Disneyland Planning Guide

This Disneyland Planning Guide is full of my tips and tidbits to make planning your trip to the Disneyland Resort as seamless and memorable as possible. Disneyland is one of the most magical places on earth. But just like with any other trip, you need to do your fair share of planning to make sure you have a good time. Hopefully this Disneyland Planning Guide can act as your all-in-one resource for when you have questions about planning a trip to Disneyland.

I have been a Magic Keyholder since 2021 and have visited the Anaheim parks 85 times in the past 4 years. I’ve treasured every single visit, and can’t wait to go back eventually. I think some of the best theme park rides ever created are located in Anaheim, and there’s nothing quite like walking around the original Disney theme park.

Disneyland just oozes charm and history. There really is no other Disney Park quite like it. Even just by attraction density there is no park that compares. Disneyland alone has over 35 attractions. Add the ones in DCA and you have what is probably the highest ride count of any Disney resort in the world. This is both a blessing and a curse as there’s more to do but on the flip side there’s more pressure to do everything.

I know trying to craft the perfect Disney day can be stressful. Disneyland and Walt Disney World were actually voted the most stressful vacation destinations in America. But let me assure you that, even if you don’t do everything on your Disneyland to-do list, you’ll still have an amazing time. You don’t have to get on every ride to have a successful Disney day, so don’t feel any pressure as that will have you worrying about your day instead of enjoying your day. Hopefully this Disneyland Planning Guide can alleviate some of your stress.

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When to Visit

Disneyland’s crowd patterns are getting harder and harder to predict with each passing year. It seems like no matter when you go, Disneyland is always going to be busy. That being said, some days and months are still less crowded than others. But overall, the parks are just generally busier. Yes, you’ll get the odd day when it’s empty, but those seem to be the exception rather than the rule.

If you want an in depth post about when to go to Disneyland, I made a Best Times to Go to Disneyland (And When Not to Go) post. If you want a short summary of that post, keep reading this section of this Disneyland Planning Guide.

Generally, you want to avoid big school breaks. Summer vacation, Spring Break, Winter Break, Fall Break, Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas are the times of year that you should avoid if you want to have the best chance of avoiding crowds. January to February (excluding Winter Break), May, Late August to Mid October, and Post-Thanksgiving till pre-Christmas are the best times of year to visit Disneyland. That being said, if there are holidays within these periods, for sure crowds will be worse at those times.

There are both upsides and downsides to visiting during peak times. The upside is that park hours will be longer, there will be more entertainment offerings, and there’s a higher chance that most rides will be operating during your visit. Visiting during the off-season can mean lower crowds but along with that there will be shorter hours, less entertainment, and a higher chance that some big rides will be closed for refurbishment. Your mileage may vary and you’re going to want to weigh the pros and cons of each before deciding when to go.

In terms of when to go during the week, Fridays to Sundays are the most crowded but are also when most entertainment is happening during off-peak times, including Fireworks and Fantasmic. In terms of the other 4 weekdays, Monday is usually busiest, with Wednesday being the least crowded day for the most part.

How Many Days

After deciding when to go, the next thing you’re bound to ask yourself is how many days to go for? A Disneyland trip can be as long or as short as you want. I know some people who stay for a week and other people who only visit for a day. Deciding how long to visit Disneyland will depend on a lot of factors, such as your enjoyment of theme parks and Disney, your budget, the weather, and a variety of other things.

This Disneyland Planning Guide generally recommends 3-4 days for a first time visit. This will give you enough time to explore the park at your own pace and will give you enough time to do every attraction you want to do multiple times. For repeat visitors I usually recommend staying for 2-3 days as you already know what attractions and other things you want to do in your time at the park.

If this is a once in a lifetime visit, however, I’d recommend going for 5 days. That’ll give you enough time to enjoy both parks while also exploring the hotels and Downtown Disney. Although be forewarned: if you enjoy the parks too much you’ll find yourself planning a second trip to the resort.

If you want a more in depth post about how long to visit the parks, read my How Many Days to Visit Disneyland post.

Getting There

Now how do you get to the Disneyland Resort? Well to get to Southern California, you will either have to drive or fly. This Disneyland Planning Guide will break down both options so you can see which option is best for you.

Fly

If you’re coming from the East Coast or the Midwest, you may have no choice but to fly. You do, however, have a choice on which airport to fly into. There are 5 airports that are relatively near Disneyland: LAX, BUR (Burbank), SNA (John Wayne Airport), LGB (Long Beach), and San Diego. Now, while LAX might be the cheapest option sometimes (not all the time), it’s also the most stressful, confusing, and frustrating of all the options. I wouldn’t recommend going to or from there unless you’re coming from another country.

My recommendation is to fly to and from SNA. It’s the closest to Disneyland, meaning you won’t have to pay a lot for ground transportation if you’re using Uber, Lyft, or a pickup service. It also usually has the best prices out of the four airports. LGB would be my second choice among the five options.

Drive

Another option for you is to drive to Anaheim if you live in California or a nearby state. Now this may seem like a good option as the cost of gas is less than the cost of a plane ticket, especially if you’re traveling in a group of two or more people. However, you may want to consider the amount of vacation time you would be losing by driving.

You would probably end up sacrificing a night or two to get to and from Disneyland, which means less time in the park. The drive can also be brutal, especially with younger kids who are not used to long road trips. If you’d like to maximize your time at the park or can only go for a short time because of your vacation days, then I would suggest flying. However, the advantage of driving is that you’ll have a car when you get to Anaheim, whereas when you fly you’ll either have to rent a car or use Uber and Lyft.

Hotels

The Disneyland Resort has three hotels on property: the Disneyland Hotel, the Grand Californian Hotel and Spa, and the Pixar Place Hotel. This Disneyland Planning Guide will go into detail on what each hotel has to offer guests who wish to stay there, while also highlighting the different hotels that you can find around the Disneyland Resort.

Disneyland Hotel

Located by the Downtown Disney District, the Disneyland Hotel is the first Disney hotel ever constructed. Consisting of over 1000 rooms, suites, and villas, the hotel takes its inspiration from Disneyland Park, with its towers being named after the different lands at the park and the decor taking direct inspiration from the park.

Rooms range from Standard Rooms to Suites and Villas. The price of each room will depend on the amenities in the room, whether it is located in the Kingdom Club Level, the view from the room, and the room type. When I stayed in this hotel in early 2025 we were in a Standard room with 1 King bed. It was spacious and had really good theming. My favorite bit of the room was the little sounds and lights show the headboard would make when you pressed a button.

Amenities in the Standard rooms include air conditioning / heat, Crib Pack ‘n Play upon request, wifi, mini refrigerator, alarm clock, desk, ice bucket, safe, bathroom amenities, dual line phone with voice mail, interior corridor access, satellite tv, coffee maker, hair dryer, iron & board, shower & bathtub combo. Amenities for the studios and larger rooms include everything already mentioned as well as a 55” flat-screen tv, dishes, glasses and utensils, microwave, wall safe, and a can & bottle opener.

The hotel has numerous amenities and recreation areas. There are two retro-themed pools, two monorail-themed waterslides, 2 whirlpool jacuzzis, and a water play area. The villas have their own pool and splash pad. Do note that the whirlpool jacuzzis can be very hot. The hotel also offers poolside cabanas, a fitness center with fitness classes, and various guest activities like a tour of the Disneyland Hotel. The hotel also has an ATM, a guest services desk, the ability to charge purchases to your room, a laundry room, a lost and found, meeting and banquet facilities, EV charging stations, as well as shopping areas.

There are a couple of places where you can grab a bite to eat or a drink at the hotel. Tangaroa Terrace and Trader Sam’s Tiki Bar both serve the classic Dole Whip together with tropical inspired drinks and other menu items. The Coffee House offers muffins, bagels, and other pastries that are perfect for your morning to-go order. Goofy’s Kitchen is a premium character dining experience where you can meet Disney characters as you dine. The Broken Spell Lounge is another bar themed to the movie Sleeping Beauty. Finally, the Palm Breeze Bar is the newest libations location, this time at the Disneyland Hotel Villas.

The hotel is located on the opposite end of Downtown Disney from the parks. This means that you can walk to the parks from the hotel and you can enjoy the Downtown Disney shops and restaurants conveniently from your hotel. I would rank it second among the three Disney hotels in terms of location.

Grand Californian Hotel and Spa

Located in between the Downtown Disney District and Disney California Adventure, the Grand Californian Hotel and Spa is the newest (although not new) hotel in the Disneyland Resort complex. Built with over 900 rooms and designed in the arts and crafts style of California, it was built concurrently with neighboring Disney California Adventure.

Rooms go from Standard Rooms to Suites. The price of each room will depend on the amenities present in the room, as well as the view each room has and the room type. The rooms at the Grand Californian are relatively old compared to the rooms at the Disneyland Hotel and the Pixar Place Hotel, but they still are elegant and, in my opinion, worth staying in.

Amenities in the standard rooms include 55″ Smart TV, bathroom amenities, evening turndown upon availability, interior corridor access, mini refrigerator,vanity area with double sinks and step stool, air conditioning / heat, Crib Pack ‘n Play upon request, hair dryer, iron & board, robes, wi-fi, alarm clock with USB charger, desk, high-speed internet – WiFi service, Keurig, safe – in room, balcony(ies) or patio, dual line phone with voice mail, ice bucket, make-up mirror, shower with rain shower capability; or bathtub with rain shower, upon request. The deluxe rooms have the same amenities.

The Grand Californian has a lot of hotel amenities and recreation areas and services. There are 3 hotel pools: the Fountain, Redwood, and Mariposa that guests can enjoy when they stay onsite. Do note that to enter the pool areas you must claim your free pool wristband, which changes daily. The Mariposa and Fountain pools also have poolside cabanas which you can rent.

There is also a fitness center in the hotel called the Eureka fitness center that guests staying at the hotel can use for free. There are also various guest activities that you can participate in at the hotel. The hotel also has an ATM, a guest services desk, the ability to charge purchases to your room, a laundry room, a lost and found, meeting and banquet facilities, as well as shopping areas.

The hotel is also home to the Tenaya Stone Spa. Their signature services include a Tenaya River Stone Massage, a Gemstone Sparkle Facial, and a Citrus Groves Face and Body Treatment. They also offer a myriad of other massages, body treatments, and skincare experiences. Salon services such as nails, hair, and foot treatments are also available at the spa. Lockers, steam rooms, and a gift shop are also available for guests to enjoy.

One of the big perks of staying at the Grand Californian is that it has its own private entrance into Disney California Adventure. The entrance is located in Grizzly Peak in between Grizzly River Run and Soarin Around the World. This private entrance means that you don’t have to queue up with the rest of the guests at the Esplanade in the morning to enter the park, and is very convenient if you plan on rope dropping Soarin. The hotel also has access to the Downtown Disney District from a private entrance. This hotel has the best location among the three Disney hotels.

There are a couple of places to eat in the hotel. Hearthstone Lounge serves up alcoholic beverages as well as food like pizzas, sandwiches, salads, and entrees like steak. GCH Craftsman Grill is your go-to spot for grab and go options, as well as other offerings from breakfast to dinner. GCH Craftsman Bar on the other hand is a poolside bar that offers drinks that you can enjoy by the pool. Storytellers Cafe is a buffet restaurant that offers character dining in the morning and evening depending on the time of year. Finally, Napa Rose hosts the popular Disney Princess Breakfast Adventure and turns into a fine dining restaurant for lunch and dinner.

Pixar Place Hotel

The last hotel is also the most recently renovated hotel. Formerly known as the Paradise Pier Hotel, the hotel was then refurbished and became the Pixar Place Hotel on January 30, 2024. Located the furthest away from Downtown Disney, the hotel is also the smallest hotel on Disneyland property with a little under 500 rooms. It’s also the cheapest of the three Disneyland hotels.

Rooms go from standard rooms to suites. Room price depends on the room type, amenities, whether the room is club level, and the view from the room. These rooms are the newest rooms in the entire resort, having been recently renovated when the theme of the hotel was changed from Paradise Pier to Pixar Place.

In-room amenities for standard rooms include air conditioning / heat, Crib Pack ‘n Play upon request, high-speed internet – WiFi service, mini refrigerator, alarm clock, desk, ice bucket, safe – in room, bathroom amenities, dual line phone with voice mail, interior corridor access, satellite TV, coffee maker, hair dryer, iron & board, and shower. Amenities for suites include the previous amenities and a tub and microwave.

The Pixar Place Hotel has a plethora of hotel amenities, guest services, and recreation areas. There is a pool, waterslide, whirlpool, and splash pad all themed to Finding Nemo. There are also poolside cabanas that you can rent. Exclusive to the Pixar Place Hotel is the Pixar Shorts Court where you can play games like shuffleboard and bean bag toss themed to various Pixar short films. There is also a fitness center onsite, and Pixar Putt is also located at the hotel. The hotel also hosts fireworks viewing from the pool area on days with fireworks. The hotel also has an ATM, a guest services desk, the ability to charge purchases to your room, EV charging stations, a laundry room, a lost and found, meeting and banquet facilities, as well as shopping areas.

There are three restaurants onsite at the Pixar Place Hotel that you can enjoy. Great Maple Modern American Eatery is a table service restaurant serving American comfort food. They’re open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The Sketch Pad Cafe serves grab and go food with a Pixar twist all day. The last eatery, Small Bytes, is a poolside establishment that also serves grab and go food.

Various Hotels and Motels in Anaheim

Disneyland differs from other Disney Resorts in that there are third party hotels, motels, and inns located all around Disneyland. These hotels are sometimes closer to the parks than the official hotels, and they’re a lot cheaper too. Of course, the amenities aren’t going to be as extensive and high quality as Disney hotels, but if you’re just looking for a place to rest your head after a long day at the parks, you may want to consider them.

This Disneyland Planning Guide recommends booking a stay at the hotels along Harbor Boulevard and Katella Avenue as these are the closest to the parks. Specifically, I would recommend staying at the Alpine Inn, the Castle Inn and Suites, and the Howard Johnson Anaheim. I have personally stayed in all three of these places and would highly recommend them. They’re a short walk (relatively) to the Harbor entrance of Disneyland and their rooms are decently sized and come with a host of amenities. The Grand Legacy, Candy Cane Inn, Tropicana Inn and Suites, Camelot Inn and Suites, and the Best Western Plus Park Place are also good options.

Many of these hotels will have standard rooms, but if you’re a bigger group or family, they also have suites and other bigger rooms available. There are also a plethora of restaurants up and down Harbor and Katella that you can dine in if you stay at those hotels and motels. Disneyland is probably the only Disney resort where I think it makes more sense to stay at a third party hotel, as the cost of the Disney hotels and lack of benefits of staying at the Disney hotels make staying at a third-party hotel a better option.

Park Tickets and Extras

Now this Disneyland Planning Guide is going to discuss the different ticket options that are available for your visit to the park. Depending on how long and how often you plan on visiting, it may make sense to buy a Magic Key instead. However, there are some hurdles to purchasing a Magic Key. I’ll elaborate on them in the following sections, but first let’s discuss your ticket options.

Regular Park Tickets

You can buy anywhere from 1-Day tickets to 5-day tickets at Disneyland. The prices for 2-day to 5-day tickets remain the same all year round, with the price per day decreasing the more days you add onto the ticket. 1-day tickets, however, vary in price depending on the time of year you visit and what tier your visit day is tied to.

If you visit on a Tier 0 day, expect to pay just $104 for a one-day, one park per day ticket. However, if you visit on a Tier 6 day, expect to pay $224 for a one day, one park per day ticket. This does not include the park hopper option.

The park hopper option lets you freely “hop” from Disneyland to Disney California Adventure as many times as you want in a given day. Tacking this add-on onto your ticket will cost you an additional $70-$90 for a One-Day ticket or as much as $135 for a 5-day ticket. Take note that this additional cost is an additional cost PER PERSON. So if you’re a family of four, you’d be paying an additional $280-$360 to make your 1-Day ticket a park hopper ticket.

I know this may seem incredibly pricey, but there are actually ways you can save some money on tickets. My biggest tip is to buy through a third-party provider. This Disneyland Planning Guide recommends Getaway Today and Klook. Klook offers slightly discounted rates on tickets that’ll allow you to save by bundling your ticket with add-ons like Park Hoppers and Lightning Lanes.

Getaway Today is the best site for discounted Disneyland tickets in my opinion. I was able to get tickets for my family where we paid kids prices for adults which saved us hundreds of dollars. Getaway Today always has some kind of deal going on so I would check their website, along with Klook’s, to see what works best for you.

Be aware that Disneyland usually raises ticket prices in October. If you’re for sure going on a Disneyland trip the following year, I would buy tickets before the price increases. Getaway Today usually has a deal where you can buy next year’s tickets at this year’s prices, so I would check them out in mid to late October to take advantage of that. Please note that even if you buy tickets, you still need to make park reservations. This Disneyland Planning Guide will cover park reservations in more detail later in this post.

But let’s say you plan on visiting Disneyland multiple times in a year. Then maybe it makes more sense to purchase a Magic Key, which is Disneyland’s annual pass program, so you can just pay one fee to access the park all year. While that may seem like a good idea, the way Magic Keys work and how they go on sale kind of makes this difficult. Let me explain.

Magic Keys

Magic Keys are the Annual Passholder program of Disneyland. Buying a Magic Key gives you access to Disneyland for an entire year (subject to blockout dates and reservation availability). You also get a lot of other benefits, as well as freebies and other opportunities for the entire year that you’re a magic keyholder. There are four tiers of Magic Key: Imagine, Enchant, Believe, and Inspire. Let me summarize them for you.

The Imagine Key is the lowest tier of Magic Key. It’s currently available for purchase to Southern California residents only. It currently costs $599 and pays for itself in 4 visits. It comes with the ability to park hop between Disneyland and DCA with each visit. It also comes with 25% off standard theme park parking (Toy Story Lot Only), 10% off Dining and Shopping, a 25% discount on Lightning Lane Multi Pass, as well as access to special experiences and offers throughout the year. You can hold 2 reservations at a time with this Magic Key. Do note that this Key has the most blockout dates of any pass, with passholders being blocked out almost all weekends and for the entire summer and most of the Christmas season.

The Enchant Key was the key I used to have at Disneyland. Anyone may purchase an Enchant Key. It currently costs $974 and pays for itself in 6 visits. It comes with the ability to park hop between Disneyland and DCA with each visit. It also comes with 25% off standard theme park parking (Toy Story Lot Only), 10% off Dining and Shopping, a 25% discount on Lightning Lane Multi Pass, as well as access to special experiences and offers throughout the year. You can hold 4 reservations at a time with this Magic Key. This Key is blocked out almost every Saturday, and is also blocked out almost all of summer as well as the week of Christmas.

The Believe Key is a key I also used to have at Disneyland. Anyone may purchase a Believe Key. It currently costs $1,474 and pays for itself in 9 visits. It comes with the ability to park hop between Disneyland and DCA with each visit. It also comes with 50% off standard theme park parking (Toy Story Lot Only), 10% off Dining and Shopping, a 25% discount on Lightning Lane Multi Pass, as well as access to special experiences and offers throughout the year. You can hold 6 reservations at a time with this Magic Key. This Key is rarely blocked out, with the blockouts being major holidays, the week of Christmas, and some days of Thanksgiving.

The Inspire Key is the highest tiered Key at Disneyland. Anyone may purchase an Inspire Key. It currently costs $1,899 and pays for itself in 11 visits. It comes with the ability to park hop between Disneyland and DCA with each visit. It also comes with free standard theme park parking (for both the Mickey and Friends Parking Structure and the Toy Story Lot), 15% off Dining and 20% off Shopping, a 25% discount on Lightning Lane Multi Pass, as well as access to special experiences and offers throughout the year. You can hold 6 reservations at a time with this Magic Key. This Key is only blocked out for two weeks around Christmas.

If you plan on visiting Disneyland multiple times a year, it may be worthwhile to purchase a Magic Key for your visits as long as you visit when it’s not blocked out. However, there is one thing you need to consider before buying a Magic Key: they’re not available for purchase year-round.

What does this mean? Well, Magic Keys only go on sale a few times a year, and they’re usually only available for a couple of days at a time. Unless you happen to catch it before your trip, it might not even be available for purchase before your trip comes around. It wasn’t always like this. You used to be able to buy it at any time. But starting after summer 2022, they switched to only opening sales a little bit at a time. If your trip is coming up and they aren’t available, you won’t be able to buy them and you will have to buy regular park tickets.

Lightning Lanes

Lightning Lanes are Disney’s paid skip-the-line service. An evolution (or devolution, depending on who you ask) of the Fastpass system, Lightning Lanes allow you to skip the lines at certain attractions and bypass a section of the standby queue, thereby getting you on the ride faster. There are currently three kinds of Lightning Lanes: Lightning Lane Premier Pass, Lightning Lane Multi-Pass, and Lightning Lane Single Pass.

I’ve written a whole guide to Lightning Lane at Disneyland, but in short I think Lightning Lanes are worth it if you’re only going to be in the park for a limited time or if you’re on a once in a lifetime or once every few years trip. But they are absolutely not required to have a good day at Disneyland, and you shouldn’t be pressured into purchasing it or thinking that you won’t have a good day without it. I talk about this a lot more in my Lightning Lane post, so check that out to also find out how Lightning Lane works and how to strategize best with Lightning Lane if you decide to purchase it.

Park Reservations

As part of Disneyland’s current policy, every guest needs a park reservation to enter the parks. This goes for both Magic Keyholders and regular ticketholders and applies to you even if you buy your tickets from a third party website like Klook or Getaway Today. No matter where you buy your tickets, you will still need to go to the Disneyland website and make a park reservation for every day of your visit.

Doing so is fairly simple. First you’re going to head to the Disneyland website and find the park reservations portal, which you can find by hovering over Tickets and Parks and clicking on theme park reservations (I’ll link it here). Once you’ve found it, click either the purchase a ticket option or the make or modify a park reservation button. The latter is for if you’ve already purchased tickets, including from third parties.

You’ll then be asked to login to your account. If you haven’t made a Disneyland account, now is the time to do so. Next, click “Book Theme Park Reservation” and link your tickets. Once your tickets are linked, you may start making reservations. Be sure to link the tickets of everyone in your group to your account so you can make park reservations for everyone in your party, which ensures you don’t leave anyone out without a reservation.

If you purchased a one park per day ticket, your reservation will be valid for that park and that park only. If you purchased a park hopper, you need to start your day at the park you made a reservation for. You will be able to hop to the other park at 11am. If you arrive at the park past 11am, you may proceed to either park.

Dining

Disneyland has one of the best food lineups of any theme park in the world. The food at Disneyland is top notch, and that goes for the food at Disney California Adventure as well. Don’t expect Michelin-starred dishes, but as far as theme park food goes, Disneyland has a pretty good selection. I’m not going to go over every single food item as it’ll make this Disneyland Planning Guide way too long, so instead I’m going to recommend some of my favorites.

Let’s start at Disneyland. You can’t go to Disneyland and not have a Mickey Ice Cream Bar. Also, a churro is a Disneyland staple and the best Disney churros in the world are at the Disneyland Resort. Definitely try the corn dogs from the Little Red Wagon. Jolly Holiday Bakery also has some amazing dishes, especially the Jolly Holiday Combo which is a toasted cheese sandwich served with tomato basil soup. Carnation Cafe is also a great sit down restaurant with amazing Mickey waffles for breakfast and Walt’s Chili available at Lunch and Dinner. Plaza Inn hosts a great character dining breakfast, and the rest of the day you can get their signature fried chicken.

In Adventureland, definitely get a Dole Whip, which comes in either Pineapple, Strawberry, or Peach flavors. The lumpia at Tropical Hideaway is also delicious. My favorite quick service restaurant in the entire resort is in Adventureland: Bengal Barbecue! My go-to is the Bengal Beef Skewers. New Orleans Square has the delicious beignets from the Mint Julep Bar. Also try the chocolate cookies from Harbor Galley. New Orleans Square is also home to two amazing sit down restaurants: Cafe Orleans and the Blue Bayou Restaurant. Both are definitely worth dining in. Ask for the Monte Cristo!

Bayou Country is home to Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree! There are great options here, with my favorite being the pulled pork. Pooh Corner is also great if you want some baked goods. Try a Tigger tail! They’re marshmallow wands covered in chocolate. Galaxy’s Edge is home to an amazing sausage dish called Ronto Wraps that are a must try. Of course, this wouldn’t be a proper Disneyland Planning Guide if I didn’t recommend you try the blue or green milk.

My favorite place to get the Cheesy Garlic Bread is at Fantasyland at Edelweiss Snacks. Red Rose Tavern serves classic American theme park fare. At Toontown, you can get the Cheesy Pizza Flop-Over, which also comes in a pepperoni version. Lastly Tomorrowland’s Galactic Grill has good burgers, fries, and seasonal Star Wars themed desserts that are pretty good.

Over at California Adventure, Carthay Circle is the finest theme park dining in the entire resort. It’s expensive, but I’ve heard the food is amazing. Schmoozies in Hollywoodland has some great shakes and drinks. Hollywood Lounge is also a great place to go to for drinks. At Avengers Campus, try the shawarma from the shawarma cart. Pym Test Kitchen also has some great options and themed food. Their tater tots are amazing and are a must try.

Over at Grizzly Peak, the Fluffernutter can usually be found at the churro cart near Redwood Creek Challenge Trail (although this churro is only offered seasonally at the moment). In addition, Smokejumpers serves good burgers and fries. The Cozy Cone at Cars land has great chocolate soft serve, and also has a good bacon mac and cheese served in a bread cone. Flo’s has good sandwiches and fried chicken, and their milkshakes are to die for.

My absolute favorite place to dine in California Adventure, and my second favorite quick service place in the resort, is San Fransokyo Square. Cocina Cucamonga has amazing tacos and Lucky Fortune Cookery has great Asian inspired cuisine. Be sure to pass by the Bakery Tour to get your free slice of bread!

Finally, Pixar Pier and Paradise Gardens Park have a few of my favorite eats at the resort. Corn Dog Castle has amazing corn dogs, and Jack Jack’s Cookie Num Nums has really good chocolate chip cookies. My favorite sit down restaurant in the resort is Lamplight Lounge. The theming is great and they have a slew of really good offerings. Be sure to try their brunch flight of drinks, only available every weekend.

Dining Reservations

Advanced Dining Reservations can be made up to 60 days in advance. You can make them on the Disneyland website or on the Disneyland app. Dining reservations can be cancelled up to 2 hours before your reservation time. Disneyland also now allows you to view the whole 60 day calendar when making reservations, allowing you to see when the restaurant of your choice has availability.

Dining reservations usually become available at 6am PT. If they don’t show as available, I would just keep checking. They should pop up eventually on the app and online. Sometimes they may open up later in the day or even a few days later, so keep checking the app. If you aren’t able to snag a reservation, check back after a few days or weeks or use a service like Mouse Dining that’ll tell you when a reservation opens up. Sometimes people cancel, but you’re going to need to be quick if you want to snag them.

Dining Packages with Show Viewing

Some shows, such as Fantasmic, World of Color, the Disneyland Parade, and the Fireworks, have dining packages you can purchase. Aside from a meal, you also get a pass to stay in a reserved viewing area for those shows.

For Fantasmic, the associated restaurants are River Belle Terrace, Cafe Orleans, and Rancho Del Zocalo. World of Color has a dessert party that gets you reserved seating for the show along with a selection of desserts and drinks. There are also dining packages that get you into a reserved viewing area for the show. Participating restaurants for that are the Magic Key Terrace, Wine Country Trattoria, and Storytellers Cafe.

Whatever Disneyland parade is showing, there is an accompanying dining package offered by the Plaza Inn. You’ll usually dine at lunch and you’ll get a reserved viewing area for the parade. The Tomorrowland Skyline terrace offers a dining package and premium viewing for the fireworks. Do note, however, that the fireworks are cancelled some nights due to wind, so you may be paying a premium just for the fireworks to be cancelled.

I personally think that these packages are worth it for Fantasmic and the Disneyland Parade. The World of Color Dessert Party is a bit too pricey for my taste, and the best viewing for World of Color is up front, which you can get for free by joining the virtual queue. Because they get cancelled often, the Tomorrowland Skyline Terrace isn’t worth it in my opinion. I will link each package below.

Fantasmic

World of Color Dessert Party

World of Color Dining Package

Plaza Inn Parade Dining Package

Tomorrowland Skyline Terrace

Things to Do

I could write a book about everything there is to do at Disneyland and DCA, but that would make this Disneyland Planning Guide way too long. I won’t spend too much time on this section as I’ve already written other posts that go into detail on each ride, show, walkthrough, and special attractions at both parks. I will link them below.

Disneyland Ride Ranking

Disneyland Ride and Attraction Guide

DCA Ride Ranking

DCA Ride and Attraction Guide

After Hours Events

Disneyland hosts a lot of After Hours Events. After Hours Events are separately ticketed events that take place at night in either Disneyland or Disney California Adventure. To access these events, you need to buy a separate ticket. Normal theme park admission will not cover these events. Usually there are five events every year: Sweethearts Nite, Star Wars Nite, Pride Nite, a fourth themed party that usually changes theme every year, and Oogie Boogie Bash. The former four take place at Disneyland, with the latter one happening at DCA.

Disney will usually announce these events months in advance and tickets will go on sale months in advance too. If you know you want to go to an After Hours event, I would recommend trying to purchase tickets right when they drop. Some of these events sell out fast, so you’re going to want to be quick about purchasing tickets. Magic Keyholders will usually be able to purchase tickets ahead of the general public.

Generally these events last anywhere between 4 and 5 hours. During these events you’ll usually have special entertainment, food, and merchandise along with shorter ride wait times due to these events usually having an attendance cap. You will be allowed to enter the park 3 hours before the event starts to “mix in” with the regular guests. At the event time, Disney will then start sweeping the other guests out of the park until everyone who remains at the park is a person who paid to be there. You’ll usually receive a wristband, credential, and park map at the beginning of the event.

In my opinion, if you’ve never done an After Hours Event before, I think they’re well worth going to. I have yet to attend an after hours event that I didn’t think was worth the money. My favorites are Oogie Boogie Bash, Pride Nite, and Disney Channel Nite. It may be a bit pricey as tickets can sometimes sell for close to $200, but I believe they are worth it even if you just spend the whole time riding rides. The parks are so quiet during these events that every ride (including popular ones) are just a max 30 minute wait. If you have the budget for it, this Disneyland Planning Guide highly recommends doing them at least once. But again, they aren’t necessary to have a good trip to Disneyland.

Services and Amenities Within the Park

The parks include many services and amenities that are available for you to use if you need them. I will go into detail on what they are and where you can find them. To find them on the app, head into the map and scroll on the top until you get to Guest Services. Click on that and it’ll show you the locations of things like the Baby Care Center, AED Defibrillators, First Aid, and even water bottle refilling stations. I will go over the most important services and amenities below.

Baby Care Center and Lost Children

Baby Care Centers are full-service facilities that aim to help parents with young kids and babies have an easier visit to the parks. They are completely free of charge and anyone can come in and use any of their amenities (subject to availability). Here are some of the amenities present in the Baby Care Centers:

Nursing room with chairs
Changing room with tables
Toddler-size toilets (for Guests under 42” tall)
Feeding area with highchairs
Kitchen with sink, bottle warmers and microwave (select use only)
Vending machine offering formula, baby food, juice, diapers, wipes, sunscreen, pacifiers and over-the-counter medication—all available for purchase with a credit card

There are two Baby Care Center locations, one in each park. At Disneyland, the Baby Care Center is located on Main Street next to First Aid right by the Little Red Wagon. At DCA it is located next to Ghirardelli and opposite the Bakery Tour. Lost children are also at these locations.

If you ever get separated from your child, they will immediately be taken to the nearest Baby Care Center. I would recommend leaving a card with your child that has your name and phone number on it in case they get separated from you so that whoever locates them may contact you immediately.

First Aid

Each park has a first aid office that is fully staffed with nurses during normal park operating hours. They can dispense over the counter medication, as well as provide bandages and other quick, easy remedies. They also have refrigerators where you can store medicines that need cooling, and they also have special containers for the disposal of hypodermic needles.

As mentioned, at Disneyland Park First Aid is located by the Baby Care Center at the end of Main Street near the Little Red Wagon. At DCA they’re located by the Oswald’s store on Buena Vista Street.

Stroller and Wheelchair Rental

Stroller and wheelchair rental is located east of the Disneyland Park entrance. At this location you may rent strollers, wheelchairs, or ECVs. You must return your stroller, wheelchair, or ECV here at the end of the day. You may use your rented devices in both parks, and if you have your own wheelchair, stroller, or ECV you’re more than welcome to bring them to use at the parks. This Disneyland Planning Guide actually recommends bringing your own or renting from a company that delivers them to your hotel door because if not you’re going to have to surrender yours at the end of the day and you won’t have anything to use after you return the item.

Rental prices are as follows:

$18.00 per day for one stroller
$36.00 per day for double stroller
$15.00 for manual wheelchair rentals
$60.00 for ECV rentals—sales tax applies to ECV rental fee

Wheelchairs and ECVs require a refundable deposit of $20. Wheelchairs and ECVs are limited so if you want to rent one you need to get there as they are given on a first come, first serve basis without reservations. Maximum weight of an ECV is 450 lbs, with the maximum weight for a wheelchair being 350 lbs.

Lockers

Lockers are available both inside the two Disney parks and immediately outside the two Disney Parks. They’re available on a first come, first serve basis and once you rent one you can keep it for the entire day. Do note, however, that lockers in the parks are only accessible if the park is open. If you forget or accidentally leave anything inside the lockers, contact lost and found to retrieve your items.

In the park, lockers come in two sizes and prices: $7 small lockers and $10 big lockers. Outside the park, sizes are $7, $10, $12, and $15. The $15 lockers can actually fit small sized suitcases. The Disneyland lockers are halfway up Main Street on the right hand side opposite the Carnation Cafe. DCA’s lockers are on the right hand side upon entering the park near the bathrooms and the Red Car Trolley. Lockers outside the park are west of the Disneyland entrance and east of the DCA entrance.

Rider Switch

Rider Switch is a way that groups who have a person in their party who cannot ride the ride due to certain circumstances and cannot wait outside the queue alone can ride a particular ride without having to wait in line twice. It’s available at most attractions and is a free of charge service.

According to Disneyland, rider switch is appropriate in the following situations:

A Guest in the party either does not meet the boarding requirements or does not plan to ride but cannot wait outside the queue alone.
A Guest has a service animal that cannot board the attraction, or they do not wish to use a provided kennel.
A Guest is unable to experience the queue based on the nature or condition of the queue at a particular attraction in light of the circumstances and the Guest’s specific needs.

How it works is a group will approach a cast member and inform them that they would like to use Rider Switch. The group will then split into two groups: Group A or those who will ride first, and Group B or those who will ride second. Take note that Group B can only be made up of a maximum of 2 guests.

The cast member will scan the tickets of Group B and inform them where to return when it is their turn to ride. Group A will then line up and ride the attraction and, once they’re done, will inform Group B who will then return to where the Cast Member said they should return to earlier. Their tickets will then be scanned and then they will be directed onto the ride, bypassing the standby queue.

Portable Charger Rental

FuelRod stations are located all around Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. FuelRod is a third-party company and you can find their portable chargers even outside the Disney Parks. To use them, simply buy one at a kiosk with your credit card. You’ll receive a portable charger FuelRod, as well as a cable which you can keep free of charge. Once your FuelRod runs out, you can simply swap it out for another FuelRod at any kiosk.

FuelRods don’t fully charge your gadgets. This is why this Disneyland Planning Guide recommends bringing your own portable charger. You can find them on Amazon and they are relatively inexpensive. They will also be good for about 2-4 charges, which is a lot more than the FuelRods do. Also, Disneyland allows them into the park, so save yourself the 30 dollars and buy a high quality portable charger instead.

What to Pack

What to pack depends on what time of year you visit the parks. If you plan on visiting in the summer, you’ll need light clothing. If you visit in the winter you’ll need a sweater and maybe even an umbrella on some days. I’m planning on making a more in depth What to Pack post, but for the purposes of this Disneyland Planning Guide, I’ll list some must-haves down below.

Backpack (or Loungefly)
Minnie Ears
Portable Charger
Phone Cable
Hat or Cap
Sunscreen
Reusable Water Bottle
Mini Electric Fans
Neck Fans
Cooling Towels
Shorts (in the summer)
Lanyard or small pin pouch for pin trading
Sweater (if you’re going during the cooler months)
Rain jacket or umbrella (if visiting during January – April)
Ponchos and plastic shoe coverings (if riding water rides to prevent clothes and shoes from getting wet)
Tylenol or Advil (in case of headaches or other pain needs that need relief)
Motion sickness medicine or patches (for those who suffer from motion sickness)

In terms of what to wear, if you’re coming in the summer or near summer, you should visit the park in shorts or skirts. Pants are really only advisable if you’re visiting in the winter. Always pack an extra shirt, especially in the summer months, so you can change into that in case you sweat.

Mobile Services

If you’re coming from another country, you’re going to need a mobile provider. This Disneyland Planning Guide recommends using Airalo, an e-sim company that operates in many countries. Simply download the app and follow the instructions to purchase and install the e-sim. You can buy sims with different data packages and different validity periods. Choose the one that’s right for you and install it once you arrive in the United States. Remember to install and activate it only on the day of your arrival to the United States as the clock will start as soon as you install and activate the sim.

Cash and Money Exchange

The Disneyland Resort accepts the following cards: American Express, MasterCard, Visa, Discover/Novus, Cirrus, Plus, Star and Honor. Cash is accepted at the Disneyland Resort as well. You can also find full-service ATMs at key locations around Disneyland, Disney California Adventure, Downtown Disney, and the Disneyland Resort Hotels. They are all Chase ATMs, so a fee will be charged if you withdraw money using a non-Chase card. In addition, foreign currency exchanges can be found at Disneyland Park at City Hall and at Disney California Adventure at the Guest Relations Lobby.

Disneyland Planning Guide Conclusion

And that’s it! I hope this Disneyland Planning Guide was able to help you plan your upcoming trip to Disneyland. Hopefully it gave you the confidence you need to tackle the parks successfully. If you have any questions, feel free to contact my socials (linked above).

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