Disneyland Info For First Timers

[Bad Pink Tink]

EDIT April 4 2023 WITH UPDATED INFO

I thought it would be a good idea to have a superthread of info for Disneyland California for first time visitors. Many of you have been to Walt Disney World and while thats great, the two parks California and Florida are very different in how you do them.

Sometimes people think that they can do Disneyland the same way they do Walt Disney World and thats where the managing expectations comes and realising that you need to change your approach and mindset and touring plan.

As well all know though, Covid 19 has hugely impacted everything. The information I will post is what I have learned in 10 years of visiting California Disneyland. Please bare in mind that when you read this there may be restrictions and limitations and that some of what I post may be cancelled or not available during your visit.

Disneyland California Overview

• Maximum 5 park days needed, 4 days is ideal
• 2 parks connected by a football field sized esplanade
• Both parks and Downtown Disney all inside the one security ring, go through bag check in the morning and park hop and shop without any more security checks. Only exception is if you go into Grand California Hotel, which is located in Downtown Disney. You will get a security check when you leave the hotel and return to Downtown Disney or when you use the entrance into California Adventures park.
• Disneyland Dining Reservations open at 60 days in advance for all guests. Dining Reservations open at 2pm UK time which is 6am California time.

There are 3 onsite hotels, Disneyland Hotel, Grand Californian and Paradise Pier. They are priced in the deluxe range.
Most people stay offsite, huge amount of options for all budgets. Many offsite hotels and motels are a shorter walking distance to the entrance turnstiles than the onsite hotels.
The hotels and motels which are closest to the parks are located on Harbour Boulevard and Katella Avenue.

These would be my recommendations for hotels for Disneyland. All of theses are walkable to the parks 20 minutes walk or less. Candycane Inn has a shuttle.

1. Howard Johnsons
2. Courtyard By Marriott Anaheim
3. Fairfield Inn By Marriott Anaheim
4. Camelot Inn and Suites
5. Tropicana Inn and Suites
6. Best Western Plus Park Place Inn
7. Anaheim Desert Inn and Suites
8. Del Sol Inn
9. Best Western Plus Anaheim Inn
10. Grand Legacy At The Park
11. The Anaheim
12. Castle Inn and Suites
13. Candy Cane Inn

Unlike Walt Disney World, the majority of the hotel guests book directly with the hotels, not through a high street travel agent. The hotels and motels closed to the parks are usually not available to UK high street travel agents.

The majority of people book their hotel and park tickets separate. However guests who want to do a hotel and park tickets package normally book the package with the hotel or through Disney.

I would advise AGAINST short term rentals in Anaheim. The city council has banned many of the short term rentals. I have heard many horror stories of people turning up to a short term rental and having no where to stay.

• No Dining Plan or refillable mugs / cups
• No free shuttle from the airports. Multiple other transport options including rental cars, town car services, Uber and Lyft
• Closest airport is John Wayne Airport, Orange County, (SNA)
• Other airport is LAX, Los Angeles International Airport

Disneyland Location
Disneyland is located in Anaheim, a city about 90 minutes drive from Hollywood Boulevard
Most people do a 2 location visit, stay in Anaheim for Disneyland and then switch to a different location, depending on their interests and the places they want to visit.

Universal Studios is about 90 minutes drive from Anaheim. People usually stay either beside Universal Studios or in Hollywood if they want to visit Universal Studios or 6 Flags Magic Mountain

Closest beaches to Disneyland are Huntington Beach, Newport Beach or Long Beach

Other things to do in Anaheim are Knotts Berry Farm, a Peanuts and Snoopy themepark which is mainly a rollercoaster themepark.

Park Wifi and Data
Disneyland has park wide WiFi, but there are some black spots throughout the park.

Disneyland APP
The Disneyland App has come a long way from when it was first launched. So much information is on the App from Genie and Genie+ to park maps, ride wait times and so much more. It is advisable to download before you go and link your park ticket.

Mobile ordering is amazing and I used on previous trps. You add a credit card to the App and then you can mobile order food and drinks at various quick service locations. You bypass the main lines and go direct to the mobile pick up section.

[disneypars]

This is a fantastic thread as I believe, like me, there are plenty of Dibbers wishing to visit. I have been before but that was in 1986 think it might have changed a bit since then.

[Bad Pink Tink]

Updated April 4 2023

Disneyland On Google Maps

Disneyland property is all contained in one Square block.

There 3 ways to enter the park

1 = The pedestrian and transportation entrance on the East side, Harbour Boulevard.
This is where the ART bus stops and the private hotel shuttles such as Candycane Inn bus stops are. The security bag check area is literately just beside this entrance and then you are right beside the park entrance turnstiles. The shuttle bus from Toy Story Parking Lot also picks up and drops off here.

The buses from Orange County Transportation Authority OCTA drop off and pick up at the bus stop outside the pedestrian entrance, on Harbour Boulevard

2 = The Downtown Disney pedestrian entrance and bag check on the West side. This is where guests who are staying at Disneyland Hotel and Paradise Pier Hotel enter Disney property. Also guests who walk from Katella Avenue, Disneyland Drive, Ball Road and Walnut Street will enter Disney property here. Once you are through bag check, its about a 15 minute walk through Downtown Disney to the park entrance turnstiles.

3= Mickey and Friends Parking structure. This is where guests who park their cars will get a shuttle bus to Downtown Disney. The layout of this parking structure has changed in the last few years. The security and bag check area is now inside the parking structure. This means that pedestrians can no longer walk into Mickey and Friends and take the shuttle to Downtown Disney.

When choosing a hotel look very carefully on the map as to where they are located. Many advertise that they are opposite or beside Disneyland, which they technically are. However you need to check their location in relation to the actual entrances to Disney property. As you can see on the map, there are really only 3 bag check locations for guests to enter Disneyland property.

[minnie1981]

Great thread, following with interest😁

[Bad Pink Tink]

Updated April 4 2023

General Park Differences

The Monorail in Disneyland is more of an attraction than a means of transport. It does a round journey between Tomorrowland and Downtown Disney. The Monorail Downtown Disney station is located halfway down Downtown Disney and people often think that its a good way to enter the park in the morning, if they are using the Downtown Disney bag check entrance. It is not. Often times the Monorail does not open until after the main park opening.

Also The Monorail does not have air conditioning in the carriages. It is often closed between 12pm and 5pm due to the hot temperatures.

Restaurants and Dining In Disneyland
Disneyland has a higher % of local and day guests than Walt Disney World. Therefore the restaurants and dining in general is adapted to them. Restaurant reservations are available 60 days in advance for everyone.

Dining reservations are being loaded into the system at 6am LA time / 2pm UK time.

The dining reservations are not loaded into the system for every restaurant at exactly 60 days. They are loaded into the system at various times, some at 60 days, some at 50 days, some at 40 days, some at 45 days in advance. The demand for dining reservations is a lot higher than before Covid and many restaurants get booked within minutes of the reservations appearing on the system

Due to the different demographic of guests, the counter and quick service dining options are a higher standard and better quality than what some my be used to in Walt Disney World.

Dining experiences are limited in Disneyland. The main dining experiences are centered around the 2 night time shows Fantasmic and World of Color.

This is the link to the restaurant section on Disneyland California Official website disneyland.disney.go/dining/

In Disneyland Main Park the table service restaurants are

• Blue Bayou
• Cafe Orleans
• Carnation Cafe
• Riverbelle Terrace

In California Adventures Park the table service restaurants are

• Carthay Circle Lounge and Restaurant
• Lamplight Lounge
• Wine Country Trattoria

However don't just skip the counter service and quick service places in Disneyland because you only eat table service in Walt Disney World. Check out the menus of all the other food options in Disneyland before you dismiss them, most Walt Disney World people are very surprised at the food quality and range of food available in California.

[Bazinga 39]

Brilliant thread, thanks so much😀

[Bad Pink Tink]

Updated April 4 2023

Fantasmic At Disneyland

Fantasmic in Disneyland is very different to Fantasmic at Walt Disneyworld.

In California, the viewing areas are roped off sections of the walkways. The CM's start putting up the ropes and creating the sections about 3 hours before the show. For the rest of day before the shows, you would never know the area transforms into an audience area.

The show itself is also different. The story is different and there are different characters, special effects and animations.

There are 2 types of viewing areas

1. Dining Packages
2. Standby

Fantasmic starts at 9.00pm. Depending on when you go there may be a second show at 10.30pm.

The Fireworks at The Castle are on at 9.30pm. After Fantasmic, they use the water fountains for The Castle animations and play the Fireworks music. You get a very limited view of the actual fireworks but you get a great view of the animations, kinda like a second Fantasmic show. There will be announcements to stay in your viewing section to watch the fireworks and animations. Everyone usually stands up for this part.

Ok so lets go through the numbers in this photo

Purple Star = The Fantasmic Stage

1 = The entrance to the reserved sections for dining packages

2 = Hungry Bear Restaurant Reserved Viewing Section This is the cheapest dining package for Fantasmic. It is popular with families as its a take away not sit down and the food is family friendly. Everone in this section sits on the ground.
On The Go Dining Package

3 = Blue Bayou Restaurant Reserved Viewing Section This is the most expensive dining package. The food is Louisiana / Creole inspired and may not be to everyone's taste. The big thing about this restaurant is that it is located INSIDE Pirates of The Caribbean ride. Its one of the few real dining experiences in Disneyland. People in this viewing section also sit on the ground

Blue Bayou Fantasmic Dining Package

4 = Riverbelle Terrace Restaurant Reserved Viewing Section This is the mid priced dining package. The food is similar to Blue Bayou but in a regular sit down Southern Style themed restaurant. People in this viewing section sit on the ground for the show.

River Belle Terrace Dining Package

5 and 6 = Standby Viewing Section
This section is behind thedining package viewing section. This area is for people who want to see the show but don't Dining Package. Depending on park capacity, this area can have limited views and be very crowded.

[OutbackAddict]

another thread to subscribe to

[KayLouise]

This is great, thanks Tink!

[mason1]

Great info! We’re planning for next year and I was looking at either Castle Inn and Suites or Best Western Stovalls Inn. Looking at the map I think Castle Inn will be better (and I notice a Cheesecake Factory not too far away!)