Hi there, Jennifer!
Thank you for stopping by planDisney. I am glad you sent your question to us! With a little planning and a dash of pixie dust, you and your kids will have a magical trip to Disneyland Resort! There are two theme parks at Disneyland Resort - Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park. One of your first decisions will be to choose between Park Hopper Theme Park Tickets or One Park Per Day Theme Park Tickets. Park Hopper Tickets allow you to "hop" between both theme parks starting at 11:00 a.m. each day (subject to availability). I prefer Park Hopper Tickets, but some of my friends like sticking with one park per day to save a little money (which can be used to buy more churros!). Guests need both theme park tickets and
park reservations to enter a theme park each day.
Theme Park Tickets can be
purchased individually or as part of a Vacation Package, which might be the easiest and most cost-effective way to plan your visit to Disneyland Resort. They include your hotel stay, theme park tickets, and more. You can check prices, make reservations, and submit payments on the
Disneyland Resort website. At the top of the homepage, select "Log In or Create Account". There is no charge to create a MyDisney account.
You can then use the "Build Your Vacation" tool at the top of the homepage. Enter your dates, the number of Guests, and choose "All Hotels". You will be taken to a page that shows the current lowest cost for each of the three Disneyland Resort hotels for your selected dates. In addition, you will be given the option to "Browse Good Neighbor Hotels". Good Neighbor Hotels are Disney-approved hotels close to Disneyland Resort. After selecting your hotel room, you can choose theme park tickets and other options, such as
Lightning Lane Multi Pass (which lets you skip the standby lines on many attractions). A deposit will be needed to finalize your reservation, and subsequent payments can be made on the website under "View Existing Reservations." Full payments are due 30 days before arrival. You can also call the
Disneyland Resort Vacation Packages Line if you would like assistance with booking a Vacation Package.
I recommend looking at the
different hotels to see which one most appeals to your family. There are many factors to consider, including theming, dining, pools, proximity to parks, and cost. I love all three Disneyland Resort hotels! The Craftsman-style decor and special entrance into Disney California Adventure Park make
Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa a dream. It is also the closest hotel to the theme parks and typically has the highest cost. I love the Monorail waterslides and nostalgic theming at
Disneyland Hotel, and the fun Pixar details and pool area at
Pixar Place Hotel. My family alternates between staying at a Disneyland Resort hotel and a Good Neighbor Hotel, especially if we do not think we will be in the room very often.
Jennifer (great name, by the way!), I hope this information was helpful. Do not hesitate to
reach out to me if you have other questions!
Magic Happens!
Jen