We have all heard it, Disneyland is the “Happiest Place on Earth.” Whoa. Talk about raising expectations sky high! We love Disneyland, but it is not perfect, and neither are any of us. Unfortunately, the time and money we invest in visiting Disneyland, plus expectations raised by advertising, can build up the pressure to have a perfect trip. All of this can lead to some big emotions for adults and kids. We advise taking some time before your visit to talk about everyone’s feelings and expectations. Ask yourselves some questions and prepare for your best (imperfect) visit before you go to Disneyland Resort.
Talking about exciting things like favorite rides and not so exciting things like physical limitations can help you see your visit more clearly. It can also help you deal with imperfect moments when they do arrive. Here is our Disneyland discussion guide featuring questions to ask before you visit Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park. Gather your group or pose these questions to yourself, and let’s go!
Discuss These Questions Before You Visit Disneyland Resort
We have a lot of questions here covering a lot of areas. You know best which questions apply to your group and whether you need to split this into multiple conversations. Please use these as an aid to your own good instincts to what your group needs to discuss.
Start by asking everyone in your group to imagine their visit to Disneyland and reflect quietly to themselves. You do not have to discuss this part out loud. Instead, ask everyone to journal, draw or quietly think about what you are about to say. You can say something like this:
Picture yourself at Disneyland. How are you feeling? Notice what you are experiencing. Now, try to imagine your ideal experience at Disneyland. Where are you and what are you doing? Take some time to write, draw or think quietly about what you are experiencing right now.
Tell your group that:
We are going to use what we have imagined to help us discuss our visit to Disneyland. There are many things we cannot control during our time at Disneyland, but there are other things we can control. We can control how we treat others, so let us talk and listen to each other now.
What Are Your Feelings About Visiting Disneyland Resort?
- What are you excited to experience at Disneyland Resort?
- When you think about our visit to Disneyland, is there anything that makes you nervous?
- Name three “must-dos” you have for our visit to Disneyland Resort? Do you have any won’t-dos?
- How will we decide what to do while we are at Disneyland?
- How can we respect the needs and wants of our group members?
Disneyland Daily Schedule
- How early should we get to Disneyland Park or Disney California Adventure Park each day? What can we do to get ourselves to the entrance gates at our planned time?
- How late should we stay at the parks each day? What can we do to help keep ourselves energized later in the day?
- Do we need to plan time for naps or other ways to rest?
- You may want to check-out our suggestions for places to relax in Disneyland and places to relax in Disney California Adventure Park.
Sharing Limitations and Boundaries
- What disabilities and physical limitations do our group members have that we need to keep in mind? (For example: mobility limitations, height below ride minimums, sensory processing issues, etc)
- Are there services that can help make Disneyland Resort more accessible for us?
- If we decide to use Rider Switch Service, how will we divide up the riding groups?
Planning Disneyland Dining in Advance
- What times do you like to eat? How will we make time to eat and stay healthy during our visit?
- Are there any food allergies or other dietary restrictions in our group?
- What is our food budget for our Disneyland visit and how can we stick to it?
- Do our regular at-home rules about food still apply at Disneyland Park? (for example: restrictions on sweets, between meal snacks, etc)
Problem Solving at Disneyland
- When you get upset or overwhelmed, what helps you to feel calmer? How can we help you do those same things at Disneyland Resort?
- What are some good ways we can we let one another know if we are feeling upset or overwhelmed?
- What did your favorite character from a Disney (Pixar, Star Wars, Marvel etc) film do when something did not go as they had planned?
Fun Questions Before Visiting Disneyland
We have asked some tricky questions in this discussion guide, so here are just a few fun ones to round out the conversation:
- If our Disneyland travel group had a special group name, what would it be?
- What one photo should we get during our visit? Let’s practice our poses right now!
- Who do you think will scream the loudest on the thrill rides? Who do you think will laugh the hardest?
Thank you for reading our pre-trip discussion guide for Disneyland with questions to ask before your visit.
If you enjoyed these questions, we encourage you to take a look at Fun Questions for Connection. As you plan your trip, let us help you through the stages with Step-by-Step Disneyland Prep. Thanks again for reading, and please consider subscribing to our free newsletter below.
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