During our most recent visit to the LA area in California I had planned an entire day of eating in downtown Los Angeles. But something happened when my sister and I woke up. We both saw an add for Pixar Fest on the TV as we were getting ready to leave for the day. I asked, “Can we just visit Disneyland without reservations or tickets? Can we just show up and have a good time?”

Download the updated Disneyland App & sign in
Visit Disneyland without reservations…sort of

You do need tickets to get into Disneyland. Once you purchase your tickets you then can make a  Disneyland reservation using your app. As I explain in the video, we had to download the Disneyland app and really relied on it throughout our trip. It helped give us a sense of wait times for rides, we could make reservations for lunch or dinner and even pre-order wine or beer. And since we upgraded our park hopper pass tickets to have Genie+ we were able to pre-book rides and bypass the long lines. 

Be sure to have the correct address on your Disneyland account profile

We tried to buy our Disneyland tickets on our app but kept getting a error code. This was because my address on my account profile was different from the billing address associated with my credit card. 

Bring a charger

You’ll be using your phone a lot. Not only for photos and video but also for the Disneyland app. This drained my phone and I was able to snag an outlet at the Carthay Circle Restaurant during dinner time – the staff assured me that they were not responsible for theft. 

Don’t have any expectations: Visiting Disneyland without reservations

You probably know me and that means you know I LOVE to plan that sh!t out of my vacations and itineraries. But this trip was so different. We literally got into the Uber without knowing if we could get in at all. It being May 4th (Star Wars fans’ favourite day) I was expecting it to be busy. When we got there at 11:30 am there were no lines and we were able to speak to a Disney cast member fairly quickly. She helped us figure out the glitching of the app and made reservations for us as you need them (as well as your tickets) to get into the park.

I was just happy to get there and get in at all. I didn’t mind what rides we went on. I didn’t have a plan for food. And yet, thanks to that Disney magic, we had a fantastic time. If you watch the video you’ll know that it was largely because of Disney cast members making it possible.

Problems with not planning

One thing I will mention as it was Pixar Fest during our visit. All of the amazing Pixar food booths were closed on a Saturday! We didn’t get to taste any of the fun Pixar themed food and drinks they put out for the festival which was disappointing. 

We also didn’t have a game plan so we zoomed through most of the attractions and lands. I felt we could have explored Star Wars land so much more and try the food there.

Lessons learned: Visiting Disneyland without reservations

As a mom, I was very scared to tell my 3 and 6 year old that I went to Disneyland without them. But you know, I’d do it again in a heart beat! It was so freeing to explore Disneyland without kids. I got to enjoy my time and it was about me, not about keeping my kids happy. But I also learned that when I do bring my kids to Disneyland, I won’t be buying a park hopper pass. A park hopper pass allows you to visit both Disneyland and California Adventure park in the same day. Not only is it more expensive but it is more overwhelming for the kids. One park per day is plenty for them with a break for a nap then return in the evening. Truly, it did help me gain some valuable insight into future trips with my kids.

Do you plan your itineraries? Or do you throw caution to all the colours of the wind?