You can have fun at Disneyland without a ticket! What started as Disneyland Park in 1955 has expanded into the marvelous Disneyland Resort of today. With two parks, three on-site hotels, and a shopping and dining district there are so many ways to have fun! You can have a spectacular day at Disneyland Resort without ever setting foot in the parks. In fact, we like to alternate our visits to the parks with “resort days” to maximize our fun. Here are our five favorite ways to spend the day at Disneyland Resort without using an admission ticket.
Go for a Swim or Slide
Our kids love all hotel pools, but the ones at the Disneyland Resort Hotels are their favorites. They can slide with Crush and splash with Nemo at Pixar Place Hotel, enjoy some rustic relaxation at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa or take a nostalgic trip aboard Steamboat Willie and the monorail slides at Disneyland Hotel. We have also made great use of the pools at off-site hotels in Anaheim. You DO need to be a hotel guest to use these pools, but you do NOT need to be a guest to dine at the Disneyland Resort Hotels and soak in the incredible ambiance. This brings us to our next tip…
Enjoy a Drink and Bite to Eat
The Downtown Disney District and the Disneyland Resort Hotels have some tasty food and drink, and atmosphere pushes these dining spots over the tops. Din Tai Fung is our new favorite place to eat in Downtown Disney. Even our pickiest eaters love this restaurant and their Xiao Long Bao. Plus, the windows into the working kitchen offer a little extra entertainment and education.
Speaking of entertainment: Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar at the Disneyland Hotel is in a class of its own. We do not want to ruin the fun surprises, so we will just say that the extraordinary imagination and ingenuity of the theme parks are echoed at Trader Sam’s.
These are just two of the many dining options at Disneyland Resort. Many restaurants, like Trader Sam’s, offer reservations or a digital walk-up list through the Disneyland app. Some use other platforms: should you wish to make a reservation at Din Tai Fung, you will need to call or use Yelp. However you do it, you can spend a whole day just enjoying the culinary attractions of Disneyland Resort. There are also some extra special dining opportunities if you like to…
Meet Characters While You Eat Outside the Parks
You do not need to enter the parks’ turnstiles to meet Mickey or his pals. Select restaurants at the Disneyland Resort Hotels offer meals with a side of character encounters: you enjoy a meal while featured characters visit each table at the restaurant. You do not even need to be a guest of these hotels to enjoy these fun meals.
Currently, Goofy and his pals are hosting breakfast, brunch and dinner at Goofy’s Kitchen in Disneyland Hotel. Over at Storytellers Cafe in Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa, Mickey is sharing breakfast with some friends. At certain times, Disney Princess Breakfast Adventures has also been offered at Napa Rose restaurant in the same hotel. These offerings are always changing, and sometimes there are seasonally themes meals. If you want to know what will be offered during your visit, start by checking-out advance dining reservations.
Twist and Shout with Live Entertainment
The Downtown Disney District offers its own live entertainment at the Downtown Disney LIVE! Stage. We like this area, because the stage faces a lawn where visitors can lounge, dance and get some wiggles out. The schedule is available on the Downtown Disney District Hours and Events calendar on the Disneyland app and website.
On the same calendar, you can find schedules for other locations at Downtown Disney like Splitsville or the Jazz Kitchen. There may also be fun seasonal opportunities available during your visit, like holiday scavenger hunts or presentations. If you are staying at a Disneyland Resort Hotel, do not forget to check the entertainment and class schedule at your hotel as well. There should be paper copies of the schedule at the front desk as well as the information available online
Ooo and Aaa at Some Disneyland Fireworks Without a Ticket
The parks of Disneyland Resort both offer extraordinary nighttime spectaculars. Surprisingly, you do not even need to be in the parks to enjoy them! Select locations—like the theme park view rooms of Pixar Place Hotel—offer views of World of Color in Disney California Adventure Park.
More area hotels provide good vantage points for viewing the fireworks display from Disneyland Park. The club lounges at Disneyland Hotel and Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa boast luxury viewing spaces. The Pixar Place Hotel has a comfortable view from its pool deck for all hotel guests. Other area hotels like the Fairfield Anaheim Resort on Harbor Boulevard have surprisingly good views from their outdoor walkways and other common spaces.
If you are not staying at one of these hotels, you can watch the fireworks from the Esplanade just outside the parks. You may enter the Disneyland Resort Esplanade without at ticket. Keep in mind that the firework displays do not take place every night and are subject to a seasonal schedule as well as weather conditions.
Go enjoy Disneyland Resort without a ticket!
Our favorite parts of the Disneyland Resort are Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park, but we still love spending time in the Downtown Disney District and the Disneyland Resort Hotels. We make time just to swim, eat, dance, meet and enjoy fireworks. We suggest that you make some time in your vacation to enjoy these ways to have fun in Disneyland Resort without a ticket! (But when you are ready to buy a ticket, we offer this detailed guide.)