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I’ve been a Disney lover ever since I can remember, and as a Southern California local, I’ve visited Disneyland in Anaheim, California a ton of times! I recently went to celebrate my nephew’s birthday, and funny enough, this is my first time doing a Disneyland trip in the spring months! I’ve put together a little Disneyland travel guide and recap of this fun day- keep reading for some Disney tips from a local!

My Disney Outfit

I love fashion, especially a good theme moment, and a trip to Disneyland was the perfect opportunity for me to style a chic Disneyland outfit for grown ups!

Since my nephew’s favorite Disney character is Mickey, I wanted to do some disneybounding as Minnie. I went with this adorable (and comfortable!) black and white polka dot dress, secondhand Disney x Onitsuka Tiger sneakers, Kate Spade x Disney Minnie purse, bow cardigan from Amazon, and topped off the look with BaubleBar x Disney accessories! This look was comfy enough to wear all day while still channeling Minnie. (I also added ruffled bloomers underneath the dress for a little extra modesty (Minnie always wears bloomers too!). Here’s a peek at my Disney ootd:

Shop this Minnie disneybound outfit below:

My Disneyland Must-Do’s

I’m a creature of habit and love visiting the same Disneyland rides each time I go, but since we had a two year old with us this time, I tried some rides that I don’t normally try and I have to say, it was so fun! My top three favorite Disneyland rides are the Matterhorn, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Pirates of the Caribbean, and the Peter Pan ride. I didn’t get to do all of these this time, but I did try some new-to-me rides, including the Finding Nemo Submarine and the new Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.

I have to say, since this was my first time in Disneyland’s Star Wars land, I was AMAZED at the attention to detail of this area of the park and the Rise of the Resistance ride! This area is perfect for Star Wars fans and I genuinely was very impressed with the atmosphere and life-size Star Wars spacecrafts. I’d recommend for adults and families with older kids, though, as there wasn’t really anything for my young nephew to do other than look around (he still loved it!).

Something else that was fun (and delicious!) were the beverage offerings in Disney’s new Star Wars land. In particular, the Meiloorun Juice (which has pineapple, lemonade with blueberry, white cranberry juice, lemon juice and Desert Pear) was DELICIOUS! You can find this one at Ronto Roasters, including some fun options for souvenir cups and a great atmosphere. The Pico punch over at the Galactic Grill in Tomorrowland was also delicious! This one has pineapple juice, coconut milk and lime juice garnished with pineapple chunks and lotus root. You can also get a lightsaber swizzle stick as a souvenir!

My other Disneyland must-do is one of my personal favorites: get a Mickey pretzel! I love the Mickey shaped pretzels and they’re super fun for a photo op!

My Disneyland Travel Tips

Here are a few things that I learned that would help make future trips to the park more enjoyable in the future:

• There aren’t a lot of signs for new Disney features (like the self checkouts in stores or directory signs to the various lands), so I’d recommend downloading the app before you go and doing some research on how things work (especially if you’re a first time Disney visitor!). Otherwise, you might experience some stress trying to figure it out on the spot (like we did)!

• If you’re doing the Goofy’s Kitchen character breakfast at the Disneyland Hotel like we did, be prepared to walk a decent distance from the Mickey and Friends parking garage to the hotel. There aren’t a lot of signs (again) so it can be confusing to get to the right place, and you do have to go through a bag check security point that often has lines. Prepare and get there early- and definitely make reservations for character dining in advance!
• Take breaks, especially if you have young kids. Disneyland can be overwhelming for young ones, especially toddlers, so take breaks often, have plenty of snacks, and bring strollers so they can rest. Our group prioritized plenty of time for our nephew to rest and recharge, and it really made sure he had a great time without getting overwhelmed!

We had so much fun visiting Disneyland and can’t wait to go again soon! What are some things you’ve learned about traveling to Disneyland? What did you like and what could’ve gone better? Do you have any strategies for planning your Disney trip?

Let me know in the comments!

Xx Tabi