For these SoCal locals, Disneyland is a weekly ritual that brings them comfort, connection, and, of course, happiness.
Disneyland has been a Southern Californian staple since the park opened in the summer of 1955. Almost 70 years (and many resorts around the world) later, Disneyland remains the original, and arguably the most iconic, Disney attraction of them all. For some people, going to Disneyland is a special occasion. For others, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence. But for these SoCal locals, a trip to Disneyland is a weekly or biweekly ritual. For some of them, even once a week isn’t enough. They return to the “Happiest Place on Earth” a few times a week, averaging 10 or 12 trips per month, every month.
It might sound crazy, but they’re not alone. Meet some of the many Southern Californians who visit Disneyland as frequently as possible. Spoiler alert–no matter how often they go, they never tire of the “magic.”
Name: Lindsay Pettit
Age: 37
City: Orange County
How frequently they visit Disneyland: 1-3x a week
I went with my first child when she was nine months old and haven’t looked back. We had so much fun, I got hooked. Before you knew it, I was there every week. She’s nine years old now. My other kids are seven and four. I usually go once a week by myself, and once a week with my kids.
“When I first went as a parent, I had so many questions. I didn’t know what rides she could go on, for example, or what activities were geared toward babies and toddlers. I saw parents post their Disney trips on Instagram, but never with actual information and tips.”
My favorite section of the park is Cars Land at California Adventure, hands down. My favorite ride is Radiator Springs Racers. Cars Land feels like you’re walking into the movie. It’s laid out exactly like the movie and it’s such a cool feeling. It’s also very sentimental to me because it reminds me of my dad, who passed away in 2018. In his old college days, he was a street racer, so whenever he would come to Disneyland with us, he had to ride Radiator Springs Racers. That land and that ride remind me of him so much. I’m so happy when I’m there because I feel like my dad’s there with me.
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This September, I did my third RunDisney event. It was a Halloween-themed half-marathon. The biggest appeal is getting to run through Disneyland, where there’s usually no running allowed. If you’re not too worried about your time and personal record, you can just enjoy it. There’s special characters out and about, often rare characters, and you get a cool medal at the end. It’s a unique way to spend time in the park.
Disney is great at changing things up just a little bit, which keeps us locals excited about returning. In my life, I’ve probably gone to Disneyland about 1,500 times. When I go alone, I’m usually creating a lot of content to share on my social media. When I first went as a parent, I had so many questions. I didn’t know what rides she could go on, for example, or what activities were geared toward babies and toddlers. I saw parents post their Disney trips on Instagram, but never with actual information and tips like, “This show starts at this time.” That’s why I became more intentional about how I shared images from my trips, letting people in on how to have certain experiences.
The best part is receiving messages from parents who tell me the tips that helped them to have the best time ever, and messages from moms who say the information I share empowers them to take their kids alone. To know that I helped facilitate parents making wonderful memories with their children is really touching. My kids don’t get jealous when I go without them, but a lot of times they don’t really know. I’ll go when they’re at school. Sometimes I do go solo in the evenings, and they’ll just be like, “Can you take us soon?” And of course, I do. When I’m with my kids, we go and do whatever they want to do. I never make it feel like we’re going there so I can work. They’ve never said they’re tired of going or that they don’t want to go. You kinda just don’t get tired of it.
I’ve been married for almost 11 years. Funny enough, he’s not a Disney guy. He will join us once or twice a year, usually on my birthday or another special occasion. This summer we stayed at the Pixar Place Hotel and spent one day in the park all together. He enjoys it when he’s with us, but he could never go as often as I do. He’s supportive.
Name: Josh Ferreira
Age: 33
City: South Orange County
How frequently they visit Disneyland: 1x week
We moved down here in 2020. Once the park reopened after Covid, we got passes. We’ve been coming regularly ever since, at least three or four times a month. Our daughter is four and our son is two. We love to go all together. It’s very rare for my wife and I to go alone together, but we do, and I’ll also go meet up with friends in the evenings sometimes.
“If we are eating there, we mobile order our food. You’ll never find me waiting in line for food.”
We try not to take it for granted. If we didn’t enjoy it so much, we wouldn’t still be going so often. I think the fact that we enjoy it so much says a lot about what the parks offer everyone in our family. It’s a safe place, a fun place. You can’t get better customer service anywhere. There’s so much to do, see, and eat. We’d rather go there than the park or the mall. It’s our family’s go-to spot. It may sound corny, but it’s really our home away from home. Our kids are so happy there.
Our kids love Fantasyland, especially the carousel and It’s A Small World. They love everything to do with characters too, like parades and shows. We stop to watch live music, but we like to keep them moving a lot. We avoid anything with super long lines. Those lines are such a turn-off for people, but once you’re familiar, you can navigate [the park] in a way that people who don’t go often don’t know how to. We’re able to do things other people might look past. Everyone might be in line for a big, popular ride, but we’re in an air-conditioned theater watching a show.
We don’t go full out, ever. Our kids don’t get a toy or a treat every time. We can go in with all of our own snacks, ride a couple of rides, and they still have a great time. You don’t have to get all of the things to enjoy being there. If we are eating there, we mobile order our food. You’ll never find me waiting in line for food. We don’t usually stay open to close, so if we’re eating there, it’s usually just one meal. We might do a morning through noon or 1 p.m., or we’ll go after school until the late evening. If we go into the evening, we’ll actually get them ready for bed in the bathrooms there. We’ll put their pajamas on and stuff so that when we get home it’s straight to bed. Our goal is for our kids to fall asleep on the way home.
In August, we did the first weekend of Halloween there and got them new Disney Halloween pajamas. So we put them in those at the park. It just adds to the magic. They might not love bedtime, but it’s not as bad when you get to wear your Mickey jammies and stay up a little later than normal. Our kids don’t go at night often, so it’s always still really special for them.
We see too many people melting down. I think that’s either because of poor planning or over-planning, and they just get overwhelmed. It takes the stress away, knowing you don’t have to do anything. I’m also a travel agent, and I always tell people not to jam-pack their day. You don’t want to be rushing around and unable to enjoy it, and you also don’t want one thing to shift and throw your whole day off. Less is more, but it’s easy for me to say that because I go so often.
Name: Aaliyah Ei
City: Los Angeles
How frequently they visit Disneyland: Bi-weekly
I go with friends often, but I also go by myself regularly. Well, not fully by myself, because I’m with Sweetpea, my service dog. The second we get to the parking lot, she knows she’s at Disneyland. People get a kick out of seeing her. I’ve tried to get a supercut of everyone’s comments. They’re always like, “Oh my god, look at her!” or “Look at the dog in her boots!” It happens almost every ten seconds when the park is busy.
She’s allowed to go on all of the rides except for roller coasters, for safety reasons. Usually, service dogs sit on the bottom by your feet, but because she’s a small dog, she sits securely on my lap. She loves the rides. The only one she’s not a fan of is Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. It’s too jerky and spooky for her. But on Pirates of the Caribbean, she puts her little feet up and looks around at everything. She knows I’m going to give her a little squeeze when we go down that drop. She loves it. She also likes Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railroad, even though it’s a little jerky during the conga scene. I think bringing her is almost better than bringing a baby.
A question people ask me a lot is, “How do all of the kids not annoy you?” But I don’t think about them, or if I do, it’s because I notice a couple of princes and princesses walking out of the Bibbity Boppity Boutique or catching another moment of childhood joy.
As a New Yorker, I never thought I’d be going to Disneyland regularly. Let alone with my dog.
I didn’t officially go to Disneyland until I moved to Los Angeles in 2017. The first time I got to go, a friend in L.A. who happens to have money and likes spending it on their friends, invited me. He said if I bought my ticket, he would pay for food and everything else all day. The second we got there, I was filled with a child-like wonder I never knew. I tapped into a childhood I never really had.
I became a passholder after the first day, and have kept it up since 2017. I tell my friends that every time I go, I’m shampooing my brain. I give myself a little break from the real world, which can be so, so dark. This is where I go to fully forget about everything else. You’re just focused on getting a good score on Toy Story Midway Mania! You’re not tapping out forever, you’re just taking a moment to let go and relax your brain. It’s a different kind of presence, and it lets you get back to the real world with a lighter load.
I don’t think people realize how many different kinds of people are really into Disney. My friend and I were just talking about Bat Day at Disney, which is the day for goths. There’s Dapper Days for people who love dressing up in vintage styles. And the pride days and nights are huge. It’s very inclusive. Besides, so many Disney things are low-key gay. Some Disney things are super gay––the villains are all queer-coded, that’s why we love them so much.
On any given day, there’s people from all over the world at Disneyland. You hear every language on Main Street. You see all kinds of people, from every corner of this country too. It’s such a destination, even more so than Disneyworld, because it’s the original.
“I tell my friends that every time I go, I’m shampooing my brain. I give myself a little break from the real world, which can be so, so dark.”
Disney is such an “if you know, you know” place. I grew up a little poor vagabond wanting the high life. I like exclusive things. Finding out about stuff like Club 33 (the members club tucked away in New Orleans Square, above Pirates of the Caribbean), 1901 Lounge (a secret bar in California Adventure) or 21 Grand (the apartment inside of the castle) really intrigued me. They became my new goalposts. The more Disney exclusives I find out about, the more I want to experience. They become these side-quests during your trips to the parks.
I love my solo-dolo days with Sweetpea. I notice other people who are there alone, a lot of the time they’re in college doing their schoolwork or studying. People who work remotely post up at the parks too. I’ve done that before too, where if I know it’s an email-heavy day, I’ll go take care of them in between rides. It’s a reprieve. You can make Disney whatever you want it to be.
The second you walk out of the park, you want to go again.
Name: Bridget Waldman
Age: 44
City: Laguna Beach
How frequently they visit Disneyland: 2x per week
I wasn’t actually a big Disney person for most of my life. I started going in 2014, got bit by the bug, and that’s when it became this whole lifestyle. If you were to talk to my oldest friends and family members, they’re pretty surprised. They’re like, “Wow, Bridget, this is not you!” It’s one of those things. It can really transform you a bit. It’s definitely a lifestyle for some people.
I grew up in Las Vegas and my dad was in the hotel business. He was my best friend. We used to go to Disney somewhat often, but more so in Florida because of his work with hotels out there. It was always fun when we went, but I almost never went as an adult. Then I had my first child, my daughter. The first year of her life was the last year of my dad’s life.
It was a really hard year. I was devastated, but when you have a one-year-old, your grieving process is a little different. You can’t lay in bed or sit at the bar all day. My husband’s birthday was coming up just a couple of months after my dad’s passing, and I kept thinking I wanted to do something nice for him. It had been such a rough couple of months. So I thought, let’s just go to Disneyland. People say it’s the Happiest Place on Earth, so let’s go and take our daughter for the first time.
My daughter was walking like Bambi at the time, only one year old, but she ran up to Mickey Mouse and kissed him right on the nose. I was like, “Oh my gosh, what just happened?” At the end of the day, we were walking down Main Street and getting ready to leave, and my husband looked at me and said, “I haven’t seen you smile like this in six months. Let’s go get annual passes.” We walked right out and he got us them. That’s when I started going a lot.
Whenever I was a little sad, or needed a little pick me up, which was kind of often back then, I would go. Disneyland is my happy place. It just feels like home. It’s comfort food. A warm slice of apple pie that always tastes the same. I can walk into Disneyland in a bad mood, and instantly it’s gone.
I love the joy Disneyland brings to so many different people, from all different countries and backgrounds. People of different ages, people with different political views, people who might live very different lives. I’m glad there is a place on this Earth where people can feel relief from whatever they’re going through in their day-to-day life.
I have three kids now, one of my favorite traditions is giving them each a Disneyland birthday. They celebrate with family and friends at home too, but each of them also gets a Disneyland birthday that’s fully their day. The entire family only does what the birthday boy or girl wants to do. They choose the rides, the food, what shows or attractions we see. Everything. For example, since I don’t go on fast rides very often, my son loves having me ride Space Mountain with him on his birthdays. They always want to get me on the Incredicoaster, which I’ll only go on during their birthdays. They also get their birthday buttons, which Disney gives out complimentary (at City Hall and other stores throughout the park).
I usually go once a week alone and once with my children. I’m a real estate agent, with a real job, which most people don’t know. When I pass an exam or have another professional win to celebrate, where am I going? Disneyland. Even with as much as I go, I can honestly say I see something new every time. I would go every day if I could. It never gets old for me.
My husband and I will also go together during the week, usually, we get a coffee and eat some breakfast together. Then we’ll check out a couple of things and leave. The kids don’t get jealous when we go without them, because we usually bring them back treats.
I’ll also go have girl’s nights with my girlfriends there sometimes. When my hair and makeup are done, my son will be like, “You’re going to Disneyland, aren’t you?”
Name: Kristine Rodriguez
Age: 35
City: Downey
How frequently they visit Disneyland: 1x per week
I usually go with my daughter Poppy during the week. Mid-week is the best. Sometimes we’ll meet up with other friends with passes at the parks. One of my girlfriends has a daughter that’s just nine months apart from mine, so we’ll do a lot of mommy and me days with the girls.
I’m so grateful every year that we get to renew our pass. It’s something I still consider really special, that we get this opportunity to go so often. It’s my favorite thing. I grew up in SoCal, but we couldn’t afford to go very often, especially with four kids. I could probably count on two hands how many times I went as a kid. Now, going every week, I can’t even estimate how many times I’ve gone.
When I go with my husband, it’s not as much about getting on rides as it is, “Let’s try this…” We’ll stay in California Adventure because it has so many different food and drink options that are always changing. We eat and drink along the way, especially during holidays when they have tons of themed food and drink popups. My new favorite drink there is the peach chamoy margarita. I love the queso birria tacos with dipping broth at El Dorado in California Adventure. They are delicious. At Disneyland, I’ll get Bengal BBQ skewers because you can walk around with them, which is perfect because the kids usually don’t want to sit. My favorite sit-down place to eat is Storyteller’s Cafe within the Grand Californian Hotel. It’s never super crowded, so it’s a great place to go after a packed day in the park.
My daughter Poppy is only two, but she has favorites for sure. The Tiki Room is a big one. It’s A Small World is another huge one. She’s been getting into the “Cars” movies, so “Mater’s Tow Yard” is one she always goes on now, but it’s still a little scary for her.
My mom doesn’t have a pass, but we make sure to go with her once a week, and with my grandma too. Since we have passes, it means we only need to get one or two tickets to all be able to go. Getting to have that experience together as a family is so special. There’s certain things our family loves to do when we’re there, you know? Like my grandpa loved the Tiki Room. That was his favorite thing. So even though he’s not with us anymore, I think about him every time my daughter and I are there. Now my daughter being obsessed with the Tiki Room, never having met my grandpa, is very special. I feel that connection when I’m there and think about how much he enjoyed it too. We go to the Tiki Room every week!
As a kid, I always wanted to go during the Christmas season, but that’s obviously such an expensive time of year. We never really got to do that much. So now we have a tradition where we go at Christmas every year and get an annual Disney ornament. Like when my daughter was born, we got one that says, “Pati’s First Christmas.” Even though we go every week, we still have these festive holiday traditions we look forward to all year long.
I get emotional about it, because I know we probably won’t go every week when she starts school and stuff. This time is so special. We’re never going to get it back. So I try to enjoy having our passes to the fullest. I hope when she grows up, she loves Disney and wants to carry on some of these traditions with us, the way I do with my mom and grandma.
I get that some parents don’t like Disney, but I love it. Whatever you’re into, sharing what you love with your child is priceless. The first time I took my daughter, she was eight months. She was so amazed by all of the characters, colors, and lights. Seeing it through her eyes was one of the best experiences of my life. Obviously, she’s not going to remember that trip, but it’s a core memory for me. She may not remember every weekly trip to the parks, but she will remember how close we felt and connected we are.
Value-wise, I think the annual pass is well worth it as long as you go like five times a year. We go five times a month, so it’s absolutely worth it.
My friends make fun of me. They see my social media and are like, “Do you do anything besides go to Disneyland?” Yeah, I do. As a family, we do all sorts of things. We go to the beach, we travel. But of course, the photos at Disneyland are usually the cutest, so that’s what I post. They act like I never liked Disney before. I’m like, my nursery was Disney-themed when I was a baby. I’ve always loved Disney, I just couldn’t afford the passes until recently. It was my dream all along. I’m living the dream.
Name: Claire Miller
Age: 31
City: Aliso Viejo
How frequently they visit Disneyland: 1x week
For some reason, Mormon Disney moms like me are next level. There’s a huge community of us, and a lot of Disney influencers I follow. There’s a lot of local celebrities. I’ll see them at church and just be like, “Oh my gosh, your trip looked so fun!” I’m not one of those, but I do follow a ton of them, and their tips help so much.
“Our group chat is called ‘Disney Moms Gone Wild.'”
If you time it right, we only live 20-30 minutes away. There’s a group of moms in our church who love to go, along with other friends. There’s probably 30 of us, and I’m on two different Disney mom group chats. We do girl’s nights too, where the moms go after bedtime and stay until midnight. Our group chat is called “Disney Moms Gone Wild.” I think it’s a fun way to feel like we all have something in common. It’s a place for us to go with our kids. It makes the day go faster. Some of the kids are starting school, which makes it harder to go as often, but a lot of us moms have really little kids who aren’t in school yet.
You feel a part of a special community, and you do feel a sense of ownership over it. You see tourists come and go, but then you see all of the locals who visit more frequently. I grew up in Los Angeles, but we’d only go every five years or so. When we did get to go, we went hard from dawn to dusk. This is different. It’s an escape. I’ll have tons of laundry or chores to do, but I’ll get out of the house for a while at Disney and feel so much better. It’s an alternate universe where adult stuff doesn’t matter.
People love to make fun of “Disney adults,” but we’re not hurting anybody. When’s the last time you rode a roller coaster with friends and just screamed? It’s so fun. You feel like a kid again.
Then again, I do get annoyed by all the Disney adults clogging up the lines sometimes. But then I think about how many people have had really hard childhoods. Or have just gone through really hard things in their lives. They deserve a chance to enjoy Disney as fully as possible. Grown men and grandmas love Disneyland. Not everyone gets to experience joy and being carefree in their childhoods, but at Disney, they do.
Disneyland gives you a chance to write your own story of your childhood. Even I feel that way at times.
I probably follow 100 Disney accounts on Instagram. I saw a post that said Encanto characters have just started appearing in the park, and my girls are obsessed with Encanto, so I’m going to dress them in all Encanto stuff and take them to meet them this week. My girls want to see Mirabel, another character they love with curly hair.
It can be busy and expensive, and for a while, I wondered if it was worth it, but for our family, it is right now. The moms in my groups share so many hacks to save time and money. One is to park at the Garden Walk shopping center and walk over because it charges you by the hour. So if you only go for a couple of hours, it’s only like eight dollars, instead of like $35 at the park. And it’s actually a shorter walk than it is from the Disneyland parking structure because you can’t ride the Disney tram with your big stroller.
Every stroller is filled to the brim with snacks and water. The kids know they can pick one treat to eat each time we go, but no prizes or souvenirs or things like that. It’s not the normal thing where you’re just pounding tons of treats every visit. It’s a more casual approach. They like the balloons and ears, but they know they’re not getting them and it’s not a problem.
I will say, there’s also a group of Disney dads who have a chat and meetup. But my husband draws the line there. He doesn’t want to go with a group of ten dads to Disneyland. It’s funny. I’m like, “Ok, relax.” He mainly goes to be with his family, you know? But I think it’s great the dads meet up too.
I’m definitely renewing my pass this year. It’s scary because when you don’t renew your annual pass, it’s really hard to get back in. You have to wait. In the group chat, people were going crazy like, “The queue is starting!” It’s intense. You aren’t guaranteed one at all. They’ll only open it up at random times, and it usually sells out within the first hour.
My friends who’ve had passes for ten years say it’s gotten a lot crazier. I think it closing during the pandemic, or just the pandemic in general made it more popular than ever.
I try to make it special for my kids, too. We always listen to Disney music on the way there and say what movie it’s from, or we’ll guess which princesses we’re going to see that day. When we see them, they’re like, “We guessed we were going to see you!”
It’s so expensive to live in Southern California, we might as well enjoy our proximity to the parks while we can. Most of us have smaller houses, so it’s always nice to get out of the house and go feel at home at Disneyland.