In this installment of our Step-by-Step Disneyland Prep, we are taking you through the process of planning your transportation to Disneyland Resort. Planes, trains, buses, cars or on foot. It is time to talk about how you well get to the Happiest Place on Earth.
This is Step 3 in Step-by-Step Disneyland Prep, our free and complete multi-part guide to planning your visit to Disneyland. With each step, we pull information from all over MouseBrief to help you plan a fun trip while keeping stress low. We have previously covered Step 1 Choosing Dates and Step 2 Buying Tickets. You can use those links to revisit (or first visit) those articles and then meet us back here for our guide to getting to Disneyland.
Where is Disneyland Located?
Disneyland Resort is located right in the city of Anaheim in Orange County, California in the United States at 1313 South Harbor Boulevard.
Within Disneyland Resort itself are two theme parks, three hotels, a shopping and dining district plus various practical infrastructure including things like parking and guests services. The two theme parks are Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park, and they are positioned with their entrances facing one another across an esplanade.
While Walt Disney World in Florida is practically a city unto itself, Disneyland Resort is located right on the city streets of Anaheim. As a guest, this allows you easy access to nearby hotels, dining and public transportation not facilitated by the Walt Disney Company, which also gives you easy ways to save money. We will look at neighborhood hotel choices in the next step in this series.
We cover some of the benefits of Disneyland Resort’s small size and location here: Is Disneyland Resort the Easier Alternative to Walt Disney World? And if you are an experienced Walt Disney World visitor, you may also want to check out: 5 Tips for Walt Disney World Pros Visiting Disneyland.
We have an article on some of the particulars of the Disneyland Resort location here: Where is Disneyland Located?
Traveling to Disneyland by Airplane
There are five Southern California airports in close proximity to Disneyland Resort. If you are planning to travel through more of California, you might also consider some other California airports. If your main objective is Disneyland, we recommend planning to use one of the following five airports.
Which Airport is Best for Visiting Disneyland?
Disneyland Resort is within fifteen miles of both Long Beach Airport (LGB) and John Wayne Airport (SNA). Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Ontario International Airport (ONT) and Hollywood Burbank (BUR) are a little further out but still fairly close.
Any of these airports are a good option. We really like Long Beach Airport and wrote an article about it here. Whatever your preferred airline, you should be able to find an airport that works for you. While it is not the closest, Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is the largest with the most flight options
Remember that actual travel times to and from these airports can vary greatly depending on the time of day. We like using mapping applications to predict traffic at different times of day. The Disneyland website provides information about ground transportation between different airports and Disneyland here.
More Air Travel Tips for Flying to Disneyland
We know traveling by airplane is a source of stress for families with young children. We have been there, but we also found the anticipation was the stressful part and not the actual flights. So we are sharing some advice about this.
We have an article with travel tips for flying with kids that you can find here: 5 Tips for Flying on Airplanes with Kids. In that article we address how we handle traveling with kids in car seats, which we think is helpful as you are considering transportation from the airport of your choice.
We also have Travel Fun for Kids on the Road and in the Sky. Which is a post full of travel toys, games, books, art supplies and other fun entertainment we use to keep our kids engaged on long flights or car trips.
Traveling by Train to Disneyland
If you are a train lover like Walt Disney, you have some nice options for getting to Disneyland as well. The Pacific Surfliner is a scenic and enticing choice that has stops in many Southern California cities as well as at the Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR).
Just keep in mind that no train will take you right to Disneyland. Instead, you will disembark at the Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center (ARTIC) where you can get a bus or arrange a car ride.
Disneyland has specific information about traveling by rail here.
A Note on the Disneyland Monorail
We adore the Disneyland Monorail. We love the way it looks sailing over and around Disneyland, and we think riding it is a quintessential Disneyland experience. Plus, we think it is a charming way to travel between Downtown Disney District and Tomorrowland in Disneyland Park.
With all of that said, we caution you not to completely rely on the Disneyland Monorail for transportation between Disneyland Hotel (or other hotels) and Disneyland Park. The monorail is not infrequently shutdown due to weather conditions, maintenance issues and even fireworks. It is also not the most reliable way to make rope drop at Disneyland Park. If you manage to catch the monorail at the right time, that is great: enjoy the ride! Just make sure you have alternate plans for getting from place to place and are not counting on the monorail for transportation (especially during hot months).
Renting a Car or Driving Your Own to Disneyland Resort
If you do choose to travel by air or train, you will need to consider whether you would like to rent a car or take alternate ground transportation (public transit, taxis, ride shares or shuttles) to Disneyland Resort. If you are renting a vehicle or driving your own car to Disneyland Resort, you will want to budget for parking fees.
Parking at Disneyland Resort
Should you choose to rent a car or drive your own car to Disneyland Resort, keep in mind that almost all Disneyland area hotels charge a nightly parking fee. Disneyland Resort also charges for parking on property for easy access to Downtown Disney District, Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure.
Parking at Disneyland Resort is not included in general admission, and it is rare for an area hotel to include free parking if they are within walking distance of Disneyland. So whether you leave your car at an area hotel or park it at Disneyland Resort, you will probably be paying for parking somewhere.
When we are making budget calculations around transportation and hotels, we included parking fees in the numbers. You can find current Disneyland Resort parking fees here and your hotel should be able to provide you with information about their nightly parking fees.
You can find addresses for all of the Disneyland Resort parking areas in our article: Where is Disneyland Located?
Getting a Ride to Disneyland Resort
To avoid parking fees, you may be able to walk to Disneyland Resort from your accommodations or arrange for a ride. All of this is helpful to keep in mind as you are considering the cost of ground transportation (public transit, taxis, ride shares or shuttles) versus renting a car and paying for parking.
Just be careful when choosing your hotel, because “steps from Disneyland” does not always equal a reasonable walk… we are going to cover that in our next step in Step-by-Step Disneyland Prep.
There are two guest drop-off areas accessible for free to taxis, ride shares and private vehicles. If your are being dropped-off or picked-up by car, the locations for guest pick-up and drop-off are (1) east of Disneyland Resort on the southbound side of Harbor Boulevard, between South Manchester Avenue and Disney Way or (2) on the west side of Disneyland Resort located south of Disneyland Drive on Downtown Drive (follow the signs). Each Disneyland Resort Hotel also has a guest drop-off spot.
Planning for Arrival and Departure Days
If you are traveling by airplane or driving from a great distance, we recommend that you do not visit the Disney parks on your arrival or departure days. Southern California traffic and air travel are both unpredictable, and you do not want to miss out on paid admission time because something did not go quite right. Additionally, we think opening time and closing time are great times to be at Disneyland, so we would not want you to miss out!
Instead we have some suggestions for how to spend time outside the Disneyland Resort parks in our article Maximize Value: Take a Rest Day at Disneyland and Terrific Ways to Have Fun at Disneyland Without a Ticket.
Thank you for reading our tips on getting to Disneyland Resort.
We will be continuing our Step-by-Step Disneyland Prep with choosing and booking a hotel. You can find that step right here: Staying Near Disneyland: Book the Best Hotel for You. Again, if you missed our two previous steps you can find them here (1) Your Best Time to Visit Disneyland: A Complete Guide and (2) Your Guide to Disneyland Resort Tickets and Park Reservations. Finally, please consider subscribing to our free newsletter below. Thanks again for reading!