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This 2023 Disneyland trip planning information covers what’s new & subsequent, when to go to to keep away from crowds, greatest eating places, lodges in Anaheim, money-saving ticket ideas, Halloween & Christmas within the parks, and extra. It’s an ideal useful resource for first-timers to Southern California or lifelong WDW followers. (Updated January 1, 2023.)
Lots is altering as Disneyland enters the brand new yr. Normally, the subsequent couple of months could be the low season, aside from vacation weekends and different dates right here and there. That gained’t be the case in Winter 2023, with the 100 Years of Wonder celebration in honor of the corporate’s a centesimal Anniversary kicking off on January 27, 2023 and bringing with it new nighttime spectaculars in each Disneyland and DCA, plus way more.
We are Magic Key Passholders who go to Disneyland and DCA commonly to refine this information (and our different Disneyland posts) to supply you the very best data. In addition to park visits, we do frequent resort stays, plenty of consuming, and testing of Genie+ and Lightning Lanes in addition to different technique for beating strains on the parks. If you wish to obtain updates when reductions are launched, new issues are introduced, and so forth., signal as much as obtain our free Disney e-mail e-newsletter.
Before we get to the nuts and bolts of Disneyland trip planning, let’s supply some fast background. Disneyland is “Walt Disney’s original magic kingdom.” It’s the fortress park that debuted in 1955 and paved the way in which for different such theme parks across the globe.
However, it’s the one park that Walt Disney himself set foot in and had an lively function within the growth of. Beyond its historic legacy that makes it a California establishment, Disneyland is extremely attraction-dense, with sufficient rides to fill two full days or extra (if you happen to’re so inclined).
Directly throughout from Disneyland is Disney California Adventure (DCA), the second gate of Disneyland Resort. DCA is ostensibly impressed by the Golden State, however is extra only a catch-all park with some points of interest having a imprecise California connection and others being pushed by Marvel, Pixar, and different Disney franchises.
In addition to the Disneyland and Disney California Adventure theme parks, Disneyland Resort is residence to Downtown Disney and three official lodges. Downtown Disney is a procuring, eating and leisure district simply exterior the 2 parks. The aforementioned resorts are Paradise Pier Hotel, Disneyland Hotel, and Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel–which is instantly related to DCA. The entirety of Disneyland Resort is walkable, with no transportation apart out of your ft wanted to get wherever inside the property.
Now let’s dig into planning, beginning with what’s new and subsequent at Disneyland Resort in 2023…
What’s New & Next at Disneyland
The largest change of the final year-plus is that paid Lightning Lane line-skipping changed free paper FastPass. Everything you could know, together with journey priorities, the place it’s NOT essential to purchase Genie+ or Lightning Lanes, and way more is roofed in our Guide to Genie+ and Lightning Lanes at Disneyland and DCA.
We’ve used Genie+ and Lightning Lanes a number of occasions, and canopy our experiences and technique there. If you’re a Walt Disney World common, the excellent news is that Genie+ is way simpler to make use of at Disneyland. It’s nonetheless not fairly nearly as good as MaxPass, however thanks to higher journey capability and the introduction of latest options, it’s a lot better.
In phrases of latest rides, the largest comparatively latest addition is Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and its two points of interest, Millennium Falcon Smugglers Run and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. The latter is Disneyland’s largest blockbuster addition since 1995, a contemporary masterpiece of Imagineering that’s immensely common and well-worth the multi-hour waits.
Over at Disney California Adventure, the newest growth is the Avengers Campus Marvel Land. This options one journey, one restaurant, meet & greets, and procuring. It’ll additionally showcases a Stuntronics Spider-Man, which is a sight to behold.
As famous above, 2023 will kick off with the Walt Disney Company’s a centesimal Anniversary, often called the 100 Years of Wonder Celebration at Disneyland Resort on January 27, 2023. On that date, two new nighttime spectaculars debut–World of Color: One at Disney California Adventure and the Wondrous Journeys fireworks at Disneyland. But that’s not all–Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway will open in Toontown! The land itself will formally reopen a bit over a month later, on March 8, 2023.
If you’re curious in regards to the specifics of different additions on the horizon, seek the advice of our What’s New & Next for Disneyland in 2023. This offers you an thought of when you may wish to go to if you happen to’re nonetheless selecting dates, looking for the very best time by way of particular occasions, new rides, and extra.
More is coming in 2023 and past, however these are the primary issues to know. Now, let’s get all the way down to enterprise: what you could plan a Disneyland trip…
When to Visit Disneyland
The single most necessary a part of planning a visit to Disneyland is figuring out when to go to. Our completely free 2023 Disneyland Crowd Calendars supply day-to-day guides as to when the parks will likely be least busy and busiest.
Our crowd calendars are influenced by quite a lot of elements, together with advertising, reductions, park hours, new attraction openings, particular occasions, Anaheim Convention Center occasions, and even climate (good or dangerous). We try to maintain our Disneyland crowd calendars up to date to replicate adjustments in attendance tendencies.
If you’re on the lookout for one thing easier, we even have the Best & Worst Months to Visit Disneyland checklist, which ranks each month of the yr. Even extra to the purpose, this covers our 3 favourite weeks of the yr to take a Disneyland journey. That’s extra qualitative, and thus extra helpful on this period of reservations and the parks hitting capability.
Our crowd calendars and month by month rating assets have been up to date to keep in mind altering attendance patterns introduced on by Magic Keys, make-up journey, discounted SoCal tickets, returning leisure, and extra. Crowds have already modified, and we are going to proceed to observe and replace accordingly sooner or later. Just be warned that crowd calendars are much less dependable proper now as a consequence of pent-up demand, capability limits, and the whole lot else.
As for seasonal occasions, now we have two favourite occasions of yr. Going in chronological order, we’d advocate contemplating Halloween–take a look at our Ultimate Guide to Disneyland at Halloween for help planning a visit throughout that particular time of yr. We’re already wanting ahead to the return of Oogie Boogie Bash – A Disney Halloween Party, which will likely be again for September and October 2023.
Before solidifying your journey dates, you’ll additionally wish to take a look at our 2023 Disneyland Refurbishment Calendar to verify any must-do points of interest gained’t be closed for renovations throughout your go to. Keep in thoughts that the longer term standing of many initiatives–together with refurbishments–is up within the air.
Beyond crowds, the largest consider selecting when to go to needs to be seasonal occasions. There are a variety of nice occasions of yr to go to Disneyland, however our favourite by a large margin is the vacation season at Disneyland.
Read our Ultimate Guide to Disneyland at Christmas to study extra about what makes this time of yr so particular–and see photographs of the parks in all of their Christmas glory!
Where to Stay
There are a ton of choices by way of the place to remain close to Disneyland: Good Neighbor Hotels, official Disney resorts, close by lodges inside driving distance, sprawling resorts in close by seaside cities, and extra.
For most trip planners, the choice comes down to picking amongst Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa (our favourite!), Disneyland Hotel, and Paradise Pier Hotel, or one of many cheaper lodges on Harbor Boulevard. We cowl the professionals and cons of every selection in our Where to Stay at Disneyland: Off-Site v. On-Site Hotels publish.
There’s additionally a brand new on-site perk for friends staying at any of the three official Hotels of Disneyland Resort. See our Guide to Early Entry at Disneyland for what you could learn about this pre-park opening entry to Disneyland and DCA.
If you’re on the lookout for one thing extra thorough, we’ve stayed at each on-site Disneyland resort and a lot of the Good Neighbor Disneyland lodges and different off-site lodges inside strolling distance of the Disneyland Esplanade.
All of those are coated in our Rankings & Reviews of the Best & Worst Hotels Near Disneyland. This publish ranks ~50 lodges close to Disneyland at which now we have stayed, together with room photographs, professionals & cons, and different helpful info. That additionally particulars find out how to rating deal on a resort that’s near Disneyland.
Park Tickets
Our Money-Saving Guide to Disneyland Tickets is a large useful resource with suggestions on what kind of Disneyland tickets you can purchase, together with what number of days, whether or not you need to get Park Hopper, and the place you should purchase Disneyland tickets to avoid wasting cash.
There are some nice gives proper now–we advocate bundling park tickets and your resort keep to save lots of much more, particularly with the third and 4th night time free specials at lodges close to Disneyland. These bundle offers can prevent some huge cash.
For the overwhelming majority of friends visiting Disneyland, we advocate the Park Hopper ticket choice. This means that you can bounce forwards and backwards between the 2 parks all through the day, which is straightforward to do on condition that their a couple of soccer discipline aside.
The sensible upsides of that is beginning on the park that opens first and ending your night time on the park open later (Disneyland is commonly open 2 hours later than Disney California Adventure). You can even eat within the park with the eating choices you like, seize a beer in DCA (there’s no alcohol in Disneyland exterior of Oga’s Cantina in Star Wars Land), and benefit from the nighttime spectaculars in each parks.
Disneyland Strategy & Itineraries
There are over 75 points of interest between Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. On a standard day, the typical visitor will solely expertise 10-11 of these. It would thus take you at the least 6 days to expertise the whole lot within the two theme parks, assuming you didn’t wish to re-ride something. Obviously, not many individuals are devoting over every week to their Disneyland trip.
As such, we’ve developed a number of step-by-step Disneyland touring plans, every of which can allow you to effectively expertise the parks, whereas additionally having fun with their leisurely choices and environment. More to the purpose, you’ll be capable of do 20+ rides per day–and skip those not value your time.
Here are our greatest and beneficial itineraries:
- Disneyland 1-Day Itinerary – Only have sooner or later to go to Disneyland? This is a step-by-step plan of assault for which points of interest you need to do, the place you need to eat, what to see, and extra. This covers all of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, together with Rise of the Resistance.
- Disneyland 2-Day Itinerary – Same thought, however unfold over two days. We advocate most friends allocate two full days to Disneyland.
- Disney California Adventure 1-Day Itinerary – Unlike Disneyland, DCA is simpler to completely expertise in a single day. This touring plan contains technique for beating the crowds at Radiator Springs Racers, Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout, Web Slingers Spider-Man Adventure, and extra!
We are presently engaged on further multi-day itineraries for journeys of 4+ days at Disneyland Resort. For now, if you happen to plan on spending extra time at DCA, seek the advice of our Disney California Adventure Ride Reviews & Guide. The article critiques each attraction at Disneyland, giving every a numerical rating out of 10, plus highlights key points of interest that we take into account the very best ones, which needs to be prioritized when you have restricted time.
Our Disneyland Ride Reviews & Guide does the identical factor for the fortress park, in case you wish to spend 3+ days there. (Which you completely might, particularly now that Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is open!)
Dining at Disneyland
Food is half the enjoyable at Disneyland. Both parks have nice eating places, iconic snacks, decadent desserts, and nice drinks. We usually go all-out when visiting the parks, doing breakfast at one of many lodges (or generally within the park), adopted by a mid-morning snack, counter service lunch, and desk service dinner.
The stereotype that each one Disney meals is unhealthy meals like burgers and sizzling canines is totally false. Disneyland has cheap distinctive eating choices in addition to costly tremendous eating. Good eating might help outline a visit! Read about which eating places are greatest & worst, and see meals photographs in our Disneyland Restaurant Reviews.
Beyond full meals, now we have a number of assets that may assist you to plan memorable meals at Disneyland. If you have got youngsters, we extremely advocate consulting our Disneyland Character Dining Guide, which covers the very best character buffets within the lodges and parks.
Looking for the very best fast meals? Our Top 10 Disneyland Counter Service Restaurants checklist ranks the very best meals within the fortress park, whereas our Top 10 Disney California Adventure Counter Service Restaurants checklist gives the identical for DCA.
Want to have enjoyable along with your meals at Disneyland? Our Top 10 Delicious Desserts at Disneyland covers scrumptious treats, together with some hidden gems, plus model new gadgets and recently-added eating places in Downtown Disney!
If you’re into consuming, we even have posts about a number of of our favourite lounges: Trader Sam’s, Lamplight Lounge, GCH Craftsman Bar, and Carthay Circle Restaurant. The final one is especially noteworthy as a result of–along with the lounge downstairs–the restaurant upstairs is the very best in-park restaurant in both park.
Transportation
Should you fly or drive to Disneyland? Rent a automotive or use public transportation? What about getting round Southern California? There are a ton of questions you might need, and our Guide to Disneyland Transportation covers the whole lot you could know, answering these questions for you based mostly on our first-hand experiences visiting Anaheim as vacationers and residing close by as locals.
If you’ve already selected flying to California however aren’t positive of the professionals & cons of every choice, take a look at our Guide to Airports Near Disneyland. That covers the strengths and weaknesses of the 5 airports in Southern California which might be comparatively handy to Disneyland.
In a nutshell, our robust suggestion could be flying into SNA (and even LGB) over LAX. Even if the flight is a bit more costly, it’s value it. Not solely is SNA nearer to Disneyland, however LAX has tons of chaos, development, and crowds.
We like LAX and its eclectic vitality, however it’s greater than a bit overwhelming for a first-timer. If you’ve by no means been to Southern California or a big metropolis like Los Angeles, it may be a bit a lot and begin your journey off on the improper foot. Meanwhile, SNA is laid again and quiet. If there have been an inventory rating the very best airports for napping, it will be close to the highest and LAX could be close to the underside.
In addition to this, SNA is way nearer to Disneyland than LAX, which makes it simpler to easily take an Uber or Lyft from the airport to wherever you’re staying close to Disneyland. In most circumstances, we’d advocate rideshare over renting a automotive on the airport, because the overwhelming majority of lodges close to Disneyland now cost for parking. So not solely will you be paying to hire the automotive, but additionally to park it.
The overwhelming majority of lodges close to Disneyland are inside strolling distance, so that you gained’t want a automobile in the course of the theme park portion of your journey to Southern California. If you’re staying at one of many lodges we advocate in Anaheim, it’s actually counterproductive to drive to Disneyland because the parking buildings are all farther away than a lot of the close by lodges.
If you’re venturing past Disneyland to one of many locations mentioned beneath–and we strongly advocate that you just do–whereas visiting Southern California, our recommendation could be to e-book a rental automotive in Anaheim. There are quite a few rental automotive firms inside strolling distance of Disneyland, and most supply one-way leases to the close by airports. Walk over to a type of in your checkout morning, choose up your rental automotive, and proceed your California journey!
We do not advocate counting on rideshare if you happen to’re heading to Los Angeles. However, if you happen to’re doing Laguna Beach or one other coastal neighborhood, a rental automotive is probably not wanted in any respect. Many coastal cities have free trolley service that’s incredible. Simply take an Uber or Lyft from Disneyland to wherever you’re staying within the seaside cities.
Southern California BEYOND Disneyland
If you wish to enterprise past theme parks, you’re in luck. Southern California is without doubt one of the greatest locations on this planet to go to! Thanks to Los Angeles, San Diego, and the seaside cities in between, there’s a ton to do within the space.
In addition to this website, now we have non-Disney weblog: TravelCaffeine with assets for on an eclectic mixture of the locations the place we’ve lived or visited extensively. California is one such emphasis, as we’ve spent a ton of time exploring our residence state. If you’re planning on heading to LA after Disneyland, make sure to take a look at our Ultimate Guide to Los Angeles.
While LA is without doubt one of the best cities on this planet, we’re significantly a fan of Laguna Beach. It’s residence to the very best stretch of coast in California, has small-town appeal and character, and tons of issues to do. To that time, see our Ultimate Guide to Laguna Beach, California for intensive recommendation. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the thought of visiting Los Angeles, then Laguna Beach is for you!
In addition to those planning assets, we additionally give away a free eBook, 101 Things to Do in Southern California over on TravelCaffeine, so make sure to obtain that completely free useful resource!
If you’re considering of visiting different theme parks in Southern California, we even have guides to these…
Universal Studios Hollywood Trip Planning Guide – In only a few years, USH has remodeled and improved dramatically. The opening of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter was the ‘big’ factor, however many different additions have made this an ideal park. Our favourite new attraction is Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash, a brand new family-friendly darkish journey. (Read our overview of it in Universal’s New Dark Ride Rivals Disney’s Best!) Next up in early 2023 is Super Nintendo World.
The Studio Tour is our favourite attraction, which is a 45-minute plus tram tour by means of the working backlot of Universal’s studio. If you might be solely on this Studio Tour, you may broaden your potential choices past simply USH, and in addition take into account the Warner Brothers Studio Tour and Sony Pictures Studio Tour as options.
Guide to Knott’s Berry Farm – An Orange County establishment that proudly proclaims itself as “America’s 1st Theme Park.” Really, Knott’s is a story of two theme parks. It has fashionable curler coasters and different fare for thrill-seekers. Thematically, this leaves lots to be desired.
Then there are the quainter areas, harking back to Frontierland at Disneyland. We love these areas–and the park’s annual Boysenberry Festival. All issues thought of, we love each Knott’s Berry Farm and Universal Studios Hollywood, and along with Disneyland Resort, these 4 gates make for an ideal theme park trip in Southern California!
Other Disneyland Planning Resources
Now that we’ve coated the necessities to make sure you have an ideal journey to Disneyland, now we have a bunch of different assets that can information you thru the planning course of to make your go to to Disneyland extra pleasurable, serving to you save money and time. Armed with all of this information, you should have a a lot better trip.
Disneyland Discount Guide – There are quite a lot of methods it can save you cash on a visit to Disneyland. From trip packages to Costco reductions to low season proportion off reductions to even reductions for navy personnel, this web page covers each approach you may be capable of lower your expenses on a visit to Disneyland!
If you’re on the lookout for a fast option to save on a whole trip bundle, a lot of our favourite lodges close to Disneyland could be booked through Get Away Today at a reduction. If you bundle tickets into your resort keep, you’ll get a good higher deal. You can verify bundle costs right here.
What to Pack – Packing for Disneyland is similar to packing for any trip, however with a number of twists. Here’s our checklist of “unordinary” gadgets to pack that can assist improve your Disneyland journey!
Guide to Downtown Disney – We kind of gloss over it right here, however Downtown Disney is an enormous space inside Disneyland Resort’s safety perimeter. You can simply depart both park and get to one in all these eating places for a meal…or among the greatest ice cream you’ll ever have…in beneath 10 minutes.
Our 101 Best Disneyland Tips – This just isn’t almost as structured as our different recommendation, however the following tips supply nice recommendation and generally obscure little issues that can assist you to go to the parks like an area. This is extra granular recommendation than what you’ll discover in our different planning articles, however we’ve had a variety of constructive suggestions from readers who actually obtained much more out of their journeys due to these ideas.
Tips for Buying Discount Disney Gift Cards – Want to save lots of at the least 5% on each single factor you purchase at Disneyland? These hacks are for you. Some are comparatively easy and easy (like utilizing the Target RedCard) whereas others require a bit extra effort.
Renting DVC Points to Save Money on Accommodations – This is written from a WDW perspective, however there are additionally Disney Vacation Club villas on the Grand Californian. Booking there generally is a problem (it’s extremely common), however it can save you a ton of cash in case your timing is correct and also you get fortunate.
Best Credit Cards for Disney Travel – Leveraging bank card rewards could be a good way of getting free airfare or resort rooms, and there are a number of choices close to Disneyland that you would be able to e-book at no cost because of signup bonuses.
Between this weblog and TravelCaffeine.com, try to be completely coated with what you could know if you happen to’re excited about visiting Disneyland Resort and Southern California someday in 2023 or 2024. We can’t encourage folks sufficient to provide Disneyland a attempt, particularly Disney followers who’re biased in direction of Walt Disney World as their “home” park. Disneyland is a very completely different, way more relaxed expertise. It’s intimate in each dimension and really feel, and is oozing with historical past and unimaginable points of interest.
I might go on for pages and pages about why I like Disneyland, and why everybody owes it to themselves to go to Disneyland, however hopefully this can be a good-enough leaping off level. If you’ve by no means been to both Walt Disney World or Disneyland Resort, it’s place to begin as we try to weigh the strengths and weaknesses of every in an unbiased method. If all of that is nonetheless overwhelming otherwise you need customized suggestions for Disneyland Resort, click on right here to get a trip quote from a no price Authorized Disney Vacation Planner.
Your Thoughts
Are you planning a Disneyland Resort go to now that the parks have reopened? Thinking about visiting for the beginning of the 100 Years of Wonder Celebration early in 2023? Or, will you wait till Halloween or Christmas? Have you already visited Galaxy’s Edge and completed Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance? What about Avengers Campus? Are you excited for the debut of Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway or the reimagined Toontown? What in regards to the different comparatively new additions, equivalent to Incredicoaster or Guardians of the Galaxy – MISSION: Breakout? Have you beforehand visited Disneyland? Have any ideas of your individual so as to add? Any questions you continue to have that this information didn’t reply? We actually admire reader suggestions and your ideas, so please share within the feedback beneath! 🙂
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