By Tinker Belle Diva
I’ll date myself, and I’m sure plenty of you, when I say that I grew up taking road trips without movies in the car, used paper maps to find our way around an unfamiliar city, and we walked around Disneyland not knowing how long a queue would be for a ride until we saw the line. Looking back now, I can’t imagine how we ever navigated Disneyland without a mobile device to show us the way. So on a recent trip to the Disneyland Resort for a vacation, I was surprised when a fellow traveler did not have the Disneyland App on their phone (read Character Diva’s review of the App), as they said they were not going to purchase MaxPass. I’m here to let you know that the Disneyland App is so much more than a way to purchase MaxPass, and give you a few reasons why you should be using it if you aren’t already.
Do you really want to wait 3.5 hours for the Haunted Mansion?
Reason #1 – Attraction Wait Times and Status. Attraction wait time is the number one reason why I use the app. They are updated on the app in real time, and we continuously check wait times while in the park. We will even make a decision to park hop if we see that attraction wait times in Disney California Adventure Park are looking to be shorter then those in Disneyland. Even if you are not going to purchase MaxPass (read Superhero Diva’s explanation of MaxPass), the app has full functionality to help you plan your next FastPass. When you are in the “Attractions” menu, the wait times for each ride are given. When you click on those wait times, the FastPass return time is opened in a new window. You will then be able to decide if you want to head to the FastPass distribution center for that attraction or check out another one. In addition to wait and FastPass times, the app will let you know if an attraction is temporarily closed. This will also save you precious time walking over to an attraction only to find that is it down for the count.
The best way to order a Dole Whip
Reason #2 – Mobile Ordering. Disneyland added mobile ordering to the app in 2018. The full list of locations that accept mobile ordering are on the Disneyland website. This service has been around for a while at Walt Disney World, so I was familiar with the process on our recent trip to Disneyland. Choose one of the restaurants from the Dining category and tap “Order Food”. Pick an arrival time that works for when you want your order to be ready and then make your food selection. You then pay for your order using a credit or debit card that is linked to your account in the app. DIVA TIP – If you are an Annual Passholder (AP), make sure you have linked your AP to your Disneyland account. By doing this, your AP discount is automatically applied to your order! Once you are nearly at the restaurant, you’ll need to go back into the app and tap “I’m Here, Prepare My Order”. You will then receive a notification on the app when your food is ready. Mobile ordering was a dream for me due to my love of Dole Whip. Instead of waiting in a line that appeared to be at least 20 minutes long, I sat in the waiting area for the Tiki Room and punched my order into the app. I immediately hit the “I’m Here, Prepare My Order” button, and in about 4 minutes from when I started my order, I received the notification that my Dole Whip was ready for me!
View your upcoming FastPasses
Reason #3 – Keep Track of Your Plans. Remember those dining reservations you made 60 days before your trip? Well, they are all kept here in the app for you to review and even cancel if you must. Since Disneyland will charge you $10/person for a missed reservation, you will want to keep track of those and this is a great way to do that. In addition, any FastPass selections you have made, even if you are not using MaxPass, will show up for the tickets that you have linked in the app. You can also view the Entertainment schedule, so you can make sure you don’t miss a parade or a performance by the Dapper Dans.
Wait Times During Early Entry/Magic Mornings are Available
Reason #4 – Character Locations. Has your little Mouseketeer been begging to meet Donald Duck? Instead of hoping to run into him somewhere during the day, you can use the Character menu to find where Donald Duck will be. Once in the Character menu, click on “show list” in the upper right of the screen. All of the characters will be listed, so scroll down to Donald Duck and see where and when you can meet him.
WARNING. The Disneyland App will be a big drain on your battery. If you use it anywhere near as much as we do, you will want to bring a portable battery and charging chord with you. Disneyland does sell portable phone chargers at their kiosks for $30 if you do end up forgetting to bring your own.
Are you ready to test out the Disneyland App on your next trip? First contact Patricia at All for Dreams Travel so she can provide you with a FREE quote.
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