Are you ready to make a visit Walt Disney’s original theme park? If you have already visited Walt Disney World, you have a great head start on your preparation for visiting Disneyland Resort. We do want to share five quick tips on the differences between being a guest at Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort. We hope these tips will help you make the best decisions for your group and really maximize your visit to Disneyland!
Keep It Close
One of the best things about Disneyland Resort is its compact layout. The attractions in Disneyland Park are densely packed, and you can actually see the entrance gates of one park from the other. It takes only minutes to exit Disneyland Park and enter Disney California Adventure Park (or the reverse).
Plus, Disney’s Grand California Hotel and Spa has something you cannot find in any hotel at Walt Disney World: a direct entrance into a Disney theme park! Guests at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa can use a special security check and gate to walk right into the shady environs of Grizzly Peak at Disney California Adventure Park. Disneyland Resort Hotel guests can also take a monorail from just outside Disneyland Hotel into Tomorrowland or use yet another special entrance for Disney California Adventure Park found just across the street from Pixar Place Hotel.
If you are used to the expansive vacation kingdom that is Walt Disney World, you might be surprised by the small footprint of Disneyland Resort, but we think you will also come to see its benefits. We bounce back and forth between the two parks without thinking twice abut it. Exiting the parks for a lunch break at a resort hotel is no big deal: it requires no extra transportation. Once you arrive a Disneyland Resort, you may very well not need another bus or car that is not part of an attraction. We love being able to walk from our hotel to both parks. Of course, much of that depends on where you stay…
Consider “Off-Site” Hotels (Maybe)
Disneyland Resort has three official hotels that are part of the resort. These are Disney Grand Californian Hotel and Spa, Disneyland Hotel and Pixar Place Hotel. These hotels are wonderful and all connected to the parks by the lively Downtown Disney District. You should be able to walk, roll or scoot to Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park from all of them. These Disneyland Resort hotels offer special perks and that ineffable Disney magic. They are also generally more expensive than nearby hotels not run by Disney.
When we say nearby, we really mean nearby! Several hotels on Harbor Boulevard actually boast a shorter distance to the park entrances than either Disneyland Hotel or Pixar Place Hotel. They are quite literally across the street from Disneyland! If you just want a nice clean place to sleep and shower, booking one of these hotels is a great way to save some money on your Disneyland visit. Some of these options offer free breakfast, and you will notice both independent hotels and those sporting the names of popular hotel brands. There are also many other Disneyland area hotels besides those on Harbor Boulevard.
The choice between whether to book one of the Disney hotels or an “off-site” third party hotel is a personal choice. The pros and cons of that choice are likely going to be a lot different than they are at Walt Disney World, precisely because of Disneyland Resort’s location right on the city streets of Anaheim. Disney parks fans who never stay off-site at Walt Disney World will readily book a third-party hotel near Disneyland. You actually have so many options, that choosing one can be a bit overwhelming. If you need help sorting through the options, please see Staying Near Disneyland: Book the Best Hotel for You.
Be Spontaneous
If you have planned a trip to Walt Disney World, you might be used to booking restaurants six months in advance and picking Lightning Lane reservations before your trip. Things are more relaxed when you visit Disneyland.
Disneyland Resort does have advance dining reservations, but they open 60 days before your visit rather than 180. Plus, Disneyland Resort Hotel guests do not get the early reservation advantage that on-site guests get at Walt Disney World, so the process is just less complicated in general. You can see our general guide to Disneyland dining here: How to Save Money & Eat Well with Disneyland Dining Tips.
There are no pre-trip Lighting Lane reservations at Disneyland Resort. While you may purchase Lightning Lane Multi-Pass when you purchase your tickets, you are not able to make any reservations until you actually scan into a park. Our general guide to Lighting Lane at Disneyland Resort is here: Disneyland Lightning Lanes: How to Super-Charge Your Visit.
Keep in mind that Disneyland Resort does require all visitors to make park reservations for their first park of the day, but the process is an easy one.
In general, we think Disneyland Resort allows visitors to be more spontaneous than they are at Walt Disney World. This is especially evident in the way characters roam the parks! There are no reservations or Lighting Lanes for character meet and greets at Disneyland Park or Disney California Adventure Park. And, you are far more likely to find characters wandering the parks or popping up for an unexpected dance party in California. So, enjoy the adventure and be a little spontaneous at Disneyland!
Reevaluate Park Hoppers and Lighting Lanes
Like Walt Disney World, Disneyland Resort offers both Park Hoppers and Lightning Lanes. However your experience with both of these services may differ significantly between the parks.
For one thing the price for Lightning Lane Multi Pass is the same for Disney California Adventure Park as it is for Disneyland Park. While the price may change based on date, the park you are visiting does not affect the price. Perhaps more importantly, as long as you have a Park Hoppers, you can purchase the Lighting Lanes Multi Pass once for the day and use it in both parks! Because Park Hopping is so easy at Disneyland Resort (again, the park entrances are very close together), we think this greatly increases the value of both Lighting Lanes Multi Pass and Park Hoppers.
Of course, both benefits will increase the cost of your admission tickets. Just be sure you are evaluating the value of these services based on how they work at Disneyland Resort and not entirely on your Walt Disney World experience. We like and use both of these add-ons more often than not, but you will need to make a decision based on your own budget and needs. We take you through that process here: How to Choose Your Best Disneyland Ticket
Download the (Disneyland) App
Finally, our last point is a friendly reminder that Disneyland Resort does not use the My Disney Experience app you may be used to from your Walt Disney World visits. Disneyland has its own app, and we highly recommend downloading it and exploring it before your actual visit.
The app has a ton of helpful features that will probably look familiar to you. It also has a great detailed and interactive map for the whole resort. We think this is invaluable for any first time visitor. Those used to Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom might find the map of Disneyland Park surprisingly useful. The two “castle parks” are very similar but just different enough that you may find yourself a bit turned around!
Thank you for reading this article with five tips for experienced Walt Disney World guests visiting Disneyland Resort for the first time.
We hope you have found this article useful. As you plan your Disneyland Resort visit, we enthusiastically recommend our free and complete planning guide: Step-by-Step Disneyland Prep. This contains some of the articles we already linked in this post but also so much more. While we believe that planning a visit to Disneyland Resort is less complicated than preparing for one to Walt Disney World, we do think that some strong planning and advance knowledge can really help you to maximize your visit. Please also consider subscribing to our free newsletter below. Thanks again for reading!