We are blessed to live in Southern California where we can hear the Disneyland fireworks from our bedroom. We have been to Disney more times than I can count, and every single time we experience something new! Mickey Mouse doesn’t Mickey around – Ha!
If you’ve never been to Disney there is a ton to think about – where to stay, how long to stay, which rides to hit, and how exactly do fast passes work anyway?
I’ll try and break all of it down for you here as there is so much information out there it can be completely overwhelming!
First things first, let’s talk about the basic set up of the park and what you are signing up for when you come out to Disneyland.
There are 3 main parts to Disney, and they are all right together. The biggest attraction is of course, Disneyland! Right across the courtyard from Disneyland, is a totally separate park called California Adventure. Finally leading up to the park, there is a long strip of shops and restaurants called Downtown Disney. The best part about Downtown Disney is that it is free! Of course there aren’t any rides, but it is 100% Disney approved, so everything is clean and top notch. I’ll cover more about Downtown Disney in a separate post.
Let’s talk about where to stay. I’m a big fan of location, location, location! There are 3 hotels associated with the Disney parks and then a ton more around the area. We’ve had a couple of “Staycations” where we stayed at Disney properties, which is always a treat!
My recommendation is to stay at Paradise Pier. It’s the least expensive of the 3 Disney hotels and is easy walking distance into the parks. The rooms are of course Disney-esque and they have a very fun pool up on the roof. The pool deck is a fine spot to catch the fireworks if you want to call it an early night one evening of your trip.
And because it is a Disney property, you can also take advantage of the “Magic Hour” – during certain days of the week, you can get into the parks 1 hour early. For Disneyland proper you can get in an hour early on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. For Disney California Adventure Park, you can get in an hour early on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. That extra hour can be huge bonus especially during the summer or holiday weekends.
If you stay at Paradise Pier, there are a couple of ways to get into the parks depending on what kind of tickets you buy. You can walk right across the street and through the California Grand Hotel to get into California Adventure – they have their own gate right by the hotel. Or you can walk through the Grand to get to Downtown Disney and walk to main the entrance. You will go through security before you get into Downtown Disney. If you go through the Grand, you will be about halfway through Downtown Disney on the way to the main gate.
Each Disney hotel also offers “Dining with Characters” opportunities. You probably only need to choose one of those venues on any given trip. You don’t have to be a hotel guest, but reservations are pretty important. They are buffet style meals, and you go more for the characters than the food. I’ll talk more about these in a post on Dining.
If you can afford it, the Grand is the most expensive of the 3 Disney hotels and will definitely save you some steps after a long day in the Park. They have a few separate pools and the rooms and atmosphere are really lovely. If money were no issue, I would stay in the Grand every time. Disneyland Hotel is right in the middle cost wise between the Grand and Paradise Pier. It is also the furthest away from the park, though you can catch the Monorail right into the back side of Disneyland. They check your ticket before you board. The Monorail drops you either in Downtown Disney or in Tomorrowland by Finding Nemo. It’s a great hotel and might even be fewer steps than the Grand depending on how you work your day in the Parks. Of course, it could also be a lot more steps, too.
If you want to go a little less expensive still, and don’t mind walking a bit more, Disney has a list of places that are Mickey approved here https://disneyland.disney.go.com/hotels/good-neighbor/ – warning there are 40+ to choose from. I’ve never stayed at any of those – if I’m not staying on property, I might as well drive in from our house. I think many of them offer shuttles to the Parks as well.
Next, we’ll talk about how long to stay and what kind of tickets to get . . . 
Traveling with Trisha 