First Time Visiting Disneyland & California Adventure Guide

Hello Disney lovers! I have put together a guide for Disneyland and California Adventure, here you’ll find a mix of general information, personal tidbits and links to other blog posts and articles. This Disneyland travel guide will cover how to get there, what to do, where to stay, where to go, what to buy, what to eat and more!

So I was in Disneyland & California Adventure earlier this year celebrating my best friend’s birthday! It was my first time in California Adventure and it was my first time visiting the parks as an adult. While, I will admit I’m not a thrill rides sort of person, most of the rides are pretty tame for someone who is. Even if thrills aren’t your thing (I got you!), there’s still plenty to keep you preoccupied. I wanted to share some information for getting the most out of Disneyland & California Adventure!

• PARK OVERVIEW:

  Disneyland is made of 8 ‘lands’, which each have their own theme:
  – Main Street 
  – Adventureland 
  – Critter Country
  – Fantasyland
  – Frontierland 
  – Toontown 
  – New Orleans Square
  – Tomorrowland
  

  

  California Adventure is made of 7 ‘lands’, which each have their own theme:
  – Buena Vista Street
  – a bug’s land
  – Cars Land
  – Grizzly Peak
  – Hollywood Land
  – Pacific Wharf
  – Paradise Pier (by summer 2018 it will be transformed into Pixar Pier!)
  

  

  Downtown Disney is the area outside of the parks, where you can shop and dine. Below is the most up to date map I could find of Downtown Disney. However, this map shows some businesses that are no longer there, such as Build-A-Bear.

  

• HOW TO GET THERE:

  There’s a few different airports in the surrounding area, I’ve listed them from closest to farthest. I always use momondo to search for flights, 95% of the time, it shows me the cheapest airfare.
  – John Wayne Airport (SNA), which is in Santa Ana. It’s the closer airport to Anaheim, about 20-25 mins from the park.
  – Long Beach Airport (LGB), about 25-30 mins.
  – Los Angeles Airport (LAX), about 40-45 mins. If you’re flying internationally, this is the airport for you! While there are often delays at LAX, you might find the best deal to and from.
  – Ontario International Airport (ONT), about 50 mins – an hour.
  – Bob Hope Airport (BUR), about 1 hour – 1 hour 15 mins; it’s pretty far out of the way.

  

• WHERE TO STAY:

  Depending on your budget, there’s so many places to choose from! If you’re looking for convenience and a way to save money, you can stay at one of the hotels near the park. While I was there I stayed at the Anaheim Majestic Hotel. This hotel is super close to the park and we got our room for a good price. It has a free shuttle that takes you to and from the park. If you’re looking the full-on Disney experience and if you’re down to splurge, you can stay at one of the Disneyland hotels on their property. The only hotel that is actually within the park itself is the Disney Grand Californian. The benefit of staying at one of these hotels is you’ll get “Extra Magic Hours” where you’ll be allowed to enter the park an hour before it opens to the general public. This can be a good way to avoid the crowds and get on the rides before there’s unavoidable lines. Also, if you’re into photography, you are able to get those special shots without 100+ people in your photo. If you have children, the dining with character experience is especially popular. There’s other awesome perks, read more here!
  – Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa
  – Disneyland Hotel
  – Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel
  *Extra Magic Hours occur Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays (Disneyland) & Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays (California Adventure).

  

• WHEN TO GO:

  If you’re trying to avoid crowds, there are certain times of the year that are better to visit.  Specifically, mid January, early-mid February, mid-late August, September, weekdays in October, November and December. Crowds usually occur during 3-day weekends (e.g., MLK Jr. Day, President’s Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day & Veterans Day), during school breaks (e.g., winter or spring break), during the summer, during the holidays (e.g., Easter, July 4th, Thanksgiving, Christmas week, New Years Eve & New Years Day) and during special event days. However, it’s worth considering going during these special event days, as the look and decorations of the park are different compared to its regular season and the characters sometimes have different outfits. Another bonus of going during special event days are the actual events going on in the park, like parades and there’s usually limited edition food offerings that are only available once a year! Check this calendar for predictions on if it’s crowded or not.

  

• WHAT TO PACK:

  This really depends on what season you’re traveling in. The most important factor to consider is whether you will be comfortable walking around all day in whatever outfit you have picked out; if the answer is yes then you’re well on your way to completing that pesky checklist. Even though you’re in Anaheim, the weather can get chilly in the winter time and in the evenings, so I recommend bringing a sweatshirt or jacket and a pair of jeans or long pants. During the summertime, it can get really hot, having a hat can provide you with some shade. Lastly, I recommend packing or purchasing some Disney apparel, whether you already own a piece or have plans to buy something at the park or through a third party designer. In the park, it’s cool to see so many people decked out in their Disney items! Check this post and this post for more information for a packing list.

  

• ATTRACTIONS:

  I don’t want to spoil the rides, but I’ll highlight the ones I enjoyed the most. I included a full list of the attractions, rides, shows & other stuff going on. BuzzLight Years Astro Blazers (in Tomorrowland of Disneyland), a very fun interactive shooting game ride. Haunted Mansion (in New Orleans Square of Disneyland), a very well decorated ride. Matterhorn Bobsleds (in Fantasyland of Disneyland), my friends definitely had to talk me into going on this ride, but it was one I willingly went on a second time, it’s my new favorite mountain ride. Soarin’ Around the World (in Grizzly Peak of California Adventure), a visually appealing ride. Toy Story Midway Mania! (in Paradise Pier of California Adventure), my new favorite interactive shooting game ride! As for my friends, the thrill seekers, their collective favorite ride was The Guardian of the Galaxy – Mission BREAKOUT! (in Hollywood Land of California Adventure), which I refused to go on. If you’re familiar with the park, it used to be The Tower of Terror ride, which is an elevator drop sort of ride. Their other favorites were Radiator Spring Racers (in Car Land of California Adventure) and Space Mountain (in Tomorrowland of Disneyland). I was surprised that “it’s a small world” (in Fantasyland of Disneyland) still had the holiday decorations up in the ride (in late January), but this was a happy surprise, because it made the ride feel extra special with the added holiday lighting and decor. The Disneyland Railroad is a good way to get around the park, as your feet will likely get tired even with the most comfortable shoes and offers a nice perspective of the park.

  

• CHARACTERS:

  I was really interested in getting photos with certain characters, for the most part I was able to accomplish that, through a combination of utilizing the Disneyland App [see below for more info] and pure chance. The app was helpful in indicating a possible perimeter of where the characters might be, when they might be there and which characters were there. However, the app did not provide a list of all of the characters, for instances we encountered Groot and The Incredibles, who weren’t listed in the app, they may have been making special appearance, but it would have been nice to know they were there ahead of time. Also, we encountered the Disney Princesses in The Mad Hatter (Main Street at Disneyland), they were scheduled as being done for the evening, this might be a spot you can get last minute photos with them, without the long lines. Also, an aside, both Disneyland and California Adventure have the core characters (e.g., Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Daisy, Donald and Pluto), however in California Adventure, the characters are likely to be wearing a different costume, one that resembles a 1940s look to match the Buena Vista Street area of the park. I actually preferred these throwback costumes, as it was something different than the classic outfits that Mickey, Minnie and the others wear. If a character is walking, you can still sometimes get a photo with them. Out of the characters I saw in the park, The Stormtroopers seemed most difficult to get a photo with, in that they don’t have a designated line up area, and seem to choose if they want to take photos or not; it’s been reported that wearing stormtrooper themed clothing helps your odds. Also, there’s seasonal character, if you were to say considering going during Halloween.

  

• WHERE TO GET PHOTO-OPS:

  I wasn’t able to get every shot I wanted, but I did manage to get quite a few of the ones I had in mind. Bear in mind, I was only there for 2 days, if you’re planning to do more than take pictures, you’ll likely going to have to plan ahead for the photos you want to capture or take them as you walk by zones of the park. While, the Sleeping Beauty’s Castle is popular spot and may be cliche, it is also a classic. There’s a professional photographer stationed there, you can access your photos through PhotoPass, but you can also take your own shots. Another classic shot is near the Mickey’s Fun Wheel, there’s quite a few angles to capture, since it’s one of the larger structures in California Adventure. There’s also a PhotoPass professional photographer stationed in the area. There’s two Walt Disney statues, one in each park, while I was there I was only able to get a photo with the one at California Adventure, since the area surrounding it on Main Street was under restoration while I was there. On Main Street, you’ll find a professional photographer with a life sized postcard frame, and they are usually willing to snap the photo with your phone or camera, if you don’t want to buy a photo from PhotoPass. New Orleans Square is beautiful for photos. A lot of the exteriors of rides offer nice shots, especially some of the more famous rides. A specific ride, The Haunted Mansion offers a pretty background, during the day and at night. The Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout ride is extra primed for night shots, the structure is really large, so it is somewhat difficult to fit the full ride in a photo. At night, hands down, ‘it’s a small world‘ is one of the best ride for photos, it’s full of lights, and there’s various vantage points to capture photos in front of the ride.

• WHERE TO EAT AND/OR DRINK:

  • FOOD:
    Most of the food I had ended up being in Downtown Disney. We sampled Earl of Sandwich, it’s an affordable sandwich spot, and it has wine and beer offerings. Also, we tried Uva Bar, which is a part of Catal Restaurant, this means you can opt to seat inside of Catal and still order from Uva, while Uva is outside, there at heating lamps, a major plus in the evenings. This spot has food and drinks, not inexpensive but also not pricy, I was shocked to see frose on the menu, so I had to order it, and it was worthwhile. Lastly, we went to Tortilla Jo’s, a Mexican restaurant, the portions are large and they have multiple flavors of margaritas.
    Whereas, with the theme park food I was interested in were the Mickey Mouse shaped food. If there’s one thing to know about me, it’s that I love love love cutesy food. If i had more time, I likely would of only ate these adorable Mickey shaped foods. I ended up getting a soft pretzel that’s shaped like Mickey shaped from Bayside Brews (X at California Adventure) and Mickey beignets from Mint Julep Bar (New Orleans Square at Disneyland). Sadly, I missed out on the Mickey macaron from Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe (Main Street at Disneyland). Other Mickey shaped food includes: ice cream bars, ice cream sandwiches, macarons, pancakes, waffles, cookies, cupcakes, rice krispie treats, lollipops, caramel apples, cake pops, bread and others that I have yet to identify! Also, if you’re a Starbucks fan, if you buy a drink in the park, it’s in a special Disney Starbucks cup; whereas Downtown Disney only has regular Starbucks cups.
  • DRINKS:
    If you’re looking to indulge in some alcohol in the park, you’ll have to save that for time spent in California Adventure, since Disneyland itself doesn’t serve alcohol. Also, you are able to walk around California Adventure with alcohol (that you purchased from the park), however you can not take it over to Disneyland or into Downtown Disney.
    – The Cove Bar (upstairs of Ariel’s Grotto; Pacific Wharf in California Adventure) – Sadly this spot was closed when I visited. However, my friends who have been another time were raving about this spot. It is THE spot for pretty tasty drinks and a pretty view of the park. Also, it’s a good spot to watch the light show, I’d aim to plan ahead if you want reserve a nice spot to view the show.
    – Cozy Cone Hotel (Car Land in California Adventure) – We got their vodka pomegranate limade, this drink was amazing, however I couldn’t really taste the alcohol, either they are master baristas or it didn’t have much vodka.
    this drink was delicious, I couldn’t taste the alcohol.. it seems like a low amount.
    – Bayside Brews (X at California Adventure) – As the name suggests, they have beer offerings and we ended up getting the pomegranate margaritas (which was a new special), this was a pretty strong drink. This spot doesn’t have any seating, so more of a grab and go type space.
    – Trader Dam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar (Disneyland Hotel) – This spot is cute, it’s setup with an indoor and outside space, I prefer the outside space. They had live music while we were there that resembled Hawaiian/Island music. Some of the drinks can be purchased with a collector’s cup. I can say with certainty, the Angolada was the strongest drink of my life, the server did try to warn me, but man, it was so strong and not to my liking. However, my friends enjoyed their concoctions!

    

• WHAT TO BUY/COLLECT:

  While the Disney website has a lot of options to choose from, not everything from the park is available to purchase online. The items I gravitated towards were the mouse ear headband, the hats, the sweatshirts, the t-shirt, art prints and the pins. Before this trip, I didn’t realize how many pins there are to choose from and that pin collection was such a prominent thing to do. There are so many cool mystery pin packs, if you’re into getting more of a surprise. Also, I want to mention some of the mystery pin packs are pricy, with some costing $28 for 5 pins. Here’s a list of all of the coins available. As for stores in the park, Off the Page offers a nice variety of art for sale. Elias & Co. had a lot to choose from, it’s quite a big store.

  I wanted to mention some of the other items to considering collecting. Check out Antoinette’s Parfumerie (in New Orleans Square) for personalized perfume bottles. Near Pieces of Eight (in New Orleans Square), specifically a hallway where the  Fortune Red is, you can get a fortune; and on Main Street, find Esmerelda and you can get your fortune told. From the South Sea Traders (in Adventureland), you can get a prescription from Shrunken Ned. At the Chamber of Commerce, you can get a copy of The Buena Vista Bugle, for free. Check this post for where I found most of these!

  • My Top Disney Picks:
    • Coins from Pressed Coin Machines – These machines are scattered through the park, most are found near the entrance of the store, near the door. I would advise utilizing the app to find the specific locations. Each machine has different pressed coin options, some take pennies, quarters, dimes and nickels. It cost .51 – $1, depending on the coin required.
    • Disney Silhouettes (Main Street in Disneyland) – this is under $10 and you get an art portrait in silhouette form, how cool!
    • Minnie Mouse Timeless Ear Headband
    • Minnie Mouse Ear Headband – Plush – I bought these ears at the park, they are really popular; so if you don’t like seeing someone else wearing the same ears, maybe consider a different pair
    • Sorcerer Mickey Mouse Ear Headband
    • Star Wars Light-Up Mouse Ears Headband
    • Mickey Mouse Heart Gloves Dad Cap
    • Mickey Mouse Ice Cream Baseball Cap – I thought this hat was too cute, so I bought it!
    • Disney “Tsum Tsum” Mystery Pin Pack
    • Star Wars “Tsum Tsum” Series 3 Mystery Pin Pack – there are 2 other packs in this series
    • “World of Pixar” Deluxe Print – there’s a postcard version available in Downtown Disney at WonderGround Gallery {no longer available online}
      

      

       

• HOW TO USE THE APP:

  – Disneyland App (available for iOS & Android products)
  The app is setup like a map of the parks, hotels and Downtown Disney (DTD), so it provides information and the location of the attractions, characters, dining, shops, restrooms, photopass, entertainment, events, tours, guest services, hotels, recreation and spa. Additionally, the attractions part of the app provides wait times, hours of operation, what type of attraction/ride it is and a little blurb about it. With the dining part, you can make reservations through the app. The characters part provides potential when and where the characters will be at the park; this is helpful if you are trying to get a photo or autograph with or of a certain character. However, I found it wasn’t always accurate, I had better luck using the app when I was trying to catch characters in California Adventure, than in Disneyland.  PhotoPass provides a map of the photographers stationed around the park and if you have a photo taken, you can scan the barcode into the app and it will display the picture, which you can purchase then or later on, the photo expires within ~6 weeks.

  

• TIPS & ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

  • There is free wifi available in the park, however it is somewhat spotty.
  • If you want to get through the security line faster, bring a smaller bag or a bag without multiple compartments. If you bring in a backpack with multiple compartments, then the security person will need to check within each zipped compartment, same goes for large wallets.
  • If you want a photo with the Disney balloons (the huge bundle) you can ask the balloon attendant if you can take a picture and they will simply hold the end and let you pose with the balloons
  • If it’s your birthday or someone in your group’s, you can get free Disney pins for the birthday person and the rest of the group, simply go into a store and tell them it’s your birthday and if they had any pins available.
  • You can make restaurant reservations 60 days in advance, this can come in handy for popular spots.
  • If you’re looking for unique Disney offerings, especially ears (search “mickey ears”), check out Etsy.
  • Hopper Pass:
    • The Hopper Pass allows you to visit all parks within the same day.
    • This is an add-on feature, which will cost extra.
    • It’s possible to enjoy the park without the Hooper Pass, since Disneyland is only 2 parks, it’s very manageable to do them on separate days. However, I prefer splurging and having the option of going to both within the same day, especially shopping wise.
  • Ticket Prices:
    • There are different types of tickets available for purchase.
    • Value tickets are available during off-peak days, usually in middle of the week.
    • One Day:
      • Value 1-Day Park Hopper: Children $141.00, Adults $147.00
      • Value 1-Day 1-Park: Children $91.00, Adults $97.00
      • Regular 1 -Day Park Hopper: Children $160.00, Adults $167.00
      • Regular 1-Day 1-Park: Children $110.00, Adults $117.00
      • Peak 1-Day Park Hopper: Children $177.00, Adults $185.00
      • Peak 1-Day 1-Park: Children $127.00, Adults $135.00
    • Two Days:
      • 2-Day Park Hopper: Children $248.00, Adults $260.00
      • 2-Day, 1-Park Per Day: Children $198.00, Adults $210.00 
        
    • Three Days:
      • If you buy tickets 3 days or more, you get Extra Magic Hours, in the form of Magic Morning, which means you would be allowed into the park before the general public.
      • 3-Day Park Hopper: Children $314.00, Adults $330.00
      • 3-Day, 1-Park Per Day: Children $264.00, Adults $280.00
    • Four Days:
      • 4-Day Park Hopper: Children $337.00, Adults $355.00
      • 4-Day, 1-Park Per Day: Children $287.00, Adults $305.00
    • Five Days:
      • 5-Day Park Hopper: Children $351.00, Adults $370.00
      • 5-Day, 1-Park Per Day: Children $301.00, Adults $320.00
  •  Tips For the Fastpass/MaxPass System:
    • Fastpasses are an optional item to purchase, allowing you to use a separate line for rides and cutting down your wait time.
    • MaxPass is the new system, which is all digital and can be used with the Disneyland App, whereas the previous system used paper tickets.
    • MaxPass costs $10 per day. This is the price per person, as well.
    • Download the Disneyland App, you can link your park tickets to the app and scan barcode on the fastpass kiosk machines to enter the ride. There is always an attendant present if you’re having trouble. According to my friends, who had used the old paper system, this new MaxPass system was much preferred and practically seamless.
    • The MaxPass gives the option to pick a ride to use the fastpass on, which it then gives you a window of when you can go on the ride and a timeframe for when you can ‘book’ your next fastpass, this can be anywhere from 45 minutes – 2 hours. Depending on the time of day you’re trying to get the fastpass, sometimes the time to get on a ride and get another fastpass may be a short duration, especially earlier in the morning. For example, if you choose a fastpass for Splash Mountain at 10am, it has a return timeframe of 11am-12pm, you can then get a new fastpass at 11am for your next ride.
    • Personally, I think the MaxPass is worth getting, it cut out the long queues, especially for the popular rides, that sometimes had 2+ hours waits, so being about to use the fastpasses allowed us to go onto these rides more than once and not have to stand in line all that time!
    • If you use to the old system, this blogpost maybe a helpful read.