Disneyland Tips

 My family has had annual passes to Disneyland for 4 years.

Here are a few Disneyland Tips you might not know about.

Two words.....FAST PASS here is how they work: Go to the ride, and enter the "Fast Pass Distribution" line.  You will approach a kiosk that you insert your park ticket into.  Push it in, and then pull it out (like an ATM card)....a fast pass will then print out below.  It will say "Please return to this ride between the hours of 1:00 and 2:00" or some time later in the day.  It tells you as you walk in the distribution line what time the fast pass will say.  Now, even though the passes say "between" you can use them ANYTIME after the first listed time i.e. after 1:00 can be used at 8:30pm is you held on to it.  


Fast passes are great and work with rides with longer lines.  In Disneyland they are good for: Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Buzz Astroblasters, Indiana Jones, Thunder Mt. Railroad and Haunted Mansion.  Buzz and Haunted Mansion lines move REALLY fast, I wouldn't bother fast passing them.  Fast passes are best used for Space Mountain, Indiana Jones and Splash Mountain.  

The only trick to a Fast Pass is once you get a fast pass, you can not get another one IN THAT SAME PARK until your "between" time has started.  i.e. get a fast pass at 10:00 that says "between" time starting at 1:00 you can't get another fast pass until 1:01 that afternoon.
Note that I said IN THE SAME PARK. You can fast pass a ride at Disneyland and then one at California Adventure at the same time.

At the California park you can fast pass: Soarin' over California, California Screamin', Mullhand Madness, Tower of Terror and Grizzly Rapids.  California Screamin' and Soarin' are your best use of a fast passes in this park. Grizzly Rapids is not too long unless its really hot out then the line will be horrendous. Be aware on Grizzly Rapids you will get SOAKED.  The Tower of Terror line moves pretty fast if it's not crowded. DON'T MISS THE "IT'S TOUGH TO BE A BUG" show!  I've also heard the "Disney World of Color" is amazing! (I haven't seen that one yet, it's new this year)
If you bought your park tickets online, you have one early admission electronically put on your ticket.  If you already have the tickets, and the bottom right, it will say "one early admission included".  This gets you into the park 1 hour prior to opening Monday through Thursday.  When we went the park opened at 10, we lined up at 8:30 and they opened it for us at 9:00.  And EVERYONE RAN to Nemo.  It's a great ride so hit that one on the early admission ticket.  There is no fast pass for Nemo and the line can be VERY long.


There is also a "Single Rider" pass available from the line attendant on the longer line rides if you don't care if you are sitting with your party.  They let you cut to the front of the line and be placed where they can fit you.  Ask the line attendant if they do "Single Riders" on that ride.  I've been a Single Rider on Soarin' over California, California Screamin' and Indiana Jones.  It's in the parks interest to get the line moving as fast as possible.  So they add single riders in the empty seats.  i.e. a party of 3 rides a roller coaster.  There are 2 in one row and 1 in the other.  The ride attendant will use a single rider to fill the void.

Parent swap passes are also available from line attendants.  One parent stands in line (or uses a fast pass) with a child or without, it doesn't matter.  Then the 2nd parent gets to cut to the front of the line when the 1st is done.  That way both parents get to ride and they can take turns watching the kids.