Hi Tash,
Welcome back to planDisney, and thanks for trusting us with your vacation planning questions! Your spook-tacular vacation to the Disneyland Resort will be here before you know it! You're coming at a great time—
Halloween Time kicks off on August 22, so by the time you arrive in September, the parks will be in full swing! Be sure to try the seasonal snacks and beverages.
Plaza de la Familia will also be taking place at Disney California Adventure—it's a beautiful way to see the spirit of Día de los Muertos come to life (wink!).
Since you're staying at the Disneyland Hotel, you'll be able to take advantage of
Early Entry, which allows you to enter the park at 7:30 AM, half an hour before regular opening at 8:00 AM. This gives you a head start on popular attractions. Early Entry is available at Disneyland Park on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, and at Disney California Adventure Park on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. A lot of Guests use this time to enjoy shorter waits for favorites like
Radiator Springs Racers or
Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT!
Another great perk of staying at a Disneyland Resort Hotel is access to a special entrance to Disney California Adventure through the Grand Californian. While
renovations are underway at the usual Grand Californian entrance, this temporary entrance—previously reserved for Pixar Place Hotel Guests—has been extended to all Resort Hotel Guests.
To get there:
1) Exit your hotel and walk down Downtown Disney Drive.
2) Turn onto Paradise Way.
3) Cross Disneyland Drive toward the Grand Californian.
4) Look for a gate on the right marked as an entrance to California Adventure.
5) Scan your hotel key to open the gate, go through security, and you’ll enter directly into the Paradise Gardens area.
Tash, I also noticed your trip is close to one of the dates for
Oogie Boogie Bash! If you haven’t already considered it, it’s an awesome event to add onto your visit. I love seeing rare characters like Ernesto de la Cruz, Sid, and Hades, along with Minnie, Daisy, and Clarabelle dressed as the Sanderson Sisters—they're such a hit! Hopefully we’ll get a confirmed date soon for when tickets go on sale. The
Disney Parks Blog always has the latest news on anything happening at Disney Parks and more. Be sure to follow
@DisneyParksBlog on Instagram to stay up to date on all the Halloween news!
I hope this info was helpful, Tash. If you have any other questions, need more help, or want more tips, feel free to write back to me or any of my fellow panelists—we’d be thrilled to help.
Happy planning!
–Melinda