If you guys couldn’t already tell, I am a huge Disneyland NUT! I don’t know what it is. But I just love that place and try to go any time that we can!
Since our family has gone a bunch of times, I thought I would give you all some tips if you are headed there sometime soon. Or, if not, you can reference this post in the future when you are ready to take your family vacation!
***If you haven’t seen the How to Save at Disneyland Posts, there are actually 3 of those and videos that accompany them that you are welcome to watch.
- How to Save at Disneyland Video #1
- How to Save at Disneyland Video #2
- How to Save at Disneyland Video #3
They are a couple years old. But the tips should all still work just fine!
Where to Stay at Disneyland:
Each time we have gone to Disneyland we have tried out a new hotel. I’ve always wanted to find out which one was the best deal, had the best extras and was worth the money spent. So for this post, we are going to go over The Grand Californian and The Disneyland Hotel. That way, you can decide whether paying a little more is worth the amenities and extras you get!
The Grand Californian Tips:
- You definitely do not pay for your room- you pay for the extras at this hotel. Their Standard room comes with a Mini-Fridge, Flat Screen TV and your choice of beds. And in my opinion there is nothing really that special about the room alone.
- An awesome benefit of this hotel is being the closest to the actual Disneyland Park and actually connects to California Adventures through a separate entrance. People staying at both The Disneyland Hotel and The Grand Californian can enter that special entrance. You just need to have your park ticket and your valid room key. This entrance enters next to the Grizzly River Run and can make a HUGE difference if you are trying to get to certain attractions in the park when it first opens. Also, if you have small kids, or babies that need to take naps halfway through the day, being close is an excellent option! You can head back to the park multiple times during the day, or your group can split up and do different things being so close.
- Disney also does Hour Early Entry Promotions. The one they just had enabled ONLY Disneyland Hotel and Grand Californian Hotel Residents to get in either park an entire hour early. That meant that the Cars Land was open to all of those people an entire hour by themselves.
- Anyone who stays at The Grand Californian Hotel has access to a special World of Color Viewing Area for Free! It is located on the 6th floor of the hotel and is a Covered Patio with full sound and views of the World of Color. The view of the actual water video is somewhat blocked by the Zephyr Ride. But, you can see all of the colors of water without a problem. This is a great option for those who have little kids and need to head back to the Hotel earlier in the night.
- The Grand Californian has a couple pools- nothing that special to be honest. They do have a slide. However, they won’t let parents put kids on their laps to go down it. So, either your kids have to be ok to swim on their own. Or, you have to be ok putting them in one of the Hotel’s Free Lifejackets and have them go down all by themselves. You can’t even be in the water to catch them. So, that was a downer for my little 3 year old.
Cars Land’s Racers Ride is known to get up to a 4 hour wait!! And, I can tell you it is a pretty fun ride! Here are a few tips to get on it a bunch faster than that:
- If you are staying at a Disney Hotel during a Promotional Early Entry period, make sure you are there early in line to get into the park. Once you enter California Adventures, you will make your way quickly to Cars Land. Once there, Mater and Lightning McQueen will guide you slowly down the road until you hit the Cars Racers Ride. Disney Employees hold a rope back as you walk behind it. (YOU WILL WANT TO BE ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE! ) Get as close as you can to the front of the line- but more importantly- stay to the right! Once you get closer, they will funnel you into the ride line. And those on the right will get in first.
- If you are pretty close to the front of the line, it won’t take long for you to get on the ride at all.
- Want to ride the ride again?? The Fast Passes for the Cars Racer Ride DO NOT open until the park opens to everyone. So, since you have an hour to get on the ride (if the early entry promotional period is going on), head right over to the fast pass line located at the Bug’s Life 3-D Cinema.
- Fast passes for the Cars Racers Ride go FAST!! The fast passes for the entire day were gone in an hour! So, if you don’t get in line very first thing, you won’t get them.
- Now, if you didn’t get a Fast Pass, don’t have an Early Entry, or just had a slow start in the morning, you can opt to get in the Single Rider Line. This is one of the best kept secrets of the Cars Racers Ride….and I honestly can’t believe I am telling you because I kinda want to keep this tip for myself. ;) The Cars Ride has 3 seats in front and 3 seats in back in each car. And, most people don’t have a set of 3 people. So, there are A LOT of empty single seats. Just get in the single rider line, and you will be able to almost walk right on the ride. We waited 5 minutes in the Single Rider line- while everyone else was waiting 2 hours to get on the ride. And, more than likely you and whoever is in the Single Rider line will get in the same set of cars- you just won’t be sitting next to each other. (Obviously, this may not work with smaller children- but will work awesomely with older kids! Ride it again and again this way!)
- If your kids are too small to ride the Cars Racers Ride, then head to the Mater Truck Ride first. This is actually quite fun and I liked it! Then, you can head over to Luigi’s Tire Ride. Make sure everyone in your tire leans the same way at the same time and the air will carry you pretty fast!
The Disneyland Hotel:
- This hotel has been recently renovated. The rooms are still on the small side- just like the Grand Californian. But remember, you aren’t paying for your room. You pay for the extras associated with the Disney Hotels.
- Inside the room, there is a huge wooden Castle Etching behind the Beds. When you flip the switch, it sparkles with lights and sings a little song like a Music Box. It’s pretty cool! Other than that, the room is pretty regular.
- I actually think the pools at The Disneyland Hotel are cooler than The Grand Californian Hotel. But that is just my opinion. However, this hotel is located at the end of Downtown Disney and further away than The Grand Californian. But honestly, both are super close and a short walk away from either Disney Park.
- Remember, this hotel is CHEAPER than The Grand Californian. But all Disney Hotels get the same perks- like getting to enter early into the park through the special Grand Californian Entrance.
All Disney Hotels also have FREE Character Wakeup Calls-which your kids will think is pretty cool!
Hopefully that gives you all some helpful info to see if staying at a Disney Hotel is worth the extra cost. If not, don’t worry! There are a lot of hotels that I have stayed at for a lot cheaper that we have had a great time at too. There is always a deal to be had- so watch for those!
I do a lot of price comparisons through different travel sites. And my favorite is Get Away Today. They do a lot of extra promotions with free night stays, free kid’s backpacks, discounted Character Meals and more. I think their current coupon code is Disneyfun and it will get you an extra $10 off any Vackage Package including hotel and tickets (expires Oct 12th, 2012). You can check our their current deals online at Get Away Today. And you should be able to use that code online or over the phone.
If you have any more tips for staying at the Disney Hotels, make sure you comment and let us know!!
**If you want to access this post in the future, you are welcome to Re-Pin it to your Pinterest Account. ENJOY!
Kelly
Here’s my tips: We really prefer to stay across the street. It is actually closer (and MUCH cheaper) than staying at the Disney hotels. We like the Fairfield Marriott best and have also like Camelot, Tropicana, and Carosel just fine. At Disneyland you are paying for location and usually don’t see a lot of extras. The Fairfield does offer free wi-fi and free parking if you book through select agents, which is why it’s our first choice. ALWAYS book through a travel agent! I can’t believe when I see people standing in line to get tickets when buying them before is so easy and will score you a magic morning. If you are flying, Southwest vacations is a great option. They usually offer some sort of ticket special-for example right now they are offering kids at adults prices on Disney tickets with purchase of a package (not sure if Get Away Today sells Southwest???) And yes you MUST go straight to the fast pass line for the new Cars ride. But try to just send one person to do that while other enjoy the park!
Andrea
Hey I tried to watch the videos and they would not work. It said the videos had been removed! Just thought I’d let you know!!
Melea Johnson
THANK YOU!!! It’s fixed now. 🙂
Andrea
🙂
Emily
I just got back from a week long stay at the Disneyland Hotel and really enjoyed it. One cost saving thing we did was ordering groceries from Vons and had them delivered to the hotel. They offer free delivery for your first order. This really saved us money on breakfast, since the hotel does not offer any kind of continental breakfast option. The Hotel offers little activites throughout the day like power walking, towel art, etc. They should give you a list of them when you check in. Also use the monorail, it picks you up in Downtown Disney and takes you right to Tomorrowland so you can hit the Nemo ride and Autotopia early before the lines get too long. My kids loved the pool at the Hotel and often were ready to leave the Parks by noon to go swimming. It really is the location and convenience you end up paying for.
emily
Ordering groceries!? That sounds ideal. Do they only deliver to certain hotels? Did you use a catalog or do it online? I’m going in December with my disabled buddies I work for (bonus..we get fast passes for the whole trip!) But we got a hotel a little further away from the park but closet to a grocery store. I would be happy to switch to the disneyland hotel for those accommodations.
Another question, we aren’t planning on doing a rental car. Are there many options for restaurants close by? Or would you recommend just always eating at the park?
Emily
I ordered the groceries online and used zipcode 92802 then entered the Disneyland Hotel address for the delivery address. Try to order at least a week in advance so you can plan to have the groceries delivered on the day you arrive. You will have to meet the delivery guy out front to sign for the groceries, but the hotel staff will then deliver them to your room. We did eat a few times outside the park, there are alot of restaurants in Downtown Disney, but they can be a bit pricey. I would recommend the Jazz Kitchen and Tortillo Jo’s, be sure to use the Counter Service though it is less expensive then the sit down restaurant. Here is a link that gives you all the restaurants and menus for the Parks and Downtown Disney: https://allears.net/dlr/din/dtd_rest.htm. When we did eat in the park my husband and I would often share a meal, or order off of the kids menu (which you can do at the counter service restaurants). We liked the Plaza Inn and Bengal Barbecue at Disneyland, and the Cocina Cucamonga and Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta in California adventure. We walked to Mimi’s Cafe (sign up for their emails and they will send you coupons) which is just out the front gates and to the left of the Parks, next to Mimi’s there is a Millies restuarant and then there is a Coco’s cafe just a short 10 minute walk from the Hotel. There is also the Garden Walk close by, which you can take the bus to which offers lots of dining options. One other hint is that it might be worth buying a Happenings book for Orange County (we bought ours for $5), we were able to get free pretzels and pretzel dogs from Wetzel Pretzels in Downtown Disney and there were also coupons for Rainforest Cafe. Hope that helps, enjoy your trip!
Jesi
Are these tips good for disney world as well or is that another thing all on its own?
Amanda
Well, those hotels aren’t at Disney World. And the Cars Land’s Racers Ride is actually Test Track at EPCOT (in Disney World) and has been around since 1998 so the lines are not as long as at Disneyland (since it is new there). But it’s still an extremely popular ride and there is also a single line there, and Fast Passes are available as well.
Courtney
I am headed there with my husband on Monday! This post couldn’t have come at a better time! Thank you so much! 🙂
Hope
We have stayed at the Desert Palms Inn and Suites 2 times and it was great. They are on Harbor and Katella right on the corner. So its about a 10-15 min walk, but you dont have to cross any streets. They have free parking, which by the way is underneath the hotel, so I feel comfortable leaving some stuff in my car. Free hot breakfast, eggs, make your own waffles, hashbrowns, etc. It was all fine, but by day 5 we were done eating it! If your lucky you can get a room that faces the park, so you can just go back to your room to see the fireworks! Our room looked over Tower of Terror. All their rooms have fridge and microwave, and the bathroom is all in 1 (which I love so my little ones can continue to sleep while we get ready). There is also a bar at the hotel entrance, and they offer a large pizza, salad and 2 drinks for $20 and they bring it to your room, which is a pretty cheap dinner at Disney! There is a 7-11 right next door too that we stopped in at a lot on the way home for a snack or fountain drink. If you have the Dinsney Visa you can get 10% off the Thunder Mtn BBQ, which is our fave even though it is pricy, but 10% helps! We go straight to Tinkerbell when the park opens so we dont have to wait 45 min to see her, and then head to fantasyland to get the “long line” rides done with first! But I have to give my BEST advice! After asking castmembers when the best time to come is, I have discovered the 1st week in May (we go the 1st Sun) is the best!! Great weather, not busy!! Walked right on almost every ride! 🙂 <3 Disneyland!!
Denae
The last time we went to Disneyland we went with one other family and my in-laws. We decided to go on vrbo.com (vacation rentals by owner) and found a house about 3/4 of a mile away from Disneyland. It was behind Disney so you walked through Downtown Disney to get into the park. I felt like it was a pretty good deal since we had three families staying and it was $1,200 for a whole week (plus a $100 cleaning fee). We were able to cook our own food, which helped a lot. I don’t know if $400 a family is a good price for Disneyland, but it was also fun to be together. We mostly ate big breakfasts and dinners, and took a few snacks in for lunch.
Amber Hellewell
Here is post I wrote on doing Disney on a Budget:
https://sheislookingformagic.blogspot.com/2011/11/disney-on-budget.html
We love Disneyland, but are living on a limited budget. If we can do it- anyone can! We did 8 days on $2200! That included hotel, flight, shuttle, 3- 6 day park hoppers, food and souvenirs for 2 adults and 2 kids!
Kimmy
Is there a reason you didn’t mention the Paradise Pier Hotel? We stayed there last time and LOVED IT. It is the cheapest of the 3 Disney hotels and has all the same perks. You can use the Grand’s enterance to CA and also get World of Color passes 1 hour early. There are some rooms that have a great view of CA park and World of Color. You also get Magic Morning hours. Also it is just as close to Disneyland as the Disneyland Hotel if you cut through the Grand. Plus the beachy theme of the hotel makes you really feel like you are on a California trip and not just Disney.
Shyann
Has anyone gone in January? We are looking at going the end of January but worried about the weather….Let me know 🙂
Georgia
Why don’t you have a Disneyland category???
Angelica
Hello, I watched one of your videos and you talked about getting $10 Disney Gift Cards with Disney Movie Rewards. I’m registered for the rewards but are they not offering the Disney gift cards because I don’t see them on their list of items. I see the $10 Starbucks or are they not offered anymore.