What’s the record for the most rides one person has ticked off at Disneyland & California Adventure Park within six hours? Oh, there isn’t one? Well, allow me to set it!
Less than a month ago I went to Disneyland & California Adventure Park and managed to get through 10 rides in less than six hours.
Yes, two shy of a dozen, I did!
CLICK HERE for 10 photos from Disney & California Adventure Park that’ll put a smile on your face.
A Disney virgin (what’s the delay dude? Mickey awaits) may think that doesn’t sound like much, but those who’ve been lucky enough to walk through the intoxicatingly exciting park will appreciate that this is quite the achievement.
While some 60,000 other park visitors patiently waited in lines of up to 1.5hrs, I was practically skipping right past the queues and enjoying 1.6 rides per hour.
Here’s real-life footage of me for six hours…
That could be you too, simply heed my words of Disney wisdom:
Step 1. Plan your Disney visit for a quiet day
Sounds simple, but it actually requires some effort making sure you’re in Anaheim on work days during school/work hours. It’s the best way to avoid peak-day crowds.
Another great time to be at the park is after the fireworks – most families leave after the last spark but most rides tend to stay open, which brings me to…
Step 2. If you can, come later at night
Did you know some rides at Disneyland & California Adventure Park stay open past midnight? Sometimes they’re even open at 3.00am! If you’re able to visit later in the evening than do it, you’ll be ridin’ round n’ round until your stomach can ride no longer.
Step 3. Buy the Disney MaxPass for access to the Disney FASTPASS
To maximise your Disney experience, you want to skip the lines. In order to skip the lines, YOU NEED to buy a Disney MaxPass to access Disney FASTPASS.
Oh boy. That’s a headscratcher, but to break it down…
The MaxPass is purchased by days (for example a 2-day MaxPass or 4-day MaxPass). Having the MaxPass allows you to add your name to FastPASS lists (accessed through the Disneyland app) for different rides.
Having your name on the FastPASS list allows you to move through lines MUCH faster than those without. For example, while the masses waited over an hour for Space Mountain, I only waited only 10 minutes.
You can even scan the barcodes of your fellow MaxPass park visitors and use the one device to book rides for you all.
You’ll feel like a Disney Queen strolling past all the suckers.
Step 4. Plan your route
DON’T just rock up at the park and wing it because you’ll definitely miss out on things you want to see. You need to build yourself a Disney itinerary.
Start by dividing the parks – say day one you’ll explore California Adventure Park, day two Disneyland and day three go back and tick off the things you missed out on the first two days.
Once you know which park you’re exploring on that day, choose a ‘land’ to start your day and a ride within that land to kick off the thrills. From there, you want to build your itinerary based on nearby attraction and work your way around the park like that.
For example, I chose to start in Disneyland Park, Adventure Land and the Indiana Jones ride. I then moved to the neighbouring New Orleans Square to try out the Pirates of the Caribbean Ride, and so on.
Step 5. Know when to add your name to FastPASS lists
BE SURE, to secure your place on the next ride while you’re waiting (no more than 15 minutes) in the FastPASS line of your current ride. For example, while speeding through the Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout line, put your name down for the Soarin Around the World attraction.
Step 6. Be flexible
FastPASS only allocates a certain number of people (around 30) to rides per hour. This allows the Park to keep wait times as low as possible.
So if the next ride on your Disney itinerary is Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout but you can’t find it on the FastPASS list, then jump ahead to the next ride and try again later.
Step 7. Enjoy the Disney magic
Remember to take water and food breaks, and also remember to stop and enjoy the entertainment Disney provides between rides such as character photo opportunities, dance-offs, musical performances and more. There’s WAY MORE to this theme park than the rides.
Step 8. Have fun bae!
You’re in Disneyland & California Adventure Park, have fun! And if you don’t tick off all your must-do rides the first time around, then there’s a reason to keep coming back!
READ: A single, 30-something traveller’s guide to Disneyland & California Adventure Park
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READ: 14 things you definitely don’t know about Walt’s first park