We talk a lot about how to get the most out of your Disney day because we genuinely want people to love Disneyland as much as we do. If you’re in it for the long haul, taking on a 16 hour day might feel impossible, but it’s not! It’s all in the way you prep. Here’s how we go from Disney day into Disney night.
Locker
Getting a locker might feel like a waste of money, but it’s one of our biggest tips for successful Disney day. It holds all our extra jackets, souvenirs, sunscreen, snacks, and generally anything we don’t want to lug around with us.
Carrying a lighter load all day will allow you to go longer, I promise. And carrying around a huge backpack is no joke. It’s heavy, plus it’s difficult to get on to most rides. Trust us, let the locker do the work for you, and carry a small bag.
There are lockers in each park. In Disneyland they're on Main Street, and in California Adventure they're on Buena Vista Street. However, we always opt for the lockers located just right outside the park, to the left of Disneyland if you're looking at the main gate. This way, we're not dependent on going back to a certain park to grab our stuff. We can just swing by on our way to the tram as we head out for the night. Also keep in mind that California Adventure typically closes earlier than Disneyland, so be wary of grabbing a locker there.
There are three sizes of locker. Standard, large, and jumbo.We tend to opt for the large or jumbo size so we can fully stuff with souvenirs and jackets.
This leads us to...
The Locker Bag
Not to be dramatic but we live and die by the locker bag. It’s a weekender bag we stuff with all our essentials to be non-stop comfy which is IMPORTANT YOU GUYS. The locker bag allows us to change as the sun goes down and it starts to cool off. This is crucial. Kat and I are usually wearing dresses, so when it starts to cool down, if we change into jeans and sweatshirts, we can make it until midnight if we pair it with some carbs and sugar.
Here’s how we pack the perfect locker bag:
Sunscreen
Extra sunglasses
Pepto tablets
Tums
Ibuprofen
Water
Energy drinks
Camera batteries
Rechargeable phone battery
Blotting powder
Hair ties
Protein bars
Extra socks and underwear (I cannot even begin to describe how nice it is to change into new socks and underwear going into night time)
A full change of “opposite” clothes. So if we’re wearing dresses we bring a pair of jeans and a shirt and jacket, and vice versa.
And extra pair of shoes (changing shoes feels SO GOOD).
Break
After we change, pop some tums and ibuprofen, and put away our sunglasses, we’re just about ready to transition to take on the night. But before we can do that, we generally require a bit of a break.
This is when we’ll head over to Downtown Disney and check the lines at Tortilla Joes and Trader Sam’s. Taking some time to chill out and have a drink (and guac duh), we’re ready to take on the night.
One of the best ways to usher in the night? Head over to Cars Land in California Adventure and watch the neon lights flash on with ceremony every night exactly at sunset. It’s the only time you’ll see everyone in an entire Land just stop in their tracks.
It’s magic.
Welcome to Lost Weekender Lockdown! Where Kat and I make fools of ourselves trying to recreate Trader Sam’s Drinks so we can feel something close to magic or happiness again. We started with a recipe for Gorilla Grogg, which is a base used in a few different Trader Sam’s drinks like the Uh Oa or Lost Safari.