There are 2 parks at the Disneyland resort: Disneyland park and Disney’s California Adventure. There’s also Downtown Disney- which has many shops and restaurants.
When deciding how long to stay, you need to think about how long you want to spend at each park and also factor in time to eat and shop.
Disneyland Resort Extra Morning Hours are different. They are called Magic Mornings, which are 4 days a week for resort guests and those with 3-day or longer Parkhopper tickets. Each 3-day ticket or longer has 1 Magic Morning day, which you can use either on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday or Sunday. This is why I usually recommend at least 3 days- which gives a full day at each park plus one more to do anything that you may want to do over again or have a slower day- Character breakfast and shopping time AND you’ll have one day to get in an hour earlier than the listed opening time.
Disney ticket price per day goes down with the more days that you stay. A 1 day-1 park ticket is currently $76 for adults, but stay 3 days and the parkhopper ticket is $56 per day. Southern California residents also get better deals/prices. Disneyland park is one that takes more than a day to see, especially if you are in a peak time of year.
Most of our stays, we tend to do a 4-day parkhopper. We get to relax more and take breaks in the afternoons and then come back again in the evening for the shows and when the day has cooled down. The afternoons also pick up with lots of local kids and families coming after school gets out. We’ll go hang out at the resort pool or let kids nap (sometimes parents too) so we are refreshed for a late night or early morning the next day. We’ve even traveled with other families and we’ll watch each other’s kids so the parents can go off and do the big kid rides while the kids play or get much-needed naps.
If you think you’ll be back within a year, you might consider upgrading to an annual pass, which would cost the difference between the Annual Pass price ($459 for Premium, $329 for Deluxe- some blockout days) and the cost of your ticket. The pass would end a year from the first day the ticket was used. You’d also get Annual pass benefits- including room and dining discounts on your next stay.
Linds is a Disney fanatic which started from a young age with her first Disneyland trip at 4 years old- now married and has 4 boys, she enjoys going even more! Linds blogs at Enchanting Deals about the latest Disney specials and park, dining and resort guest tips. She loves being a Disney deal expert- to help families get to Disney and save money! Also can find her on Twitter or Facebook.
Disneyland is the Happiest Place On Earth. Be sure to learn how to make the most of your trip by reading the Disneyland Training series. You can also browse all the articles I have posted in an easy to use outline. And if you are ready to book your trip, be sure to read about the perks of using an authorized Disney vacation planner (plus it’s FREE!).
I have saved so much money from your coupon tips that our Oct.2012 trip will be two weeks long!!!!! BOOM! Thanks for showing me how to earn the trip of a lifetime!!!!
With younger kids, if you can afford it, take a longer trip. 6 days or so. That way you can go at a slower pace and really enjoy the parks!
I am a fan of doing a Disneyland vacation, but definitely taking some time off to do things like swimming, visiting the beach, or even a shopping day. If I do nothing but Disneyland all day everyday I come home from vacation more tired than when I left. But I love it either way!
My husband and I have made two recent trips to Disneyland with our small children. Both times we went with friends who also had small kids. We found that the 6 day pass was a great option for us, because it’s hard to hit the parks at break-neck speed when you are hauling around strollers and taking turns on the rides so some can watch the kids. We never took breaks from the park and were there mostly from open to closing. However, we also chose to go when the hours are reduced and there are less people there.
Does anybody know if you are buying a southern california annual passport what documentation you have to provide when you go and get your passport processed?
I believe it is two forms of ID with an address showing a SoCal zip code. I think if you live anywhere south of the Grapevine you qualify for the discount.
Thanks for the DL info, as much as I would love to get to DW, living on the West Coast with 5 kiddos means it’s not in the near future. Thank goodness we have DL! :)
I use to spend my summers in southern california and we loved california adventure! So much fun!