Theme park · Anaheim

Disneyland Park

Disneyland Park is the original, the only Disney park Walt himself walked. Opened in 1955 and fresh off its 70th anniversary (May 2025 to Aug 2026), it packs nine themed lands, dozens of attractions, and a layer of history you can feel on every street. Sleeping Beauty Castle anchors a park that is smaller, denser, and more walkable than Magic Kingdom, with classics that only exist here.

Best forDisney history lovers, First-time California visitors, Families of all ages, Anyone who wants the original park Walt built

Live wait times at Disneyland Park
Opened
1955
Size
~100 acres
Typical hours
8:00 AM - 12:00 AM (varies)
Rides and attractions
43
Places to eat
21

Rides and attractions, land by land

Main Street, U.S.A.

A turn-of-the-century American small town inspired by Walt's boyhood home of Marceline, Missouri. The Opera House, railroad station, and Emporium frame a straight-shot view to Sleeping Beauty Castle.

Adventureland

A dense, jungle-canopied corridor of exotic adventure, home to Indiana Jones, the Jungle Cruise, the original Tiki Room, and the Adventureland Treehouse.

New Orleans Square

An 1800s French Quarter of wrought-iron balconies, winding alleys, and live jazz, home to Pirates of the Caribbean, the Haunted Mansion, the exclusive Club 33, and the Blue Bayou restaurant.

Bayou Country

Renamed from Critter Country in 2024, this riverside pocket of the park is now themed to the Louisiana bayou, anchored by Tiana's Bayou Adventure, which opened November 15, 2024.

Frontierland

The American Old West along the Rivers of America, which, unlike Florida, still exists at Disneyland. Big Thunder Mountain, the Mark Twain Riverboat, and Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer Island all front the water.

Fantasyland

A storybook Bavarian village behind Sleeping Beauty Castle, packed with the densest collection of classic dark rides anywhere, plus the Matterhorn and it's a small world.

Mickey's Toontown

Reimagined in 2023 as a play-focused cartoon neighborhood, grassy CenTOONial Park, Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway, and the character houses where the toons actually live.

Tomorrowland

Disneyland's retro-futuristic vision of tomorrow, Space Mountain, Star Tours, Autopia, the Finding Nemo submarines, and the Monorail all launch from here.

Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge

The planet Batuu's Black Spire Outpost, a fully in-character Star Wars village with Rise of the Resistance, Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, Oga's Cantina, and build-your-own lightsaber and droid experiences.

Shows, parades, and fireworks

Where to eat

Quick Service

Park strategy

  • Rope Drop

    Rope drop changed: everyone enters together now

    Early Entry ended January 5, 2026, there is no more 30-minute hotel-guest head start. Everyone rope-drops together, which makes arriving 45-60 minutes before park open MORE valuable, not less. Get through security, position at the hub, and commit to one headliner corridor: Galaxy's Edge for Rise standby, Tomorrowland for Space Mountain, or Fantasyland for the dark-ride sweep.

  • Touring

    Book your first Lightning Lane the moment you tap in

    At Disneyland Resort you cannot book Lightning Lane selections from bed: Multi Pass lets you pick your first attraction once you enter the park, and Single Pass is bought in the app after entry too. Buy Lightning Lane Multi Pass ahead of time (priced by date: from $35 per day added to your ticket ahead of time, from $38 in the park, since Oct 6, 2026; includes select PhotoPass downloads), then the second you scan in, book your first selection (Tiana's, Space Mountain, or Big Thunder) and decide on the Rise of the Resistance Single Pass (price varies by date). Rope-drop whichever headliner you did NOT book. You can book the next one after redeeming a selection or after 2 hours.

  • Touring

    Rise of the Resistance: Single Pass or rope drop, pick one

    Rise is the only Single Pass attraction in the park and it is worth the price on busy days (it varies by date, so check the app). On lighter days, rope-dropping standby gets you on in 20-40 minutes and saves the money. Don't do neither, midday standby regularly tops 90 minutes. And note the free hotel-guest Lightning Lane credit does not apply to Rise.

  • Touring

    Fantasmic! runs select nights only, check before you plan

    Fantasmic! is no longer nightly; it runs select nights (typically weekends and busy periods). Check the calendar in the app the moment you book your trip. If it's running, either commit to a 60-90 minute early arrival at the river or book the River Belle Terrace dining package for reserved viewing.

  • Crowds

    The last two hours are the best two hours

    While the fireworks and parade crowds pack Main Street, ride. Big Thunder, Matterhorn, Space Mountain, and Alice in Wonderland after dark are better versions of themselves, and waits often drop during the fireworks and Fantasmic!. Save one parade/fireworks night to watch, and spend the other night riding through the shows.

  • Touring

    Park reservations are still required, and hopping is unrestricted now

    Disneyland still requires theme park reservations alongside your ticket (book up to 240 days out; Magic Key holders 90). The good news: as of June 9, 2026, the Park Hopper time restriction is lifted, you can hop between Disneyland and DCA anytime, availability permitting. Reserve Disneyland Park as your start park on Rise days.

  • Touring

    Know your single rider lines

    Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run has the best single rider line in the park, often a fraction of the standby wait. Matterhorn Bobsleds also has one that can save up to an hour, and touring sites list single rider lines at Tiana's Bayou Adventure, Space Mountain, and Indiana Jones Adventure (currently closed) on some days. If your group is willing to split, single rider is the biggest free time-saver in the park.

  • Dining

    Mobile order before you're hungry

    Popular quick-service windows (Bengal Barbecue, Galactic Grill, Hungry Bear) run out of pickup slots at peak meal times. Place your mobile order in the app by 10:30 AM for lunch and mid-afternoon for dinner, then tap "I'm here" when you arrive. Walk-up ordering at noon can mean a 45-minute effective wait.

  • Touring

    Baby swap (Rider Switch) is free and underused

    Traveling with a kid too small for Space Mountain, Matterhorn, or Rise? Ask the greeting cast member for Rider Switch: one adult rides while the other waits with the child, then they swap without re-queueing. It works alongside Multi Pass and costs nothing.

  • Touring

    What is coming back in 2027

    The 70th anniversary wrapped in August 2026, and Wondrous Journeys and Paint the Night are done. Disney announced at D23 (Aug 2026) that Remember... Dreams Come True fireworks return in February 2027 and the Magic Happens parade returns in summer 2027. Until then, nighttime is seasonal: Halloween Screams through Oct 31, then Believe... In Holiday Magic Nov 13 to Jan 6.

  • Hidden Gem

    Do one Walt thing: the Opera House and the Main Street lamp

    This is the only park Walt ever walked. See Walt Disney – A Magical Life at the Opera House, then look up at the window above the Fire Station on Town Square, the lamp in Walt's private apartment is kept lit in his memory. Two stops, fifteen minutes, and the reason this park feels different.

Tours, parties, and extras

  • Special Access · 45 min

    Savi's Workshop – Handbuilt Lightsabers

    A secretive ceremony in Galaxy's Edge where the Gatherers guide you through building your own lightsaber: choose one of four hilt themes (Peace and Justice, Power and Control, Elemental Nature, Protection and Defense), pick a kyber crystal color (blue, green, violet, or red), assemble your hilt, and ignite your 31-inch blade in a genuinely moving finale. The reservable paid experience runs 2 PM to 9 PM; a free walk-up Youngling Saber Building Expo for kids runs mornings for a limited time (no saber included).

    Price: $249.99 per lightsaber (plus tax)

  • Special Access · 30 min

    Droid Depot

    Build and customize your own remote-controlled astromech droid (BB-series, R-series, C-series, or A-LT-series) from parts on a conveyor belt; your droid is paired with a remote and reacts to elements around Galaxy's Edge as you explore.

    Price: $119.99 per droid (plus tax; personality chips and accessories extra)

  • Special Access · 1.5 hr

    Fantasmic! Dining Package, River Belle Terrace

    A reserved-viewing bundle for Fantasmic! on its select operating nights: a 3-course meal at River Belle Terrace, then a reserved viewing location for the show instead of a 90-minute riverside campout.

    Price: Most recently reported at about $55 per adult standard and $89 premium (children less); confirm the current price when booking

  • Special Access · 1 hr

    Minnie & Friends – Breakfast in the Park at Plaza Inn

    The only character dining experience at Disneyland Park: an all-you-care-to-enjoy breakfast buffet at the Plaza Inn on Main Street, with castle views and a variety of Disney characters visiting as you dine (lineup subject to change).

    Price: Disney lists it in the $35 to $59.99 per adult band; exact price varies by date (children under 3 free)

  • Seasonal Event · 12 hr

    Holidays at the Disneyland Resort

    Nov 13, 2026 to Jan 6, 2027. Disneyland adds Believe... In Holiday Magic fireworks, A Christmas Fantasy Parade, it's a small world Holiday, and Haunted Mansion Holiday (running since Aug 21), plus holiday decor and food. Disney California Adventure adds the Disney Festival of Holidays and World of Color - Season of Light.

    Price: Included with park admission (seasonal food and merchandise extra)

Getting there and the basics

Hours

Usually 8:00 AM - 12:00 AM (varies).

Early entry: Early Entry ended Jan 5, 2026, Disney hotel guests now receive one complimentary Lightning Lane Multi Pass entry per guest per stay instead

Getting there

Walk from Anaheim hotels, Monorail from Downtown Disney, Parking structure trams, Select hotel shuttles (the ART shuttle network was discontinued March 2026)

Parking

$40 (standard, Mickey & Friends/Pixar Pals structures; verified Oct 2026 reports), preferred $60 (preferred parking)

Mickey & Friends and Pixar Pals structures, tram or short walk to the esplanade

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