USA - Magical Disneyland - Happiest place on the planet !!!

The word M A G I C begins from the word Go when you reach the most fascinating Disney Hotel in LA!

Planning to visit Disneyland, we stayed in a local hotel close to Disneyland. You can spend the morning at Disneyland, come back to your hotel and relax or take a nap in the afternoon, then go back to park in the evening, ready for more.

What to wear – Disneyland is famous for good weather, maybe too good. In summer, all that excited running around under a sometimes blazing sun can be too much for little ones – wear hats or caps. Light tops and shorts are great, until it turns cool in the evening and then you'll want a jacket. No matter what the weather, you should take light jackets: kids can get splashed and if you're staying for the shows at night, evenings can be cool. And, you're going to do a lot of walking, so wear comfy shoes or sandals.

Arriving at Disneyland - Disneyland can be exhausting, especially with summer heat and crowds.

The warm welcome charms not only the kids, but also the adults!

We reached our room and guess what - they had b'day celebrations already planned and decorated in the room for our daughter's 2nd!

Daily Schedule and Park Map – The most valuable things for planning a trip to Disneyland are the daily schedule and the park map. It really is impossible to do everything in one day in the park, but by planning a little, you can avoid both the stress of struggling to do too much and the disappointment of missing the things you really want most.  

Strollers – Stop at Guest Services and rent a stroller. You won't have to haul your own and no matter how excited a kid is, Disneyland can be exhausting. 

Lock it up –You can get a locker on Main Street where you can stow jackets, purchases, etc.  

Disneyland Park – Start by looking at the map of Disneyland. It's laid out in different areas, each with its own theme, rides and performances. You might be able to cover the whole park, but don't even imagine you can do everything everywhere – in one day or three! Plan a general route through the park, and choose a few must-dos in each section. You can always change your mind if one thing looks better than another when you're there – but at least you'll have a livable schedule and you won't miss anything really special. (Before going, we let our kids each pick their own special "must do" in each area.)  

Main Street – As soon as you enter the gate, you're in a fantasy version of a middle-America small town main street circa 1900, complete with ice cream shops and old time movie theatre. For short trips down Main Street, ride a streetcar pulled by Belgian draft horses, a "horseless carriage" or an old style fire engine. 

Rides – Your schedule should include where and when to do the rides. Each area of the park has rides and attractions for both little kids and big ones. Little kids will enjoy Mickey's Toontown and Fantasyland. Star Tours and Indiana Jones Adventure are a hit with bigger kids.  

If you have kids of different ages or with different characters (one hates heights, the other craves excitement), you might want to pair up likely "ride partners," but do enjoy the park as a family: make sure to choose a few everyone will go on together For example, the Haunted Mansion is exciting for little ones, campy for the bigger kids, and almost everyone can handle Pirates of the Caribbean.  

Other attractions – Don't go nuts trying to go from one blockbuster ride to the next or timed activity, especially if you have small kids. Take a break.  

Sit on a bench on the bridge near Sleeping Beauty's Castle, take a ride on the King Arthur carousel, try to pull out the Sword in the Stone (Fantasyland). Run around Tom Sawyer Island and get lost in Injun Joe's cave or take a hand in the old fashioned shooting gallery (Frontierland), scale the heights to Tarzan's Treehouse or rest your feet in the wacky animatronic show in the Enchanted Tiki Room (Adventureland), let the kids climb on a big old fashioned fire engine (Main Street).  

Live shows and parades – Check out the daily schedule for the day(s) you'll be in the Park. Live entertainment changes often: parades, dance, light shows, etc. Use the daily schedule to help you plan rides and meals around the live entertainment. Crowds for parades are big, so get there early, a spot where little ones will have a good view, or plan on putting them on your shoulders. 

Fantasmic! really is fantastic, a lights, water, music, extravaganza that will leave little ones' mouths open (and maybe yours, too). Stake out your plot of grass or table early (an hour is about right) for a decent view. Planning a late dessert at a waterfront café works great.

Live music – Throughout the park, there's a wide variety of live music, from Dixieland jazz and brass bands at New Orleans Square, to bluegrass and steel drum bands, singing quartets, and dance bands. When you hear music playing, find a bench or cafe table, rest your feet, and enjoy. 

Photo with a Disney character – Have your photo taken with your favorite Disney character – Mickey, Minnie, Snow White, Goofy, Pooh, etc. Look for characters at Main Street Town Square, Fantasyland and Critter Country. An unforgettable souvenir.  

Disney California Adventure Park – Right next door to Disneyland, California Adventure theme park has more rides, parades, live shows, play areas, and a spectacular fountain show, World of Color. 

Cars Land is sure to be a hit with the whole family. At Radiator Springs kids can take the wheel of their own racers. Little kids will like the pint-size tractors in Mater's Junkyard Jamboree. Everyone will enjoy the Luigi's Flying Tires.

Paradise Pier is rides central – choose from King Triton's Carousel for little ones, or the Mickey's Fun Wheel (huge ferris wheel), to California Screamin', a roller coaster with a 107-foot drop and a 360-degree loop. One of the most fun rides on a hot day? The Grizzly River Run which takes you through "gold country" on a "white water raft."

Animation Academy is for kids who yearn to be an animator. There's 10 minute feature, then an artist will teach you how to draw Disney animation with a pencil and paper. 

All-in-All

From the morning breakfasts with Disney characters to the lovely hospitality, our stay was truly an unforgettable stay and we would like to return for this magical experience once again!

Meeting, hugging, cuddling most of her favorite Disney characters - from Mickey to Minine, from Goofy to Pluto, From the princesses to the 'Its a Small world show' from the parade to the fun kids rides and shows  - our 2 year old had a blast!

We totally recommend a comfortable 4 day stay and not pack everything in 2 days.

Weekday was a much better option as it was less crowded.

Food was not an issue at all. Several restaurants that served food that was good to go for all.