Hiya, Alan!
That sounds like a great plan. Being close to the
Downtown Disney District will put you in the heart of the magic at the Disneyland Resort. So let’s talk about parking options!
When you
purchase theme park parking, you get a voucher that is good at any of the three
Disneyland Resort theme park parking areas: the Toy Story Parking Area, the Mickey & Friends Parking Structure, or the newest addition, the
Pixar Pals Parking Structure. All three options provide close and convenient access to the Disneyland Resort theme parks. But the closest walking distance to the Downtown Disney District will be the Pixar Pals Parking Structure. Both Pixar Pals and Mickey & Friends Parking Structures share the same tram service to the theme parks. The trams take Guests to the east end of the Downtown Disney District, near the
World of Disney store. The Toy Story Parking Area provides shuttle buses that drop off Guests on the eastern side of the Disneyland Resort. This will be on the eastern side of the esplanade between the two theme parks, or opposite of the esplanade from the parking structures tram drop-off location.
Tony’s Tip: Since several of the stores in the Downtown Disney District don’t open until later in the morning, I like to wait until later in the day to do my shopping there. If you are going to enjoy a full day at the theme parks, starting at park opening, I would recommend parking at either Pixar Pals or Mickey & Friends and taking the tram to the theme parks. If you’d like to cap off your day with shopping, you could walk back toward the parking structures through the Downtown Disney District. Be sure to check the open hours of the stores in the
Disneyland mobile app. Many are open as late as the theme parks and some are open even later.
I hope you have a magical time at the Disneyland Resort, Alan!
~Tony