We Sometimes Break Our Own Disneyland “Rules”—Here’s What We Do and Don’t Regret!

During countless Disneyland visits over the years, we have developed tried-and-true guidance for how to best approach your Disney vacation. These have kind of become “rules” to guide our trips.

That being said, we do slip up every once in a while and break our own Disneyland advice on certain occasions. Sometimes, deviating from the “best” strategy is 100% the right decision, but other times, it's a tough reminder to stick to our strategies and advice.

Here are some of the times that we've regretted breaking our own advice and other times when it's been completely worth it (and why)!

Disney “Mistakes” We Don't Regret Making

There are plenty of situations when we have broken our own advice but don't regret it at all! Sometimes, it's better to make some adjustments depending on the circumstances of your trip.

No Regrets—Visiting on a Holiday

In our guide to the worst dates to visit Disneyland if you hate crowds, we discuss how some of the most crowded days of the year are holidays. That being said, sometimes visiting on a holiday can be a really unique and memorable experience that is completely worth it.

We wouldn't recommend visiting on a holiday if it's your first Disneyland trip or if your main goal is touring and seeing as much as possible, but the experience of visiting the parks on a holiday like Thanksgiving or New Year's Eve can generally be quite fun if you know what to expect. It can be a nice way to celebrate these holidays without the pressure of needing to make plans for the day, cook, etc.

Plus, some holidays offer unique offerings, like special fireworks shows on the 4th of July, special entertainment and extended hours on New Year's Eve, and more. As long as you come in with the right attitude knowing what to expect and planning ahead as necessary, you can have a great time visiting on a holiday.

No Regrets—Playing Things by Ear

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Another thing we do not regret is going to the parks and playing things by ear sometimes. Generally, we always recommend doing some research in advance for your park day. For instance, you always want to be aware of things like ride refurbishments, park hours, and the entertainment offerings that will be available on the day of your visit.

But sometimes, there are circumstances where you just want to enjoy a chill day without adhering to a specific strategy—you may be arriving partway through the day or just want to enjoy the atmosphere of the parks. As long as you manage expectations and approach this day with an opportunistic attitude, this can be a really great way to experience the parks with maximum flexibility! You can gauge which rides have shorter wait times, join a walk-up list for your favorite restaurant, enjoy the atmosphere entertainment, etc.

No Regrets—Skipping Rope Drop and Doing Late Evenings Instead

Morning rope drop is a great way to enjoy shorter wait times for your favorite rides, but it does require you to get up very early. This is not necessarily for everyone, so sometimes it can be worth it to get that extra bit of sleep and enjoy lower wait times for rides in the late evenings. During most times of the year, Disneyland will be open until midnight and Disney California Adventure until 10 pm. This can be a great time to get on all of the most popular rides when crowds are lower!

Building off of our above discussion about visiting on a holiday, adhering to a solid evening strategy can be a great way to get on popular rides on days when the parks are extremely crowded. In her Disneyland evening strategy article, our content director Lindsay talks about how she visited on Thanksgiving and was able to ride Haunted Mansion Holiday three times in a row later in the evening.

No Regrets—Visiting for One Day Instead of Multiple

In our guide to how many days you need for Disneyland, we discuss that you ideally need more than one day to tour the parks. However, if one day is all you have, it's still completely worth it to visit! Personally, as a Southern California resident who is within pretty reasonable driving distance of the parks, it usually only ever makes sense to visit for one day, and I have become very efficient at fitting in all of my top priorities in that time.

1-day trips can feel quite rewarding as they are jam-packed with action fitting in all of your favorite rides. Using a solid Disneyland and Disney California Adventure Park hopper strategy, you won't get to everything, but you can absolutely fit in all of the highlights. My thought at the end of the day is always “wow, we accomplished a lot!” Even if one day is all you have for Disneyland, one day is better than nothing!

All of that being said, if you do have the availability to visit for more than one day, then we definitely recommend doing it. If you're visiting for the first time or haven't visited in years, it is really best to visit for multiple days so that you don't feel rushed and have time to enjoy all of the attractions and entertainment the parks have to offer.

No Regrets—Listening to What Our Family Needs

Another thing we never regret is listening to the needs of our family, even if it means deviating from some of our advice. Despite best efforts, things don't always go according to plan.

Instead of rope dropping, you may find your family needs that extra bit of sleep to fully enjoy their day. While we generally recommend eating breakfast before you arrive in the morning so you can focus on rides with shorter waits, you may be running behind and need to sit down to eat breakfast right when you arrive to make sure everyone is fueled up and ready for the day. Sometimes, following a touring strategy can be overwhelming and you may need to step back and approach the day at a more leisurely pace.

No Disneyland trip is going to be 100% perfect, and that's normal. There is understandably a lot of pressure to maximize your time and fit everything into your day, but it shouldn't be at the cost of your enjoyment. We have never regretted deviating from our advice if it means our family will ultimately have a more enjoyable experience.

No Regrets—Buying the Souvenirs

Souvenirs can be quite pricey at Disneyland, so another one of our tips, especially when doing Disneyland on a budget, is to buy some of these items like light-up toys, princess dresses, etc. ahead of time at a cheaper price. This can be a good way to keep your souvenir budget under control, but there is something special about just going for it and buying these things at the parks.

Getting these souvenirs at Disneyland can make for some great memories. One of my parents' favorite Disneyland stories they frequently recount to me is how excited I was to pick out a Sleeping Beauty dress as a young child. While it may have made more sense to buy this ahead, having the memory of picking it out at Disneyland was extra special and worth it!

Things We Do Regret

While there are times that we don't regret breaking our own advice, there are other times we have slipped up and wished we hadn't! Here is what we definitely regret…

We Regret—Not Breaking In Shoes Enough

We always recommend bringing comfortable walking shoes and making sure they are fully broken in. This is one of those situations where it's easy to think “I'll be fine!” and end up not being fine. You walk an average of about 10-12 miles per day when visiting Disneyland, which is no small distance.

I have personally made this mistake a few times and always regret it! Even if you have comfortable and supportive shoes, make sure they are fully broken in. Even if you think you have sufficiently broken them in, Disneyland will put that to the test every time. It's truly no fun to be walking around Disneyland with raw heels. Take our advice on this one and go with the safe option for shoes. You can see our top recommended Disneyland shoes!

We Regret—Not Scheduling a Sit-Down Meal

Another mistake that doesn't seem like a big deal is not scheduling a sit-down meal. While there is an abundance of great quick-service options across the resort, it can be very easy to let too many hours slip by without eating if you're relying on a quick-service meal.

Whether you get too caught up in going on the rides or the soonest mobile order pickup time is later than you hoped, you can end up in an uncomfortable situation going too long without a meal. I have definitely been in this situation a few times when I've been too laid-back about my plans and have really regretted it!

Scheduling a sit-down meal is always a good idea because it provides some structure to your day and a built-in break. There are a lot of great table-service dining experiences that could end up being a highlight of your day! There is nothing like utilizing a good Disneyland morning strategy and then sitting down at Cafe Orleans (one of the best Mickey Visit Disneyland restaurants) and enjoying this view for lunch.

We Regret—Arriving Even Just a Little Late for Rope Drop

In order to enjoy the full benefits of morning rope drop, you need to be super diligent about allotting plenty of time to do this properly. It's so easy to let the morning slip away from you, and next thing you know the minutes have added up and you are way behind schedule!

One of the biggest reasons people miss rope drop is that they fail to account for transportation time and getting through security. We always recommend allotting more time than you think you'll need if you're planning to rope drop. There's nothing more frustrating than running late and getting stuck with a long wait at an intersection on the way into the parks or battling the traffic going into the parking structure if you're driving!

I have been in this situation and regretted it, especially on crowded days at Disneyland when every minute is valuable. Arriving even just a tiny bit late defeats the purpose of getting up early. Especially if you're visiting during a crowded time, you may not think those extra 10-20 minutes will really make a huge impact on your morning, but it may be the difference in getting on a few more rides or hopping in line before the standby wait time for your favorite ride starts climbing.

We Regret—Rushing Too Much

Another regret we have is rushing too much and not taking the time to enjoy the atmosphere. A trip to Disneyland should be fun, so it's important to take a step back and re-evaluate your approach if running from ride to ride starts to feel like a chore. While rides are a key part of the Disneyland experience, there is so much more you're missing out on if you don't take the time to slow down and soak everything in.

Make sure that you're not running from place to place at the cost of your own enjoyment! It's always worth it to take a break in the middle of your day if needed, or if you're enjoying a longer trip, to build a rest day in between park days.

We Regret—Booking a Hotel That Is Not Across the Street

While a 20-minute walk from your hotel to Disneyland may not seem like much compared to all of the walking you'll be doing during the day at the parks, it can end up being a real challenge in the mornings when time is of the essence or in the evenings when you're tired and your feet are sore. We have stayed at hotels in the area that are a little too far out of our walking comfort zone and regretted not opting for one right across the street.

Staying at a hotel that is a few minutes away saves you the hassle of having to worry about a long walk or taking an Uber or the ART Shuttle for transportation. There are plenty of great options for Disneyland hotels that are right across the street and take away the extra hassle of having to navigate a longer distance between the parks and your hotel. It's not the end of the world if you end up further away but be sure to consider the extra time that relying one a shuttle from your hotel to Disneyland would require.

We Regret—Shopping at the Start of the Day

Another regret we have is doing our Disneyland shopping at the start of the day! It can be tempting to buy souvenirs early in the day, but especially if it's something bigger, you'll have to deal with carrying bags around all day or renting a locker for it.

If you know what you're shopping for will still be there at the end of the day, we recommend holding off on purchasing it until later so you can avoid the hassle of carrying it around everywhere with you.

We Regret—Not Checking the Weather

Finally, we regret when we've visited without checking the weather near Disneyland or have underestimated the weather! There have definitely been times when I've thought the heat or cold wouldn't be too bad and really regretted what I wore to the parks! There is nothing worse than when the temperatures drop in the evening and you realize you may have to make an unexpected sweatshirt purchase to keep warm. Layers are always your friend and something to avoid buying in a pinch!

Even if you think you're familiar with the weather patterns during the time of year you'll be visiting, always make sure to double-check before your trip so you aren't caught off-guard by the heat or cold.

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