Top 5 Most Important Planning Decisions to Make Before Your Disneyland Trip

While a trip to Disneyland is a lot of fun, there is no denying that it involves a significant amount of advance planning. There are several very important decisions that you’ll make before you ever set foot in the parks, from the time of year you’ll visit to which hotel you’ll stay at.

We will cover the 5 most important decisions you’ll make as you’re planning your Disneyland trip and key things to consider for each!

1) Choosing the time of year you visit is an important decision that will have a big impact on your trip. Each season at Disneyland brings its own unique special offerings, crowd levels, and weather patterns. The slower times of year include January and February, and parts of August, September, and November, which are some of the best times of the year to visit Disneyland if you want to avoid big crowds.

Seasonal events like the Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival, Halloween at Disneyland, and Christmas at Disneyland are great times to visit with several special offerings, but there are periods of peak crowds during these celebrations that you’ll want to be aware of. Make sure you look at our Mickey Visit Disneyland crowd calendar ahead of your trip so that you’re aware of the best days to visit and the busiest days to avoid.

2) Deciding on the length of your trip is another important decision that impacts how you’ll structure your park days. We recommend 3 days as the perfect amount of time to get to all of the highlights without feeling rushed, but you can also get a lot done during a 2-day trip as well.

If you choose a 3-day trip, we recommend spending 2 days at Disneyland Park and 1 at Disney California Adventure. We recommend spending the mornings enjoying popular attractions with shorter wait times at rope drop and devoting the second part of the day to dining and entertainment. You can see our Disneyland 3-day itinerary with Lightning Lane Multi Pass for the strategy we recommend following to get to all of the major highlights at both parks.

If you are doing a 2-day trip, you can spend one day at each park or opt for a park hopper ticket for more flexibility. Our 2-day Disneyland itinerary with Lightning Lane Multi Pass covers the best strategy for one day at each park and how to approach your days if you’re park hopping. This leads us to our next point…

3) Determining which type of ticket you’ll buy is another important planning decision that will impact the cost of your tickets and how you structure your trip. A 1 Park Per Day ticket gives you access to either Disneyland Park or Disney California Adventure, while a Park Hopper ticket gives you access to either park starting at 11 AM each day for an additional cost. You can choose from 1-Day tickets, which are divided into different pricing tiers that vary per date, or multi-day tickets ranging from 2 to 5 days.

We always recommend visiting for more than one day if you can, so that you don’t feel rushed and can take advantage of discounted prices for multi-day Disneyland tickets. If you are only able to visit for one day, then you’ll definitely want to consider a park hopper ticket so that you can use a 1-day Disneyland and Disney California Adventure strategy to hit all of the main highlights at each park.

While it is possible to tour the parks without the line-skipping service Disneyland Lightning Lane Multi Pass, we have found this service to be very much worth the purchase to help you save time and experience the most.

4) Deciding which hotel you’ll stay at is another important planning decision you’ll make for your trip. There are three on-property Disneyland Resort hotels and a wide variety of off-property hotels in the surrounding Anaheim area. The Disneyland on-property hotels offer unique theming, dining, impressive pool areas, and a variety of perks for its guests, like private theme park entrances, early entry to the parks, and more. Staying on-property is the best option if you want to stay immersed in the Disney magic during your entire trip.

However, many great hotels in the surrounding area are much more affordable and in some cases just as close (or closer) to Disneyland. The best hotels near Disneyland vary in price and amenities, including more luxurious options like the Westin Anaheim and affordable hotels within walking distance of Disneyland, like Best Western PLUS Park Place Inn & Mini-Suites and The Fairfield Inn, which are right across the street. If you’re enjoying a parks-focused trip, then it may make sense to stay at one of these more affordable hotels rather than one with nicer amenities that you won’t have enough time to enjoy.

5) Lastly, choosing what to pack is an important planning decision you’ll make for your Disneyland trip. You’ll want to make sure you wear comfortable clothes, broken-in supportive shoes, and layers you can easily put on and take off for when it’s chillier in the mornings and evenings. You’ll also want to bring a comfortable park bag that you can use to carry anything you may need during your day, from essentials like your wallet and a portable charger for your phone to extra items like tissues, over-the-counter medications, snacks, etc. that may come in handy. You can see our Disneyland packing list for everything you’ll need and read about the most common items that visitors forget for their Disneyland trip.

For more resources and tips for planning your Disneyland trip, you can see our full Disneyland planning guide.

At Mickey Visit, we share the most important tips for planning your trips to Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Universal, and beyond. Each week, we’ll share some of our top tips here on Laughing Place.