Hello and jolly good day to you, Christopher. I love planning a Disney trip (especially
during the holidays) and I'm happy to help as you plan yours.
It sounds like you're thinking about booking a
Disneyland Vacation Package which includes both your hotel stay and theme park tickets. Great choice! While the vacation package includes your theme park tickets, you will still need to make
theme park reservations for entry into both Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park. Theme park reservations can be made up to 120 days prior to your arrival. The holidays are a popular time to visit the Disneyland Resort so I recommend making your theme park reservations as soon as you are able to. I find it helpful to put a reminder on my calendar to do this - like Dory, I have a tendency to be a little forgetful.
Once you book your vacation package, you can add your confirmation number to your Disney account by clicking on "My Hotel Reservations" found under the heading "My Disneyland" towards the top right of the Disneyland site. Your tickets will arrive via email four days prior to your arrival, however linking your reservation to your account will allow you to make theme park reservations once your window to book opens.
There are so many wonderful things about staying at a
Disneyland Resort Hotel. You are staying in the magic and will also have the benefit of
early park entry and will be able to enter the theme park 30 minutes before the general park opening. This is a great time to tackle some of the attractions with long lines that don't offer Lightning Lane access - a couple of my favorites are Peter Pan's Flight and Alice in Wonderland. Fun fact:
Alice in Wonderland is unique to the Disneyland Resort and cannot be found in any other Disney Park.
I'm so excited about your planned visit during the magical merry season. It's one of my favorite times of the year at the Disneyland Resort with all of the festive holiday decorations, holiday-themed attractions and my favorite, the festive seasonal eats. Please add the Mickey Mouse Gingerbread to your list of must-try snacks during your visit. I promise you won't regret it. I also recommend keeping an eye on the
Disney Parks Blog as we get closer as they usually publish the Disney Eats Foodie Guide where you can learn about all of the delicious seasonal treats.
I hope this has been helpful, Christopher. If you think of any other questions as you continue to plan, please come back to visit us -
even write me directly. It's going to be so magical to wake up and spend your days at the Happiest (Merriest) Place on Earth during the Christmas season. Thanks again for stopping by.
Cheerio!
Michelle