scouting allowed me to pinpoint exactly where I needed to be and what time I needed to do whatever I wanted. my “can’t miss” list. I was finicky, but also a little lucky. Things are changing today because Disneyland opens up the land of Batuu for everyone who wants to attend . (Previously, you couldn’t enter Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge without reservation, which helped keep the lines half-controlled.)

Now that the earth is open to everyone, the whole experience has changed somewhat. There are only two basic tips I can think of if you want to spend the day having fun instead of spending hours in line – or worse, doing just one or two things on your galactic adventure instead of everything you’ve heard of .

Go early

Every Disneyland veteran knows it’s best to do as much of the park as possible – either at dawn or late in the day. Considering that Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is brand new, I wouldn’t believe people are going to clean up later because they want to sleep. However, they (or their children) can sleep, which will give you a slight edge.

Disneyland opens at 8:00 am every day, and the park does not allow anyone with a “magic clock” – a bonus 7:00 am start for a Disney hotel stay – to enter Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge . So, you are in the same position as everyone else in the park queue. Don’t be a jerk and don’t run to Batuu (if you can even do it so that you don’t get yelled at). Instead, get smart and start lining up at the main gate, oh, 7:30? 7:00 am? Whatever your sleepy self is willing to endure, it will pay off in the form of “great things you can do before anyone else.”

Wake up even earlier and book a table

If you’re looking to collect a lightsaber, head to the Scrap Metal Auction in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, or enjoy a drink in the stunning Cantina, you’ll need to visit the Disneyland website or Disneyland app at 7:00 AM that day. and hope you beat everyone else for the reservation slot. At the time of this writing, there was no other way to line up for these experiences; there will be no backup line or any other way to get in. (Disney even forces you to post a security deposit to show that it is serious about the booking process – skip booking and you will give up cash.)

This booking system has its pros and cons. While this means you don’t have to endure long lines in either case, there is also the chance that you will not end up in either of them (or either of them). It doesn’t really matter if you’re a frequent visitor to Disneyland, but it can ruin your day if you only spend two days in the park on vacation and can’t get in line. These are Disney breaks; Better than 10 hours of suffering for a trip or a drink, I guess.

In addition, if you book any experience, this also serves as your “when you can enter Batuu” time in case the area exceeds the capacity (which it will) and Disney will switch to the booking engine for additional guests (which they will be).

Keep your expectations in check

The basic rule of thumb for working with a brand new theme park add-on is simple: don’t worry.

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is a great addition to Disneyland that any Star Wars fan is sure to love. Will your challenging life be ruined if you can’t book the Cantina this time? If they sell a Coca-Cola thermal detonator? If you can’t get a Spira Gift Card ? No, it will be offensive; I’ll give it to you. But spoiled? Batuu is not going anywhere anytime soon.

Yes, the ride in Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run is fun and you should definitely do it if you can. If the lines are crazy, be smart; go do something else. He’ll be there in six months. He will be there in two years. Disneyland is unforgiving in summer, but Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge? I will praise the Ewok Gods (Great Forest Spirit) if I can even step into the ground long enough to get Blue Milk, let alone other entertainment.

If this is one of your first trips to the park, don’t worry if (or when) the crowd gets out of hand. There are many more adventures at Disneyland and you may have even better experiences than usual in months that are usually insanely busy as everyone else is wasting their day in Batuu.

For example, when I first visited the rival Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, the lines were just insane for an Ollivander wand experience. When I came back a few years later, it was still the same experience: the same magic, the same wand, probably a different actor playing Ollivander, but that’s about it. Experience lines? Much more manageable. I didn’t shed a single tear for missing it the first time. You will be fine too unless you get that photo of Chewie this time. (I also.)