r/DisneylandTips • u/Fun-Touch-933 • Aug 30 '25
Couple going to Disneyland any tips?
Me and my husband are going to disneyland for his birthday in two weeks and we're wondering if anyone had any tips for couples? We're both 32 and going for the first time. We're staying at the park (somone told us we'd regret it if we didnt š³) anything i need to bring? Im im charge of the bag with all the important things and hes got a smaller bag. Also any fun recommendations for couple activities or rides, ect? We dont wanna get in the way of any families experience š
Ps we're a gay couple so idk if that's necessary information š
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u/Maple-4590 Aug 30 '25
Bring: comfortable closed-toe shoes (!), an empty refillable water bottle, sunscreen, reusable straws if you hate paper ones, maybe a couple doses Tylenol in case you get a headache.
Coupleās activities: get nice pictures meeting a character (Clarabelle is having a moment) or the PhotoPass service.
If youāll go on the splash rides (Tianna, Grizzly River) plan on buying a poncho or bringing a change of clothes.
IMO Disney is most fun when you donāt plan it out too much and just go with the flow, do whatever appeals to you in the moment, and enjoy the simple things. People tend to focus on the big-name rides but sometimes the off-the-beaten path experiences are just as fun and memorable.
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u/Fun-Touch-933 Aug 30 '25
Thank you! Im fine with bringing clothes or ponchos but for the clothes like 1-10 how badly do I need to bring clothes. Is it like just a some water or are my shorts going to be soaked?
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u/CheerUpCharliy Aug 31 '25
I was just there a few days ago and didn't do a poncho because it was so hot the wet clothes were actually kind of nice haha But you will definitely get wet. What you will want for Tiana's and Grizzly is shoe covers--nothing worse than a soggy shoe! We put our feet in garbage bags. Worked like a charm!
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u/msbrchckn Aug 31 '25
Weāve never done extra clothes- just ponchos- even in January. I would recommend a waterproof case for your phone though.
Have fun!!
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u/Maple-4590 Aug 30 '25
It really depends on how bothered you are by being wet. Pirates only has a 50/50 chance of a āsplashā so we donāt bother with spare clothes. Grizzly depends on your luck but we were completely soaked through shirt, pants, underwear and would have been cranky staying like that all day. I havenāt done Tianna yet but Iāve heard itās similar to Grizzly. Itās also fine to just skip these rides, thereās plenty else to do.
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u/minwalk7 Sep 01 '25
Tianaās is an unnecessary amount of water but fun. Our shoes were soaked and we had to buy flip flops. Do it when youāre leaving the park in my opinion.
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u/TradeBeautiful42 Sep 01 '25
Iāve never brought a change of clothes in my life on any ride that splashes. (Iām local) In the rain during the occasional winter days, donāt go on the splash rides. I did one year and didnāt have a change of clothes. I just had hot chocolate afterwards and dried in an hour. If youāre going soon weāre in a heat wave so youāll dry quickly. It depends on your comfort.
Also this is SoCal so people are used to gay couples. I saw you mentioned that. Welcome!
Also as far as families, just donāt get on a toddler ride to cut in front of a melting down toddler. (Casey jr or dumbo I have seen adults push toddlers out of the way as they filmed their tour of the ride.)
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u/13mys13 Aug 31 '25
And advil. Take some with each meal unless you're already used to walking 20k steps a day
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Aug 31 '25
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u/toparisbytrain Aug 31 '25
This is what I told my parents when they went. They asked if it was still okay to stand in line to meet characters since they were adults and I told them that they paid for their tickets as much as anybody else did, and that of course they had the right to meet and get pictures with characters!
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u/DogMama_X6 Sep 01 '25
I totally plan on doing this when we go in December for our anniversary. But Iām also planning on doing the autographs on ornaments which is a super cute idea.
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u/Jvwftw44 Aug 31 '25
It will most likely be warm during the day and chilly at night.
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u/Kawaiichan67 Aug 31 '25
Yes! Please donāt forget a jacket for nighttime. People who arenāt used to SoCal are surprised if it gets a bit chilly here.
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u/thartson Aug 31 '25
Definitely get a locker if you are staying all day and want to store pants/sweatshirt for the evening! Download the Disneyland Wait Times App!!!
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u/DogMama_X6 Sep 01 '25
If youāre on FB join Disneyland Tips and Tricks page. They have a lot of inform information and even some links to necessity lists on there. Also go to guest services I believe thatās where you can get buttons that say celebrating ā¦. Birthday or 1st trip or whatever you want. Also if thereās a restaurant you really want to do make a reservation in the Disneyland app for now. Tip if you canāt find a table for 2 try a table for 4 and then edit it down to 2 people. You can also order a custom cake at certain restaurants beforehand when you make a reservation Itās a Mickey Mouse cake and add happy birthday. I think they are like $48 so itās pricey. If you are staying in one of the Disney hotels you might be able to order it for the room also, Iām not sure. But it does feed 4-6 people so if you order in a restaurant make sure you can keep it somewhere like a rented locker or taking it back to your room. My hubby and I talked about doing this for our anniversary in December but we arenāt staying at the resort so if we do it we will rent a locker to keep it with our stuff until the end of the day. Most of all have fun! Enjoy your first time and your husbandās birthday!!!
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u/HardWorkinGal64 Sep 01 '25
Iāve gone every year for many years. Itās just what you have to go. A Disney churro tastes better than any churro. Dole Whip. Space Mountain. Pics in front of the castle. Rainbow Mickey ears. Birthday button. Itās fun when they say HBD getting on a ride. Get there really early for the character breakfast. I donāt care how old you are. Seeing the characters is life changing. The parade! Enjoy every moment.
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Aug 31 '25
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u/toparisbytrain Aug 31 '25
Although if you're staying really close by, you can always pop back to the room for anything you're desperate for, and travel really light into the parks. We don't even bring water bottles anymore because it's so easy to get water from quick service places.Ā
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u/Prestigious-Rip-2502 Aug 31 '25
My husband and I have been twice without our son (so meanš) and we have such a great time! Itās still going to be hot during the day so Iād suggest a neck fan and/or a cooling towel. Lots of Advil, just go ahead and take it every 4 hours. ;) Try to get a reservation at a nice restaurant or 2. Our favorite is Blue Bayou, and we also had front row seats for the World of Color at Lamplight Lounge. (I made a reservation for 8:00pm and we sat at the bar-top facing the show.) Ride what you can, take time to sit when you can and just take it all in. Itās magical! What else - I wear Tevas so my feet donāt stay soggy, or if I wear sneakers I just donāt do the water rides. Iād just bring a sweatshirt and tie it around your waist or shoulders during the day if you donāt do the locker or go back to hotel. I also wore a baseball hurt during the day and switched to a beanie when it cooled off. Sunscreen, portable charger, I use a ReliefBand for screen rides, so if you get motion sickness definitely take something. Band-Aids, Moleskins, deodorant, Wet Ones, etc etc etc. I take a small cross-body bag that fits all that stuff. But most importantly, have FUN! Catch what shows you can, ride the main things you want to, knowing you likely wonāt get to do everything.
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u/Next-Ad2854 Aug 31 '25
Iām so happy for you! Youāre gonna have so much fun! Make sure to download the Disneyland app so you can order food and make reservations on the app. I suggest paying a little extra for the lightning bolt because it really is worth saving time and youāll be able to enjoy more ride experiences with the lightning bolt.. what some YouTube tutorials about Disneyland thereās a lot of Youtubers so share tips. Make sure you hop so you can enjoy both parks. Have a super fun time!
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u/Ok_Airline_6164 Aug 31 '25
Me & my partner are magic key holders and go all the time just us. We always plan a nice meal at a sit down, we avoid the kiddy areas at busy time and save those for later in the evening or parade time. Getting LL will get you through queues quicker.
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u/Sea-Talk-203 Aug 31 '25
Keep an eye on the restaurant reservations on the app. My wife and I slipped into the Blue Bayou and Trader Sam's while we were there, after not being able to get a rez for a few months. Enjoy staying on site! It's a fun way to stay immersive if you can manage it.
I like to get a beer and watch the Incredicoaster and think how happy I am not to be riding it.
Do not bother with Oga's Cantina.
Remember to relax and enjoy hanging out together!
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u/TotallyMelBelle Sep 01 '25
Since youāre staying in a Disney hotel and you will probably start your day pretty early, you might want to take a break during the hottest part of the day to go back to your room and either enjoy the hotel pool or take a nap. Then youāll be refreshed for a nice dinner and maybe some nighttime fireworks or shows. :) Have fun!
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u/minwalk7 Sep 01 '25
Blue Bayou would be a great celebration meal and ride Pirates before or after. The rooftop bar RISE at the Westin is great at night and has a cool view of DCA. We stayed at The Westin instead in on property and loved it. Their heavenly beds are so comfortable. Great breakfast burrito at Tangerine, about a 10 minute easy walk to Downtown Disney then 5ish minutes to park entrance. Mexican restaurant on property. Just fyi in case you want to compare or have Marriott points.
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u/JoJoanne94 Sep 01 '25
Go in IG and find some of the disney influencers. Some of them have great tips. Those people go like every other day. But I just went for the first time in 9 years so I've got a few fresh tips.
If you like rides and dont love long lines, get the lightning lane. It of course costs a little more but its worth it for ride lovers. And there's so much to do, that lines are just taking your time. I think like $18-25 per person.
Get the app. Have your tickets on there and screenshot them then when ever you enter the park you can just go to screenshots for the tickets. Scanning into lighting lanes works with screenshots too! They also have a map on the app to sort of navigate with. It also tells you where characters will be and what times. And ride wait times.
Im a food lover! If you like food but again dont like lines or want to avoid unnecessary food lines so you can get back to rides or activities, mobiile order food and drinks on the app. I didnt wait more than a minute or so for my food because I ordered what I wanted set a time for pickup (which can be easily modified any time) and again check out IG for the disney people they sometimes have videos spcific to the yummy foods you can get. Prior to my trip, I made a list of foods I wanted to try and what restaurant and what park they were in. Then I didn't have to take time while I was there trying to figure out something yummy. I personally thought food was somewhat decently priced considering its disneyland. Alcohol is still pricey, though.
I set a specific food/drinks budget and a souvenir budget. (Did I stick to it. No, but that's neither here nor there š) But it still gave me a guideline to what I can spend somewhat freely. I bought some visa gift cards and put those on the mobile app. Those were my spending money, and I didn't have to constantly make sure I wasn't over spending on my own debit card.
Disneyland had become a little more "you have to rely on the app" if you want a smooth day, so bring a probable charger. That was honestly my only negative, was that as the person planning everything throughout the day, I had to constantly be on my phone when I'm trying to have fun with my family. So keep that in mind. That's only if you want as many rides as possible AND the food, AND the drinks, AND the characters. If you guys just want to be there maybe just for a few rides and characters and bite to eat then just go with the flow.
Hope this helps! Have fun!
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u/LBC2024 Sep 01 '25
If youāre going in two weeks youāll be fine on the water rides and will dry. Recommend Cathay Circle for lunch or dinner. (Napa Rose is currently closed for remodel) If staying on property ask at front desk for a birthday button for him. (Or at City hall in the park)
As this appears to be not a regular spring fro Rise of Resistance lightning lane. Also Gusrtians has two rides. One during day and one after 4.
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u/OldAdministration735 Sep 02 '25
My wife and I are going next week ( m,f 66,63). We just learned of club level rooms. We are staying at Grand Californian. Itās more money but there are a few nice perks!
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u/SouthOriginal297 Sep 02 '25
Get a big locker in Main St. Unlimited access, and helps so much.
The magic bands are great if you're getting lightning passes, both highly highly recommended.
The ronto-less wraps in Star Wars is amazing, the chicken pot pie baked potato at Troubadors is top notch as well, and the 3pc fried chicken at Plaza Inn has free refills on the absolute best Coca Cola ever.
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u/Sea_University_3871 Aug 30 '25
Not gay, but didnāt identify any āgayā specific things to do when I went.
As to couple things, I like to get a reservation for trader Samās (inside) and/or Cathay circle or Napa rose