This is an entry for “Disneyland Resort” in our Disneyland 101 Glossary: Disneyland Resort definitions in under 101 words, from Mouse Brief.
Disneyland Resort is the name for the Disney property in Anaheim, California that encompasses not only Disneyland Park, but also Disney California Adventure Park, Disneyland Hotel, Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa, Pixar Place Hotel, Downtown Disney and various infrastructure. When you encounter references to simply “Disneyland”, context will help you decide whether this indicates Disneyland Park or the resort as a whole. There is also a Disneyland Paris resort in France with its own Disneyland Park, formerly referred to as Euro Disney. Please note that Walt Disney World refers to the resort located in Florida.
Thank you for reading this entry in our Disneyland 101 Glossary. For further details on Disneyland Resort, keep reading, and for help planning your visit to Disneyland Resort, see our free and complete: Step-by-Step Disneyland Prep.
Disneyland Resort: The Parts That Make-up the Whole
Disneyland Resort opened in 1955 with the original Disney theme park, Disneyland. Today, that park is just one part of a larger resort, though it is still the most famous part. Here is a run-down of the pieces that make-up the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California.
Disneyland Park
That original park is more specifically called Disneyland Park to differentiate it from the Disneyland Resort as a whole. Disneyland Park sits on the north side of the larger Disneyland Resort property. It is a theme park comprised of thematically distinct lands: Adventureland, Bayou Country, Fantasyland (with the iconic Sleeping Beauty Castle), Frontierland, Main Street U.S.A., Mickey’s Toontown, New Orleans Square, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, and Tomorrowland. Each land includes a mix of attractions, dining locations, shops and entertainment pulled-together by richly themed environments. As a guest you need valid admission to enter Disneyland Park, and entrance to all of the contained lands is included with that admission.
Disney California Adventure Park
Disney California Adventure Park is the second of the two theme parks at Disneyland Resort. It first opened in 2001, but it received a major redo between the years 2007 and 2012. Today, Disney California Adventure Park has the themed lands Avengers Campus, Buena Vista Street, Cars Land, Grizzly Peak, Hollywood Land, Paradise Gardens Park, Pixar Pier and San Fransokyo Square. As with Disneyland Park, each of these lands has attractions, dining locations, shops and entertainment. While the park was originally built around the overall theme of California and its distinct regions, that theme has changed over time. Today, it is a bit of a mish-mash, but a very fun one. (Trust me, I remember the days when you bought a ticket to Disneyland and just got into Disney California Adventure Park as a bonus… no park hopper needed.)
Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa
Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa is the, well, grandest of the three Disney-operated hotels that are part of the Disneyland Resort. A Disneyland Resort Hotel is located on Disneyland Resort property, and it is owned and operated by Disney. Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa is the closest of the three to the theme parks, and it is also the most expensive. It has standard guest rooms, suites and DVC Villas. The hotel is a tribute to the natural beauty of California. Anyone is free to visit and admire the Craftsman style of the grand lobby or eat at the restaurants: Napa Rose, Hearthstone Lounge, GCH Craftsman Grill, GCH Craftsman Bar and Storytellers Cafe. The hotel also has a lovely pool area that mixes a relaxing wilderness theme with fun slides and pools. As the name implies, there is also a spa facility.
Disneyland Hotel
Disneyland Hotel is the oldest of the three Disneyland Resort Hotels. In the early days of Disneyland, it was actually owned and run by Jack Weather, a friend of Walt Disney’s. But in 1988, the Disneyland Hotel was acquired by the Walt Disney Company, and today the hotel reflects the history of Disney plus its mid-century roots. Accommodations include standard guest rooms, suites and DVC Villas. The nostalgia is thick in the pool area, where guests can slide down Mark 1 Monorail waterslides that twist around a vintage Disneyland sign or visit a Steamboat Willie water play area in the newer DVC portion of the hotel. Anyone can dine at Tangaroa Terrace Tropical Bar and Grill, Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar, Goofy’s Kitchen, Broken Spell Lounge, Palm Breeze Bar and The Coffee House.
Pixar Place Hotel
The Disneyland Resort Hotels trio is completed with the Pixar Place Hotel, which is regularly the lowest priced of the three. It is themed to all things Pixar, including the animation studio’s shorts as well as its more well-known feature films. The Pixar theme debuted with the reimagining of the hotel in early 2024. The hotel was previously Paradise Pier Hotel, and before that it was actually owned and run by a third-party operator. Today it offers standard guest rooms and suites and includes a pool area themed to Finding Nemo neighbored by the Pixar Shorts Court. The lobby area pays tribute to the process of animation and storytelling as exemplified by the Pixar films. Dining locations at Pixar Place Hotel are The Sketch Pad Cafe, the Great Maple restaurant and a snack bar on the recreation deck called Small Bytes.
Downtown Disney District
Between the two theme parks and the three Disneyland Resort Hotels is the Downtown Disney District. This is a shopping and dining area with locations run by Disney and outside companies. The World of Disney is a huge store with a variety of Disney merchandise, and you can also find smaller specialty shops. Restaurants run from fine dining to bars and bakeries. Among the dining and shopping are entertainment offerings and activities, usually live music. You do not need a ticket to enter the Downtown Disney District, but you will need to pass through security checkpoints.
Esplanade
The Esplanade is the plaza between the main entrances to Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park. You do not need a ticket to enter the Esplanade, but you can find ticket booths here as well as guest services like restrooms, stroller rentals, ECV and wheelchair rentals, lost and found and locker rentals. You do need to go through a security checkpoint in order to access the Esplanade.
Parking
You can read about transportation to Disneyland in our Your Guide to Getting to Disneyland: Transportation Tips. Should you choose to drive, there are several parking areas that are part of the Disneyland Resort, these are Mickey & Friends Parking Structure, Pixar Pals Parking Structure, Simba Parking Lot and Toy Story Parking Area. The three Disneyland Resort Hotels also have parking lots. All parking at Disneyland Resort requires a parking fee.
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Disneyland Resort is located in Anaheim, California. For more on the location, see Where is Disneyland Located? And, do not forget to explore our Step-by-Step Disneyland Prep for help in the planning steps that will get you to Disneyland Resort. Thanks again for reading!