Fastpasses, Child Swapping, and Single Rider Lines at Disneyland

While lines are a natural part of a trip to Disneyland (if you're not expecting lines, you're really deluding yourself), Disney has done a few things to help you minimize the time you spend standing in those lines. There are a ton of different methods you can use to maximize your time in the park and avoid lines, but that would probably take multiple blog posts to cover. Maybe we'll get there. But for this post, we're going to focus on Fastpasses, child swapping, and single rider lines.

Fastpasses

Fastpasses are a glorious invention that Disney came up with many moons ago. It allows you to basically make a reservation to go on a ride at a later time. Because of this, there are normally two lines at each ride: the standby line and the Fastpass return line. Since Disneyland only offers a certain number of Fastpasses for every return time, during the busiest times at the parks, the Fastpass line will often take at most 30 minutes, in comparison to the standby line which at the same time can be hours long. Essentially, you do your waiting while doing other things in the park.

You can get Fastpasses two ways: with the MaxPass system and in person at or near the ride. To do it in person, there are kiosks where you scan your ticket and it will print you out a reminder ticket with the time frame in which you can return to ride. Usually you have an hour return time, so for example, you go pick up your Fastpass at 9 am and it will tell you to return between 10:20 and 11:20 am.

The other method, and in my opinion the superior one, is through the MaxPass system. MaxPass is an additional service you can buy that allows you to get Fastpasses through the Disneyland app. We enjoy this because it's faster and easier. MaxPass costs $15 per day per person. That seems pricey, but you also get every photo taken by a Disneyland photographer (you'll see them posted around the parks and hanging out with characters). The photos will show up in the Disneyland app and you can download them right to your phone. But when it comes to Fastpasses, the main benefit is that with MaxPass, you can select a Fastpass from anywhere in the parks. So if you're in Disneyland and you know you're heading over to California Adventure soon, you can grab a Fastpass for Soarin' Around the World while you're in line for Splash Mountain. It's pretty awesome.

You can only have one Fastpass at a time, and your current Fastpass will tell you when you can get your next one. It kind of depends on how far out your return time is. If you grab a Fastpass for a popular ride at 10 am and your return time isn't until 5 pm that night, it is not going to prevent you from getting another one until 5. Typically, you'll be able to grab another one about two hours after you picked up the first one. The other exception to this is Fastpasses for shows (World of Color, Fantasmic, etc). They are not on the same Fastpass system as the rides, so you can grab a World of Color Fastpass as soon as you get in the park and then immediately pick up an Incredicoaster Fastpass.

If you are using MaxPass, you can use the Disneyland app to pull up all the rides that offer Fastpasses and it will tell you the time frame they are currently distributing passes for. The app is also nice because it shows you the current standby wait time, so before grabbing a Fastpass for a ride, check and see how long the line is. If it's under 15-20 minutes, grab a Fastpass for something else and just hop in the standby line.

Child Swapping

No, I'm not talking about some child exchange program hosted by the Mouse. Child swapping is a great way for parents to enjoy all the rides in the parks, even those that little ones can't go on, and it will save some time.

So the basic gist is both parents go up to the ride entrance and speak with the cast member. They will scan the ticket of whoever is staying off the ride with the kids. This will give the parent staying off a sort of Fastpass. The other parent then gets in line as usual. After that parent gets off the ride, the parent that stayed off simply goes to the Fastpass return entrance and scans their ticket to go on, thus preventing them from having to wait in the regular line. So this procedure is for when the first parent is getting in the standby (regular) line or the single rider line.

If you are going to use Fastpasses, you'll need to make sure that both parents have Fastpasses. We tried on different occasions to have just one of us get a Fastpass for one ride (i.e., Space Mountain), while the other got a Fastpass for a different ride, thinking then that we'll do child swap on both rides and speed up the process. That way instead of waiting for your spouse to go through the standby line, you're only waiting for them to go through the Fastpass line, which is far shorter. Sometimes it worked; in fact, some cast members actually applauded us for thinking of it, while some others said that if one parent was going through the Fastpass line and child swapping, both parents had to have Fastpasses. It seems to depend more on which cast member is manning the line. So you're welcome to try this method; just know you might get some grief from cast members.

Single Rider Lines

The last line option is the single rider line. This is exactly what it sounds like. If you don't care about sitting next to people in your party, or if you are traveling alone with your family and don't have another couple to child swap with, this can be a great option to bypass long standby lines. It's also helpful if all the Fastpasses are gone for a specific ride. Radiator Springs Racers is a great example of this. Those Fastpasses will go pretty quickly (they're usually gone by early afternoon), and the standby line can be two hours or longer. The single rider line can you get you on in under 30 minutes, even at the busiest times.

Now, not all single rider lines are created equal. Some are not great time savers. Any ride that seats people in twos is not great for single rider, as most people are going in twos. Space Mountain is a prime example. I did the single-rider once when the standby was about 40 minutes. The single rider took almost the same amount of time. Rides that seat in ones or by threes are great because there are almost always spaces to fill. Also, be warned that sometimes they close the single-rider line with really no notice and won't allow more people to get in line. On our last trip, both Space Mountain and Indiana Jones closed their single rider lines.

So yes, lines at Disneyland can get long. But if you use a combination of Fastpasses, child swapping, and single rider lines, you can help minimize the time you spend waiting in lines and spend more time playing.

Food at Disneyland

One of my very favorite things to do at Disneyland is eat food. While Disneyland has been dragged for their crappy food quality in the past, they have gone to great lengths the past ten or so years to improve their food offerings. I personally love the food at Disneyland. There are so many great and fun options. While it is definitely expensive to eat in the parks, and I totally understand those who choose to limit how much food they buy, Andrew and I always save up for food because eating in the parks is our favorite.

As I mentioned in a previous post, you can bring food into the parks with you. Which I 100% recommend if you have any super picky eaters. No parent wants to spend $5-$10 on a meal their kid won't eat. One trick we used on our last trip and that we will most definitely use in the future is to buy snacks online (we ordered on Amazon) and have them shipped to your hotel. Most hotels will hold packages for you. We ordered goldfish, applesauce pouches, baby food pouches, chips, and fruit snacks, all of which were waiting at the front desk when we checked in. We also shipped formula for Peanut and some snacks and sodas for the parents. It worked out fantastically when we flew to California. It saved us a lot of room in our bags. We've also had friends and family take PB&Js into the park (our picky Goober won't eat PB&Js, so that wasn't really an option for us, unfortunately). When we drive, we usually just stop at a grocery store to pick up snacks once we arrive, but we might start shipping our non-perishable items regardless of how we're traveling.

Disneyland Dining

When it comes to Disneyland food options, in general, there are four types: Food carts, counter-service restaurants, table-service restaurants, and character dining. Food carts and counter-service restaurants do not take reservations; you just get in line and order at the counter (hence the name). All table-service restaurants (or sit-down restaurants) take reservations. You can make reservations up to 60 days in advance, and if there is a table-service restaurant you want to eat at, I highly recommend you make your reservation as soon as you can. They fill up fast, and the wait without a reservation can get long.

Character Dining

Character dining is a different animal. At these meals, you will eat at your table and certain characters will come to you and say hi. We have been to Goofy's Kitchen at the Disneyland Hotel and Minnie and Friends - Breakfast in the Park at the Plaza Inn. If your kids love meeting characters, this is a good way to cross a bunch off your list in one go. They aren't exactly cheap, but the food is good, and they are both all-you-can-eat buffets. The great thing about Goofy's Kitchen (and the other character dining options at the resort hotels) is that you don't need a park ticket to go. We like to do Goofy's Kitchen the day we get in to get a fun taste of Disney without using up a day at the park. If you do Minnie's breakfast, that does require park admission; the Plaza Inn is on Main Street. 

Meeting Dale at Minnie's breakfast at the Plaza Inn. May 2018.

Peanut meeting Chip at Goofy's Kitchen. May 2019.

Goober meeting Minnie at Goofy's Kitchen. May 2019.

Snacks and Treats

In addition to the many places where you can buy full meals, there are also many, many awesome little snacks you can buy throughout the parks. There are bakeries and candy shops that sell cake pops, rice krispy treats, cookies, macarons, and so on. Then there are the popcorn carts, the ice cream carts and shops, and the churro carts and shops. The restaurants also often have fun themed treats for special events and holidays. The Disney Parks Blog will often post foodie guides for special events. They're a good follow on social media if you're interested in the special treats (and for other general information about Disney parks). 

The Alien macaron at Pizza Planet is delicious. But huge. Definitely good for sharing.

Another great resource for Disney food that I recently found (thanks to my awesome hairstylist who also happens to be Disney obsessed) is the Instagram account @disneyhungry. Andrew and I haven't really made the rounds for a lot of the treats at Disneyland, but we have a list of Halloween treats (and others) we can't wait to try thanks to her account. We'll be trying a ton of new treats when we head to the parks in a couple of weeks (can't wait!!!!). 

Mobile Ordering

Disneyland has recently launched mobile ordering for quite a few of their counter-service restaurants. We used it for the first time this past May, and it was AMAZING. While we were in Tomorrowland, we decided that we wanted corn dogs at the Stage Door Cafe, which is on the other side of the park in Frontierland. So as we headed that way, I placed an order through the Disneyland app. By the time we got to the Stage Door Cafe, our order was ready, and there was no line for pickup. This was especially awesome because the Stage Door Cafe has a notoriously slow-moving line. They have also recently added the Mint Julep Bar (which sells mint juleps, obviously, but also Mickey-shaped beignets, which are the bomb and I'm going to eat my weight in the pumpkin beignets on our next trip), which I am SO EXCITED for because the line gets crazy long. 

The Disneyland app has a list of all the participating locations, and directly underneath the name is the next available pickup time. You just click on the name, select your return time, then scroll through the menu and make your choices. You can even connect a credit card to your account so you can pay through the app, so literally all you need to do is show up and pick up your food. It's a great way to save some time in the parks.

Dining Packages

One last dining option is a dining package for various shows. There are dining packages for the Frozen show and World of Color in California Adventure and for Fantasmic in Disneyland. These are all shows that require a long wait if you're hoping for a good seat. World of Color and Fantasmic do offer Fastpasses for the shows, but you still have to get to your area at least an hour early in order to get really good seats. Frozen doesn't offer a Fastpass. There are three shows a day, and if you want to sit in the Orchestra, you're going to want to get in line anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour early. Dining packages are a great way to get a good meal and a reserved viewing area. As you can guess, these are not cheap. They cost anywhere from $45-$90 per person depending on the restaurant and whether you're going for lunch or dinner. 

So what's included? You get a three-course prix fixe meal, which includes a starter, an entree, and a dessert, as well as a drink. But the main thing you're paying for is the reserved viewing areas for the shows. They save you time in the park because you don't have to get there quite as early, and you're guaranteed at least a decent view. 

The only dining package we've done so far is the World of Color dining package. We've had meals at both Carthay Circle and Wine Country Trattoria, but I would very much recommend Carthay Circle over Wine Country Trattoria. It's more expensive, but the food is better. We weren't impressed with the food or the service at Wine Country Trattoria.

However, we will be doing the Fantasmic dining package at Blue Bayou during our next trip, so we will definitely be writing up a review once we get back.

Our Recommendations

To conclude this rather massive entry, I'll give a quick list of our favorite places to eat. Hopefully in the near future we'll be able to write some detailed reviews of some of these restaurants, complete with pictures.

Counter-service restaurants:

• Disneyland
• Stage Door Cafe (Frontierland - excellent place to try Disneyland's delicious corn dogs)
• Rancho del Zocalo (Frontierland - very tasty Mexican food)
• Red Rose Taverne (Fantasyland - the Beast Burger is huge and delicious, and they have delicious desserts, i.e. the Grey Stuff)
• Galactic Grill (Tomorrowland - tasty burgers)
• Plaza Inn (Main Street - a bit pricey, but super good food; try the fried chicken)
• California Adventure
• Award Wieners (Hollywood Land - great hot dogs)
• Flo's V8 Cafe (Cars Land - excellent American diner food, we eat there almost every trip)
• Cozy Cone Motel (Cars Land - this falls under counter-service and snacks; they sell everything from ice cream to churros to mac and cheese cones, which are great)
• Smokejumpers Grill (Grizzly Peak - good burgers, fries, and shakes)

Table-service Restaurants:

• Disneyland
• Blue Bayou (New Orleans Square - the food is delicious and the ambiance cannot be beat; it's inside the very beginning of Pirates of the Caribbean, and it legitimately feels like you're outdoors)
• Carnation Cafe (Main Street - tasty food similar to Plaza Inn)
• California Adventure
• Carthay Circle (Buena Vista Street - probably the most expensive place in both parks, but the food is pretty amazing)

Snacks:

• Disneyland
• Tropical Hideaway (Adventureland - loaded Dole Whips are THE BEST; the bao are also super tasty)
• Tiki Juice Bar (Adventureland - for regular Dole Whips, though you can also get those at the Tropical Hideaway)
• Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlor (Main Street - hand-scooped ice cream)
• Mint Julep Bar (New Orleans Square - Mickey beignets!)
• California Adventure
• Adorable Snowman Frosted Treats (Pixar Pier - the lemon soft serve is awesome, and dairy free!)

As I said earlier, we haven't gotten many snacks other than our go-to places listed above. Hopefully we'll be able to update this post with a couple of new recommendations after our next trip. Only 15 days to go!

What to Take Into Disneyland

So much for writing more frequently. Life just keeps getting in the way. Trying to keep up with work and take care of our girls and plan our own upcoming trip just takes so much time. We'll try to post a few things this week, since we're now to the fun stuff: What to do in the parks!

First of all, you have to know what you need to take in the parks with you, especially when you're taking kids. You can take far more than you'd initially think into the parks with you. First of all, you should review Disneyland's park rules and regulations to see specifics about what you can and can't take with you. The main things to note are the sizes of bags that you can take with you (basically just don't take something absolutely huge with you) and the size of allowed strollers. Most strollers fit within their parameters (31" wide and 52" long), even double strollers, so it's not a huge restriction. But you cannot take wagons of any kind into the parks anymore as of this past May. So if you have a wagon, leave it at home.

When it comes to strollers, if you have little ones with you that you know won't be able to walk all day, take a stroller. Both double and single strollers are available for rent at Disneyland, so that is an option too, but it is a daily charge. It costs $15 a day for a single stroller and $35 a day for a double, which is just one more thing to pay for when it's actually pretty easy to bring your own. We've never rented strollers from Disneyland; we've always brought our own. We make room in the car when we drive, and we gate check it when we fly. That tiny bit of extra hassle is worth the money we save.

In case you're curious, our favorite stroller we've taken is the Joovy Twin Groove Ultralight, which is a double umbrella stroller. We love it. It's lightweight, folds up pretty small so it's easy to travel with, and the seats lay all the way back so the girls can take naps in it. Goober is big enough to walk quite a bit, but she's not to the point where she can walk all day, so the double is still a great option for us.

Goober passed out and stayed asleep for quite a while. It must have been pretty comfy in there.

The other important thing to know is that you can take food with you into the parks. There are limits on coolers and the kind of ice you can bring in your coolers, but when it comes to snacks, you can bring all you want for your littles. There are no restrictions there. We enter the park equipped with a bag full of snacks. Goober is a super picky eater, so we bring applesauce, fruit snacks, goldfish, chips, fruit leather, etc. You never know when your kids are going to get hungry, and food in the park is pricey. I'm not willing to buy Goober food she won't eat, so we always keep stuff on hand that we know she likes.

There are also no restrictions on baby food or formula. When we did formula, we took the ready-to-feed bottles in with us because they are so much easier than mixing formula in the parks. I could hold Peanut in one arm and pour her a bottle with the other (which I've had to do more than once), so the convenience was worth the extra cost there.

Other things you will need in the park are drink cups and water bottles, especially if you have a stroller to store them in. It is Southern California, after all, and it gets hot, even in the fall and winter. It's nice to have water with you. To make it even more convenient, every counter-service restaurant in the parks will give you free cups of water. You don't have to buy anything; just ask for water and they'll hand you full cups. Most of the time it's ice water, too, so it's far superior to grabbing a drink from the drinking fountains. I love taking metal water bottles because when you fill them with ice, your water will stay cold all day long, no matter how hot it is outside.

The other thing that we always, always take with us is extra outfits for the girls. Multiple extra outfits. I can't tell you how many times we've dealt with blowouts or spitup or rain storms or spills, all of which have required us to change the girls' clothes. Sure, you can always head back to the hotel, but that's precious time wasted that could be spent playing at Disneyland. So we take multiple changes of clothes for both Goober and Peanut, just in case.

And those are the basics, really. Just pack 10 times what you need for a normal day, that's all. Do keep in mind, though, that you will have to go through security before you can enter the parks or Downtown Disney. They will check every bag, sometimes super thoroughly, as well as the storage under your stroller. So the more bags you have, the longer it will take you to get through security. The security lines are often longer than the entrance lines, so that's definitely something to consider as you plan what time you want to get into the park.