Planning a trip to Disney can be daunting… period…. let alone Disneyland in downtown Los Angeles. Legendary traffic and crowded parks conjures up images of stressed out parents and not exactly the much advertised happiest place on earth. But here is why I think Disneyland in downtown Los Angeles is a great way to go when choosing your Disney Vacation!
Anaheim is one of the many neighborhoods in the sprawling metropolis of Los Angeles. Just to give you scope on this great city there are just under 4 million living there. That’s a lot of folks. Let alone the many tourists and visitors each and every sunny month of the year.
Speaking of which, my number one reason to love Disneyland as your Disney adventure is just that. Weather. You will never have a bad day while you visit. No hurricanes. No winter freezing rain. Just warm 60’s and 70’s (*F) (15 – 20 *C) in the winter and weather in the low 80’s (*F) (26*C) in the summer. Perfect! No stress when booking your stay hoping you’re not rained out. Albert Hammond said it best… Seems it never rains in Southern California 🙂
Check out this beautiful YouTube video to add to your anticipation of all things Disney in sunny California!
My number two reason Disneyland is a great option is how accessible Disneyland is. A trip that includes kids makes decisions about lodging very stressful. Options are limited and expensive in most areas families travel to. Parents always want to find great lodging with that swimming pool for a very affordable price. Disney hotel lodging isn’t exactly famous for budget. But, even another concern or fear is always will everyone feel rested enough to make the most of those wonderful magic hours and late nights after the fireworks? Meltdowns are what nobody wants to deal with on an expensive vacation like Disney. Here’s why I love LA for this… You can literally walk out of the gates at Disney bypassing any parking or even needing a rental car and across the street are blocks of hotels. Downtown Anaheim has wonderful choices in non Disney lodging. Take your taxi or Uber from LAX and you’re there! Our opinion was we loved our stay at the Residence Inn. It’s located just behind the California Adventure park and next to the Convention Center. The breakfast was included in the price, well staffed and delicious! Our room included a kitchen, living room and 2 separate bedrooms and baths! The kids room was decorated so cute with twin bunk beds, their own TV and bathroom. The options for lodging in Anaheim really are endless for what ever your budget and desires and all within walking distance. Totally worth it in my book just for that.
Along with that line of thought comes my number three reason for loving Disneyland. The food is creative and unique in Disney’s counter service eateries but every day of the same options can become mundane and obviously expensive. Again I say walk out of the main gates and go across the street! Sitting directly across from Disneyland is IHop, Panera Bread, and McDonalds to name a few! Plenty of options to keep your crew running with a lot of fuel and happiness at the happiest place on earth. Also, providing you with options and that always makes your life easier. Here’s an exclusive local tip for you! The Happy Hour at McCormick and Schmick’s in Anaheim is the bomb! From 4-7 their food menu ranging $3 – $9.50 and is delicious!! The beverage you purchase with the meal doesn’t even have to be alcohol. We had dinner here several times and were perfectly comfortable sitting at a little table in the bar area as a family. It’s very family friendly and we spotted a few other family groups sporting their Mickey ears enjoying the menu as well throughout our stay in Anaheim. A++ in my book for this great spot! Shhhh! Don’t let anyone else in on this best kept little gem of a secret spot! Wink, wink.
We loved having a park hopper pass because truly there is a lot to do in a very small area in comparison to the Disney in Orlando. The lines can be very long in both parks, spending hours even in a line especially over the holidays. But even without a hopper pass you can make the most of your time in each park with the fast passes. The Disneyland app gives you access to getting your fast pass while standing in line for $10 a person! Very convenient if you’re not anywhere near the ride you can’t get to fast enough. But we recommend as everyone does for all Disney Parks and that is to get to the Parks early and get the fast pass first! They run out by mid morning sometimes depending on the crowds that day. Soarin’, Guardians of the Galaxy and Radiator Springs Racers were the top rides we wanted on and I wouldn’t have done them without the fast pass. Radiator Springs Racers and Star Tours were my son’s favorites! A great tip we were given for avoiding the long Radiator Springs Racers line in California Adventures adorable adaptation of the beloved Disney/Pixar classic (this tip really helped plan out our other fast passes wisely!) was to get in the Single riders line! It was great! No fast pass needed! Of course if you have infants this wouldn’t work for you but most days our wait was only 10 or 15 minutes tops. Make sure your kids are between the 2 parents or the adults in your group so you don’t get completely separated at the end of the ride when everyone disembarks. We couldn’t all ride in the same row of the cars but often 2 of us could ride together 1 in front of the other in the same car. No one minds the single riders and it was so worth it! This ride really is so much fun. We did this over and over again till he got his fill ..(which took a while of course!) .. but then we could move on to our fast pass elsewhere or other things.
You’ll find plenty to do to keep you and the young ones having a ball as only Disney can deliver. We even had a Celebrity sighting! Jenna Fischer (from The Office and Splitting Up Together) and her family were enjoying the parks our last day. I mean, where else can you go and be up close and personal with celebrities and their families without them being afraid of being mobbed with attention? It’s just another day in L.A.! It’s truly one of those great magical places and a visit you’ll never forget. Long lines give you family time you’d never get with everyone at home on their devices and busy schedules. It’s named the happiest place on earth for a good reason. Save your pennies! You’ll get there and with good planning everyone will be glad you did.
