My Quick Guide to Disneyland, LosAngeles

Brief Intro:

The Disneyland Resort is located in Anaheim, California. It is home to the original Disneyland Park, which opened on July 17, 1955, a favorite among visitors to Southern California from all over the world for well over half a century. It was joined in 2001 by a sister park, Disney California Adventure, which is a stylized recreation and celebration of California's rich history and culture.

The Disneyland Resort is divided into two separate theme parks, three hotels, and a shopping and entertainment district. The first park is the original Disney theme park Disneyland, which opened on July 17, 1955. Its sister park Disney California Adventure, which opened in February 2001, is located across the entry plaza on the former site of Disneyland's parking lot. Both parks are divided into "lands", or themes. At the western end of the entry plaza is Downtown Disney, the shopping and entertainment district. The three hotels are located at the west end of Downtown Disney.

There is one main difference between the Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World, and that is in Anaheim, there are many non-Disney hotels, restaurants and shops just a short distance from the park's main entrance.

Disneyland's rides are generally considered classic well-themed dark rides (e.g. Pirates of the Caribbean) with the occasional thrill ride (e.g. Space Mountain), while California Adventure's rides are more thrill-oriented (e.g. California Screamin') with some some family-style rides (e.g. Soarin' Over California). The Cast Members (employees) in all sections of the park are widely known to be very friendly and helpful. The attention to detail throughout the parks is extraordinary; however, most Cast Members will not know the history behind the details.

The two biggest problems with the Disneyland Resort as a whole are crowds and price. However with careful planning, both can be avoided.

Disneyland is one of the most visited theme parks in the world (with 15.98 million visits in 2010, based on the TEA/ERA figures, second only to the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World), so the parks can be pretty crowded, especially during the weekends, summer, and winter holidays, which leads to long lines for the most popular attractions. However, if you visit in the late winter or early spring, off-season lines can be short, especially during the weekdays. Disney California Adventure has fewer attractions but still has long lines, although not as long as Disneyland's attractions.

Eating outside the parks is quite possible due to the close vicinity of several restaurants to the park and the benefit of hand-stamp and re-entry. Stick to just snacks and maybe one meal in the park, and you can save some cash.

How to get there?

Disneyland

1313 South Harbor Boulevard

Anaheim, CA 92802

Disney California Adventure

1620 South Disneyland Drive

Anaheim, CA 92802

 By plane

Disneyland is within driving distance of a number of Southern California airports. Regardless of which airport you land at, it is always a good idea to consider available alternative forms of transportation before deciding to rent a car. Airport shuttles and public transit are an ideal option, especially if you are unfamiliar with the area. While LAX is the obvious choice and the most popular, there are a few other options which are calmer and sometimes even make for an easier arrival.

John Wayne Orange County Airport (IATA: SNA) is one of the two closest airports to Anaheim. The Disneyland Resort Express, operated by Gray Line, provides direct bus service to the Disneyland Resort from here.

Long Beach Airport (IATA: LGB) is the same distance as John Wayne, about 14 miles from the Resort, and is the smallest (i.e. easiest to deal with) in the Los Angeles area. Depending on where you are flying from it's one of the easiest ways to get to Disneyland. Although there is no direct bus service from the airport to the resort, depending on the number of people in your party it may be less expensive to rent a car in any case. Interestingly, if you take the main exit from the airport, which is East Wardlow Road, eventually it becomes Ball Road, which runs directly across the north edge of Disneyland itself. JetBlue  serves 13 nonstop destinations from Long Beach: Boston, New York, Washington D.C., Fort Lauderdale, Chicago, Austin, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Sacramento, San Francisco, Oakland, Portland, and Seattle.

Los Angeles International Airport (IATA: LAX) is the largest airport in the area. The Disneyland Resort Express is also available here as well. Most visitors, especially those from overseas, arriving for a visit to Disneyland or to the greater Los Angeles area tend to arrive here.

LA/Ontario International Airport (IATA: ONT) in San Bernardino County is within close distance of Disneyland; take I-10 (San Bernardino Freeway) west and exit into California State Route 57 (Orange Freeway) south which leads directly into Anaheim. Take either the Ball Road or Katella Avenue exit (3 and 2 respectively) and travel west. Alternatively, you can also take the Metrolink San Bernardino Line from Rancho Cucamonga or Upland to Los Angeles Union Station, where you can transfer to either the Orange County Line or the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner.

Bob Hope Airport (IATA: BUR) in Burbank is the only Los Angeles-area airport that is directly served by Amtrak and Metrolink. Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner directly connects the airport to Anaheim. Metrolink's Ventura County Line links the airport with Los Angeles Union Station, with many daily departures (though limited on weekends). Transfers to the Orange County Line or the Pacific Surfliner can be made at Union Station.

 By car

As with much of California, by car is probably the easiest way to get to the Disneyland Resort from the surrounding area (or even San Diego, Las Vegas, and San Francisco). The Disneyland Resort offers ample parking both for day visitors to the park as well as hotel guests. All of the surrounding hotels offer parking, but some clearly do not have sufficient parking for the number of overnight guests.

Driving to the Disneyland Resort also means braving the Southern California traffic, which at times can be overwhelming. The Disneyland website offers driving directions, as do most online map sites. Traveling from the Long Beach Airport to the Disneyland Resort can be done using surface streets instead of freeways, which can be very crowded during commute hours.

The Disneyland Resort is bounded by Katella Avenue to the south, Ball Road to the north, Walnut Street to the west, Harbor Boulevard to the east, and the Santa Ana Freeway (I-5) on the northeast corner. The Anaheim Convention Center is located south of the resort across Katella Avenue.

Parking at the theme parks is $15 for Car/Motorcycle, $20 for RV/Oversized Vehicle, and $25 for Bus/Tractor Trailer. Parking at Downtown Disney is free for the first three hours and $6 for each additional hour afterwards, charged in increments of $2 every 20 minutes. Valet parking is available at Downtown Disney for $6 extra from 5:00 p.m. - 2:00 a.m.

If you are arriving in Anaheim by train, a taxi is a reasonable option to get to the resort from the station. A one-way taxi ride from either the Anaheim or Fullerton Train Station is around $15 plus tip to the Anaheim Resort area.

 By foot

One of the great advantages at the Disneyland Resort is that Disneyland Park, Disney California Adventure Park, Downtown Disney, and many "off property" hotels are all within walking distance. Unlike Walt Disney World in Florida, guests can walk between Disneyland Park, Disney California Adventure Park, and Downtown Disney in just a minute or two. There are approximately 12 "off property" hotels that are within a 10 minute walk. Some experienced visitors to the Disneyland Resort stay at the walking-distance hotels and find it more convenient to not have a car. It only takes five to 10 minutes to walk to the Disneyland entrance from a walking-distance hotel, and taking breaks in the middle of the day is much more convenient.

By transit

 Local trains and buses are the cheapest ways to get to the park. Amtrak and Metrolink's Anaheim station is located on the north edge of the parking lot of Angel Stadium, about two miles east of Disneyland on Katella Avenue. Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner [11] (Paso Robles to San Diego, via San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Los Angeles) and Metrolink's Orange County Line  (LA to Oceanside) service the station.

From 6:30AM-8:45AM, a free Orange County Transit Authority bus (Route 430) will take you directly into Disneyland from the station. That same bus will take you back to the station for free from 3:30PM-6PM. There is no service on weekends. Other than these times Route 50, which runs from Cal State University Long Beach to The Village at Orange, services the station by using Katella Avenue about every 30 min (though you will have to walk about 10 min down Harbor Blvd if you pick this bus). Other OCTA routes servicing the park but not the station are Route 43 (Harbor Blvd.), which runs from La Habra to Downtown Newport Beach about every 20 min; Route 46 (Ball Rd.), which runs between Los Alamitos and The Village at Orange; and Route 83 (Santa Ana Freeway), which goes from the Laguna Hills Mall to the Disneyland Resort, by way of Santa Ana. The last four routes cost $1.50 per boarding.

Los Angeles County MTA Route 460 links Disneyland with Fullerton, Buena Park (with a stop at Knott's Berry Farm), Norwalk, and downtown LA.

If you are staying at the Knott's Berry Farm Resort Hotel in nearby Buena Park, you can take advantage of the free Disneyland shuttle.

The City of Anaheim runs a tourist bus service.

What about Tickets?

Visiting Disneyland is expensive. Tickets are sold at several levels: the base ticket is the Single-Day Theme Park Ticket and enables admission to only one of the two parks for a full day. By contrast, the 1-Day Park Hopper allows you to see both parks on the same day and to move back and forth between the parks. Park Hopper tickets are also sold in increments of 2, 3, 4, and 5 days; while the ticket price increases with each day, the price per day actually decreases with each day. Multi-day Park Hopper tickets do not have to be used on consecutive days, but they expire 14 days after the first day they are used. The value of the Park Hopper ticket options should not be underestimated.

Note that only the 1 and 2 day ticket options, the annual passes, and the Southern California CityPASS are sold at the Disneyland Resort Main Ticket Windows. To buy the longer tickets (3-5 days), you need to buy them in advance, such as Disneyland.com/tickets, a travel agent, or selected tickets can be bought at a local hotel or a Disney Desk.

Main Street, USA

Main Street Railroad Depot

What are the fun things to enjoy there?

Disneyland Railroad — A train ride that takes you around Disneyland and stops at four stations, great for sightseeing

Main Street Cinema — A theater-like attraction that shows the first six Mickey Mouse cartoons

Main Street Vehicles

 Fire Engine

        Horse-Drawn Streetcars

        Horseless Carriage

        Omnibus

    Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln

 New Orleans Square

    Disneyland Railroad — The Disneyland Railroad has a station in New Orleans Square

    Haunted Mansion — A scary dark ride that is based on a horror story in 18th-century New Orleans

    Pirates of the Caribbean — An indoor boat ride through caverns and a burning village

    Fantasmic! — A nighttime show with wonderful special effects. Does not run every night during the off-season

    Rafts to Pirate's Island — Tom Sawyer's Island re-imagined with a pirate theme

 Fantasyland

-Alice in Wonderland — A dark ride that goes through the film's storyline

-Casey Jr. Circus Train — A train ride that goes around the exterior of Storybook Land Canal Boats

-Dumbo the Flying Elephant — A spin ride on which one rides on "Dumbos"

-Disney Princess Fantasy Faire — Where visitors can meet three of the Disney princesses

- "It's A Small World" — An indoor boat ride that introduces visitors to singing children from all over the globe. One of Disneyland's most beloved attractions. During the holiday season, this attraction is decorated all in holiday glory

-King Arthur Carrousel — A classic carousel ride

-Mad Tea Party — A spin ride on which one spins on models of tea cups

-Matterhorn Bobsleds — A bobsled inspired roller coaster that is based on the Matterhorn in -Switzerland - note that for this ride there are two different tracks so ride both!

-Mr. Toad's Wild Ride — A dark ride that goes through the scenes of the movie The Wind in the Willows

-Peter Pan's Flight — A dark ride based on the movie

-Pinocchio's Daring Journey — A dark ride based on the story

 -Snow White's Scary Adventures — A dark ride that is based on the story

-Snow White's Grotto — A small spot next to Sleeping Beauty's castle that showcases a set of statues of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves that were a gift to Walt alongside a small wishing well

-Storybook Land Canal Boats — A boat ride that goes through miniature scenes of famous Disney stories

Mickey's Toontown

-Chip 'n Dale Treehouse — A walk-through for kids based on the living quarters of Chip 'n Dale

-Disneyland Railroad — The Disneyland Railroad has a station in Mickey's Toontown

-Donald's Boat — A walk-through that is based on Donald Duck's home

-Gadget's Go Coaster — A roller coaster; expectant mothers should not ride

-Goofy's Fun House — A fun-house attraction that is based on Goofy's home, in the place of the former -Goofy's Bounce House

-Mickey's House and Meet Mickey — A walk-through based on Mickey Mouse's house and where one can meet Mickey Mouse himself

-Minnie's House — A walk-through based on Minnie Mouse's house, Minnie appears out front quite often

-Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin — A dark spin ride based on the movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

 Adventureland

- Enchanted Tiki Room — An Audio-Animatronics show that features singing birds, flowers, and various tiki figures; in the lanai out front you will also see tiki gods and goddesses Indiana Jones -Adventure — A dark thrill ride based on the Indiana Jones series

-Jungle Cruise — A boat ride that goes through sights of isolated jungles of Asia, Africa, and South America

-Tarzan's Treehouse — A walk-through that is based on the tree house in Tarzan

Frontierland

-Big Thunder Mountain Railroad — A mine train-themed roller coaster

-Tom Sawyer Island — A large play area that is based on the Tom Sawyer stories

-Frontierland Shootin' Exposition — A shooting gallery arcade

-Mark Twain Riverboat — A full-sized riverboat sailing around the "Rivers of America"

-Rafts to Tom Sawyer Island — Rafts to access Tom Sawyer Island

-Sailing Ship Columbia — A pirate ship themed boat sailing around the "Rivers of America"

-Big Thunder Ranch — A petting zoo

-The Golden Horseshoe Stage — A performance venue

 Critter Country

-Splash Mountain — A log flume water ride

-Davy Crockett's Explorer Canoes — A canoe ride in which visitors paddle around the "Rivers of America"

-The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh — A dark ride that is based on the stories of Winnie the Pooh

Tomorrowland

Astro Orbitor — A rocket flight where guests fly around a central futuristic-looking tower

Autopia — A driving course. While many might think this to be a children's ride, there is a height requirement, as crashing may occur

Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters — A dark ride that is a game similar to laser tag, only riders need to shoot the Z's along the way

Disneyland Monorail — The first monorail built in the West connects Disneyland to Downtown Disney

Disneyland Railroad — The Disneyland Railroad has a station in Tomorrowland

Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage — you can see Nemo and his friends from the Pixar film Finding Nemo

Captain EO — A 3D show starring Michael Jackson

Space Mountain — A dark rollercoaster

Starcade — An arcade, the fee to play the games is 5 tokens for $1

Star Tours: The Adventures Continue — Recently revamped to take place between Episodes III and IV, this is a turbulent motion-simulator attraction in 3D which includes flights to iconic Star Wars locations, encounters with characters, and a story which ties into the timeline between the aforementioned episodes

 Shows and Parades

 Fantasmic! is an evening live action show that takes place on the Rivers of America. It is a wonderful show with many of the Disney characters, animation on a screen made of jets of water, and fireworks. Most days, there are street events along the parade route between Main Street, U.S.A. and "it's a small world." Mickey's Soundsational Parade brings music to the streets with one or two performances daily. During the holiday season, "A Christmas Fantasy" Parade brings the joy of the season to the streets of Disneyland. Both parades are a must see and will be enjoyed by all age groups. Also most nights, Disneyland puts on its famous fireworks show. There are many other shows at Disneyland as well.

 Disney California Adventure

Disney California Adventure is Disneyland's sister theme park which opened in February 2001. The park has nearly doubled its attendance numbers since opening and is now ranked in the top ten most visited U.S. theme parks. It was originally called "Disney's California Adventure", but it was renamed in June 2010.

Disney California Adventure is divided into 5 themed lands: Buena Vista Street (modeled after 1920's Los Angeles), Golden State (which is divided into 5 districts: Condor Flats, modeled after the aviation days of 20th Century Mojave Desert; Grizzly Peak Recreation Area representing the Northeastern California wilderness; The Bay Area looks like 20th-century San Francisco; Golden Vine Winery, reminiscent of California's Wine Country; and Pacific Wharf, modeled after California's 20th-century wharfs, Paradise Pier, modeled after California's 20th Century boardwalks, Hollywood Pictures Backlot, modeled after Hollywood's studio backlots and "a bug's land", modeled after the movie "A Bug's Life" and the only non-Californian themed land in the park.

Buena Vista Street

The Red Car Trolley

 - Golden State

- Condor Flats

Soarin' Over California — A simulator film that shows famous California landmarks as if one was hang-gliding over California

Grizzly Peak Recreation Area

Grizzly River Run — Roar down this white-water raft adventure; visitors may get very wet on this attraction

Redwood Creek Challenge Trail — A large play area based on the Mount Shasta wilderness and the film Up

Golden Vine Winery

 Where one can enjoy the different tastes of wine from around the world. Can not be younger than 21 years of age to drink.

Walt Disney Imagineering's Blue Sky Cellar

Pacific Wharf

The Bakery Tour — A presentation of how sourdough bread is made

 Paradise Pier

Mickey's Fun Wheel with California Screamin' behind

California Screamin' — A high speed roller coaster that launches from 0–60 MPH in just 4.5 seconds!

Mickey's Fun Wheel — A Ferris wheel with swinging and stationary gondolas

Games of the Boardwalk — An arcade modeled after Boardwalk games

Golden Zephyr — A spin ride with rocket ship models as the spinners

Goofy's Sky School

King Triton's Carousel — A sea-themed carousel

Jumpin' Jellyfish — A mini-drop ride

Silly Symphony Swings

Toy Story Midway Mania! — Step right up and compete in an interactive Toy Story adventure like no other! You'll grab some 3-D glasses before boarding your ride vehicle and zipping off into a world of immersive, midway-style games

The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure — A dark ride based on the movie The Little 

World of Color — A water fountain show that is nothing you have seen before, on a scale larger than a football field, shown nightly

 Hollywood Pictures Backlot

Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! — A dark ride based on the movie, Monsters, Inc.

    The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror — A drop ride that drops 13 stories down, based on a 1950's TV series

    Disney's Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular — A musical based on Aladdin

    Muppet*Vision 3D — A 3D show featuring the Muppets

    Disney Animation

        Turtle Talk with Crush — A show in which visitors can interact with Crush from Finding Nemo

        Animation Academy — A presentation on how to draw Disney characters

        Character Close-Up — A presentation where visitors can meet most of the famous Disney characters

        Sorcerer's Workshop — A presentation where visitors can create their own animation

    The Hollywood Backlot Stage — performance venue

    Red Car Trolley

 "a bug's land"

    It's Tough to be a Bug — A 3D show about how insects protect themselves

    Flik's Fun Fair

        Flik's Flyers — A wave swing modeled after giant food boxes

        Francis' Ladybug Boogie — A spin ride modeled with ladybugs as spinners

        Heimlich's Chew Chew Train — A train that shows how Heimlich from the film, a bug's life finds food

        Princess Dot Puddle Park — A water play area

        Tuck and Roll's Drive 'Em Buggies — bumper cars

 Cars Land

Based on Disney/Pixar's Cars and Cars 2. This land simulates the entire town of Radiator Springs and is the most expensive project that the Walt Disney Co. has ever attempted.

    Radiator Spings Racers — based on the same technology used on Epcot's Test Track

    Mater's Junkyard Jamboree

    Luigi's Flying Tires

 Shows and Parades

Disney California Adventure has shows and a parade for visitors. The park is home of the Pixar Play Parade, where floats are based on the Disney/Pixar movies, The Incredibles, Toy Story, Ratatouille, A Bug's Life, Finding Nemo, and Monsters, Inc. as well as water and bubble effects. The parade is only offered on selected days.

In 2010, Disney unveiled a new water show called World of Color in the Paradise Pier area of the park. It is highly recommended that you get a FastPass at the Grizzly River Run area to assure access to a main viewing area.

 Downtown Disney

AMC Downtown Disney 12 — Catch a box-office chart-topper at this stadium seating, digital projection, and surround sound cineplex

ESPN Zone — Watch your favorite sports event or play one of many interactive games

House of Blues — As the name implies, a blues club

Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen — Experience the best of Bourbon Street outside New Orleans

Disney is never completed

Walt Disney himself once said, "Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world." True to Walt's vision, the Disneyland of today is very different from the way it was half a century ago. Come back often and enjoy more of its new development.