The Disneyland Book of Secrets 2014: One Local's Unauthorized, Rapturous and Indispensable Guide to the Happiest Places on Earth (222 page)

Parking

Mature Guests might remember the sprawling
Disneyland Parking Lot
that dominated the landscape south of
Disneyland Park
from 1955 until the end of the millennium, accommodating more than 15,000 cars.  It was removed to make way for the
Grand Californian Hotel & Spa
,
Downtown Disney
, and
Disney California Adventure Park
, all of which opened in early 2001.

To accommodate
the many Guests who elect to drive to the resort, the gargantuan
Mickey & Friends Parking Structure
was unveiled in 2001 just northwest of
Disneyland Park
.  It has six levels and accommodates 10,250 cars.  Expect to pay about $16 for all-day parking here.  If you have a
Premium
Annual Pass
, show it to the entry-point Cast Member and park for free, not only at
Mickey & Friends
but any of the resort’s Pay-on-Entry Lots.

Guests parking at
Mickey & Friends
should follow all posted signs and Cast Member instructions to find the next available space.  Each level has a designated character and each row and column are numbered and lettered (e.g., “2F”) so if you scribble down the character, number and letter when you climb out of your car, it’ll be easier for you to find your vehicle at the end of your visit.

Note that the
Mickey & Friends
structure is subdivided into semi-detached blocks.  When you return to
Mickey & Friends
at the end of your visit, be sure to enter the correct block or you’ll find yourself backtracking and stumbling up and down rows and ramps until you reach the proper section, as my brother and I discovered to our amused chagrin during a trip in spring 2010!

But that’s at the end of the day. 
Stairs, elevators, and escalators provide easy access to the ground level when you first arrive, giddy with anticipation.  You smell the delightful fragrance of the flowers and plants that surround the parking structure, an early taste of
Disneyland magic
.  Guests who’ve traveled a long distance will find the rest rooms on the ground level of
Mickey & Friends
convenient prior to queuing for a
Disneyland Tram
.
Tram
service is frequent and efficient, and you’ll seldom wait longer than five to ten minutes to be whisked to
Downtown Disney
.

Adjacent to
Mickey & Friends
is the
Pinocchio Parking Lot
, where buses, campers and other oversized vehicles park.  Motor homes, oversized vehicles, and tractors not hauling trailers pay $21.  Buses and tractors with trailers pay $26.  The
Pinocchio Parking Lot
, like
Mickey & Friends
, offers
Tram
service.

During the brief
Tram
ride to
Downtown Disney
, all Guests are required to remain seated, behave safely, and refrain from smoking  Strollers need to be safely folded, and all hands, arms, feet, and legs should remain inside the vehicle at all times. Parents and guardians will want to watch their kids to be sure they don’t take any spills; children, especially, are percolating with joy when approaching
Disneyland
, and safety and common sense are often far from their minds.  Of course, it does no harm for kids to monitor their parents as well!  Adults get carried away by
Disneyland
too!

If your hat should blow off or something should fall
out of the vehicle during the ride, for goodness sake, don’t leap off the
Tram
.  When your short journey ends, report the incident to a Cast Member and they’ll send someone to retrieve the object for you.  After one visit my sister-in-law’s new hat blew off on the way back to
Mickey & Friends
.  She reported it as soon as the
Tram
stopped, and the hat was located and cheerfully returned to her within ten minutes.

Mickey & Friends
and
Pinocchio
are the primary parking areas for the
Disneyland Resort
, and are used by Guests visiting for the day.  Guests staying at one of the resort’s three hotels will be given parking information for the hotel parking lots and garages when booking their rooms.  Hotel self-parking is $15 per night, hotel valet parking $22 per night.

Guests visiting
Downtown Disney
can use the
Self-Parking Lot
south of the
Pinocchio Parking Lot
and north of
Downtown Disney
.  Guest park here for up to three hours for free
without
validation and up to five hours for free
with
validation from the AMC Theater or one of the
Downtown Disney
table-service eateries.  Parking for longer costs $6 per hour with a maximum charge of $30.  Valet service is offered from 5 pm to 2 am for an additional $6 fee.  Disabled Guests can park in the first row of the parking lot, near the
Rainforest Café
.

There used to be a
Lion King Tram
that ferried Guests to and from the
Timon Parking Lot
just off of
Harbor Boulevard
southeast of
DCA
.  However, that lot was closed in July of 2009 and was demolished for the construction of
Cars Land
.  Guests returning to
Disneyland
for the first time in several years should be advised that the
Timon Lot
no longer exists and is no longer a parking option.  Guests also shouldn’t plan to park at auxiliary lots like the
Pumbaa Lot
near the Anaheim Garden Walk on
Disney Way
, just off of
Harbor
; these lots are rarely open.

To accommodate Guests who don’t wish to park at
Mickey & Friends
or who can’t park there on peak days when it’s full,
Disneyland
opened the
Toy Story Parking Lot
in March 2010, just in time for summer crowds and the unveiling of the resort’s new
Summer Nightastic!
 
Toy Story
parking is $16, just as it is at
Mickey & Friends
, and
Premium Passholders
park for free.

The enormous
new
Toy Story Lot
is located south of
Katella
and east of
Harbor
; it’s quite a hike to the resort’s main gates, but never fear: 
Disneyland
provides shuttles from the
Toy Story Lot
to the resort’s
Harbor
-side entrance.  Word to the wise:  Unlike
Mickey & Friends
, the
Toy Story Lot
has no rest rooms.  Back-in-the-day, the
Toy Story Lot
was a strawberry field.  When
Disney
purchased the parcel, they planned to turn it into a third
Disneyland
theme park (a water park, apparently), but as
Disney
’s focus and budget shifted increasingly toward redesigning
DCA
, adding additional parking became the priority.

Pets

Although
Disney
movies, television shows, and attractions showcase dozens of adorable animals, from the real creatures of
Walt
’s
True-Life Adventures
documentary films to animated stars like
Bambi
and
Mickey Mouse
, the resort
doesn’t
admit pets.  Unless your pet is a service animal and assists you with a disability (for example, a seeing-eye dog), your pet will not be allowed into either park.  The
Disneyland Kennel Club
, located east of the
Disneyland Main Entrance Turnstiles
, cares for Guests’ pets during the day for a fee of $20 for each pet.  You must present proof of your pet’s vaccinations (distemper, hepatitis, and rabies for dogs; calcivirus, panleulaopenia, rabies, and rhinotracheitus for cats).  Cats and dogs
can
ride the
Mickey & Friends
trams, but
cannot
ride the
Toy Story Lot
buses.  The kennel will not board pets overnight. 
Note Bene
when planning your trip:  The three hotels of the
Disneyland Resort
do
not
accept pets with the exception of service dogs.  Please call (714) 781-4565 for more information about the kennel.

PhotoPasses

Disney
PhotoPass Photographers
are stationed at iconic points throughout the park, night and day, just waiting to take your picture.  These are talented photographers and friendly folks who have a warm way of making your smile even brighter as they talk you into making hilarious gestures and poses that liven up your photos.  Look for them near picturesque landmarks, such as
Main Street
,
Sleeping Beauty Castle
, and
Big Thunder Mountain
in
Disneyland
, and the
Carthay Circle Theatre
and
Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
in
DCA
.  The first
Disney Photographer
who takes your picture will give you a
PhotoPass
card.  Hang onto it and carry it with you.  When you see a
Disney Photographer
, give them your
PhotoPass
card and ask them to snap you or members of your party.  It’s amazing what modern technology can do; the
Disney Photogs
load your photos onto your
PhotoPass
or
Annual Passport
immediately, in literally one second, and return your pass to you.  At the end of your trip, visit the
Main Street Photo Supply Co.
or
Kingswell Camera Shop
to view your pictures and purchase prints.  Special options include
Magic Shots
, photos in which a
Disney
character is digitally inserted so that it looks like you’re holding
Tinker Bell
on the palm of your hand, carrying colorful balloons, chatting with
Minnie
, or seeing
Stitch
pop up out of the pavement.  Special borders and character signatures are also available.  Can’t decide on just one or two photos to purchase?  A new option allows you to purchase all the photos on one
PhotoCD
.  You’ll own the photos on the CD, and can save, e-mail, copy, print, and burn them however you like.  If you don’t make it to the
Main Street Photo Co.
before you head home, you have 30 days from the time the photos were taken to go online at
www.DisneyPhotoPass.com
to review your pictures and make your purchases.  Don’t want to pay a penny for your photos?  That’s
OK.  You can hand the
Disney Photographers
your own camera, and they’ll be happy to snap a photo of you and your party, free of charge. 
Disney Visa
cardmembers can visit a special character meet-and-greet near the
House of Cards Lounge
in
DCA
’s
Hollywood Land
, usually from mid-morning until mid-afternoon.  Pose with a
Disney character
and receive a voucher which you can redeem at
Kingswell Camera
for a free—yes,
free
, no-strings-attached—5” x 7” print.

Package Check Service

Don’t lug your bulky, heavy
, or fragile purchases around the parks, or cram them into a locker.  If you’re staying at a
Disneyland Resort Hotel
, take advantage of the
Package Check Service
, and ask the store Cast Member to have your purchase delivered directly to your hotel.  Not staying at the
Disneyland Resort
?  Check your goods at the
Newsstand
,
Pioneer Mercantile
, or
Star Trader
in
Disneyland
,
or
Elias and Company
in
Disney California Adventure
, and pick up your items whenever you’re ready to leave the park.