There’s a lot to see and do in Disneyland, and you want to make sure you enjoy it all with fewer crowds and lineups, if possible. The park is typically crowded around holidays, long weekends, and school vacation times, so aim to go in the off-season — mid-April to late May, and September (after Labor Day) into early October.

The Right Time To Go

To gain entry into Disneyland, visitors must have both a valid ticket and a Magic Key Pass reservation. They can be obtained online, or you can buy a ticket there — but it’s just an extra lineup to wait in — and if the park's reservation system is entirely filled up, that means you'll be unable to enter Disneyland on that specific day.

Pre-Purchase Tickets

Disneyland has lots of food options, whether it's sit-down dining or walk-up food stands, but they can be somewhat costly and potentially time-consuming. Fortunately, there is a fairly lax policy about bringing in food and snacks, as long as they’re in non-glass containers, and don’t need to be heated or refrigerated.

Save Money on Food

If you want to go to any of the many sit-down restaurants within Disneyland, you’ll likely need a reservation, so stop in to book one when you first enter the park or make your reservation online with the Disneyland app. There are also plenty of food stand options throughout the park that are less expensive and faster.

Disneyland Restaurants

Try to arrive at Disneyland's gates at least half an hour before the park opens (or an hour on weekends and holidays), so you’re there when the ropes blocking off each land are lifted. Once in, try to get to rides that will likely have long wait times as the day goes on (like Space Mountain and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance).

Be There When It Opens