General Information
Address: 1313 S Harbor Blvd
Anaheim, CA 92803-3232
Disneyland Info (recorded): 714-781-4565
Disneyland Info (operator): 714-781-7290
Disneyland Travel Packages: 714-520-5060
Disneyland Resort Hotels: 714-956-6425
Disneyland Ticketing: 714-781-4400
Website: disneyland.disney.go.com
Overview
Sure, you can walk around all day with a chip on your shoulder blaming “The Happiest Place on Earth” for sucking your pocketbook dry at every turn. And, yes, the crowds can be a total pain. But there’s something so pleasantly surreal about a visit to the Magic Kingdom. The staff is almost militant about being kind; there’s usually some childhood memory running through your head, whether you like it or not; and the second there’s a chill in the air—whammo!—the hot chocolate carts arrive at your service. It’s like . . . magic!
Disneyland recently souped up and promoted its after-sundown “Nighttastic!” fare, including the rightly famous fireworks displays, California Adventure’s Electrical Parade, and Fantasmic!, a rococo night show in which Mickey Mouse (whose pan-Disneyland ubiquity makes him almost a religious figure) uses magic to battle the eye-catching forces of darkness. There’s still plenty to do during the day, natch. If there’s even a smidgen of the Force within you, take your inner Jedi to Tomorrowland Terrace to enroll in the Jedi Training Academy, where adolescent boys’ heads implode as they defend the galaxy against a living, breathing Darth Vader. For updates on construction, parades and promotions, www.mouseplanet.com is invaluable.
If you’re heading to Disneyland with a group of adults, cruise in during the evening (at least during the summer, when the park is open late) or ditch work for shorter lines and more breathing room. For popular rides, always look for the Fastpass kiosks near the ride entrances. These allow you to take a ticket and return at an appointed time to join the less congested Fastpass queue.
The Downtown Disney district, just outside the park’s gates, is a loose collection of shops and restaurants, most of which appeal to kids ranging from youngster (Build-A-Bear, Lego) to tween (Club Libby Lu) to Jeff Spicoli (Quiksilver). The restaurants generally offer wider menus and better food than you’ll find inside the park, though with few exceptions (Jamba Juice, Wetzel’s Pretzels), they won’t necessarily save you any money. The World of Disney store is conveniently located next to the parking-lot trams, guaranteeing that you give Disney the last dollar in your wallet before returning to your car at the end of the day.
The California Adventure Park has never quite lived up to the Disney standard. Annual passport holders may park-hop, and can thus experience rides like the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror (which is really quite frightening) and the Soarin’ Over California motion ride. Take a little girl to the Princess Celebration (lunch or dinner) at Ariel’s Grotto and you will be a rock star, at least until you tell them it’s time to leave the park and go home. A Bug’s Land, scattered with oversized food, will make you glad you’re not on acid. California Adventure has been revamped to look more like the Los Angeles of the 1920s, when Disney arrived.
Hours of Operation
The park’s hours change depending on the season. During the summer months, school vacations, and holidays, Disneyland is usually open from 9 am until 9 pm, and California Adventure Park is open from 10 am until 7 pm. In the off-season, Disneyland is open from 10 am until 8 pm, and California Adventure Park is open from 10 am until 6 pm. Call the park, or check their website, for more accurate times before heading down. The website is also useful for finding out what rides may be closed for maintenance on any given day. (After all, there’s nothing more disappointing than having your Pirates of the Caribbean dreams squashed due to renovations.) The website also lists daily, weekly, and monthly special entertainment events.
Entrance Fees
There are not many places you’ll visit where the child admission fee cuts off at 9 years of age—but Disneyland is one of them. One-day, one-park tickets for Disneyland or California Adventure are now $96 for adults, $90 for children. The two-day Park Hopper is $217 for adults and $204 for children. You can sign up online for free admission on your birthday. Disney sometimes posts special deals on their website, so make sure you check it before you buy tickets—it also saves time waiting in the entrance line. Disneyland typically offers reduced rates to Southern California residents for Park Hopper tickets and annual passports, so if you plan on visiting the park twice or more during the year, this may be a wise investment.
Lockers
For tourists on the move, or for visitors who inexplicably brought along valuables to the park, there are lockers located outside the main entrances to Disneyland and California Adventure. Locker rentals cost between $7 and $15 per day.
Package Check
If you purchase more mouse ears than you can carry while inside the park, you may leave your packages at the Newsstand (Main Entrance), Star Trader (Tomorrowland), or Pioneer Mercantile (Frontierland) and pick them up on your way out.
Kennels
Traveling with your pooch can create problems, and orchestrating a trip to Disneyland is no exception to this rule. Hotels in the Disneyland Resort do not allow pets, but if you’re passing through and plan on staying elsewhere overnight, indoor day kennel facilities, located to the right of the Main Entrance of Disneyland, are available for $20 a day.
How to Get There—Driving
Traveling southbound on I-5 (Golden State/Santa Ana Freeway), exit at Disneyland Drive and turn left (south). Follow the signs to the Mickey & Friends Parking Structure. If you’re traveling northbound on I-5 (Santa Ana Freeway), exit on Katella Avenue and turn left (west). Proceed across Katella Avenue and merge onto Disney Way (on the left). Follow the signs to the most convenient parking area. The same goes for if you’re traveling eastbound or westbound on the 22 (Garden Grove Freeway).
Parking
Once in the Mickey & Friends parking lot, head to the escalators, which take you directly to the Mickey & Friends Loading Zone. Trams collect visitors and drop them off at the Mickey & Friends Tram Station, located within walking distance of both theme parks. Parking costs $17 a day for cars, $22 for oversized vehicles, and $27 for buses.
How to Get There—Mass Transit
All of the LA area airports provide shuttle services to the Disneyland Resort. Bus 460 goes somewhere near the park, but we recommend driving a car or taking a shuttle if you can.