Who needs a beginner's guide to Disneyland with kids? If you have googled Disneyland I'm sure you have got thousands of results talking about things like FastPasses, Genie+, Magic Hour and numerous other things. All these that make no sense if you have never been to Disneyland before. Or maybe you've been to Disneyland but never done Disneyland with kids. It's a whole new ball game! Sometimes I feel like Disney is an exclusive club that has so many things going on, and it can be hard for someone that isn't completely obsessed with Disney to even begin to understand. So, as someone that isn't a certified 'Disney Adult' I'm sharing the basics with you.
We've done Disneyland twice with kids. Once, in 2017 with a five year old and two teenagers, and more recently, in January 2023, with extended family. This included a 5 year old, a 9 year old and and 11 year old, as well as my other two, who are now in their 20's. So I thought I'd take you through what I learnt and I've updated this post to reflect everything new. I've also included some useful links.
Contents
The beginner's guide to Disneyland with kids- The Parks
Disneyland
At Disneyland Anaheim, there are two different parks- side by side. There is Disneyland and California Adventure Park. Disneyland is the traditional park that is divided more into themed worlds rather than specific movies. There is Frontierland, Fantasyland, Critter County, Mickey's Toontown, Tomorrowland, Main Street USA, New Orleans Square, and Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge.
Disneyland is home to all the princesses except Anna and Elsa, as well as Mickey, Donald and the gang. You will also find Aladdin, Gaston, Flynn Ryder and loads of other characters!
California Adventure Park
California Adventure Park was built on the old Disneyland carpark site in 2001 and is the park that houses all the new Disney movie themes such as Pixar films, Frozen, The Little Mermaid etc. It's great for little kids with a Cars themed world, as well as Inside Out, The Incredibles, Toy Story and others. Paradise Pier has been updated since our first visit and is now Pixar Pier.
Both parks are great for all ages- my teenagers went off on their own and did all the big rides like Guardians of the Galaxy, Space Mountain, the Haunted Mansion and so on.
Beginner's guide to Disneyland with kids- The Tickets
If you want to visit both parks make sure you select the right tickets. It's up to you how many days you stay, but make sure you select an option to visit both parks on your ticket. We bought two-day passes the first trip, which gave us one day at each park (or two days at one park) but you can't switch between parks on the same day. the Park Hopper passes gives you the opportunity to move between parks on the same day. However, with small children, it takes long enough to get anywhere so you probably wouldn't be switching on the same day! On the second trip we got three day park hopper passes.
Three-day pass holders and above have access to Magic Morning at Disneyland, but Magic Morning at California Adventure Park is available only to hotel guests.
You can buy your tickets online from Disneyland or you can search for a discount or deal on millions of discount sites on the web! Klook has great deals and MouseSavers is probably the most comprehensive website for discount tickets and other useful information.
The first time we went I booked everything through Disneyland directly, including accommodation and character breakfasts, as I found it a lot easier just to have everything booked in the same place for peace of mind. You can then also make changes to your booking and they are so helpful on the phone. I felt like this service was worth not getting a small discount, especially coming from overseas and having several questions they answered happily.
The second time we weren't staying at a Disney hotel so I booked our park tickets through Klook. They had 20% off. If you're planning a trip definitely keep your eye out for their sales, they have some great ones.
Genie+
FastPasses were one of the most confusing things about Disneyland for me as a novice. They are available for rides that have massive lines, like Space Mountain or Radiator Springs Racers. Basically, the idea is that you scan your entry ticket and get a pass with a one hour window of time on it that you come back to the ride. Then you skip the lines in the FastPass queue.
This how now been replaced by Genie+, which combines the previous FastPass system with the PhotoPass as well. It costs USD$25 per person per day and it gives you access to the Genie+ Lightning Lane. This was previously known as the FastPass lane.
You can book your Genie+ Lightning Lanes through the Disneyland App, which is a must have. You can only book your next one once you've completed your current one.
With Genie+ you can also get access to any photos taken by the official Disneyland photographers.
There are some popular rides that do not have Genie+ and you have to purchase a Lightening Lane ticket separately (for around USD$22pp). These include Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, Minnie and Mickey's Runaway Railway and Radiator Springs Racers.
Rides you'll want to use your Genie+ for
Rides with Lightning Lanes
Autopia
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters
Haunted Mansion
Indiana Jones Adventure
Matterhorn
Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin
Space Mountain
Splash Mountain
Star Tours
California Adventure Genie+
Goofy’s Sky School
Grizzly River Run
Soarin’ Around the World
Incredicoaster
Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT!
Toy Story Midway Mania
California Screamin’
Monsters Inc. Mike and Sully to the Rescue
Webslingers: A Spiderman Adventure
Beginner's guide to Disneyland with kids -Disneyland Accommodation
There are three official hotels at Disneyland:
Paradise Pier
Paradise Pier Hotel is the most affordable hotel, with a 50's beachside vibe and a view of Paradise Pier at California Adventure Park (in some rooms). This is where we stayed and we loved it! The room accommodated all five of us comfortably and there were lots of cute Disney touches. It is around a 5-minute walk to downtown Disney from the hotel. There is one restaurant- the PCH Grill, that hosts the Mickey and Friends character dining experience. Thre is also a gift shop for extra merchandise.
Disneyland Hotel
Disneyland Hotel is right at Downtown Disney (the shopping precinct that leads into the Disneyland and has been recently refurbished. It's about a 5-minute walk to the monorail into Disneyland and is the midpriced Disney accommodation. It has several dining experiences including character dining with Goofy at Goofy's kitchen. It has two pools, waterslides and cabanas you can reserve by the pool.
The Grand Californian Hotel and Spa
The Grand Californian Hotel and Spa is the premium hotel at Disney. It has a monorail stop as part of the hotel and has three swimming pools and a day spa. It has four restaurants and is the home of the Storyteller Cafe where you can have a character dining experience with Chip n Dale.
If you don't want to pay the money to stay on site there are numerous places to stay that are so close to Disneyland it's almost like staying there. There is everything from high-end hotels to cheap motels so there is something to suit all budgets.
Why should you stay in a Disney Hotel?
Three words- Full Disney Immersion! However, as well as this there are a few benefits to staying onsite in a Disney hotel. These include:
Magic Morning- this is the opportunity to enter the parks an hour before they open to the public. This gives you the chance to line up for the popular rides and attractions and get your FastPasses.
Character meet and greets- We had Mickey, Minnie and Donald pop into the foyer at the hotel for a meet and great. It means you don't have to seek them out in the park and there are no queues.
Location- Disney hotels are as close as you can get to the parks. No shuttle buses are involved and if you are travelling with small kids it's great to be able to return to your hotel with no fuss.
Hands-free shopping- If you are staying at a Disney hotel you can send your purchases back to your hotel room. Just ask for the merchandise delivery service when you do your shopping. This is great if you plan to do a lot of shopping.
Disney Good Neighbour Hotels
If you are on a budget and want to spend your money at Disneyland, rather than the accommodation, then look for a Good Neighbour Hotel. These are Disney approved hotels close to the park but at a much lower cost. They still have some Disney theming, and some have stores selling Disney merch in the hotel.
On our second trip we stayed at Howard Johnsons, which was a 10 minute walk from the parks and Downtown Disney, and to be honest, we loved it! I thought it was better value than when we stayed at Paradise Pier. It was around $300 AUD a night and the rooms were huge. There was a water park, a shop, close to food and it had everything we needed. It was also closer to the park than Paradise pier I think, because it was at the same end of Downtown Disney as the parks, where as Paradise Pier was at the other end. You don't get the perks but if that doesn't bother you then I really recommend a Good Neighbour hotel.
Beginner's guide to Disneyland with kids- Character Dining
If you are booking your tickets through Disneyland's official website you can book character dining at the same time. Then, once you have paid for it you need to book the actual experience here. You don't automatically have the time booked just because you paid for it. You can also book other dining options within the park here as well. Character dining bookings are offered 60 days in advance. Full the full list of character dining experiences check here.
Beginner's guide to Disneyland with kids tip 1- The best time to visit Disneyland
The weather in California is lovely all year round. Just remember that June-August is summer so it can get really hot! We went in late June and it was hot enough. It also gets very busy around school holidays and festive holidays such as Halloween and Christmas. So when you plan your trip, take that into account.
Beginner's guide to Disneyland with kids tip 2- How long to stay at Disneyland with kids
How long is a piece of string? It's up to you, your family and your budget. We just did 2 days and two nights. We saw both parks but we didn't do everything. If you want the full Disney experience you could easily stay the week.
Beginner's guide to Disneyland with kids tip 3 - take a pram to Disneyland
If you have young children then this is an essential. We walked an average of 15km a day at Disneyland. Tully was five and we definitely used it a lot. We just took our Baby Zen Yoyo as it's so easy to carry. You can hire prams but the downside is you have to leave them in the park so you can't push it to your hotel. There is plenty of pram parking around the parks so they are no problem to have.
I don't want to drown you in information as this is meant to be a beginner's guide to Disneyland with kids. There is so much information out there by people who are passionate Disney aficionados that can tell you every little thing about Disney. I know that when I was researching our trip there was so much information out there, in so much detail, that I was quite overwhelmed. So hopefully this beginner's guide to Disneyland with kids helps you start planning and to understand the in-depth articles you are about to delve into next!
Good luck and have an amazing trip! Let me know if you have any questions. And if you’re buying any Disney tickets use my code on Klook to get 10% off (up to $50). Because every cent counts lol. My code is STUFFMUMSLIKEKLOOK.
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