9 Disneyland Hacks We Use All the Time

For most Guests, time is a very important thing at Disneyland. Whether it’s because of the price of their tip or because they won’t be visiting often, the goal is usually to get as much done as possible in the time that they have.

From my many visits to Disney over the years, I have picked up on a variety of time-saving hacks that can help you make the most of your day. In this article, I’m going to fill you in on the best ways to save time at Disneyland. These tips and tricks will help you use your time wisely so you can pack in as much fun as possible at The Happiest Place on Earth!

1. Use Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Single Pass

By utilizing Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Lightning Lane Single Pass, you will instantly save time at Disneyland. Lightning Lanes are prioritized over the regular Stand By Lines. Therefore, when purchasing these passes, you will be able to avoid long lines at popular rides and attractions. With this expediated access, you will be able to get more rides and attractions done during your day rather than spending your time waiting in lines.

Check out our articles on Lightning Multi Pass and Lightning Lane Single Pass for more information, tested tips, and advice on how you can experience the most with these passes.

2. Mobile Order Food

Skipping the lines at rides and attractions isn’t the only way to save time at Disneyland. Another great time-saving hack is to skip lines for your meals! Instead of waiting in long lines for meals, drinks, or snacks, you can place an order on the Disneyland app by using the Mobile Order feature.

Mobile ordering food is easy. After opening the Disneyland app, you will tap “+” and then select Order Food. Once you are on the Mobile Order page, you will choose which restaurant you want to dine at, select an arrival time to pick up your food, make your selections, and then complete your order by paying right on your app.

To pick up your order, you will simply head to the dining location that you ordered from at the arrival time that you selected. Once you’ve arrived, go to the Order Details page on the Disneyland app and tap “I’m here. Prepare My Order”. When it’s time, you will receive a notification telling you that your order is ready and which window to pick it up at.

I have found that mobile ordering food not only saves time, but it also relieves stress. My family and I used to head to a dining location when everyone was hungry, wait in a line, and then try to find a table for our entire party to sit at. Meals were always a very hectic and stressful time because of this. Now, with the option to mobile order food, we can simply walk in, find a place to sit, and pick up our meal that’s already prepared and paid for.

3. Merchandise Mobile Checkout

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When thinking about how to save time at Disneyland, you may not think about saving time when you’re shopping. With the Disneyland mobile app, you can also skip lines at shopping locations by using Merchandise Mobile Checkout. Instead of waiting in a checkout line, you will check out your items on your own.

To use this feature, you will need to open the Disneyland app, tap “+”,  and then select Merchandise Mobile Checkout. You will then scan the barcodes on all of the items that you are purchasing. Once you’re done, you will pay for your items on your phone. When your purchase is complete, you will receive a confirmation QR code.

That’s it! When you’re ready to leave the store, you will show your code to a Cast Member at the Mobile Checkout Exit. You will also be able to get a bag from this Cast Member if you need one for your items.

4. Enter the Parks as Early As Possible

Generally, Disneyland doesn’t experience larger crowds until the afternoon. By entering the parks early, you’re giving yourself the chance to get a lot of activities done in the morning when the lines are shorter.

If you’re a Guest staying at a Disneyland Resort hotel, you’ll be able to enter the park 30 minutes before they open up to the general public. This is a great opportunity to maximize your Disney morning. Even though it’s only 30 minutes, you’re still getting a head start on your day before the park is officially open.

If you’re not staying on property, you can still take advantage of the morning hours by rope dropping. Rope Dropping at Disneyland simply means that you arrive at the gates right before the park opens or exactly when it opens. By doing this, you are able to utilize every available minute of the operating hours.

When you get to the parks as early as possible, whether you utilize Early Entry or you rope drop, you will be able to save time at Disneyland. Anytime you avoid large crowds and long lines, you’re saving time.

5. Attend Disneyland After Hours Event or Party

Similarly to how you can save time at Disneyland by going to the parks early, you can also save time by staying after hours. While this isn’t something that you can do daily, Disneyland does frequently have special after hours events and parties.

When you attend these separately ticketed events, you’ll be able to enjoy exclusive activities, snacks, merchandise, and lower crowds! With the low wait times at these events, you’ll be able to save time and pack in a whole lot of fun in just a few hours.

If you’re interested in experiencing Disneyland after hours, you’ll need to schedule your trip around a Disneyland After Dark event or Oogie Boogie Bash. Unfortunately, for the 2024 season, there are no more Disneyland After Dark events and Oogie Boogie Bash has already sold out. To keep up with information on these events for the 2025 season, sign up for our Mickey Visit newsletter! We’ll keep you up to date on the latest news, info, prices, and dates for these events and more.

6. Keep an Eye on Disneyland Wait Times

This may seem a bit obvious, but it’s surprisingly often overlooked. Instead of simply walking around the parks and physically looking at the wait times, keep an eye on all of them on the Disneyland app. By continuously checking the times, you’ll be able to come up with a game plan for how you’d like to tackle your day.

Even if you are using Lightning Lane Passes, there are multiple rides where these passes aren’t applicable and you’ll need to stand in the regular Stand By line. If you’re able to knock these rides out when they have low wait times, you’ll be able to save a tremendous amount of time at Disneyland.

7. Book Dining Packages for Shows

If you’ve ever attended any of Disneyland’s special shows, such as parades or nighttime spectaculars, you know that you can’t simply walk up when the show is scheduled to start. If you want a good viewing spot, you’ll need to arrive about 30-60 minutes ahead of showtime (sometimes sooner).

This is valuable time that you could be using for other activities around the park. Instead of wasting time waiting for these shows to start, save time at Disneyland by booking a dining package. By doing so, you’ll be able to enjoy a delicious meal and have access to a special viewing area for the show. Dining packages are available for multiple shows at a variety of restaurants. 

8. Go to the Second Showing

If you plan on attending a nighttime spectacular, but are relying on walk up availability, you can still do so without wasting too much park time. If there are two showtimes, you will be able to save the most time by going to the second showing. Most Guests attend the first show and often leave the parks afterwards.

By waiting for the second showing, you’ll be able to save time at Disneyland in multiple ways. Firstly, wait times for rides and attractions should be down when the first showing is taking place. Since so many Guests are gathered at the show, the lines won’t be as long as they were beforehand. Secondly, when you go to view the show for yourself, you won’t need to arrive quite as early as you would for the first show. Since less Guests attend the second showing, there will be less competition for viewing spots.

9. Dine with Characters

A dining reservation can also be a time-saving hack when it comes to character meet and greets. Instead of spending valuable park time waiting in lines to meet characters, you can save time at Disneyland by booking a Character Dining Experience.

When you dine with characters, multiple characters come up to your table and visit with you during your meal. During this time, you can meet them just as you would in the parks. Feel free to get a hug, grab a picture, and have them sign an autograph book.

There are three restaurants that offer Character Dining at Disneyland: Goofy’s Kitchen, Storytellers Cafe, and Plaza Inn. At all three of these locations, food is served buffet style. You will be able to dine with characters during breakfast and dinner at Goofy’s Kitchen, during breakfast and brunch at Storytellers Cafe, and during breakfast at Plaza Inn.

Generally, during Character Meals at Disney, you will be able to meet about 5-6 characters. However, the number depends on each location. At Goofy’s Kitchen, you will meet Goofy, Minnie, Pluto, and Chip ‘n’ Dale. During Mickey’s Tales of Adventures at Storytellers Cafe, you will meet Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, and Chip ‘n’ Dale. While these two locations continuously have the same characters, a wide variety of characters rotate through Plaza Inn.

During the Minnie & Friends Breakfast in the Park at Plaza Inn, you’ll have the opportunity to meet many characters. These characters are often more rare than the ones you’ll meet at the other Character Meals at Disneyland. Your breakfast can include characters such as Minnie, Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, Max (Goofy's son), Chip ‘n’ Dale, Captain Hook, Suzy and Perla (mice from Cinderella), Rafiki, Fairy Godmother, and more!

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