I had a friend tell me once that every family does Disney different. I don't know if that's true, but I do know that the Robins have spent endless hours planning family trips year after year and that by now, they probably know what they're talking about. Everyone in the family helped contribute to this post to give you all the ins and outs of doing Disney with a large family!
There were 10 of us in all with ages from 3-50 so we had to accommodate a variety of needs and wishes which I think helps makes this guide even better so you have all the information you need whether you're going with young kids, your whole family, or just a couples getaway. This guide is specific to Halloween at Disneyland, but some of the information applies to Disney regardless of when you go.
First of all, the decor was so fun! Orange leaves and pumpkins everywhere! The big pumpkin right at the start of Main Street is a great photo op.
MUST-EATS
I'm just going to list the ones we tried!
- sour apple churro with caramel dipping sauce. You can find them at the churro cart in Tomorrowland. (bryan's fav)
- cookies and cream funnel cake fries from DCA in California Adventure.
- pumpkin spice beignets and churros in New Orleans Square
- churro sundae from The Golden Horseshoe (this was my fav!!)
- these amazing desserts were at the Carnation Cafe
All of these are only available at Halloweentime. And one we missed was the Maleficent Churro which could be found at the churro carts near the castle.
Other treats we love:
- dole whips by the tiki room
- mickey pretzels
- mickey ice cream bars
- caramel apples
- the gray stuff at the rose tavern
This trip we ate at Goofy's Kitchen which was awesome for character dining. It is located inside the Disneyland Hotel. The food is buffet style and the lighting isn't awesome for pictures, but it was super fun for the kids to see Mickey and all his friends. Make sure you get reservations ahead of time.
We also ate at the Blue Bayou which I highly recommend. I'll talk more about that later because we did that in connection with seeing Fantasmic. Carnation Cafe on Main Street was good if you like American comfort food. Bryan's parents love it for their fried chicken. Bryan and I got the salmon there and it was pretty good! If you eat a late lunch or early dinner, it isn't crowded! Jazz Kitchen was awesome too! I loved this place because I just love southern food! We also got to eat outside and watch people in Downtown Disney which contributed to a great atmosphere along with their jazz music playing. We only had to wait about 30 min. to get in here for a late lunch.
**Most important thing to know is that you ARE allowed to bring food and drink into the park. The ones I listed above were our "one meal" in the park a day. Bring all the snacks and water you can because food is extremely over-priced in the park. But also treat yourself too because after all, you're on vacation!
California Adventure: Guardians of the Galaxy is changed to be Monsters After Dark at nighttime. It's still the same ride, just a different story line. Don't miss Soarin' Over the World. Also, be sure to check out the new Incredicoaster on Pixar Pier. They've made a lot of fun changes over there!
For any big ride, you're going to want to get fast passes. Radiator Springs is a family favorite for all ages so I suggest getting fast passes for that ride first because they can stop giving them out by early afternoon depending on crowds.
MUST RIDE FOR KIDS
Disneyland: Dumbo, Winnie the Pooh, It's a Small World, Teacups, Peter Pan
California Adventure: Mator's Tow Truck Jamboree, Radiator Springs, Ariel, Jumpin' Jellyfish, Midway Mania, Turtle Talk with Crush
Make sure you hit the Fantasyland rides either first thing in the morning, during a parade, or before the park closes. The lines will be significantly shorter when all the little ones are asleep or watching the parade.
I would also recommend bringing a small bag in addition to your stroller. That way you can put anything valuable (phone, camera, wallet, etc.) in the small bag to bring with you on rides, especially if someone isn't going to be watching the stroller. Then you can keep snacks, jackets, and water bottles in the stroller and not have to worry if something gets stolen.
If you're going with kids, it's important to know about the rider swap pass. Let's say one child isn't tall enough for a ride, but others are. You can do a rider swap where someone stays with the smaller child and then someone else can ride it again while you swap. It uses less fast passes to get the same amount of people on the ride.
Fast passes are a necessity for any Disney trip. There are little kiosks near the entrances to all of the rides where you put in your ticket and get a fast pass. Now, they are having you use your ticket to check into the ride when your fast pass time comes.
If crowds are really busy, I highly recommend buying the MAXPASS. It's $10 a day/person but it is 100% worth it if there's a lot of people. You can create groups so you can combine fast passes for everybody and get fast passes all together. You use your phone to get onto the rides and can get another one as soon as the time window for your current fast passes opens. It saves a ton of time because you don't have to run to each ride to get the fast pass and collect everybody's tickets. My favorite feature is that any picture you get taken by a Disney photographer or on a ride, you get to keep without paying any extra!!
You do all of this on the Disneyland App which also shows you wait times for rides, character locations and times they will be there, times for all the shows and parades, make dining reservations, and you can now order and pay for food from the app!! It also saves time and you get to pick the time window for it to be ready and then go pick up your food! It's genius. Especially if you're trying to sample all those yummy Halloween treats all over the parks!
MICKEY'S NOT SO SCARY HALLOWEEN PARTY
Ok, this is an ABSOLUTE MUST for Halloween time. It does cost extra on top of your park ticket but every penny is worth it. Here's why. They close the park at 6 to anyone who doesn't have a ticket to the party so it's kind of an exclusive deal! You get to wear costumes and when you enter the park, they give you a little candy bag. All throughout the park, there are candy stations where you get to go trick-or-treating. We went to Toontown first for the kids, but literally you could spend the entire night trick-or-treating which means that the line rides are so short!! So if you don't have kids who want to trick-or-treat longer you can spend the night riding your favorite rides multiple times. There are also an extra amount of characters throughout the park, including villains! I was also super impressed by the Halloween Parade. The Headless Horseman starts it off by riding throughout the park, ending on Main Street. The fireworks were also awesome filled with the best villain music Disney has to offer and an appearance from Zero, Jack Skellington's ghost dog. The atmosphere, music, candy, costumes, and lack of crowds makes for a wonderful evening of Halloween fun!
PARADES AND SHOWS
This totally depends on what time of year you're going. But for Halloweentime, you won't want to miss the parade and fireworks show I mentioned earlier. They don't happen just during the Halloween Party!
We also watched the Paint the Night Electrical Parade which was FANTASTIC! It's always nice to have someone sit and save a spot for the parade so if anyone is getting tired, sign them up for that! Make sure to bring blankets or jackets to put down to save spots. You're also going to want those because it can get chilly at night!
Also, check times for Fantasmic (Disneyland) or World of Color (California Adventure). If you want to create an experience out of it, place a reservation at the Blue Bayou before Fantasmic. You get an amazing three-course meal and then prime seating for the show. The food is delicious and the restaurant is placed right inside the Pirates of the Caribbean ride so you get to enjoy your meal in the dark, kind of eerie ambiance of the ride.
HOTELS
Staying at one of the three Disneyland hotels can be pricey, but here's why you might consider doing it. First, you're so close to the parks!! I felt like we were really able to maximize our time because we weren't traveling long distances to get there, and it was super easy to go back and forth which was really useful to grab snacks, change clothes if needed, and for kids to take naps or when they needed to go to bed.
Also when you stay at a Disney hotel you get a Magic Morning, meaning you get into the park an hour before it opens. When you get a 5-day park hopper pass, you get one every day! That extra hour in the morning is GOLD to get on rides that get busy or just to enjoy being there without the mass of people.
I loved that we didn't have to go through long lines of security either. You don't have to rent a car because you're so close to everything you need and there is a shuttle that takes you to and from the airport. It's perfect.
If you're staying at the Grand Californian make sure you take in some pool time (if you're there for at least 5 days) and also spend some time by the fire in the lobby and listen to the beautiful pianists. It's quite magical!
If they just aren't in your price range, there are many hotels you can stay at that are still within walking distance of the parks. We stayed in one when we first arrived and that walk was not bad at all! Like 5 minutes tops. You can still get a magic morning if you buy at least a 3-day park hopper pass.
Buy your tickets ahead of time online, because who wants to stand in a line when you could be in the park playing!!
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