Disneyland Kennels

An indoor kennel is available to the right of the entrance to Disneyland Park. Food and water are provided however, you must return to the Kennel to walk your animal. The Kennel does not provide overnight boarding.

DOGS: You must produce proof of vaccinations for rabies, distemper, hepatitis and leptospirosis for dogs over four months old.

CATS: You must produce proof of vaccinations for rabies, panleukopenia, rhinotracheitus and calcivirus.

Price: $20.00 Per Day

If you are traveling with your pet, you must park in the Mickey & Friends parking structure if you wish to board your pet at the Kennel. If you park in a different area, you will not be allowed to board the shuttle since they are not owned by Disney.

Reservations are required by calling (714) 781-7662, the Disneyland Kennel is not open for Magic Morning.

Below are some additional options outside the Disneyland Resort:

Animal Friends Pet Hotel
13220 Euclid Street
Garden Grove, CA 92843
(714) 537-4500
Near Euclid and Paloma Avenue
Notes - All animals must have up to date vaccination records.

Animal Inns of America
10852 Garden Grove Blvd
Garden Grove, CA 92843
(714) 636-4455
Near Brookhurst Avenue and Euclid
Notes - All animals must have up to date vaccination records.

Check with your hotel to see if they allow pets.  The hotels at the Disneyland Resort do NOT allow pets.

*****ONE MORE THING TO THINK ABOUT, THE FIREWORKS ARE VERY LOUD AND SCARE DOGS, PLEASE TAKE THAT INTO CONSIDERATION.*******

Disneyland Discount Tickets

Here are some things you need to know about Disneyland Tickets:

•Children under 3 get in free, and anyone 10 years old or over pays adult admission for Disneyland tickets.

•The lowest-priced, single-day Disneyland tickets are good for only one park. In other words, you can't visit Disneyland in the morning and Disney's California Adventure in the afternoon of the same day.

•Multi-day Disneyland tickets and one-day Hoppers allow you to visit both parks on the same day. Park Hopper Disneyland tickets expire 13 days after the first use, no matter how many days you buy.

•An easy way to get Disneyland tickets and stay out of line at the park is to order online from Kijubi.com. They guarantee a rate as low as you'll get by buying direct, offer online and postal mail delivery.

•If you buy from Disney, you can have them held at Will Call or mailed to your home. You'll pay a shipping fee that varies depending on your location and lead time. These tickets come with a risk - they cannot be replaced if they're lost, even if you have a copy. Checked bags can go astray, so pack them in your carry-on luggage.

•A better option is to order online and opt for eTickets which you can print out at home. This saves shipping costs, but even more important, an eTicket can be replaced if you forget or lose it, as long as the person who bought it is present and has the credit card they used with them. If that happens, just head for Guest Services at the Main Entrance Will Call window with the credit card and a photo ID and they can issue a new ticket.

•Order by telephone at 714-781-4400.

•Once you start your Disneyland visit, lost tickets cannot be replaced, even if you have a copy of them. Keep them safely tucked into a secure pocket while you're in the park.

•Southern California visitors will find discount tickets for Universal Studios and Sea World everywhere they look, from tourist magazines to the paper lining their dinner trays at the local fast food joint, but getting Disneyland discount tickets isn't quite as easy. The good news is that you can still get some Disneyland discount tickets, and you'll do best if you plan in advance.

•All Resort tickets can be upgraded to annual passes.  Present your ticket on the last day of your trip (to get the most days possible on the year pass) and pay the difference from the price of your tickets and the price of the annual pass.  There are a few options for annual passes and remember to consider a parking pass for all passes other than the Premium.  If you are not from Southern California and have someone in your party who does have a Southern California zip code, that person can purchase a Southern California pass for you.  They need to be the ones who pay for the pass.

•Learn about the regular prices before you get started looking for bargains. There's more about visiting Disneyland here, too.

Disneyland Discount Tickets - Options

•Free Admission For Volunteer Service: During 2010, you can get into one Disneyland theme park ticket free for one day as your reward for doing a day of volunteer service. Find out how to do it.

•Southern California CityPass: If you're planning on visiting some of Southern California's other attractions during your trip, this one is your best bet. You can get 3-Day Disneyland Tickets, tickets for one day each at Universal Studios, SeaWorld and your choice of a ticket to the San Diego Zoo OR San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park. The total discount is approximately 30%, and you can buy the passes online in advance, or at the gate of any of the participating attractions.  You can also find these at most Costco's.

•ARES Travel offers small discounts on Disneyland California tickets and you can also reserve character breakfasts through them. They deliver by e-mail only. You can order online or by phone at 800-434-7894.

•Buy online not at the ticket booth: You can get Disneyland discount tickets if you buy them online in advance. Prices can be up to $50 per ticket less than what you'd pay at the gate. Print at home or to get them in the mail.

•Disneyland Specials: From time to time, Disney offers special discounts. The most common is adding a couple of extra days to a multi-day ticket for free. See what's available and buy it online.

•Shorten Your Stay: Another way to save money is to spend fewer days in the parks, but this doesn't mean you can't do everything. Normal visitors spend more time in line than doing anything else, but you know better. With an inexpensive subscription to Ridemax software, you can stay out of line and easily do in two days what it takes most people three to four days to cover. In fact, I once used it to do almost all of Disneyland in a single day and had time to spare.

•Stay Away from Auctions: Some people buy 5-Day passes, use two or three days and try to sell the remaining time in online auctions. However, these tickets state in writing, "Not For Sale. Non Transferable, Must be used by the same person, all days," and this practice is not recommended.

•Adults Pay Kids' Price: Some years, Disney offers special pricing for visits from January through early spring, with everyone paying the kids' admission fee

•Southern Californians: If you live in zip codes 90000-93599, Disney offers frequent special deals and discounts for online purchases along with special discounts on annual passes. Your local Costco, Von's or Ralph's store may also offer lower-priced passes.

•California Teachers: Members of ACSA, CTA, CRTA and First Financial Credit Union can get Disneyland discount tickets through TSA Special Services by phone or mail. The excellent discounts they once offered are getting less impressive every year, nearly vanishing when you add their processing fees, and you have to order far enough in advance to allow for mail delivery.

•Southern California University Students: Some area universities offer discounted, one-park, one-day Disneyland discount tickets for their students. Check with your Student Union.

•Employee Discounts: Some large corporations and government agencies in Southern California also offer discounted, one-day, one-park Disneyland discount tickets to their employees. Ask your Human Resources department.

•AAA and CSAA Members: These California automobile clubs sometimes offer discounts, but grab your calculator before you buy. Some of their "packages" cost the same as the individual parts at full price.  Plus, if you buy only tickets to the park, they include fee parking at the Mickey and Friends Parking Structure!  This will save you over $10 a day!

•Some area hotels offer discount Disneyland tickets with a room rental.

•Military Discounts: Active duty, Reserve, National Guard, Retired, and DOD employees can buy Disneyland discount tickets, with the amount depending on the time of year. Check with your base MWR for information. Bring your military ID to show at the gate.

•United Kingdom Residents: Theme Park Direct offers some good discounts, but check the current exchange rate and which way it's heading before you buy. It may be cheaper to buy in U. S. dollars.

•Hotel Points: This isn't exactly a discount, but you can redeem Hilton HHonors Points for Disneyland passes.

Unofficial Guides

 

For many Disney travelers The Unofficial Guide To Walt Disney World and The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland by Bob Sehlinger and Len Testa are simply known as the Good Books. For many years the Unofficial Guides has told you everything you ever wanted to know about visiting the Disney theme parks and resorts and a lot more. These are essential books for trip planning and it is no wonder why they remains the best selling Disney books on Amazon.

Last year the books were enhanced with practical color photos. One series compares the crowd levels at different times of the day and another compares a Disney burger to one from McDonalds. You can see examples of the various Disney transportation modes, the Fastpass system, and what the differences are in amenities between a value, moderate, and deluxe resort.

They are “unofficial” for a reason as they pay for everything themselves. While in the parks researchers wear logo shirts and are very talkative with other guests.  They are always asking questions. There is balance and it is refreshing. The authors recognize that these trips are not inexpensive and you want to get the best value possible in these tough economic times.

The books are updated each year and the text does change. I have noticed in these editions they are especially critical about rising ticket prices, the bus transportation systems, and the increase in dining prices. Much of the analysis is quantitative and measurable unlike other travel books. Want to book one of the in-demand dining spots? There is a chart that tells you how many days in advance each place gets filled. They even measure pillow fluffiness.

Another fun feature embedded in the attraction descriptions are side notes from Jim Hill. My impression is that most of the rumors of potential ride upgrades are connected to some sort of Disney property in order to get the greenlight. Synergy.

If you plan on visiting Universal Studio, this book has a very comprehensive section for those parks and resorts as well.

Here are five unofficial ways to prepare for your trip to a Disney Park by the author, Bob Sehlinger:

1. Select the time of year for your visit: The parks are busiest Christmas Day through New Year’s Day. Thanksgiving weekend, the week of Washington’s birthday, the first full week of November, spring break for colleges, and the two weeks around Easter are also times when visitation can peak at 92,000 visitors in a single day. The park is far less crowded during the off season, but be advised that the parks often open late and close early during that time.

2. Shape up: Visiting Disney Parks require levels of industry and stamina more often associated with running marathons. As you plan your time at Disney Parks, consider your physical limitations. It’s exhausting to rise at dawn and run around a theme park for 8 to 12 hours day after day. Every Disney vacation itinerary should include days when you don’t go to a theme park and days when you sleep in and take the morning off. Plan these to follow unusually long and arduous days.  There is also information about hotels in the area.

3. Formulate your park plan: First-time visitors should see Epcot first; you’ll be able to enjoy it without having been preconditioned to think of Disney entertainment as solely fantasy or adventure. See Animal Kingdom second. Like Epcot, it’s educational, but its live animals provide a change of pace. Next, see Disney’s Hollywood Studios, which helps transition from the educational Epcot and Animal Kingdom to the fanciful Magic Kingdom. Also, because DHS is smaller, you won’t walk as much or stay as long. Save the Magic Kingdom for last; it’s the park that epitomizes Disney World for most visitors.

4. Create your touring plan: Which rides and attractions appeal most to you? What are you willing to forgo? Planning your day in advance can save you up to four hours of waiting time in line. We have developed a hierarchy of categories that will help you evaluate each ride and plan the best way to enjoy them all. For example, SUPER-HEADLINERS are the best attractions the theme park has to offer – and they usually have the longest lines. MINOR ATTRACTIONS are midway-type rides, small “dark” rides (cars on a track, zigzagging through the dark) and walk-through attractions—which can be a lot of fun, without the long wait. Remember that bigger and more elaborate doesn’t always mean better. See examples of touring plans (and create your own) in The Unofficial Guides.  Also includes are height requirements, and best times to visit attractions.

5. Getting hungry?: There are three lessons to learn before you dine in the parks. One: Theme-park restaurants rush their customers in order to make room for the next group of diners. If you want to linger over your expensive meal, don’t order your entire dinner at once. Order drinks. Study the menu while you sip, then order appetizers. Tell the waiter you need more time to decide among entrees. Order your main course only after appetizers have been served. Dawdle over dessert. Two: If you’re dining in a theme park and cost is an issue, make lunch your main meal. Entrees are similar to those on the dinner menu, but prices are significantly lower. Three: Disney adds a surcharge of $4 per adult and $2 per child to certain popular restaurants during weeks of peak attendance, including Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, and in 2009 every day from Memorial Day through July 4.  There is also information about eating outside the park.

Check out these books!  They are an amazing addition to your Disney library and are very helpful in planning a successful trip.  If you would like some additional reading by Bob Sehlinger check out the following:

-The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World With Kids

-Beyond Disney

Security In and Outside the Park

When entering any Disney Park be prepared to have your bags and strollers searched.  For the safety of all guests and Cast Members this is a little hurdle for a safe feeling all day. 

Some tips to remember:

-Unzip all pockets to back packs before reaching the Cast Members.

-Do not bring anything questionable into the park (alcohol, drugs, glass, weapons, etc.)

-Be nice to the Cast Members.  The nicer you are the quicker they will send you thru.  You do not need to explain everything that you have to them.  Just follow their promptings. 

-Once you get off the tram you will want to load strollers with everything you are carrying into the park.  Wait until after you get thru the security check point. 

The parks are swarming with security.  From Cast Members in security clothing, security wearing plain clothes, and cameras on every square inch of the park.  As we have stated in our previous post "Meeting Location," make sure your children know who they can get help from if they become lost.  If you see something suspicious make sure you inform a Cast Member.  By complying with the rules of the park you will have a good time and feel very secure.

 Outside the park, is a little different.  Just because you are surrounded by Disneyland at every turn, make sure you do not let your guard down.  Walk in pairs, lock your cars and hotel rooms, do not leave valuables visible in cars, and BE SMART AND SAFE! 

Random Park Hints, Part 1

There are not a lot of discounts on Disneyland tickets, but you can save money by combining a visit to Disneyland with other southern California theme parks using the Southern California CityPass. These are available at Costco.  You might also find discounted tickets through employee organizations, colleges, or at Kijubi.com.

Buy your tickets in advance to save time waiting in the ticket line. Pay attention to whether your tickets (such as annual passes) have to be picked up or validated at Guest Relations. Guest Relations does not open until the park opens. Will Call tickets can be picked up before the park opens.

Get to the park early. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are the least crowded days at Disneyland.  The ticket booths open about half hour before the gates open. Be in line with your tickets already in hand when the gates open to ride some of the non-FASTPASS rides like Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Pirates of the Caribbean, Matterhorn Bobsleds, or Toon Town before the lines get long.

Lines 13, 20, or 21 move fastest at the Disneyland park entrance.

Some Disneyland Resort packages include early entry into Disneyland. This allows you to enter the park one hour before the gates open and ride some of the more popular rides before the lines get long. This can mean 7 am in the summer. Usually this offer only applies to guests of the three Disney Resort hotels, but occasionally the promotion will include guests at "Good Neighbor" hotels as well.

Use RideMax to minimize time waiting in lines and walking between rides at Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure.

Ride during parades and use Fastpass. If you've already seen the parade or you don't mind missing it, this is a good time to get on rides since so many people stop riding to watch the parade.  Ride at dinnertime. Most people eat dinner between 4:00 pm and 6:00 pm, so lines will be shorter.  Go to Adventure land and New Orleans at night.  When riding the Matterhorn, remember that the line that wraps around the Tomorrowland side is almost always shorter.

Lines that move quickly even though they look crowded: Haunted Mansion, Buzz Lightyear, Pirates of the Carribbean, Jungle Cruise, Indiana Jones, and Tower of Terror.

Afternoon Break. If you have a hotel in the area, plan to go to the park early, take a break at your hotel in the afternoon and come back to spend the evening at the parks. Since most families with small children leave early, the lines for popular kiddie rides like Dumbo and Peter Pan are shorter at night. This mostly applies during the summer when the park is open from 8 am until 11 pm or midnight.

The best view of the fireworks is from Main Street in front of Sleeping Beauty's Castle. Most of the Fantasyland rides close down during fireworks and reopen afterwards. If you watch the fireworks from Fantasyland near Dumbo the Flying Elephant and the Carrousel, the fireworks will appear both in front of you and behind you, so you have to watch in two directions, but you'll be first in line when the Fantasyland rides re-open. The Fantasyland rides outside the roped off area re-open first, so you can ride Dumbo and then be ready when they take down the ropes to the rest of Fantasyland. Otherwise there's usually a 40 minute or longer wait for these rides.

Stay at a Disney area hotel. Even if you live in Southern California, you can save time and money by staying at a hotel close to the Disney Resort. Stay at a hotel with free parking and breakfast and it can equal what you would have paid for parking, gas and breakfast at Disneyland if you drive in for the day. If you're checking in the same day, most hotels will let you park at the hotel in the morning, take the shuttle to Disneyland, come back at check in time to have a rest, then shuttle back to the park. The shuttle will bring you back to the hotel up to half an hour after the park closes, so you don't have to drive home when you're wiped out after a long day in the sun.

Start with Adventureland and go clockwise.  This helps prevent criss-crossing the park so many times because it will usually plant you near parades, shows and restaurants around the times you need them. Also, most people tend to go counter-clockwise (i.e. starting with Tomorrowland), so you somehow seem to encounter less crowds going clockwise.  The Disneyland Train does a circle around the park, so use it for transportation.

Hotels in Anaheim

Disneyland has provided some information in regards to what hotels in the area are worth looking into.  Click here to view what they recommend.

We have stayed at many hotels in the Anaheim area.  If you plan on walking into the park you will want to stay somewhere very close to the park.  If you plan on driving in each day it is well worth staying in a place outside of Anaheim (Costa Mesa, Orange, Irvine, etc.)  You can get a better deal and nicer ammenities. 

We also recommend not staying on Katella Avenue. We have had a few experiences where the hotels had bugs and that has made us block the whole street off our list of places to stay.

Many hotels also offer shuttle services that will take you into the park for a small fee.  If you plan on bringing food into the park you may also want a hotel with a fridge.  Check the ammenities before booking. 

We typically will place our reservations thru Hotwire.com, Orbitz.com, Travelocity.com, etc.  If you name your price thru a travel website, you can get great deals but the hotels in this area are not known for their cleanliness.  We know many people who have also used Getawaytoday.com.

If you walk into the park you will want to stay on Harbor Boulevard.  This is the easiest way to get into the park.  Take into account that if you walk into the park you will need to bring items that you would normally take in your car. 

Obviously the very best places to stay are at the Resort Hotels (Grand Californian Hotel, Paradise Pier, or The Disneyland Hotel.)  We can't afford these places but someday we will be able to stay at one of these great hotels. 

If you do stay at an economy hotel and you are driving to Southern California you may want to bring your own bedding and some sort of flip-flops or slippers to wear around the hotel room. 

Any hotel is going to work for your stay.  If you have smaller children you will spend more time at the hotel than if you don't have children.  You may want to spend a little more in these cases. 

Also, take and pack the soap and shampoo in the rooms daily.  Nicer hotels will restock it daily and it will give you lots of items to take on your next trip.

Get Away Today

Heidi S. from Orem, Utah wrote the following review for Getawaytoday.com:

"We always use Get Away Today to plan our Disneyland Vacation because we can package everything together. We dislike driving and dealing with parking and California traffic so we always fly but we book our flights through any online travel agency. Get Away Today works on a voucher system. They send you a copy of your Disneyland Park Entrance/Meal information which you present to the ticket booth. The Disney Cast Members know exactly what to do and just ask for your picture ID. I have never had any problems. Disney prints out your entrance tickets and also vouchers for all your meals i.e. Ariel's Grotto, Character Breakfast. You receive a voucher for your hotel which you present upon check-in. And vouchers for any transportation which you book. They also give you a lanyard with a pocket to keep your vouchers and tickets in. Their customer service is amazing!  They are very friendly and knowledgeable.
Airport - We used to fly to LAX but have found a direct flight from SLC to Long Beach is cheaper and closer to the park.

Transportation - Get Away Today offers bus services and we rent a private van (Airport Shuttle) to pick us up from the airport and take us back at the end of our vacation. Cost is $85 each way and seats up to 8 people (Longbeach). Get Away Today has had issues with the airport transportation company. This last trip the company put us in a group van with other visitors and had issues with our voucher. I programmed Get Away Today's phone number in my cell and called them. They informed me they had had issues with this company and not to give them any additional funds and spoke directly with the driver and resolved the matter. You can also buy bus transportation from LAX for @ $13 each way.

Universal/Sea World/Knotts Berry Farms, etc. - GetAway Today also sells tickets to other parks around the area. You receive a voucher with the bus reservation number on it. You need to call 24 hours in advance. A bus picks you up outside your hotel and drops you off at their central station. You stand in a line and present your voucher to the agent and they print out your admission ticket and bus ticket and inform you which lane your bus will be in. The driver takes everyone to the park and then picks you up and drops you off at your hotel in the evening. They have vouchers for a tour which basically gives you free transportation and you just pay for your entrance fee. It is packaged so don't buy them seperately. We were told about it from a Get Away Today employee and saved us a ton of money. Make sure you get on the bus at the end of the day when the driver tells you he is departing. Otherwise you are looking at a taxi ride. Always tip the driver at the end of the day. Some people are too cheap but we always do $2-$3 dollars a person.

Hotel - We like to stay across the street from the park so we do not have to walk after a long day in the park. We usually stay at the Best Western Park Place which is across the street next to Captain Kidd's restaurant. They serve a complimentary breakfast upstairs in the restaurant and is one of the better hotel breakfasts. Eggs, toast, bagels, fruit, donuts, pastries, juice, milk, etc. The rooms are not anything great but then most of the hotels seem to need some updating.  We stayed at the Castle Inn & Suites which said it was across the street but it was at the end of the block by Subway and the rooms were really old. Probably would not stay there again.

We would love to stay at the Disneyland Resort but usually we can get our hotel and 3-day park hoppers for @ $1200 - $1500 for five adults and it is over $3000 for the Disneyland Hotels. If anybody has tips about how to get it more affordable I would love to hear it. I can't justify spending that much money when we are not in our room very long."

Thanks so much Heidi for your review.  If you would like more information about Getawaytoday.com or to book your vacation click here.

Walt Disney World Contact Information

Guest Information
(407) 939-6244

Vacation Package Bookings
(407) 939-7675

Resort Room-only Bookings
(407) 939-7429

Tickets
(407) 939-1289

Dining Reservations

(407) 939-3463 (WDW-DINE)

Walt Disney World Merchandise Guest Services

(407) 363-6200

Other Info:

Driving Directions / Weather
(800) 555-8355 (TELL)

Free 411
(800) 373-3411 (FREE411)

For other phone numbers click here.

Disneyland Resort Contact Information

Disneyland Resort
1313 North Harbor Boulevard
Anaheim, California 92802
http://www.disneyland.com/

The Disneyland Hotel
1150 Magic Way
Anaheim, California 92802

Disney's Grand Californian
1600 South Disneyland Drive
Anaheim, California 92809

Paradise Pier Hotel
1717 Disneyland Drive
Anaheim, California 92802

24 Hour Automated Information System
(714) 781-4565

1. Disneyland
2. Disney's California Adventure
3. Disneyland Resort Hotels
4. Downtown Disney
5. Annual Passport Hotline

Disneyland Guest Relations
(714) 781-7290
This number will connect you to Disneyland Resort Guest Relations where any question about the Disneyland Resort can be asked.
 
Ticketing and Reservation (Including Fantasmic Balcony Reservations)
(714) 781-4400
 
Resort Tours
(714) 817-2299
 
Annual Passes
(714) 781-4567

Annual Passes Message Center
(714) 781-4546

Priority Seating
(714) 956-6755
Priority Seating Reservations for all Disney restaurants in the Disneyland Resort.
 
DisneyDine
(714) 781-3463

Main Street Candy Kitchen Menu Line
(714) 781-0112

Disneyland Resort Hotels
General Information and Reservations: (714) 956-6425
Operator (714) 778-6600
 
Restaurant Reservations (for the Disney hotels)
(714) 956-6755
 
Walt Disney Travel Company
To book your trip with Walt Disney Travel including "Magic Mornings" (and other Early Entry hotel packages) call: (714) 520-5050 or (714) 520-7070
If you are have a Disney Club card call: (800) 652-6244
Travel Port Blvd.
1441 S. West St.
Anaheim, CA 92803
 
Disneyland Merchandise Mail Order: (DelivEARS)
(800) 362-4533 or (800) 760-3566 or (714) 781-7557
Email: dldelivears@disney.com or merchandiseguestservices@disney.go.com
Website: disneyparks.com/store
 
The Disney Catalog
(800) 237-5751
http://www.disneystore.com/
 
Disney Gallery
(714) 781-7531 (do not use for Fantasmic! desert buffet reservations).
 
Disneyana/Disneyland
(714) 781-7851
 
Fairy Tale Weddings
(714) 956-6527

TDD Phone Numbers
Disneyland General Information: (714) 781-4569
Disneyland Hotel Reservations: (714) 956-6494

Guest Services Building:
1313 North Harbor Boulevard
Mailing: P.O. Box 61015
Anaheim, California 92803
(714) 781-4101

Other Info:

Driving Directions / Weather
(800) 555-8355 (TELL)

Free 411
(800) 373-3411 (FREE411)