Matrixleos
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 3, 2021
I started reading these forums mid-April once Disney announced that they were going to re-open the parks and joined in May.
My family first visited Disneyland a decade ago but that was a last minute rushed day trip from Los Angeles and we only spent 8 hours in the park. We're WDW veterans and I always wanted to have a "re-do" and consider our upcoming late July visit as our first. Since I wanted to be more prepared this time around and didn't know anything about the Disneyland Resorts. I've read every single posts here from mid-April about DLR to prepare for my family's late July visit. Also have watched countless hours of YouTube videos to understand as much as I could about the current state of the parks and how they operate.
I wanted to put together a "Planning and Information" guide on everything I've learned so far to help others who might be in a similar situation. Hope this post helps with your planning....
Table of Content
* Hotels On-Site
* Hotels Off-Site\Good Neighbor Hotels and walking distance to the parks
* Parking Lot Info and Location
* Updates on the DLR Trams and Monorails
* Theme Park Capacity Limits
* Is there FastPass/MaxPass/Single Rider at DLR
* Park Tickets and are Park Hoppers worth it
* Downloading Disneyland App is a MUST DO item before attending the parks
* How to get Virtual Que Boarding Groups for Rise of the Resistance and Web Slingers
* Backpacks - What to bring with you
* Filtered Water Bottle Refill Station Locations
Hotels On-Site
There are tons of great history and tradition at the on-site Disneyland properties. Everyone has their favorites and preferences based on the experiences and budgets they have for their trip.
Grand Californian - Can't be any closer to the parks, as they're connected right next to and have direct access to DCA. Great pool area, stunning craftsman style deco and some of the best restaurants on property. Even if you don't stay at the Grand, try to secure a reservation at one of their restaurants during your stay, with Napa Rose, Storytellers Café and GCH Craftsman Bar and Grill.
Disneyland Hotel - Amazing history, as Disney didn't own this property till 1988. Walt put all his money into building Disneyland and didn't have the finances to also build the hotel, so he leaned on a close friend Jack Wrather. Then when the park did well and Walt finally had finances to purchase the hotel but his friend held out for decades. The details on how Disney finally acquired the hotel (basically held the monorail transportation lease as leverage) is fascinating. Sorry for the rant, I'm a history buff.
***FYI, there will be construction noise, as Disneyland Hotel builds a brand new DVC tower. Keep this in mind when making reservations.
Paradise Pier Hotel - Very fun theming, although it's at the tail end of Downtown Disney and you will have to walk the full length of DtD to get to the Esplanade. So keep that in mind when staying here.
Although thanks to @SherylLC there might be a shortcut available listed below....
Hotels Off-Site\Good Neighbor Hotels and walking distance to the parks
Some opinions are that it's not as critical to stay at an on-site Disney owned hotel at Disneyland Resorts as it is at Walt Disney World. As stated above, Everyone has their favorites and preferences based on the experiences and budgets they have for their trip. The Good Neighbor hotels around the park offer a wide variety of options. Some offer lower prices, better experiences, better rooms, better pool areas or water park features. It really matters what you prefer and what suits your needs during your stay. Personally, after logging 15-20k+ in steps in the parks, I'm looking at hotel distances closest to the parks.
Some of the Harbor side hotels are even closer distance wise to walk to and from the Disneyland/DCA Esplanade, compared to the on-site Disney hotels, as they're just across the street from the Harbor side entrance. Yes, yes, I know you can't get closer than the Grand and their direct DCA entrance. Although the Grand is a MASSIVE hotel and if you're assigned a room at the far end of the hotel, that might be a longer walk than some of the Harbor side hotels.
All that said, here's an updated listing of the Good Neighbor hotels listed by distance in Miles and Walk Time from Disneyland. I also have capped the hotels listed from a 20 minute walk and 1.0 miles out...
Parking Lot Info and Location
DLR has several on-site parking structures, that I'll cover below. Along with their addresses, to make it easier to type them into your GPS. Currently DLR charges $25 to park for one full day.
Mickey and Friends Parking and Pixar Pals Parking Structures - 1313 Disneyland Dr, Anaheim, CA 92802
Both these parking structures are side by side next to each other. If the Tram route to Downtown Disney is very crowded, there is an alternative route that "MIGHT" have shorter wait times. It's recommended, instead of doing the Tram route, to get to the 2nd level of the structures (Daisy is 2nd level at Mickey and Friends and Coco is 2nd level at Pixar) and walk across to the bridge that takes you to Downtown Disney. The bridge is a short walk and should put you near Star Wars Trading Post and ESPN Zone. You then have to use the Security Clearance entrance to enter Downtown Disney. Just another option for people to use in case the Tram route is crowded in the mornings.
Want to avoid the Tram route walk? Toy Story Parking Area would be perfect for you.
Toy Story Parking Area - 300 W Katella Ave, Anaheim, CA 92802
This location is near Harbor and Convention way. Unlike both the Mickey and Friends/Pixar Pals Parking Structures, the Toy Story lot is all outdoors. Good thing about this lot, is they have added a Security Check area near the free buses. There are also restrooms in this area. With Security check completed, when the bus takes you to the Harbor drop off, you walk straight to the Disneyland Esplanade and bypass the Harbor side security entrance. Plus from all accounts, the Toy Story lot is easier to leave at the end of the day and doesn't see the same bottle neck issues that the Structures sees when everyone is leaving at the same time. Keep in mind, the last shuttle from Harbor side to Toy Story is 1 hour after the last theme park closes. So if you miss that, you'll have to walk down Harbor street (15-20 minute walk).
*** Key tip, if you're staying near the Katella Ave and Convention Way hotels, bypass the Harbor side walk from your hotel and take the free shuttle service from the Toy Story Parking Area buses that have air conditioning!
Simba Parking Lot - Disneyland Drive, Anaheim, CA 92802 (between W Katella Ave and Paradise Pier Hotel)
This is the Downtown Disney parking lot. $10 for the first hour and then there are validations that apply if you make purchases of $20 or more or if you eat at one of the restaurants. DO NOT use this for theme park parking, as after any validations, you get charged $7 each 30 minute increments with a max charge of $66 for the day.
GardenWalk Parking Structure - 321 W Katella Ave, Anaheim, CA 92802
They have increased their prices, used to be $18 and currently it's $25. Upon entry, text your parking ticket # and text them AA (Anaheim Attractions pricing) to 949-532-8293. Do not wait as you're leaving the park, as at times this process will take about an hour or so and if you leave before they validate it, you will be charged the maximum daily parking charge of $30. Good thing about this parking lot it's very close to the Harbor side entrance and it's open 24 hours.
There are various hotels on Harbor that also offer Theme Park Parking, although most of these hotel parking spots fill up very quickly early in the mornings.
Updates on the DLR Trams and Monorails
Updates on Disneyland Resort Trams are that these will take a long time to return. The current lifespan of the Trams are roughly 20 years and the DLR Trams are all 23+ years old. After the Covid-19 shutdown, there are major repairs needed just to get the old Trams operational or Disney might opt to purchase new Trams. Either way, with repairs or replacements ordered, it will take several months for these to return.
Updates on Disneyland Monorails are that they will return later on this year. There have been renovations and paint being done to the system. Rumors are also that once repairs to the Monorail trains are complete, they will be operational during late fall.
Theme Park Capacity Limits
I've been monitoring the Reservation Calendar almost daily since May. Along with best case guesses, rumors and assumptions. Take everything posted in this section with a grain of salt.
April/May - Back when DLR re-opened, it was rumored that park capacity was at 15-20%
Mid May - More reservation dates opened, it was rumored that park capacity was increased to 25%
Early June - More reservation dates opened, it was rumored that park capacity was increased to 30%
June 15 - Out of State Guest are allowed back, more reservation dates opened, it was rumored that park capacity was increased to 35%
Late June - More reservation dates opened, it was rumored that park capacity was increased to 40-50%
As of July 1st, only half of the 32,000 Disneyland Employees have returned to work. Currently DLR has 15,000 cast members and expects to hire another 1,000 this summer.
Disney CEO Bob Chapek recently said he expects low double digit attendance increases over the next several months and reach full capacity by the fall of 2021. Based on his comments, is it reasonable to expect the following increases....
August - expected low double digit capacity increase to 60%
September - expected low double digit capacity increase to 70%
October - expected low double digit capacity increase to 80%
Is there FastPass/MaxPass/Single Rider at DLR
Currently, there are no FastPass/MaxPass being offered. They are expected to return once the parks get closer to full capacity later on this Fall. There are also rumors of a Per Person/Per Ride FastPass that was introduced at Disneyland Paris
Although just recently, more and more rides have opened up Single Rider lines. If you are unsure if the ride you want to go on has a single rider line, ask the Cast Member at the entrance of the ride. If they do and don't have a dedicated single rider line que, they usually will send you to the exit of the ride with a pass to go on as a single rider.
Park Tickets and are Park Hoppers worth it
If you do a single day ticket, there are different tiers that allow you in on certain days and they currently range from $104 (off peak times Monday-Wednesday) to $154 (prime weekend days Friday to Sunday). Multi day tickets are worth it, especially in reserving the days you want to visit at a lower prices. As an example, is you get a 2 day ticket and decide to go on a Saturday and Sunday, the price is $117.50 per day. Compared to a single day ticket for Sat/Sun at $154 per day.
Below are the current price breakdown, as of July 1st, for multiday tickets for 10+ years and older from the Disneyland website...
2 day/1 park - $235 ($117.50 per day)
3 day/1 park - $310 ($103.33 per day)
4 day/1 park - $340 ($85.00 per day)
5 day/1 park - $360 ($72.00 per day)
Also please keep in mind some of these "Discount Ticket" offers.....looking right at you T-Mobile! Their initial offers might seem lower on ticket prices than what Disneyland's website is offering. Although when you go to checkout, there are all these additional fees and taxes added in. Since there are no admission tax at any of the theme parks in Southern California, you might actually be better off just getting the tickets directly from Disney. Plus you also secure your park reservations on the dates you want to attend all at once, if you go through Disney.
Park Hoppers are they worth it? It fully depends on your personal styles of touring the parks and how you want to customize your park experience. Cost is just a one time $55 fee, whether you get a 1 day or 5 day ticket, it's just a one time $55 fee. If you like to tour a park "Commando Style" from rope drop to park closure, is it work getting a park hopper for 1-2 days? Maybe not.
Although do keep in mind if you're a WDW veteran, that the Park Hopping experience is much superior here at Disneyland. At WDW, park hopping can take up to an hour depending on bus/boat/monorail services and timing the departure and arrival between parks. While at DLR, both Disneyland and DCA are directly across from each other on opposite ends of the Esplanade, which make Hopping from park to park just a few minute walk. Plus Disneyland is a lot more compact and filled with rides than WDW's Magic Kingdom, so walking the full length of Disneyland is much easier than the Magic Kingdom, so that factors into your park hopping experience.
Not to mention with Park Hoppers, you will get two chances to get Virtual Que Boarding Groups for Rise of the Resistance and Web Slingers (If your Boarding Group gets called before noon). If you have 1 Park Tickets, then you can only try for a Boarding Group for one of the rides per day.
Downloading Disneyland App is a MUST DO item before attending the parks
Whether you have iPhone or Android type phones, downloading the Disneyland App is crucial before attending the park. The app allows you so many functions from linking your park tickets/reservations, scheduling reservations for Table Service Restaurants, putting in Mobile Food Orders, Check Dining Availability, attempt to get Boarding Passes for Rise of the Resistance and Web Slingers. Feature I use most is the Virtual Park map that shows the latest wait times for rides/attractions, locations for dining, restrooms, guest services and shops.
How to get Virtual Que Boarding Groups for Rise of the Resistance and Web Slingers
There are hundreds of posts and a dozen different threads that talk about the Boarding Group Process. I'm going to simplify it as much as I can and will break it down to four sections.....The Process, The Prep Work, How To Do It and Tips.
The Process
7:00am Rise of the Resistance - Who can try to get a Boarding Group
* 1 park per day ticket and valid Disneyland Reservation as the starting park
* Park Hopper ticket and valid Disneyland Reservation as the starting park
7:00am Web Slingers - Who can try to get a Boarding Group
* 1 park per day ticket and valid Disney California Adventure Reservation as the starting park
* Park Hopper ticket and valid Disney California Adventure Reservation as the starting park
12:00pm Rise of the Resistance - Who can try to get a Boarding Group
* 1 park per day ticket, valid Disneyland Reservation as the starting park, checked into the park (you do not need to stay in the park, just scanned in before noon) and did not get a 7:00am Boarding Group
* Park Hopper ticket, checked into the park (you do not need to stay in the park, just scanned before noon) and did not get a 7:00am Boarding Group
*Park Hopper ticket, already received 7:00am Boarding Group to Web Slingers and if your Boarding Group was called before noon and scanned in, you can attempt to get a Rise of the Resistance Boarding Group at noon.
12:00pm Web Slingers - Who can try to get a Boarding Group
* 1 park per day ticket, valid Disney California Adventure Reservation as the starting park, checked into the park (you do not need to stay in the park, just scanned in before noon) and did not get a 7:00am Boarding Group
* Park Hopper ticket, checked into the park (you do not need to stay in the park, just scanned before noon) and did not get a 7:00am Boarding Group
*Park Hopper ticket, already received 7:00am Boarding Group to Rise of the Resistance and if your Boarding Group was called before noon and scanned in, you can attempt to get a Web Slingers Boarding Group at noon.
The Prep Work
* Download Atomic Clock app from either Google Play Store or Apple Apps Store. You can also navigate to https://www.time.gov as the key is getting to see the current time and seconds counting.
* Link all the tickets and Reservations for everyone in your group to your Disneyland app. Then make sure the Disneyland app is downloaded on all their phones with your account so everyone can try to get a Boarding Group. You just need one person in your group to be successful for the entire group to get Boarding Groups.
* Practice at home a few times to get down the process. Since you won't have a valid Park Reservation for that day, none of the members of your group will have their names checked, they will all be unchecked. On the day of your visit, if you have a valid park ticket and reservation, all the names in your group will be automatically checked.
* First thing in the morning when you are going to make the attempt, test the speeds on your smartphone using both your WiFi and your Cellular carrier. You can download apps but I prefer using this link https://www.speedtest.net and just click on the "GO" button. It will let you know your Download and Upload speeds. Check to see which option gives you better speeds, WiFi or Cellular.
* Close down all the other apps on your device. You don't want your smartphone using system resources on any other apps outside of the Disneyland app when attempting to get Boarding Groups. Every second counts!
* If you have multiple devices (laptop, iPad or an extra smartphone) open up the World Clock, Atomic Clock or https://www.time.gov to show you the seconds counting. If you only have one device, use the World Clock and once it gets to 6:59:00am (or 11:59:00am for the noon release), switch to the Disneyland app to keep refreshing for the next minute.
* Make sure you have the most UPDATED version of the Disneyland app. Check your Google Play app or iPhone App Store app, for the latest updates. As the Disneyland app does get occasionally updated from time to time.
How To Do It
* Open the Disneyland App, go to Virtual Queues and click Join Boarding Group. You will see two tabs at the top, click on either Disneyland Park (for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance) or Disney California Adventure Park (for WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure).
* Click on the tab of the Park and Ride you want to attempt a Boarding Group for, as you will want to pull down and refresh the screen once it gets to 6:59:59am (or 11:59:59am for the noon release).
* Keep refreshing until you see a blue "Join" button and quickly click on it.
* All the names linked to your account that have valid tickets/park reservations should automatically be selected and click the blue "Join" button one more time.
* After that, with a bit of Disney luck, hopefully you'll get a confirmation screen with a Boarding Group assigned and an Estimated Wait time.
Some people, like me, are more visual. So here's a quick 1 minute Boarding Group Tutorial video on this process....
Tips
* If you have multiple people linked to your Disneyland app account, you just need one person to be successful for everyone to get a Boarding Group. If you want more attempts at getting a certain time, have everyone in you group attempt to get it at the same time, using the one Disneyland app account that has all the tickets and reservations setup.
* With multiple people, you can try doing a tiered approach to refreshing the screen. Have one person refresh at 6:59:58am, another at 6:59:59am and another at 7:00:00am. Or you can just have everyone refresh at 6:59:59am, both methods have had success with groups.
* FYI, some people have had issues with attempting to get Boarding Groups at 7:00am when they have had multiple theme park tickets on their Disneyland app. Some of these people have 3 day park tickets, 4 day park tickets and\or single day park tickets loaded on their Disneyland app. Since you don't need to be checked into a theme park for the 7am board group attempt, the app at times had issues with selecting which ticket to use for the reservation of that day. To fix, these people just removed the extra linked tickets from their Disneyland app or created a new account with just one linked tickets and these options resolved their issues.
Backpacks - What to bring with you
Each family is different and depending on different times of the year, you might bring different items depending on if the parks will be cooler or warmer or BLAZING heat from the summer months. Here's a breakdown of what we brought with us as a Family of 5 during a very hot late July visit. Also think about renting a locker, so you don't have to carry around all these item throughout the day.
***Again, each family is different and contents will differ and use the info below as only an example***
3x Compact Umbrella's by Totes with a SunGuard UPF 50+ (keeps the shaded area under the umbrella 20 degrees cooler)
5x Water Bottles (Will keep filling up each time we do a mobile order and during our sit down lunch\dinner reservations
5x Small Towels (Soak them all in water and put in our hotel refrigerator overnight to help keep our water cooler and come in handy in 90 degree weather)
1x USB Battery Pack (I'll be on my Disneyland App the enter day, need to make sure my phone has enough juice to last the day)
1x USB Fan with water\mist function
1x bottle of sunscreen
1x pack of sanitizing wipes
1x hand sanitizer
Light jackets - Some might get cold with the Air Conditioning of some attractions.
Disposable Water Resistant Poncho's - Good to have on hand for either Splash or GRR.
Sandals\Flip Flops - Speaking of Splash and GRR, hate walking around any theme parks with wet socks and soaked sneakers
Snacks - Pending all the long food waits on mobile orders, planning to bring some granola and fruit bars to help with hunger as we wait for snacks and lunch/dinner reservations
Band-Aids - Never know when it might come in handy.
Advil\Tylenol packets - I know you can pick these up at the park but better to have in hand just in case a headache comes quickly.
Filtered Water Bottle Refill Station Locations
On a hot day, there is nothing like knowing the locations of the filtered water bottle refill locations. Here's some that I know about and if there are others or if any get added in the future, please post on this thread and I will get them updated...
* Any restaurants in the park will give you water if you request it. They will not refill your water bottle but they will give you a cup with water or ice if requested.
* Please let me know if any of the info below changes and I'll get it updated.
Disneyland
Disney California Adventure
My family first visited Disneyland a decade ago but that was a last minute rushed day trip from Los Angeles and we only spent 8 hours in the park. We're WDW veterans and I always wanted to have a "re-do" and consider our upcoming late July visit as our first. Since I wanted to be more prepared this time around and didn't know anything about the Disneyland Resorts. I've read every single posts here from mid-April about DLR to prepare for my family's late July visit. Also have watched countless hours of YouTube videos to understand as much as I could about the current state of the parks and how they operate.
I wanted to put together a "Planning and Information" guide on everything I've learned so far to help others who might be in a similar situation. Hope this post helps with your planning....
Table of Content
* Hotels On-Site
* Hotels Off-Site\Good Neighbor Hotels and walking distance to the parks
* Parking Lot Info and Location
* Updates on the DLR Trams and Monorails
* Theme Park Capacity Limits
* Is there FastPass/MaxPass/Single Rider at DLR
* Park Tickets and are Park Hoppers worth it
* Downloading Disneyland App is a MUST DO item before attending the parks
* How to get Virtual Que Boarding Groups for Rise of the Resistance and Web Slingers
* Backpacks - What to bring with you
* Filtered Water Bottle Refill Station Locations
Hotels On-Site
There are tons of great history and tradition at the on-site Disneyland properties. Everyone has their favorites and preferences based on the experiences and budgets they have for their trip.
Grand Californian - Can't be any closer to the parks, as they're connected right next to and have direct access to DCA. Great pool area, stunning craftsman style deco and some of the best restaurants on property. Even if you don't stay at the Grand, try to secure a reservation at one of their restaurants during your stay, with Napa Rose, Storytellers Café and GCH Craftsman Bar and Grill.
Disneyland Hotel - Amazing history, as Disney didn't own this property till 1988. Walt put all his money into building Disneyland and didn't have the finances to also build the hotel, so he leaned on a close friend Jack Wrather. Then when the park did well and Walt finally had finances to purchase the hotel but his friend held out for decades. The details on how Disney finally acquired the hotel (basically held the monorail transportation lease as leverage) is fascinating. Sorry for the rant, I'm a history buff.
***FYI, there will be construction noise, as Disneyland Hotel builds a brand new DVC tower. Keep this in mind when making reservations.
Paradise Pier Hotel - Very fun theming, although it's at the tail end of Downtown Disney and you will have to walk the full length of DtD to get to the Esplanade. So keep that in mind when staying here.
Although thanks to @SherylLC there might be a shortcut available listed below....
Hotels Off-Site\Good Neighbor Hotels and walking distance to the parks
Some opinions are that it's not as critical to stay at an on-site Disney owned hotel at Disneyland Resorts as it is at Walt Disney World. As stated above, Everyone has their favorites and preferences based on the experiences and budgets they have for their trip. The Good Neighbor hotels around the park offer a wide variety of options. Some offer lower prices, better experiences, better rooms, better pool areas or water park features. It really matters what you prefer and what suits your needs during your stay. Personally, after logging 15-20k+ in steps in the parks, I'm looking at hotel distances closest to the parks.
Some of the Harbor side hotels are even closer distance wise to walk to and from the Disneyland/DCA Esplanade, compared to the on-site Disney hotels, as they're just across the street from the Harbor side entrance. Yes, yes, I know you can't get closer than the Grand and their direct DCA entrance. Although the Grand is a MASSIVE hotel and if you're assigned a room at the far end of the hotel, that might be a longer walk than some of the Harbor side hotels.
All that said, here's an updated listing of the Good Neighbor hotels listed by distance in Miles and Walk Time from Disneyland. I also have capped the hotels listed from a 20 minute walk and 1.0 miles out...
Parking Lot Info and Location
DLR has several on-site parking structures, that I'll cover below. Along with their addresses, to make it easier to type them into your GPS. Currently DLR charges $25 to park for one full day.
Mickey and Friends Parking and Pixar Pals Parking Structures - 1313 Disneyland Dr, Anaheim, CA 92802
Both these parking structures are side by side next to each other. If the Tram route to Downtown Disney is very crowded, there is an alternative route that "MIGHT" have shorter wait times. It's recommended, instead of doing the Tram route, to get to the 2nd level of the structures (Daisy is 2nd level at Mickey and Friends and Coco is 2nd level at Pixar) and walk across to the bridge that takes you to Downtown Disney. The bridge is a short walk and should put you near Star Wars Trading Post and ESPN Zone. You then have to use the Security Clearance entrance to enter Downtown Disney. Just another option for people to use in case the Tram route is crowded in the mornings.
Want to avoid the Tram route walk? Toy Story Parking Area would be perfect for you.
Toy Story Parking Area - 300 W Katella Ave, Anaheim, CA 92802
This location is near Harbor and Convention way. Unlike both the Mickey and Friends/Pixar Pals Parking Structures, the Toy Story lot is all outdoors. Good thing about this lot, is they have added a Security Check area near the free buses. There are also restrooms in this area. With Security check completed, when the bus takes you to the Harbor drop off, you walk straight to the Disneyland Esplanade and bypass the Harbor side security entrance. Plus from all accounts, the Toy Story lot is easier to leave at the end of the day and doesn't see the same bottle neck issues that the Structures sees when everyone is leaving at the same time. Keep in mind, the last shuttle from Harbor side to Toy Story is 1 hour after the last theme park closes. So if you miss that, you'll have to walk down Harbor street (15-20 minute walk).
*** Key tip, if you're staying near the Katella Ave and Convention Way hotels, bypass the Harbor side walk from your hotel and take the free shuttle service from the Toy Story Parking Area buses that have air conditioning!
Simba Parking Lot - Disneyland Drive, Anaheim, CA 92802 (between W Katella Ave and Paradise Pier Hotel)
This is the Downtown Disney parking lot. $10 for the first hour and then there are validations that apply if you make purchases of $20 or more or if you eat at one of the restaurants. DO NOT use this for theme park parking, as after any validations, you get charged $7 each 30 minute increments with a max charge of $66 for the day.
GardenWalk Parking Structure - 321 W Katella Ave, Anaheim, CA 92802
They have increased their prices, used to be $18 and currently it's $25. Upon entry, text your parking ticket # and text them AA (Anaheim Attractions pricing) to 949-532-8293. Do not wait as you're leaving the park, as at times this process will take about an hour or so and if you leave before they validate it, you will be charged the maximum daily parking charge of $30. Good thing about this parking lot it's very close to the Harbor side entrance and it's open 24 hours.
There are various hotels on Harbor that also offer Theme Park Parking, although most of these hotel parking spots fill up very quickly early in the mornings.
Updates on the DLR Trams and Monorails
Updates on Disneyland Resort Trams are that these will take a long time to return. The current lifespan of the Trams are roughly 20 years and the DLR Trams are all 23+ years old. After the Covid-19 shutdown, there are major repairs needed just to get the old Trams operational or Disney might opt to purchase new Trams. Either way, with repairs or replacements ordered, it will take several months for these to return.
Updates on Disneyland Monorails are that they will return later on this year. There have been renovations and paint being done to the system. Rumors are also that once repairs to the Monorail trains are complete, they will be operational during late fall.
Theme Park Capacity Limits
I've been monitoring the Reservation Calendar almost daily since May. Along with best case guesses, rumors and assumptions. Take everything posted in this section with a grain of salt.
April/May - Back when DLR re-opened, it was rumored that park capacity was at 15-20%
Mid May - More reservation dates opened, it was rumored that park capacity was increased to 25%
Early June - More reservation dates opened, it was rumored that park capacity was increased to 30%
June 15 - Out of State Guest are allowed back, more reservation dates opened, it was rumored that park capacity was increased to 35%
Late June - More reservation dates opened, it was rumored that park capacity was increased to 40-50%
As of July 1st, only half of the 32,000 Disneyland Employees have returned to work. Currently DLR has 15,000 cast members and expects to hire another 1,000 this summer.
Disney CEO Bob Chapek recently said he expects low double digit attendance increases over the next several months and reach full capacity by the fall of 2021. Based on his comments, is it reasonable to expect the following increases....
August - expected low double digit capacity increase to 60%
September - expected low double digit capacity increase to 70%
October - expected low double digit capacity increase to 80%
Is there FastPass/MaxPass/Single Rider at DLR
Currently, there are no FastPass/MaxPass being offered. They are expected to return once the parks get closer to full capacity later on this Fall. There are also rumors of a Per Person/Per Ride FastPass that was introduced at Disneyland Paris
Although just recently, more and more rides have opened up Single Rider lines. If you are unsure if the ride you want to go on has a single rider line, ask the Cast Member at the entrance of the ride. If they do and don't have a dedicated single rider line que, they usually will send you to the exit of the ride with a pass to go on as a single rider.
Park Tickets and are Park Hoppers worth it
If you do a single day ticket, there are different tiers that allow you in on certain days and they currently range from $104 (off peak times Monday-Wednesday) to $154 (prime weekend days Friday to Sunday). Multi day tickets are worth it, especially in reserving the days you want to visit at a lower prices. As an example, is you get a 2 day ticket and decide to go on a Saturday and Sunday, the price is $117.50 per day. Compared to a single day ticket for Sat/Sun at $154 per day.
Below are the current price breakdown, as of July 1st, for multiday tickets for 10+ years and older from the Disneyland website...
2 day/1 park - $235 ($117.50 per day)
3 day/1 park - $310 ($103.33 per day)
4 day/1 park - $340 ($85.00 per day)
5 day/1 park - $360 ($72.00 per day)
Also please keep in mind some of these "Discount Ticket" offers.....looking right at you T-Mobile! Their initial offers might seem lower on ticket prices than what Disneyland's website is offering. Although when you go to checkout, there are all these additional fees and taxes added in. Since there are no admission tax at any of the theme parks in Southern California, you might actually be better off just getting the tickets directly from Disney. Plus you also secure your park reservations on the dates you want to attend all at once, if you go through Disney.
Park Hoppers are they worth it? It fully depends on your personal styles of touring the parks and how you want to customize your park experience. Cost is just a one time $55 fee, whether you get a 1 day or 5 day ticket, it's just a one time $55 fee. If you like to tour a park "Commando Style" from rope drop to park closure, is it work getting a park hopper for 1-2 days? Maybe not.
Although do keep in mind if you're a WDW veteran, that the Park Hopping experience is much superior here at Disneyland. At WDW, park hopping can take up to an hour depending on bus/boat/monorail services and timing the departure and arrival between parks. While at DLR, both Disneyland and DCA are directly across from each other on opposite ends of the Esplanade, which make Hopping from park to park just a few minute walk. Plus Disneyland is a lot more compact and filled with rides than WDW's Magic Kingdom, so walking the full length of Disneyland is much easier than the Magic Kingdom, so that factors into your park hopping experience.
Not to mention with Park Hoppers, you will get two chances to get Virtual Que Boarding Groups for Rise of the Resistance and Web Slingers (If your Boarding Group gets called before noon). If you have 1 Park Tickets, then you can only try for a Boarding Group for one of the rides per day.
Downloading Disneyland App is a MUST DO item before attending the parks
Whether you have iPhone or Android type phones, downloading the Disneyland App is crucial before attending the park. The app allows you so many functions from linking your park tickets/reservations, scheduling reservations for Table Service Restaurants, putting in Mobile Food Orders, Check Dining Availability, attempt to get Boarding Passes for Rise of the Resistance and Web Slingers. Feature I use most is the Virtual Park map that shows the latest wait times for rides/attractions, locations for dining, restrooms, guest services and shops.
How to get Virtual Que Boarding Groups for Rise of the Resistance and Web Slingers
There are hundreds of posts and a dozen different threads that talk about the Boarding Group Process. I'm going to simplify it as much as I can and will break it down to four sections.....The Process, The Prep Work, How To Do It and Tips.
The Process
7:00am Rise of the Resistance - Who can try to get a Boarding Group
* 1 park per day ticket and valid Disneyland Reservation as the starting park
* Park Hopper ticket and valid Disneyland Reservation as the starting park
7:00am Web Slingers - Who can try to get a Boarding Group
* 1 park per day ticket and valid Disney California Adventure Reservation as the starting park
* Park Hopper ticket and valid Disney California Adventure Reservation as the starting park
12:00pm Rise of the Resistance - Who can try to get a Boarding Group
* 1 park per day ticket, valid Disneyland Reservation as the starting park, checked into the park (you do not need to stay in the park, just scanned in before noon) and did not get a 7:00am Boarding Group
* Park Hopper ticket, checked into the park (you do not need to stay in the park, just scanned before noon) and did not get a 7:00am Boarding Group
*Park Hopper ticket, already received 7:00am Boarding Group to Web Slingers and if your Boarding Group was called before noon and scanned in, you can attempt to get a Rise of the Resistance Boarding Group at noon.
12:00pm Web Slingers - Who can try to get a Boarding Group
* 1 park per day ticket, valid Disney California Adventure Reservation as the starting park, checked into the park (you do not need to stay in the park, just scanned in before noon) and did not get a 7:00am Boarding Group
* Park Hopper ticket, checked into the park (you do not need to stay in the park, just scanned before noon) and did not get a 7:00am Boarding Group
*Park Hopper ticket, already received 7:00am Boarding Group to Rise of the Resistance and if your Boarding Group was called before noon and scanned in, you can attempt to get a Web Slingers Boarding Group at noon.
The Prep Work
* Download Atomic Clock app from either Google Play Store or Apple Apps Store. You can also navigate to https://www.time.gov as the key is getting to see the current time and seconds counting.
* Link all the tickets and Reservations for everyone in your group to your Disneyland app. Then make sure the Disneyland app is downloaded on all their phones with your account so everyone can try to get a Boarding Group. You just need one person in your group to be successful for the entire group to get Boarding Groups.
* Practice at home a few times to get down the process. Since you won't have a valid Park Reservation for that day, none of the members of your group will have their names checked, they will all be unchecked. On the day of your visit, if you have a valid park ticket and reservation, all the names in your group will be automatically checked.
* First thing in the morning when you are going to make the attempt, test the speeds on your smartphone using both your WiFi and your Cellular carrier. You can download apps but I prefer using this link https://www.speedtest.net and just click on the "GO" button. It will let you know your Download and Upload speeds. Check to see which option gives you better speeds, WiFi or Cellular.
* Close down all the other apps on your device. You don't want your smartphone using system resources on any other apps outside of the Disneyland app when attempting to get Boarding Groups. Every second counts!
* If you have multiple devices (laptop, iPad or an extra smartphone) open up the World Clock, Atomic Clock or https://www.time.gov to show you the seconds counting. If you only have one device, use the World Clock and once it gets to 6:59:00am (or 11:59:00am for the noon release), switch to the Disneyland app to keep refreshing for the next minute.
* Make sure you have the most UPDATED version of the Disneyland app. Check your Google Play app or iPhone App Store app, for the latest updates. As the Disneyland app does get occasionally updated from time to time.
How To Do It
* Open the Disneyland App, go to Virtual Queues and click Join Boarding Group. You will see two tabs at the top, click on either Disneyland Park (for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance) or Disney California Adventure Park (for WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure).
* Click on the tab of the Park and Ride you want to attempt a Boarding Group for, as you will want to pull down and refresh the screen once it gets to 6:59:59am (or 11:59:59am for the noon release).
* Keep refreshing until you see a blue "Join" button and quickly click on it.
* All the names linked to your account that have valid tickets/park reservations should automatically be selected and click the blue "Join" button one more time.
* After that, with a bit of Disney luck, hopefully you'll get a confirmation screen with a Boarding Group assigned and an Estimated Wait time.
Some people, like me, are more visual. So here's a quick 1 minute Boarding Group Tutorial video on this process....
Tips
* If you have multiple people linked to your Disneyland app account, you just need one person to be successful for everyone to get a Boarding Group. If you want more attempts at getting a certain time, have everyone in you group attempt to get it at the same time, using the one Disneyland app account that has all the tickets and reservations setup.
* With multiple people, you can try doing a tiered approach to refreshing the screen. Have one person refresh at 6:59:58am, another at 6:59:59am and another at 7:00:00am. Or you can just have everyone refresh at 6:59:59am, both methods have had success with groups.
* FYI, some people have had issues with attempting to get Boarding Groups at 7:00am when they have had multiple theme park tickets on their Disneyland app. Some of these people have 3 day park tickets, 4 day park tickets and\or single day park tickets loaded on their Disneyland app. Since you don't need to be checked into a theme park for the 7am board group attempt, the app at times had issues with selecting which ticket to use for the reservation of that day. To fix, these people just removed the extra linked tickets from their Disneyland app or created a new account with just one linked tickets and these options resolved their issues.
Backpacks - What to bring with you
Each family is different and depending on different times of the year, you might bring different items depending on if the parks will be cooler or warmer or BLAZING heat from the summer months. Here's a breakdown of what we brought with us as a Family of 5 during a very hot late July visit. Also think about renting a locker, so you don't have to carry around all these item throughout the day.
***Again, each family is different and contents will differ and use the info below as only an example***
3x Compact Umbrella's by Totes with a SunGuard UPF 50+ (keeps the shaded area under the umbrella 20 degrees cooler)
5x Water Bottles (Will keep filling up each time we do a mobile order and during our sit down lunch\dinner reservations
5x Small Towels (Soak them all in water and put in our hotel refrigerator overnight to help keep our water cooler and come in handy in 90 degree weather)
1x USB Battery Pack (I'll be on my Disneyland App the enter day, need to make sure my phone has enough juice to last the day)
1x USB Fan with water\mist function
1x bottle of sunscreen
1x pack of sanitizing wipes
1x hand sanitizer
Light jackets - Some might get cold with the Air Conditioning of some attractions.
Disposable Water Resistant Poncho's - Good to have on hand for either Splash or GRR.
Sandals\Flip Flops - Speaking of Splash and GRR, hate walking around any theme parks with wet socks and soaked sneakers
Snacks - Pending all the long food waits on mobile orders, planning to bring some granola and fruit bars to help with hunger as we wait for snacks and lunch/dinner reservations
Band-Aids - Never know when it might come in handy.
Advil\Tylenol packets - I know you can pick these up at the park but better to have in hand just in case a headache comes quickly.
Filtered Water Bottle Refill Station Locations
On a hot day, there is nothing like knowing the locations of the filtered water bottle refill locations. Here's some that I know about and if there are others or if any get added in the future, please post on this thread and I will get them updated...
* Any restaurants in the park will give you water if you request it. They will not refill your water bottle but they will give you a cup with water or ice if requested.
* Please let me know if any of the info below changes and I'll get it updated.
Disneyland
- Main Street: Baby Center (Filtered Water Refill Station near the back. They either have plastic cups hung to the left or you can just refill your water bottle)
- Tomorrowland: Galactic Grill (Filtered Water Refill Station to the side)
- Tomorrowland: Alien Pizza Planet (Use the water option at the Soda Fountain)
- Tomorrowland: Autopia (Filtered Water Refill Station located between Autopia and Finding Nemo Submarine)
- Fantasyland: Red Rose Tavern (Towards the back, there is a Filtered Water Refill Station)
- Frontierland: Rancho del Zocalo Restaurante (There is a Filtered Water Refill Station near the seating area)
- New Orleans Square: French Market (Used to be near the other side where Mint Julep Bar is located but now moved to French Market area)
- Star Wars Galaxy's Edge: Batuu Marketplace (Towards where you first enter on the left side, to the left of the restrooms)
- Star Wars Galaxy's Edge: Milk Stand (Against the wall to the left of the Milk Stand)
- Tom Sawyer Island: There is a Filtered Water Refill Station right next to the restrooms.
Disney California Adventure
- Avengers Campus: (Filtered Water Refill Station located on the left side of Dr. Strange's Sanctum)
- Avengers Campus: Pym's Test Kitchen (Use the water option at the Soda Fountain)
- Grizzly Peak: Smokejumpers Grill (Use the water option at the Soda Fountain)
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