Preparing for your Disney trip

Going to Disneyland doesn't take a lot of planning for us anymore; we know the territory.

Purchasing the passes in advance has always resulted in getting them in the mail. In the past they have been paper, but this time they were plastic, kind of like a credit card. Because we were staying at a resort hotel, we also got a packet with coupons for Downtown Disney and ground transportation information.

My sisters recently went to Disneyworld, and that was a different experience.

For Disneyworld, it is wristbands, and you register them online. Not only do you register them, you can plan fast passes and meals in advance.

https://www.wired.com/2015/03/disney-magicband/

I had read this article a while ago, so I was not completely surprised at the options. Reservations are not required, and there is a part of me that likes to leave things open to spontaneity. I mean, how do you even know when you will be between rides? Well, maybe if you were using fast passes, you would.

Granted, my whole strategy is to pick less busy times of year, and then use psychology and opportunism to do the least amount of waiting in line possible. That seems completely incompatible with smart wristband technology.

Not everyone can do it our way. Being childless means you don't have to go during regular vacations. That is not true for everyone. If the only time to go is a busy time of year, that level of planning may be what makes the trip better than long lines punctuated by a few moments of fun. Advance planning could be helpful for a busy Disneyland time as well.

While I am confident that when I take my crack at Disneyworld that I will do it better, it can be intimidating too. With so much there - and not wanting to miss things - how do you do it?

Here is something helpful; no matter how much I love Disneyland, there are people who are way more fanatical about it. This can be useful.

Let's say I was looking for discounts, I might head over to Mouse Savers first, and subscribe to their newsletter: https://www.mousesavers.com/

They have their own links, but don't worry, there are more. For example, if I wanted to check out restaurants, I might go to http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/. I'm not even sure if that's the one I have used in the past, because there are others.

That's not to take away from the park web sites. Sorting restaurants by location, like https://disneyland.disney.go.com/dining/#/sort=location/ is helpful, but those are general descriptions and prices. The sites done by fans may have pictures of the menu items, and reviews. It can be handy.

It is easy to miss things. You probably will miss things. The origin of the food map is that my sisters were going and they had heard about a macaroni and cheese dog, and a Matterhorn macaroon, and they did not know where they were. In the process of using the Disney site to find it, well, I guess I wanted to draw some, but also - even knowing that things can change - I really know where to find stuff now.

If browsing randomly shows you one dish that looks good, and you see certain rides are near it, and plan that there will be a meal there, after those rides, it's as valid a planning method as any.

And if you have to ask questions, the cast members are really nice.