DS16.2 (i.e., younger of twins) has expressed interest in going to Disneyland this summer. It would probably be just him and me (or maybe also DS16.1).
We have been to WDW several times, but never DL and I know absolutely nothing besides…Anaheim?
We don’t need to see everything, just want to spend a day or two getting a good sampling. And minimize time waiting in lines (duh! Liner!).
I see that Disneyland After Dark Pride Night tickets go on sale this Thur Would buying tickets to one or both of those nights be a good way to sample DL for us? Any idea how fast these sell out? If I go that route, recommendations for accommodations?
I have never been to Pride Nite, but I have been to Star Wars Nite (if you can believe it ) and I imagine in some ways the dynamics are similar.
What is generally true is that character meet & greets tend to draw huge waits at these events, but that waits for the rides are generally tolerable. There is usually a lot of other entertainment, food, etc. that draw crowds across the parks.
All that said, if you can swing 2-day tickets, you will probably see more with the additional time than you would save by going to an after hours event, unless you are interested in the event for more than just the rides. Lightning Lane would be helpful if you get day tickets.
Make sure to check out my LL thread if you end up doing that!
Keep in mind, I’m dealing with chronic health issues so need to pace myself. 7 hours straight is probably already at the upper end of my limit. So would we cover more rides in 7 hours at each of these two events or on regular 2-day tickets if we only went 7 hours/day?
More data: I have minimal problems walking (frequently do 6 mile hikes). Symptom triggers include standing still (yep, such a weird condition) and heat (adding to the evening appeal).
Zero interest in character meet-and-greets. I will, of course, maximize quality food sampling, but rides are DS16.2’s main interest.
I would recommend doing two regular days if you can take midday breaks versus a marathon After Hours event. Disneyland stays open until 10pm or later in the summer. You can easily go to for 5 hours, take a 3 hour break, then go back for 4+ hours each day.
Parent of 16-year old twins here who just returned from a fabulous 1.5 day first-time trip to Disneyland that was aided enormously by great advice on this forum. HUZZAH! I’m sure you will plan a great trip and have a wonderful time.
And you don’t have to look far to find my initial post asking for advice on a “basic plan of attack,” along with more recently added comments on how it went. (Spoiler alert: Spectacularly.)
You won’t have to backtrack as much – can more or less tour geographically
Lines will be low to moderate
Cheaper ($169/party) vs. full day ticket with PH and LL (~$250/ day)
On the pro side of day tickets:
The first few hours the park is open is generally lower waits.
Literal rope dropping is not necessary in most cases, though it can help.
You can leave in the afternoon and return in the evening if you can do maybe 5 + 5 hours in a single day? Or 4 + 4?
You can get a park hopper ticket to visit DCA as well.
More time overall (7 hours in your case vs 4 hour party Edit: you can enter 3 hours before the party so you could get 7 hours total with a party ticket, so call this a wash unless you can exceed 7 hours by splitting your day)
The party will only include Disneyland park, so you’ll have to either forgo DCA or get a separate ticket. If you go on one of the dates a party is offered and DON’T get a party ticket, you will want to be in DCA during the evening to make full use of your time.
If I have flexibility on dates, I have better odds of DS16.1 joining, so now I’m leaning towards day tickets with a midday break. I think it will be June so realize I may have limited lodging choices at this point (but DS16.1 is taking a college class this summer, so I need to get his finalized schedule still).
What are best lodging options, keeping in mind a midday break? I guess my top “wish list” places and also “likely to still have availability”. I guess my priorities are convenient location and price unless there is an “oh, wow!” factor (ala AKL savannah view or YC/BC pool).
Grand Legacy was an easy walk to/from. We did mid day breaks each day. We went January 2026 and May 2024.
Mornings are mostly walk-on throughout DL and single rider is an excellent option where available
There are plenty of hotels on Harbor Blvd that are afforable. However, none of them have a “wow factor” - IMHO. The DL hotel and GCH are impressive, but expensive!
I like staying on Harbor as it is so close to the parks. I timed my walk from the Fairfield Inn to the DL gates and it was never more than 10 minutes. (typically 7 minutes)
Plus, it’s an easy walk on flat sidewalks with crosswalks and stop lights.
Yay so happy to have you making your way out West! Disneyland is much smaller to navigate and a lot more flexible for the kinds of plans you’re thinking.
I agree with everything everyone’s expressed above particularly about favoring 2 days vs. the event nights and choosing a hotel across from the pedestrian entrance on Harbor (anywhere from Howard Johnson down to Caslte Inn & Suites along Harbor is a good range, but I definitely prefer the closer ones like Grand Legacy, Park Vue Inn, Tropicana Inn). And I agree that none of them have any wow factor - that’s all for the onsite choices. Which are pricy, but I definitely feel that if it’s in budget it’s a nice touch of Disney (but not as many perks anymore sadly with no EE).
But if you do have it in your budget to splurge, the Disneyland Hotel is my favorite full of nostalgic Disney original charm. There’s not a terrible choice between the three though. Pixar Pier will be a little bit more of a walk if you’re going from it to Disneyland so I would maybe lean away from that, but the theme is fun and vibrant. The Grand Californian is relaxing craftsman oasis and you can’t get closer to DCA than it (but there are some wings of it that far enough away from the park entrance that I contest that the closest rooms at the closest offsite Harbor Hotels are just as close if not closer than those rooms).
I do see the draw for you to do the Pride Nights with it being evening. I definitely don’t think it’s a bad way to experience the parks, but it will be very specifically themed and not its natural self if that makes sense so for my first time, I don’t know that I would pick it. You’ll also have a lot of the filler/walkthrough/charming things closed up in favor of the party extras like photo shoots, character meets and specialty food. And I would worry about you being able to navigate all 7 hrs. With 2 day tickets you could make use of good morning hour chunks AND evening chunks of time to break that up into 3-4 touring hours at at time.
And in June means that the weather in the mornings will be what is referred to as “June gloom” with a nice marine layer of cloud coverage that keeps the morning on the cool side. It is excellent for avoiding the heat! I love it! And even if the sun is out, at that time of year it’s much less intense than Florida sun.
So you can get some great morning touring hours away from heat. Then break when crowds and sun/heat are at their peak midday and return for a relaxed evening that may see crowds trickle out by the last 2 or so hours.
But happy to help tackle any and all specific planning questions as you get into the nitty gritty!
) and I imagine in some ways the dynamics are similar.
