Top 5 Tips to Make the Most of Your Disneyland Hotel Stay

Choosing your hotel is one of the biggest decisions when planning your Disneyland trip. In addition to the three on-site Disneyland Resort hotels, there are numerous off-site hotels in the surrounding area to choose from.

We will take you through our top 5 essential tips and considerations for making the most of your Disneyland hotel stay!

1) Stay at a hotel within walking distance of the parks. There are several great options in the surrounding area that are an easy walk to and from the resort. Staying at one of these hotels saves you the time, hassle, and expense of having to take a shuttle or rideshare for transportation to and from the parks. Some are surprised to learn that some of the off-site hotels are actually just as close–and even closer in certain cases–than the on-site Disneyland Resort hotels.

Staying at a hotel right across the street puts you in the best position to maximize your time, especially for Disneyland morning rope drop. See the best hotels within walking distance of Disneyland that are a 15-minute walk or less.

2) Consider staying at a cheaper hotel if your trip is parks-focused. If you are planning on spending all day at the parks, there is really no reason to book a hotel with luxurious amenities that you won’t be taking full advantage of. Instead, save money on this area of your trip by booking a cheaper hotel. There are plenty of great options that are clean, safe, and comfortable, some of which are directly across the street from the main entrance! See more of our top tips for doing Disneyland on a budget.

3) Stay at a hotel with free breakfast to save money on this area of your trip. Disney dining expenses quickly add up, and you can save a lot of money by choosing a hotel that offers free breakfast or free meals for kids. We recommend eating breakfast at your hotel before you enter the parks, so that this meal does not bleed into valuable morning time that is best spent enjoying rides with shorter waits. The Element by Westin is one of the best hotels near Disneyland with an impressive daily breakfast buffet featuring a wide array of options and a menu that rotates daily. See our other top recommendations for hotels with free breakfast near Disneyland.

4) Don’t settle for a hotel with a “parking lot pool." This is one of the biggest rookie mistakes you can make when it comes to your Disneyland hotel! If you’re planning on enjoying this amenity during your vacation, there are several hotels that offer more than your standard motel-style parking lot pool. While there is no denying that the on-site Disneyland Resort hotels offer some elaborate pool areas, there are also less expensive options off-site with impressive offerings. Kids will love hotels with water playgrounds, like the Howard Johnson Anaheim Hotel & Water Playground, Courtyard Anaheim Marriott Theme Park Entrance, and Cambria Hotel & Suites Anaheim. See our top recommendations for hotels near Disneyland with the best pools.

5) Consult a thorough Disneyland packing list so you are not stuck paying higher prices for forgotten essentials. It’s easy to forget some important items for your hotel room, but this can end up costing you money in the long run with inflated prices at hotel gift shops. This is why it’s important to carefully go through your Disneyland packing list and consider bringing some extra items that could enhance your trip, like sleep sounds/lights, power strips, laundry products, and more. See 12 things we recommend bringing for your Disneyland hotel room.

You can read our overall best hotels near Disneyland we recommend, split up by cheap and luxury options.

At Mickey Visit, we share the most important tips for planning your trips to Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Universal, and beyond and share the latest Disney news. Each week, we’ll share some of our top tips here on Laughing Place.