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Budget Travel April 18, 2019

How to Save Money on Food–Disneyland Edition

Ways to save money on food at Disneyland

For our family of 9 food is a major expense. We are always on the lookout for ways to save on this budget category, especially on vacation. This post will cover different ways to save money on food at Disneyland and California Adventure.

I want to start with this disclaimer: We are not foodies! Yes, we like good, basic, yummy food but we are not going to be looking for anything gourmet. This makes it a little easier for us to use these tips. On one of our vacations to Disney we ate almost all our meals in the park. By the time we left, we all agreed that we would rather bring more lunches. On the last few days we were tired of park food and spending a lot of money for food we didn’t just love. Because we had one member of our party who wasn’t very adventurous with food, we ate at mostly similar places which most likely diminished our Disney food experience.

So, on to the tips…

1) Costco/Grocery Store

Map to Costco to save money on food at Disneyland

This is our main method of saving. On our trip last month we went to Costco for supplies for breakfast, lunch, and snacks. Since we we stayed in a house through Airbnb we had a full kitchen to store everything. We stopped at the grocery store for a few items that we didn’t want Costco sizes of such as peanut butter. The other place we went was Trader Joe’s. We don’t have one in AK and we LOVE the Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups. These made great snacks in the parks.

But what if you are in a hotel? Each of the Disneyland Hotels has a mini-fridge and coffee maker in the room. This will be perfect for breakfast necessities and snacks. Many of the near-by hotels will also have these items but you will want to check and make sure. If staying off-site many have free breakfast included.

HOT TIP: We love to bring string cheese, yogurt, cut veggies and drinks into the park. We always travel with a couple insulated lunch boxes. If we have access to a freezer we also bring ice packs. If not, we will bring plastic baggies and fill them with ice from the hotel ice machines.

2) Bring Snacks from Home

If you don’t want to worry about stopping at the grocery store you can always bring stuff with you. The average snack at Disneyland is around $6. Even if you bring snacks for just a couple of days it will save you money. Bringing food is easy peasy for those you able to drive. But, if you are going to fly I have two options for you.

1) Take a snack box as luggage. Bringing a box of snacks (and possibly lunch items) even with baggage costs will save money. You can bring a lot of snacks in a box for the $25-35 baggage fee.
2) Use snacks a filler in luggage. Granola bars, fruit snacks and strips, baggies of trail mix, and applesauce pouches (these probably should be in a baggie in case of explosion) work great to fill in the nooks and crannies.

3) Order from Amazon Pantry

Mindy at Mommy Mouse Clubhouse has a great post on this. I think the prices on Amazon are a little higher than a grocery store but it depends on what you are purchasing. It is still probably cheaper than snacks in the park.

4) Eat outside of the Parks

Just across Harbor Blvd are many great restaurants. We ate at Mimi’s Cafe, and Panera. Others are Pizza Press, IHOP, Denny’s McDonalds, and Subway. Not too far down Katella Ave. is a Bubba Gump’s and Cheesecake Factory. The Disney Tourist Blog has some good off-site recommendations. Please note, not all of these restaurants will save you money. Some options are just as expensive as in the Parks.

5) Share meals

Carne Asada Bowl to share to save money on food at Disneyland — Picture from wdwinfo.com. Great dining review of Cocina Cucamonga

Many meals in the Parks are big enough to share. Especially for kids. One adult meal split between two children will be cheaper than two kids meals. At Cocina Cucamonga in California Adventure I shared one of the bowls with my daughter. At Pacific Wharf Cafe, the bread bowls with soup are very filling. Two bowls could probably feed three people. Julie at Mom Rewritten has a good post about sharing meals. It is a little old so use this as a guide and not definitive information. Smart Fun DIY has some creative ways to eat on a budget. Clarks Condensed gives a $100/day dining plan (all meals) for their family of 5.

Sharing meals can be accomplished at restaurants in and out of the parks. Pizza at Pizza Press is a great inexpensive option to share. We always have our kids share an adult Mac-n-cheese at Panera instead of getting two kids meals. My husband and I usually split the Romano Chicken at Cheesecake Factory (this also saves room for cheesecake).

6) Share Snacks

So many snacks at Disneyland are HUGE. We always share caramel corn, lemon and pineapple Dole Whip, and Mickey pretzels. There are so many good options. When you share you can try so many more delicious treats. How great is that! One thing I never share–Mickey ice cream sandwiches–just don’t even ask!

Decide ahead of time your snack threshold. Will it be one snack/person/day? Will you share a certain number of snacks a day? When our kids were younger (and not as many of them) we gave them a gift card with an amount that gave them $5/day for snacks. They could use it up however they wanted to. They loved to have control of their own snacks.

7) Bring refillable bottles or buy bottled water outside of the park

Bottled water in the park costs $3.50 a bottle. That can add up rather quickly. Refillable bottles can be filled up at water stations around the park. We filled our insulated bottles with ice in the morning and we were able to have cold water almost all day. In addition, you can always ask for a cup of water or ice at the restaurants and quick-service counters.

Purchasing bottled water outside the park is also an option. Before using refillable bottles we would bring a couple of bottles per person in small backpacks (along with our snacks). Yes, we began the morning a little heavy laden but our load lightened as we drank the water. In hot weather, since we have had freezer available, we would bring at least one froze bottle and one chilled. The frozen would melt by the time we were ready to drink. If only partially melted, we would add water from drinking fountains to hasten melting.

HOT TIP: Line your backpack with a plastic bag to keep condensation produced by melting bottles from soaking through your bag (in very hot weather this has a nice, welcome, cooling effect).

8) Eat Bread

We could seriously make a meal of this for our whole family. The Pacific Wharf Cafe in California Adventure sells whole sourdough loafs and rounds for $5.19 each. With some butter that they have setting out, two loaves would be a filling meal (but not very balanced) for our whole family. Just add some cheese brought in our insulated lunch bag and we would be golden!

9)Make a plan and stick with it

Set a food budget before you go. Plan ahead how many meals you are going to eat in the parks, off-site or bring yourself. IF you deviate do so with cheaper options. Look up menus at restaurants to see what it will cost your family to eat there. The Disney website has a list of all their restaurants with menus for your preplanning.

Our Vacation Meal Plan

Our last trip to California was 10 days. We planned $200/day for our family of 9 (2 adults, kids 1, 2, 5, 6, 14, 16, and 18) Our plan was to eat breakfast at the house everyday, pack lunches 6 days, and eat dinner out every night. Obviously we weren’t pinching pennies but if we didn’t have a plan we could easily spend $300/day on food.

$400 at Costco and grocery stores for all breakfasts, 6 lunches and snacks (we ate A LOT of snacks including many veggies and fruit)
$100 dinner at California Adventure
$120 dinner at Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen
$104 dinner at Mimi’s Cafe
$50-60/each for 10 other lunches and dinners
$92 snacks (yummy Dole Whip, Ghiradelli sundaes and some others)
Grand total spent on food $1775

We were $225 under our budget. Woohoo! Now, I will say that we were all VERY tired of PB&J by the end. I also would have liked more snacks if I had known we had the money (probably better that I didn’t).

In closing…

There are so many options on ways to splurge and save on food at Disneyland. You can apply some of the tips above and not others. Any steps you take to save will make a difference. Take some time with your family to create a food action plan that fits your budget and how you want to eat.

Do you have a favorite tip to save on food at Disneyland? Share in the comments below so that others can benefit from your great ideas.

Happy travels to you…until we meet again!

Another saving money post you might enjoy: Saving on tickets at Disneyland

Disney Vacation April 14, 2019

Disneyland Don’ts–Our Mistakes to avoid at Disneyland

Avoid the mistakes we made at Disneyland!

We had a wonderful time at Disneyland but as we looked back there were definitely some things we would do differently next time. Here is our list of mistakes to avoid at Disneyland.

Don’t compare Disneyland to Disney World

They are each fantastic in their own way! They are similar and different. By comparing the two I think I missed out on some of the magicalness of Disneyland.

Don’t let the crowds slow you down

I am pretty sure that my expectations were unreasonable in regard to the crowds. In reality I don’t think that the park was really that busy while we were there. But, on our first day at Disneyland I felt like I had a hard time walking through the crowds. This threw me a bit and so my momentum was slowed. As we were in the parks more days we figured out how to get done what we wanted while weaving through the crowds.

Don’t enter the parking lot/garage at opening time.

We tried hard but to no avail. Every morning we were driving in to the parking lot/garage right at opening time. It is really busy at this time. Many other guests are arriving at the same time. And then it will take you around 45 minutes to get into the chosen park. So, by the time you get to your first ride the park has been open for about an hour. All the popular rides have had plenty of time to get long lines. But while the popular rides’ fastpasses will have a return time quite a bit later you can still take advantage of fastpass for most rides. Fret not! You can still have a great day if you do make this mistake.

Don’t miss out on Fastpasses–Pay attention to the time on the bottom

Our first couple days we did not effectively use fastpasses (we only had the free fastpass option). We would grab one when we got there for something we wanted to ride much later. Then we would use standby lines for rides in the area.

By the 4th day we realized that it was beneficial to use as many as we could. When you receive your fastpass reminder ticket there is a time at the bottom that tells you when you can get your next fastpass. We would then get a fastpass as soon as it was time. Sometimes we would get a pass with a return time in 20 minutes even when the standby was around 30 minutes if we were in the area waiting for another ride. We would ride something with a short standby line, then on the fastpass ride and then get another fastpass. We were able to go on so many more rides this way. Too bad it took so many days to figure this out.

Don’t forget sunscreen

We were at Disneyland at the beginning of March. The weather was about 60 degrees F. It was partly cloudy most days. But there was some sun and apparently it was intense. The second morning we noticed that our 1 year old’s cheeks were quite pink. I remembered seeing the Baby Care Center in Cars Land so we headed there. They had just what we needed–SUNSCREEN. We were told by the wonderful ladies in there that it was cheaper there than in the shops in the park. We paid $4 (I think) for a decent sized tube. They also have diapers, wipes, baby food and other necessities that you might have forgotten.

Don’t forget proper clothing–layers and a raincoat

Avoid the mistake of not dressing warm enough on cold days at Disneyland — Notice the layers on this dreary day.

As I said before we were there in early March. The temperature was around 60 degrees F but often cooler. I know we are Alaskans and we shouldn’t have been cold but we were! Part of our (mainly my) chill stemmed from going to a more humid climate. But, I will say, we were not the only people in many layers. Although, the sun did give a little warmth in the afternoon, the mornings and evenings were cool. We ended up leaving many evenings a little after dark because we were cold. So, if you are traveling to Disneyland anytime in the colder months bring a few extra layers than you think you might need. Better too warm than have to miss fireworks because you are chilled to the bone.

Don’t get sucked into the stores during the day

If shopping in the park is what you really enjoy then disregard this tip. I definitely like to go through the stores but we really should have saved it for the evening when it got cold. We could have enjoyed more rides and shows during the day when it was warmish and been inside shopping when it was cooler. Due to the fact that the shops have this crazy ability to suck you in this tip takes some real determination to achieve.

Don’t miss your rider switch window

learn from the mistake we made at Radiator Springs Racers.

Rider switch passes are only good for a hour. If you are waiting longer than an hour go up to the cast member and have you pass updated. My experience–Radiator Springs Racers had a 40 minute wait time so my family got in line and I waited with my 1 year old and 2 year old. The actual time we waited was 1 1/2 hours. Already frustrated from a wait twice the anticipated length, I went to use the rider switch pass. It didn’t work! The cast member proceed to inform me that it was only good for an hour. I was a little incensed and didn’t handle myself as well as I should. They did end up letting us through. I still am not sure why they would have a rider switch pass expire before the length of the wait time but, whatever! Hopefully this info will help someone else not go thorough the same turmoil.

Don’t ignore calls from California while in the park.

We didn’t know it but our 6 year old had stepped away from us. I received a call from an unknown Anaheim, California number. My hands were full and I almost didn’t answer but I handed my phone to my husband. A wonderful cast member with our daughter was calling. Our daughter knew my phone number so the cast member could give me a call (the cast member did have to look up our area code–hooray for smart phones!). They actually were only about 100 feet away. This was the easiest, least traumatic lost parent moment for our daughter yet. Lessons to be learned: teach your children your phone number and answer it at Disneyland!

Don’t eat PB & J every day

This is my boys tip. They got pretty tired of these by the end. It was cheap though. 🙂

I hope you enjoyed reading some of the things we learned not to do on our last trip to Disneyland.

What have you learned not to do to make your trip even better?

Happy travels to you…until we meet again!

When is the Best Time to Go to Disneyland?

Whenever you can!

No, seriously. It is my opinion is that any time you can go is a great time because Disneyland is AWESOME! But there are different times during the year that have certain characteristics that you personally might like more than others. For your budget, travel at the least busy times for the best hotel and ticket prices.

There are a number of great blogs out there that have created crowd calendars (all are free except Touring Plans). I will list several below that I have consulted when planning our trip. But, my favorite one comes from Touring Plans. Every time we have gone to Disney World I have purchased a subscription to help me plan what time of year and then what specific parks to visit each day. I LOVE how accurate they have been. For some reason I didn’t purchase a subscription for our trip to Disneyland. That was dumb! I felt like I was flying blind each day deciding which park to go to. Lesson learned! Won’t be doing that again! Hopefully you can learn from my mistake.

Blogs with nice crowd calendar

My favorite crowd calendars are on Touring Plans. Every time we have gone to Disney World I have purchased a subscription to help me plan what time of year and then what specific parks to visit each day. I LOVE how accurate they have been. I though I wouldn’t need Touring plans info because Disneyland is only two parks so I didn’t purchase a subscription for our trip. That was dumb! I felt like I was flying blind each day deciding which park to go to. Lesson learned! Won’t be doing that again! Hopefully you can learn from my mistake.

One Crowd Calendar Caveat for 2019

After May 31, 2019 crowd calendars might be a bit off (to say the least). The wild card of 2019 is the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Due to expected astronomical crowds beginning opening day Disneyland requires an additional free ticket to enter the new land for the first three weeks. It is unknown what will happen after three weeks. But it is safe to say that Disneyland will not conform to usual crowd calendar algorithms for the rest of 2019.

What’s happening during the year at Disneyland?

Disneyland is a little different than Disney World due to the increased amount of local visitors. Because Disneyland is in the heart of the city it is easy for Annual Passholders to visit the park often even for just a few hours. Weekdays will almost always be less busy than the weekends at any time of year.

January

Parks will be quite busy for the first few days until school starts again. MLK Jr. holiday weekend will also be a very busy time. The rest of the month is usually quieter. Something to consider is that this is a time that rides get refurbished.

Lunar New Year celebration begins at the end of the month at California Adventure.

February

Other than the VERY busy days surrounding President’s Day. February is a fairly slow time to visit. Just keep an eye on the weather in order to bring the right clothing.

Lunar New Year continues for the first couple weeks of this month.

March

The first few days of March are usually a pretty good time to go. We were there the 2nd to the 8th. Walking around seemed pretty busy but the wait times weren’t too bad. We were able to get on all the rides we wanted to (except Radiator Springs Racers) without waiting more than 20-30 minutes (sometimes standby, sometimes with Fastpass).

Now, when the 2nd weekend (approximately) hits the park will get CRAZY! This will continue for a month or so.

The Food and Wine Festival at California Adventure opens at the very beginning of the month continuing through April.

April

This is a very busy time to visit until after Easter and then still on the weekends.

Food and Wine Festival at California Adventure continues most of this month.

Egg-Stravaganza-Easter activities throughout Disneyland resort up until Easter.

May

Weekends are VERY busy while weekdays are pretty dead.

Grad Nights are peppered throughout the end of the month.

May 31st-Opening Day of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge

June and July

BUSY, BUSY, BUSY!!! Even without the new land opening this is a busy time. The new land will cause ultimate chaos.

Fourth of July has some special celebrations as well as the Anniversary of Disneyland on July 17th.

August

It is still part of the very busy summer season during the first two weeks of August. Then the crowds (in a normal year) would begin to taper off during the weekdays. Annual Passholders are allowed back into the park for the second half of August causing busier weekdays.

D23 Expo brings lots of avid Disney fans every other year. August 23-25, 2019

September and October

The first couple of weeks of September are pretty slow. Then Disneyland dresses up for Halloween Time and the people flock in on the weekends through the end of October.

Mickey’s Halloween Party (a special ticketed event) is held on certain nights from mid-September through the end of October.

November

One of the best times to visit is during the week the first two weeks of November and after Thanksgiving Weekend in regard to lower crowds.

Mid-November the whole Disneyland Resort decks the halls to create a magical holiday wonderland. Gorgeous!

Thanksgiving Week is mayhem! Talk about crowded! But, my brother and his family have visited Disneyland the last couple years at this time, love it, and keep going back.

December

Just like November, the first two weeks of December are pretty slow during the week. Once kids start getting out of school it becomes a madhouse until school breaks end in January. The week of Christmas is the absolute worst crowd wise.

BUT, imagine celebrating Christmas surrounded by astoundingly beautiful decorations (with the amazing detail work of Disney), sweet sounds of the holiday in your ears, smells of Christmas wafting all around and all your favorite characters dressed up to make your vacation magical. How could that possibly be bad?!

Ring in the New Year with special fireworks and possibly a dance party on December 31st.

Just a reminder:

From May 31st on in 2019 the crowds are most likely going to be higher than in past years. Also, it is very probable that these higher crowd levels will continue through a good portion of 2020.

Like I said at the beginning though, any time you can go to Disneyland is a good time. Just be aware and prepared for what you might face when you get there and you can still have a wonderfully magical vacation any time of year.

Disneyland April 8, 2019

Where to stay when traveling to Disneyland

Figuring out where to stay during your trip to Disneyland can seem overwhelming. There are so many options. So many hotels. Where do you start looking?

Disneyland Hotels

Disney’s Grand Californian–Staying at this hotel puts you smack dab in the middle of the magic of Disneyland. Literally! Just walk out the lobby doors and you are in the midst of the Redwoods of California Adventure or just feet away from the amazing dining of Downtown Disney. The location of this hotel and the fact that you are transported into a national park lodge make this a favorite. Rooms sleep up to 5 adults and suites from 6-12.

Disneyland Hotel–-This hotel surrounds you in sophistication sprinkled with whimsey. Bring a bit of Disneyland back with you every day with the monorail themed pool slides and a real Tiki bar. When you want to head to the park it is only a short walk through Downtown Disney OR skip the entrance lines and take the Monorail from Downtown Disney all the way into the park in Tomorrowland. Rooms sleep up to 5 adults. Junior suites sleep 4 up to a 3-bedroom that will sleep 14.

Disney’s Paradise Pier— Step away from the fray of the city into the sunny, seaside beachfront of days gone by at this beautiful hotel. Enjoy fun in the sun at the rooftop pools and water slides. This hotel has the largest rooms of the Disneyland resorts and the least expensive rates. Guests are just a short walk away from Downtown Disney to the park entrance or to take the Monorail. What makes this resort extra special is you can see California Adventure Pixar Pier and the backside of the World of Color show from your room if you are on the correct side. Rooms also sleep up to 5. Suites sleep from 6-10. Their signature suites will sleep 13.

One of the benefits of all three of these resorts is that guests may take care of Magic Mornings allowing entry into one of the parks earlier than the normal park goers. Another benefit is obvious. You are immersed your whole vacation in the Disney Magic. Disney’s strength is attention to details and making sure each guest has premium customer service. This shines through in their resorts.

Disney’s Good Neighbor Hotels

Disneyland is situated right in the middle of busy Anaheim. Just across Harbor Blvd. sits many restaurants and hotels. These are a short walk away which enables guests to not have to pay parking fees at Disneyland. Some of the hotels are simple and some are full service resorts with fantastic amenities such as mini waterparks. Our boys drooled every time we drove by the Courtyard Anaheim Theme Park Entrance and Waterpark Resort. The Castle Inn and Suites and Anaheim Camelot Inn and Suites are also right across the street. Nearby is the highly rated Anaheim Marriott and Clarion Hotel and Suites Anaheim (we have stayed here and it was fantastic. We could even see the fireworks a bit).

VRBO and Airbnb

This was the option we used on our last trip. We are a family of 9 and my parents came too so that meant we needed to sleep 11. We found a great house in Fullerton that slept us all very comfortably and we had a kitchen. Someday we stay at a Disneyland Resort Hotel. This is definitely on my bucket list. But this arrangement worked well for us this time.

How do I find the option best for us?

Talk with a travel agent specializing in Disney vacations. They are ready to help you narrow your choices and find the accommodations that fit your family best and your budget. And, the best part is, their services are FREE to you.
Undercover Tourist–This website brings you many options that they have researched and can vouch for their quality, value and cleanliness. They have all the latest deals and specials to save you money. See this post about how we saved on park tickets here.
Disney Website–Disney has created an easy to navigate website. You can easily search their resorts as well as the Good Neighbor hotels they recommend.

So, where have you stayed near Disneyland that you absolutely loved or wouldn’t recommend?

Happy travels to you…until we meet again!

Disneyland April 5, 2019

Driving and Parking Tips at Disneyland

Driving to and parking at Disneyland is crazy confusing. Disney World is so easy. Follow the signs to the park you want to go to, drive in to the large parking lot, and then follow the people to walk or take a tram to the front of the park. NOT SO at Disneyland!

Our confusion began driving down Interstate 5 still a couple of miles from Disneyland. I entered Disneyland as a destination in Google Maps and it asked me which parking area I wanted to go to. HUH?! Which do I choose? What’s the difference? Which is better?

Pictures are not the actual parking lot or garage. 🙂

Just about every day we alternated which place we parked. I am going to give you some tips from what we learned. We were staying in Fullerton so we would take Interstate 5 South to get to Disney. Since we drove south, those directions I give are first hand knowledge. My directions driving north come from studying the map without any actual driving experience.

There are two current parking areas; the Toy Story Parking Lot and the Mickey and Friends Parking Garage.

Toy Story Parking Lot

Traveling South from Interstate 5 you will take the Harbor Blvd Exit. Traveling North you probably would want the Katella Ave. Exit. You will enter the parking lot from Harbor Blvd. There will be signs showing where you turn left to enter the parking lot. Upon entering will be a booth to collect $25 for most vehicles ($40 for preferred parking) or you can pay ahead and show your voucher. All oversized vehicles must use the Toy Story Parking lot and there is an additional fee.

Once you park, head toward the shelter type structures where you will catch a bus. Most likely you will just be able to follow the crowd. Strollers will need to be folded up to take on the bus. All children must have a specific seat. They may not stand.

Our parking spot never seemed to be a long walk to get to the buses. We didn’t have to wait too long for a bus. One morning there was quite a line but it moved quickly. Once on the bus, settle back for the ride. On Sunday the bus ride seemed relatively short. The ride seemed to get longer and longer throughout the week. This was due to more traffic on the roadways that the buses have to travel to get to the drop off point. You will be dropped off fairly close to the bag check and entrances of the two parks. Disneyland will be on the right and California Adventure on the left.

Leaving the Park

When you leave to catch the bus back to your car there is decent signage after passing through the bag check area. Make sure your stroller is folded up while waiting in line for the bus otherwise you might have to wait for the next one.

Mickey and Friends Parking Garage

This is a HUGE parking structure that you drive into. They are in the process of constructing another one nearby.

Driving South on Interstate 5 you will take the Disneyland Drive Exit. If you are in the carpool lane you can remain in that lane and it will take you to the right spot. Driving north you would take the exit toward Ball Road and then turn onto Disneyland Dr.

You will enter the garage on the ground floor which opens up to many lanes of ticket boots ready for you to pay $25 ($40 for preferred parking) or you can pay ahead and show your voucher. Once through the booths you will follow arrows and cones up to the designated floor to park. There are cast members directing you to the correct spot just like the parking lots. After collecting everything you need for the day follow the signs toward the tram.

You will be directed toward escalators and elevators which will take you to the ground level. The first time we parked in the garage we were on the 6th floor. We rode a short escalator to the 5th floor and then a super cool, very long escalator all the way from the 5th floor to the ground.

To the Entrance by Tram

Continue following the flow of traffic back into the garage where you will go through the bag check (this is your only bag check station) and catch the tram. For us, on Monday there was only one tram running so we had to wait for about three to finally get on. On Thursday there were two trams running so we were quickly on our way to the park. Stroller must also be folded up to ride the tram.

After a 5-7 minute ride, the tram will drop you off at the end of Downtown Disney closest to the park entrances. Since you have already had bags check you can head directly to the entrance and be on your way to a Magical Day.

To the Entrance by Foot

Once on the ground you can walk to the park. Ask a cast member to point you in the correct direction. It is about a 10-15 minute walk to the end of Downtown Disney. There is a bag check to enter Downtown Disney. After bag check walk a little ways and turn left. You will walk all the way through Downtown Disney to get to the park entrances.

Leaving the park

When you leave the park to catch the tram there is clear signage directing you. Please be aware–the cast members attending the boarding of the tram are serious when they tell you to stay behind the yellow portion of the sidewalk. They want you completely behind. Even your toes on the yellow is too much and they will not allow the tram to leave until you step back. So, make their job easier and the wait less for everyone by remaining behind the yellow line!

Guests with Disabilities

Both parking options have limited number of parking spaces designated for those with disabilities. You must have appropriate placard or license plate. Standard fees apply. At the Toy Story Lot select buses have the capability of transporting most wheelchairs and ECV’s (some larger equipment cannot fit). At the Mickey and Friends Garage some trams possibly can accommodate otherwise there are wheelchair lift-equipped vans that can take you to the entrance.

Final Thoughts

Each day we alternated between the two parking methods trying to decide which we liked better. I preferred the garage while my husband preferred the parking lot.

The buses were easier for the stroller
The buses seemed slower because of all the traffic on the roads
The tram was more difficult for our stroller but once on felt faster
The amount of walking seemed about equal unless you have to park in the back of the garage. Each floor is huge and some parking spots are very far from the escalator.
I really liked the bag check before the tram. Then once we got off the tram we could head straight to the Magic rather than having one more distraction.
I think once the new garage opens up I would stick to the garage over the parking lot.
All in all, I don’t think that either way was faster. It really is about which method helps you get more into the spirit of Disney.

Happy travels to you…until we meet again!

Hi! I’m Tamara. I am a travel loving, Christ-following, wife of a wonderful husband and mother of 7.

Traveling is a passion of mine. I love to get away from home whether that is exploring our own gorgeous state, flying off to Disney (my favorite) or another exotic location (pretty much anywhere outside of AK)

My goal is to share travel tips and tricks to inspire your own family adventures.
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