Disneyland Resort
Read our weekly Disneyland Park Update for current news about the Disneyland Resort.
Disneyland Resort is the home of the original Disney theme park, and 50 years later it remains as popular as ever. For many reasons Disneyland has historically had a different atmosphere than Walt Disney World where the company's control over the surroundings is almost absolute. With the expansion of the resort area in 2001 to include Disney's California Adventure, Downtown Disney, and a new world class hotel (the Grand Californian), the Disneyland Resort took a major step toward creating an experience more like Walt Disney World.
And yet, unlike Walt Disney World, it is possible to save a lot of money by staying at off-property hotels and resorts and actually not be any farther away from the parks than the people staying at the nice Disney resorts.
The Disneyland Resort is located in Anaheim, California, just off of the Interstate 5 freeway. If you are trying to get to the main parking at the Mickey & Friends parking structure, take the Disneyland Drive exit and follow the signs to the parking garage. You'll also want to use this exit if you're going to one of the three on-property hotels. One exit farther south is Harbor Boulevard, which provides access to other area hotels.
The Resort has several parking areas; traffic signs will direct you to the lots in use the day of your visit.
The
Mickey & Friends parking garage is one of the largest parking garages in the world and is the main parking area for the Resort. The structure offers surface-level parking for busses, tractor trailers and recreational vehicles. Access from here to the parks requires taking a tram or walking about three-quarters of a mile. Trams are stroller- and wheelchair-accessible, though a separate wheelchair-accessible van is occasionally used during busier periods.
The
Lion King parking sections are comprised of the
Timon Lot (now closed) behind Disney's California Adventure, the
Simba Lot behind the Paradise Pier Hotel and the
Pumbaa Lot off Disney Way across from Anaheim Garden Walk. The Timon Lot is now permanently closed due to construction of the new Cars Land behind DCA. The Simba and Pumbaa lots Access from the Simba Lot is by foot through Downtown Disney (about 1/2 mile); access from the Pumbaa lot is by foot across Harbor Blvd (about 1 mile). Shuttle bus service is occasionally offered from the Pumbaa lot; tram service from the Simba lot is expected to be restored in Summer 2010.
The
Toy Story lot opened in the Spring of 2010 near the corner of Harbor and Katella, behind an existing Cast Member lot. Shuttle bus service is offered from this lot.
Visitors may also be directed to park in the
Anaheim Garden Walk parking structure. This structure is directly across from the Pumbaa parking lot, about a 1-mile walk from the Disneyland Resort. When in use for Disneyland Resort parking, shuttle bus service is offered from this lot, and regular Disneyland Resort parking rates apply.
To avoid being parked in one of the "remote" or "overflow" lots, it's best to use the Disneyland Drive exit from the I-5 South, or follow the signs for the Disneyland Resort Hotels if you arrive from another direction.
All lots except for Downtown Disney have the same rates:
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$16 for cars
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$21 for recreation vehicles and tractors without trailers
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$26 for busses and tractor trailers
Disneyland Resort Annual Passholders with a parking pass can park for free in any of the Disneyland Resort pay lots, excluding Downtown Disney.
Self parking in the Downtown Disney lot is free for the first three hours and then costs $2 every 20 minutes up to a maximum daily charge of $30. An additional two free hours is available with validation from the AMC theater or any of the table-service restaurants in Downtown Disney. Valet parking is available during select evening and weekend hours for an additional $6.