It’s no secret that Disneyland is a special place full of nostalgia and one-of-a-kind experiences. However, I often find that most families think of Walt Disney World for their children’s first Disney experience. I visited Disneyland for the first time at 24 years old after visiting Disney World 20+ times, and now, as a mom to a four-year-old, I will always advocate choosing Disneyland for families with young children.
Disneyland Resort has over 45 attractions with no height requirement. With only two parks, this is the same number of all-ages attractions as Disney World with four parks. To make park hopping super easy, Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure are less than a 5-minute walk away from each other. You’ll also find that characters are more abundant and often walk the park, allowing for spontaneous, unforgettable moments. Disneyland is also really great about transforming its parks for seasonal events without having to purchase a special event ticket. Oh and did I mention most hotels, Disney AND Good Neighbor hotels, are within walking distance to the park? No folding up the stroller, no fuss getting back to the hotel.
It’s hard to fully capture the magic of Disneyland but it’s even more abundant through the eyes of a child. There’s so many reasons to love Disneyland but here’s just a few to make you consider it for your next Disney vacation.
Proximity
There’s a lot of entertainment options between both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. In fact, Disneyland has more attractions than the Magic Kingdom in Orlando. Even better, all of the amenities fit in a condensed 500 acres, making it truly a walkable resort. This is great news for young families bringing strollers or traveling with toddlers who are just learning to walk. The entire resort feels accessible for families with the ease of park hopping and visiting Downtown Disney.
Plus, the three Disneyland Resort Hotels are all less than a 15-minute walk to the parks and offer either an exclusive entrance into the parks or monorail transportation. It’s such a good feeling to have the hotel room nearby for an outfit change, nap, or just a break from the parks. There are also over 40 Good Neighbor Hotels less than a mile away from Disneyland. These hotels are vetted by Disney, are bookable as a Disneyland package, and often offer their own promotions like one night free. It’s such a great feeling to not think about which stroller will fit on which transportation or having to fold up a stroller just to get to the parks.
Fantasyland
Fantasyland at Disneyland feels like the original, you can almost picture what opening day felt like back in 1955. Fantasyland also boasts a lot of kid-friendly attractions in a small space. This means two things – you can park your stroller in one place and easily walk to each attraction and you can cover a LOT of attractions in a short-period of time.
There are also special attractions that children (and adults are sure to love). Many of these attractions are completely unique to Disneyland, making Fantasyland an experience all on its own. To name just a few –
- Alice in Wonderland
- Casey Jr. Circus Train
- Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride
- Pinocchio’s Daring Journey
- Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough
- Snow White’s Enchanted Wish
- Storybook Land Canal Boats
Paint the Night
Paint the Night is back for Disneyland 70th and is Disney’s premier nighttime parade. There are two show times most evenings and this parade is truly worth the trip alone. Between the lights, music, and diversity of Disney and Pixar characters, this is bound to be your children’s core memory of vacationing at Disney.
Some of the unique floats include – Mac and Lightning McQueen from Cars, Slinky Dog with Woody and Buzz from Toy Story, Mike and Sully from Monsters, Inc., and Anna and Elsa from Frozen.
Pixar in the Parks
Disney California Adventure now has both Cars Land Pixar Pier. This means you have Toy Story, The Incredibles, Inside Out, Monsters, Inc., and Cars all right next to each other. This also opens the door for an abundance of meet and greets, snacks, and merchandise. Being able to walk into a real-life Radiator Springs and see Lightning McQueen driving down Route 66 is a moment your kids will never forget.
Pixar attractions with a 32″ or no height requirement –
- Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree
- Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters
- Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind
- Jessie’s Critter Carousel
- Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sully to the Rescue!
- Toy Story Midway Mania!
Mickey’s Toontown
If you haven’t visited Toontown since its update in 2023, book the trip now. The space is incredible and my son could literally spend the entire day in Toontown and have the best vacation ever. Mickey’s Toontown still includes Mickey and Minnie’s houses, Chip ‘n’ Dale’s GADGETcoaster, and Rodger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin, but now also includes Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway, food and beverage options, and the most incredible playground. In fact, the playground was designed and tested to accommodate children of all abilities, and it’s well-loved and incredibly themed. I know a playground might not seem like a selling point to book a vacation, but when you have young children and you see the joy it brings, those are the moments both of you will remember.
