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My first visit to Disneyland was just myself, my two kids, and my niece and it was a blast!

I used to be an annual passholder when I lived in Los Angeles a million years ago and was so excited to introduce the OG Disney park to my kids for the first time.

Make Magic: 5 Best Disneyland with Kids Tips for a Magical Day

We went for four days total (two days then a break and then two more days). It was a magical time, y’all!

Here’s 5 tips for the best Disneyland experience with kids!

Image Courtesy of: Annie Vovan Photography

Here’s what I learned about hitting the park with two kids:

Stay Off Property and Enjoy All the Benefits (While Saving Money)!

I know, I know. When we go to Disney World, I am totally Team Stay On Site but at Disneyland? Not so much.

See, Disneyland is much smaller park and is literally surrounded by amazing hotels that you can easily walk or drive to.

Like, RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET close. I mean, I love me some Disney magic as much as the next lady but the savings and location of the Good Neighbor (i.e. approved by Disney) hotels were too good to pass up.

In addition, the hotels we stayed at (the Hilton and the Best Western) had a pool, free WiFi, free parking for guests, and free breakfast.

If you have ever paid $15 for your kids to eat Fruit Loops – you know that a free breakfast while on vacation is BANK.

Both hotels had space for easy parking and a great staff. I would happily stay at either location again (and have, the Hilton’s family bunk bed suites are our favorite!).

We had a one bedroom suite at the Hilton which was great because the kids could fall asleep in the room while my friend Jana and I stayed up to work in the living room and my niece watched TV on the sofa bed.

It also had a small kitchen (great for making snacks and meals as needed) with a full-sized fridge and a nicely sized bathroom.

When we stayed there, we would walk about 5 minutes to Disneyland‘s Toy Story parking lot and ride the (free) shuttle to the park.

Later in the trip, we stayed at the Best Western which was quite literally across the street from Disneyland (like, we would walk out of the hotel parking lot and wait at the intersection to walk straight through where the shuttle buses drop people off).

The hotel had been recently updated and was surprisingly spacious.

I liked the way they laid out the bathroom because it made for a nice open space for luggage and the stroller.

The room also had a mini fridge and microwave so we could have snacks and drinks.

If you’d like to reserve a Disneyland resort hotel room, book through Get Away Today!
They’re offering my followers $10 off (use the code: KMT10) right now plus, they have a layaway plan!

If You’re Eligible – Use DAS.

At one time, Disney offered free FastPasses that allowed guests to wait for a ride in a shorter line than the standard standby one. A few years ago, they tabled the program and created Lightning Lanes – essentially Fastpass lines but now they charge you for it.

Disney Lighting Lane Multi Pass is a flat rate to access 13 Lightning Lanes at Disneyland and nine at Disney California Adventure (DCA) one time each during a single day.

If you’re taking your neurodivergent child to the park then you’ll be eligible for DAS (the Disability Access System) ,which basically works the same, so skip purchasing the Lighting Lane Multi Pass.

Find out more about DAS in my book “Unlocking the Magic: Visiting Disneyland with Neurodivergent Children”.

Buy the Balloon.

Every time we go to a Disney park, we take our stroller.

Yes, it’s a bit of a hassle getting it on and off shuttles/trams and having to park it for every ride BUT, I love that it gives my kids a rest when they need it.

Plus, we have a place to store all our stuff (y’all KNOW kids need A LOT of stuff just to survive a day at the parks).

People have been telling me every time to buy a balloon and tie it to the stroller so we can find it easily. We never did until this trip AND WHAT WAS I THINKING BEFORE BECAUSE HAVING A BALLOON WAS AMAZING.

I didn’t intend to buy a balloon, I really didn’t. I mean, it’s a balloon and they’re expensive (like, $13-20 a pop). But we walked into Disneyland that first day and my daughter saw a cast member selling enormous BB-8 balloons – and it was all over.

I could see in her eyes that she really, really wanted one. So I bought it. She played with it for a few minutes and then we tied it to the handle of our stroller.

Best. Idea. Ever.

From that moment on, whenever we needed to find our stroller after parking it for a ride – we looked for BB-8. Separated by the crowds? Look for BB-8! Trying to find our person to wave to from a ride? Just look for BB-8, kids!

That balloon was worth every single cent of the $13 I spent on it. Word of caution though? You’ll need to make the string long enough for the balloon to be seen in crowds… which then makes it a moving target while you’re walking.

We took out SO MANY PEOPLE with a BB-8 balloon to the head because we’d start walking and forget to shorten the string. Oops.

Take your own water (and other food/snacks).

Look, I love me some Disney park snacks (helllllloooo, Mickey Ear Ice Cream Bar!) but I’m too cheap frugal to pay $5 for a bottle of water or $3 for an apple. I just can’t.

And that’s why Disney is so cool – you are welcome to bring your own food into the parks! I always stash 6-8 bottles of water in the stroller and pack a small bag with fruit snacks, trail mix, and raisins each morning before we leave for the park.

For one, my family drinks water like it’s going out of style and I can’t always depend on finding a water fountain when I need it. So bringing our own water bottles is really important for keeping everyone hydrated.

I like having a bag o’ snacks because my kids graze constantly. Being able to shove a bag of fruit snacks at them while waiting in line or watching a parade is a big help with keeping the peace.

I mean, I can’t just stop what I’m doing every time they’re hungry and go buy something so the snacks are great.

You can’t do everything so don’t bother.

People ask how I manage to enjoy the Disney parks with both our kids without getting overwhelmed and my answer is always “do less”.

Before we go, I have each family member tell me one ride, one experience, and one food they want to try/see/eat at each park.

I make sure we do those things at least once before we leave and then literally everything else we do is considered a fun extra.

It makes for a much more relaxing trip that allows for spontaneous experiences, traditional must-dos, and meltdowns (they happen, man).

What are your best tips for visiting Disneyland?