HELP! Be my DisneyLand TA. What are your tips?

[Forevermarypoppins]

I'm a WDW veteran. I've been visiting WDW enough to say I could give some advise. For quite awhile I've thought about going to DisneyLand. I know staying at one of the 3 onsite resorts will be out of my comfortable price range. IF you were my TA, tell me what you'd suggest.

My initial questions are:

How to I get to the Hotel/motel from the airport? What is the easiest?
I do not want to be more than 1 mile from the park because I would prefer to walk if possible. But to have the info: Do any of the Good Neighbor hotels offer free rides to the parks? Or does one hotel offer something better in terms of transportation over another?
I'm traveling with my sister and we're both a bit older so pools aren't that important. Are there any hotels a bit more adult atmosphere? Is the closest HILTON more geared to adults?
Tell me about Downtown Disney and what should I not miss?
If I want to avoid the busiest seasons when is a good time to visit?

I'd really appreciate any/ all input!!

 

[bjscheel]

We went in August and stayed at Park Vue Inn. You truly can't get any closer- so easy to cross the street and you're already there. The room was nice. Idk if it is adult oriented or kid oriented, it is motel style and the pool is in the parking lot. We went to the hot tub every day and there was usually no one else around. There is no breakfast but Ihop is in the parking lot and Denny's right on the other side. We ate at Denny's quite a bit.

We did Uber from SNA and back. Didn't need to schedule ahead, just get on the app when you're ready.

You definitely want park hopper. It was just the two of us so we sprung for PH and the lightning lane. Use your lightning lanes in one park and then when that's played out start over at the next! And you get all your photos with that ticket which was a nice surprise.

 

[Kit Jackson]

I know it costs more money, but ParkHopper is absolutely worth it at Disneyland. How many days are you planning? Do you plan on taking mid-afternoon breaks?

 

[Pluto468]

I'm a WDW veteran. I've been visiting WDW enough to say I could give some advise. For quite awhile I've thought about going to DisneyLand. I know staying at one of the 3 onsite resorts will be out of my comfortable price range. IF you were my TA, tell me what you'd suggest.

My initial questions are:

How to I get to the Hotel/motel from the airport? What is the easiest?
I do not want to be more than 1 mile from the park because I would prefer to walk if possible. But to have the info: Do any of the Good Neighbor hotels offer free rides to the parks? Or does one hotel offer something better in terms of transportation over another?
I'm traveling with my sister and we're both a bit older so pools aren't that important. Are there any hotels a bit more adult atmosphere? Is the closest HILTON more geared to adults?
Tell me about Downtown Disney and what should I not miss?
If I want to avoid the busiest seasons when is a good time to visit?

I'd really appreciate any/ all input!!

You can take a shuttle from SNA, there are a number of good companies. Karmel, Lansky, Sunny's.

Candy Cane Inn has a shuttle to the park and is also only a 10ish minute walk if you don't feel like waiting for the shuttle. There are a few hotels right across from the park entrance, too. Park Vue, Best Western Park Place Inn, Best Western Anaheim Plus Inn.

The Westin might have more of an adult atmosphere. I haven't stayed there so I'm not sure how long a walk would be and I know they don't have a shuttle. It's not near the main entrance, it's around the block facing DCA.

Downtown Disney has alot of restaurants and shops. People really like Earl Of Sandwich and Din Tai Fung.

The busiest seasons are Christmas, Halloween, Spring break. Summer in general lol. It's hard to find slow seasons these days. I like to go in April or May (But beware of grad nites in May.) Early June can be nice, too. Keep an eye on the annual event calendar because there are alot of After Dark events that can affect crowds.

I agree with @Kit Jackson that hoppers are really worth it at Disneyland.

 

[irlandaise]

To add to what Pluto468 said about checking the calendar, there are events not run by Disney that can affect how crowded DLR is. Forum member LKing has made a great list of both official and unofficial events that's updated as needed:

2026 Disneyland Resort Calendar

Feel free to ask for more information about how any of those events affect crowd levels. Folks on this board have experience with all of them, probably.

 

[Jawwdoc]

I'm a WDW veteran. I've been visiting WDW enough to say I could give some advise. For quite awhile I've thought about going to DisneyLand. I know staying at one of the 3 onsite resorts will be out of my comfortable price range. IF you were my TA, tell me what you'd suggest.

My initial questions are:

How to I get to the Hotel/motel from the airport? What is the easiest?
I do not want to be more than 1 mile from the park because I would prefer to walk if possible. But to have the info: Do any of the Good Neighbor hotels offer free rides to the parks? Or does one hotel offer something better in terms of transportation over another?
I'm traveling with my sister and we're both a bit older so pools aren't that important. Are there any hotels a bit more adult atmosphere? Is the closest HILTON more geared to adults?
Tell me about Downtown Disney and what should I not miss?
If I want to avoid the busiest seasons when is a good time to visit?

I'd really appreciate any/ all input!!

Most of the motels/hotels on Harbor Blvd between Katella and Ball road are a shorter walk to the main gate than the Disneyland and Pixar Place Hotels. The Courtyard by Marriot is arguably the nicest but also the most expensive in that area. Candy Cane Inn would probably be my recommendation based on your initial post. Close enough to walk but also has a shuttle. It tends to be more adult oriented, has a free breakfast and has recently been remodeled. The Westin is the newest “luxury” hotel within realistic walking distance but tends to be expensive and can actually be more expensive than the on-site hotels if there is a large convention in town. The walk from the Westin is now longer than usual due the sidewalk closure related to the construction of the new Coco ride in DCA. The Hilton at the convention center is likely the most adult oriented Hilton but it can be chaotic during larger conventions and the walk is longer than all of the previously mentioned hotels. The Hilton Garden Inn and the Home2Suites are newer properties and the walk is less than a mile. Downtown Disney still has a fair amount of construction going on and is much less of a “destination” than Disney Springs. I would describe it as more of an upscale, Disney-adjacent outdoor mall that happens to be next door to a theme park but that is my personal opinion. Not much in the way of entertainment but it does have a few good restaurants (Din Tai Fung, Paseo/Centrico and Naples), Earl of Sandwich is currently operating out of a temporary food truck like trailer with a limited menu and no indoor seating. I personally prefer to rent a car or use Uber/Lyft to get from SNA to DLR hotels.

 

[maleficent55]

The Anaheim Majestic Garden Hotel also offers their free shuttle.

 

[LKing]

It is Disneyland. The L is not capitalized.

How to I get to the Hotel/motel from the airport? What is the easiest?

Which airport are you flying into?

Tell me about Downtown Disney and what should I not miss?

DTD is a fraction of the size of Disney Springs. What do you like to do at Disney Springs? Do you like to shop? Drink? Eat? I wouldn't worry as much about what not to miss in DTD and focus on what you want to see and do in the parks.

If I want to avoid the busiest seasons when is a good time to visit?

Disneyland's 70th ends on August 9. Does that matter to you? Halloween starts on August 22. August 22 - January 4 is the busy season.

 

[hardcorestitch]

I'm a WDW veteran. I've been visiting WDW enough to say I could give some advise. For quite awhile I've thought about going to DisneyLand. I know staying at one of the 3 onsite resorts will be out of my comfortable price range. IF you were my TA, tell me what you'd suggest.

My initial questions are:

How to I get to the Hotel/motel from the airport? What is the easiest?
I do not want to be more than 1 mile from the park because I would prefer to walk if possible. But to have the info: Do any of the Good Neighbor hotels offer free rides to the parks? Or does one hotel offer something better in terms of transportation over another?
I'm traveling with my sister and we're both a bit older so pools aren't that important. Are there any hotels a bit more adult atmosphere? Is the closest HILTON more geared to adults?
Tell me about Downtown Disney and what should I not miss?
If I want to avoid the busiest seasons when is a good time to visit?

I'd really appreciate any/ all input!!

If your visit is after March 31… the ART will be in the trash. ART buses are going to stop for good. You’ll need to navigate either a rideshare ($$$$) or the slightly cheaper OCTA system.

 

[VandVsmama]

I'm a WDW veteran. I've been visiting WDW enough to say I could give some advise. For quite awhile I've thought about going to DisneyLand. I know staying at one of the 3 onsite resorts will be out of my comfortable price range. IF you were my TA, tell me what you'd suggest.

My initial questions are:

How to I get to the Hotel/motel from the airport? What is the easiest?
I do not want to be more than 1 mile from the park because I would prefer to walk if possible. But to have the info: Do any of the Good Neighbor hotels offer free rides to the parks? Or does one hotel offer something better in terms of transportation over another?
I'm traveling with my sister and we're both a bit older so pools aren't that important. Are there any hotels a bit more adult atmosphere? Is the closest HILTON more geared to adults?
Tell me about Downtown Disney and what should I not miss?
If I want to avoid the busiest seasons when is a good time to visit?

I'd really appreciate any/ all input!!

Re: hotels - Here's my recommendations & opinions:

• best mode of transportation from hotel to Esplanade is your own feet.
• this means that best places to stay are on Harbor Blvd. Ideally anything from Howard Johnson's at Manchester Ave & Harbor Blvd down to Grand Legacy at the Park at Disney Way & Harbor Blvd.
• On Harbor Blvd, our family has stayed at Howard Johnson's (7-9 min walk, loved staying here), Tropicana (liked staying there, too), Park Vue Inn (loved this place also), and Best Western Park Place Inn (loved it here, too). Out of those, BWPPI has free breakfast in a.m. The others do not.
• Howard Johnson's sometimes sends out email alerts with discount codes. Sign up on their website for email notifications so you find out about those, if interested.
• Can often find cheaper room rate per night by booking directly with the 'good neighbor' hotel rather than through Disneyland's website. For example, many offer AAA discounts. Best Western & Hojo's both have rewards programs where if you sign up for their hotel rewards program (no cost), there's discounted rates also.
• By 'hotels a bit more adult atmosphere,' can you clarify what you mean? For example, do you mean "I want to stay at a hotel that won't be overrun with a lot of children running around"? Or do you mean "I'd like a hotel with a bar on site"? Or something else?
• The Hilton at the Anaheim convention center is a 20 min walk, 15 if you walk fast. Fine in the morning but a total drag at end of the day. If you want to take a midday hotel break at your hotel, staying anywhere next to or next the convention center will be a royal pain in the butt.
• Most hotels farther away from the Harbor Blvd area I mentioned above don't have free shuttles anymore because they relied on ART (Anaheim Resort Transit). ART is going out of business at the end of March. There's no replacement for ART.
• If you're planning instead on using Uber/Lyft from 1 of those hotels that are farther away, one should probably expect it to take longer to get to the Disneyland rideshare drop off area on Harbor Blvd than it currently takes because more people will be using Uber/Lyft after ART goes away at end of March.
• ...therefore, in my opinion, that makes staying on Harbor Blvd to be more appealing.
• If going to a park on your check out day, check the bag storage policies at the hotels you're considering. 1 or 2 (I want to say Desert Inn & Suites is in this category, but I don't remember for sure) only have luggage storage lockers...no storing your bags for your in a back room behind the front desk.

 

[VandVsmama]

How to I get to the Hotel/motel from the airport? What is the easiest?

I'm traveling with my sister and we're both a bit older so pools aren't that important. Are there any hotels a bit more adult atmosphere? Is the closest HILTON more geared to adults?
Tell me about Downtown Disney and what should I not miss?
If I want to avoid the busiest seasons when is a good time to visit?

Re: how to get to hotel from airport -
Depends on what airport you're coming from. Need more info in order to answer.

Re: Downtown Disney & what not to miss -
Depends on what you're interested in. But here's my opinions:

• Star Wars shop in DTD - skip. Go to Galaxy's Edge inside DL instead.
• World of Disney store - fun shop to browse in. Has stuff you'll find inside the parks, too.
• Din Tai Fung - newer restaurant in DTD. Haven't tried this place yet but have wanted to. If you like Asian food, give it a try. But I'd prioritize eating at other places inside DL & DCA instead.
• DTD in Anaheim is way smaller than Disney Springs is at WDW. It's not going to be something that you'd spend several hours at. There's also no Gideon's Bakery. And there's fewer restaurants.

This isn't in DTD, but you can take monorail from Tomorrowland to DTD and then walk to the Disneyland Hotel in order to eat & have a cocktail at Trader Sam's. This is the OG Trader Sam's.
Fun atmosphere. Worth making a side quest to. The Disneyland Hotel gift shop sometimes has some unique items for sale that aren't available inside the park or in the shops in DTD. So if you're going to Trader Sam's, take a peek in the gift shop for fun.

Re: what's the busiest time of year -

• All of October, but especially the week before Columbus Day because that's the week that a lot of schools in CA, UT, AZ have off for 'fall break.'
• Thanksgiving & Christmas season
• any Monday
• 2nd week of March through Easter
• Memorial Day weekend
• July 4th weekend
• a weekend that's around a Run Disney event
• the dates in August around the D23 convention in Anaheim

1 of my favorite times of year to go is during the week right after Memorial Day. Weather is nice, but not hot. Summer park schedule is happening, which means longer park hours (open until often 11 pm-12 am) & nightly fireworks (but note that they can be cancelled last minute due to Santa Ana winds), Fantasmic happens every night, BUT....most CA schools are still in session.

 

[irlandaise]

Re: hotels - Here's my recommendations & opinions:

• best mode of transportation from hotel to Esplanade is your own feet.
• this means that best places to stay are on Harbor Blvd. Ideally anything from Howard Johnson's at Manchester Ave & Harbor Blvd down to Grand Legacy at the Park at Disney Way & Harbor Blvd.

As previously mentioned, the Candy Cane Inn (just south of Disney Way) is only about a 10-minute walk but also has a free hourly shuttle.

• Can often find cheaper room rate per night by booking directly with the 'good neighbor' hotel rather than through Disneyland's website.

And note that there are plenty of hotels that are not registered with Disney as "Good Neighbor Hotels" (and thus don't appear on the Disneyland website) but are still perfectly fine places to stay. (These include the CCI.) So by all means, do check individual hotels' websites for pricing.

• Most hotels farther away from the Harbor Blvd area I mentioned above don't have free shuttles anymore because they relied on ART (Anaheim Resort Transit). ART is going out of business at the end of March. There's no replacement for ART.

As far as we know yet. As others have mentioned, there's a high probability that Disney will offer a replacement service. However, that could well only be for the Toy Story parking lot; Disney wouldn't have any incentive to serve nearby hotels. So yeah, for hotel purposes, assume no inexpensive transport after March 31.

 

[VandVsmama]

As previously mentioned, the Candy Cane Inn (just south of Disney Way) is only about a 10-minute walk but also has a free hourly shuttle.

I was posting my own opinion. Haven't stayed at Candy Cane Inn. I've priced it out several times and have always been able to find better deals at other places on Harbor Blvd, which is why I didn't mention it.

 

[Mle8308]

October is VERY busy and can be very hot, you did not say when you are going! And we need to know what airport you are flying into. SNA is really close, LAX further away but more flights and can be less expensive to fly into. But also a much larger and busier airport. There are already good suggestions on hotels.