Going without plans

[Iggipolka]

I’m wondering if I’m going to mess up my family’s vacation.
We’re going to DL June 10-15 after not being there since 2019. Family of 4, kid age 10, Kid age 14 and two adults.
Aside from the Pride Night event, I haven’t made any reservations or plans. Due to my oldest & my spouse having intense disabilities, I’ll be getting a Guest Assistance Pass for him, so I don’t think we’ll need to get Lightening Lane.

Am I messing up by not making reservations or other plans? If so, what plans/reservations should I do?

Thanks

 

[sophy1996]

Do you have park reservations? Those are the only requirement. Plenty of opportunities for quick-service dining.

 

[megankj]

First off, Happy Pride!

Since you've got a lot of time, I don't think you're necessarily messing up by not making reservations or plans, assuming there aren't things you have your heart set on that require reservations (certain meals, building a lightsaber, etc).

If you think you'd appreciate the structure of a sit-down meal, you could go ahead and make a few of those reservations- but you have lots of quick service options that wouldn't require them. If you think a more relaxed/spontaneous trip is the best fit for your family, one compromise might be just to spend some time familiarizing yourself with what's changed since you were last there- making sure you know what attractions are new/different/closed, what restaurants might be appealing, how mobile order and the GAP work, etc. That way you aren't tied down to anything, but you're equipped to make decisions in the moment without getting overwhelmed. It might also be good to see if you can figure out what the "must do's" are for each member of your family.

Have a great trip!

 

[Iggipolka]

Do you have park reservations? Those are the only requirement. Plenty of opportunities for quick-service dining.

Oh shoot! Are park reservations still required?
I haven’t gotten our tickets yet as I’m getting military tickets. I’m going to have to figure out how to link our tickets with our DL hotel reservation
Gah. Should have started this whole thing earlier.

 

[sophy1996]

Yes, park reservations are still required. If you're staying at a Disney hotel, you should be fine as there is a separate bucket with better availability. Park hopping starts at 11:00 at DLR, if you're getting hopping tickets.

 

[irlandaise]

Oh shoot! Are park reservations still required?
I haven’t gotten our tickets yet as I’m getting military tickets. I’m going to have to figure out how to link our tickets with our DL hotel reservation
Gah. Should have started this whole thing earlier.

Sheesh, if they don't already do so, Disney should put a note as you're making a hotel reservation that you also need to make a park reservation.

 

[Pluto468]

Aside from park reservations, there's nothing else you really NEED. The dining reservations are nice if there's somewhere special you want to eat, but there are plenty of great counter service restaurants at the parks.

For your dates, there's still availability at both parks as of today:
https://disneyland.disney.go.com/availability-calendar/

Have a great trip!

 

[DesertScorpion]

We spent 6 days at Disneyland a little over week ago (4 park days, other two days were arrival and departure days). We only had the following reservations made (outside of the required park reservations themselves):
- Dinner reservations the day we arrived
- World of Color
- Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique
- Savi’s Workshop
- Storyteller’s Character breakfast

Outside of that we had no other reservations or plans going in. I wanted to plan a ton but knew I’d likely just be setting myself up for failure given that our kiddos are 8 & 6. Trying to plan out when and where to eat each day would have been a nightmare as kids those ages are almost never hungry when you planned, etc.

Having no other reservations and no specific plan of attack to the rides, other than seeing what had the best wait times and when we could get LLs booked, the trip was an absolute success. We all got to do the things we wanted, got to ride several rides more than once, and were never hungry and miserable sitting in line waiting for food.

 

[Disneysince82]

I would see if you can do the DAS ahead of time online -- I have read about people doing it online before they arrive I believe. If you are wanting to do some of the more popular sit down restaurants like Blue Bayou/Princess breakfast etc I would sign up for *********** alerts. I would play around with the reservations system now and try to set any of them you are wanting that might be still available. If you are are wanting to do Savi's or BBB I would look now also, but I am pretty sure they are also on ***********.

Have fun & happy pride!

 

[Pluto468]

I would see if you can do the DAS ahead of time online -- I have read about people doing it online before they arrive I believe.

Just want to say that this is a great idea. I registered ahead of time and it was very easy. Also, they pre-book 2 rides per day for you, so you have those lightning lanes ready to go before you even arrive at the park.

 

[Dug720]

Sheesh, if they don't already do so, Disney should put a note as you're making a hotel reservation that you also need to make a park reservation.

They do. Right at the top of the page where you see what rooms are available at your selected hotel.

Park Reservation Required for Park Entry​

To enter one of the parks, each Guest is required to have a theme park reservation in addition to a valid ticket for the same park on the same date. Reservations can be made immediately after purchasing admission. Reservations are subject to change or cancellation at any time. Park entry not guaranteed. Prices below do not include the cost of tickets. See Park Availability