Ready to plan the ultimate Disneyland trip? In this detailed review, we share highlights from our magical family adventure, including favorite rides, tips for making the most of your visit, and insider details on staying at the Disneyland Hotel. Whether you’re a first-time visitor or a Disney veteran, this guide will help you create unforgettable memories at the Happiest Place on Earth!
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Disneyland Trip Review 2024
If you’re new here, my name is Mindy and I LOVE going to Disneyland! I have been visiting since I was a child and have taken my kids there multiple times a year as a mom. In this Disneyland trip review, we’ll take you through our unforgettable family adventure in 2024, filled with thrilling rides, delicious treats, and classic Disney magic.
From staying at the iconic Disneyland Hotel to hopping on favorite attractions like Space Mountain and Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, we made the most of every moment. Whether you’re a seasoned Disney-goer or visiting for the first time, this review will give you tips, insights, and inspiration for your own trip!
If you want to visit other Disney destinations, check out my review of Disney World, our latest Disney Cruise, and Disneyland Paris!
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Traveling to Disneyland
We flew from Salt Lake City to the Long Beach airport (LGB) on Southwest Airlines. I can usually get pretty good deals for those flights and I often used Rapid Rewards points that I’ve earned through my Southwest Rapid Rewards Credit Card.
Once we landed at LGB, we ordered a LYFT XL Black to transport us to the Disneyland Resort. It is a little more expensive to select the XL Black, but I have had times when ordering an XL that the car was not large enough for our family of five plus luggage. Our ride was nice and we were able to watch Top Gun: Maverick on our way.
We arrived at the Disneyland Hotel at about 1:00 pm. Our room was not quite ready yet, so we dropped off our bags with bell services. The concierge escorted us up to the 11th floor of the Adventure Tower to give us a tour of the E-Ticket Lounge that we would be able to use throughout our stay.
I booked this vacation through my travel partner Get Away Today who was able to get us a great deal on a club level room at the hotel as well as discounted Disneyland tickets. I highly recommend using them for your next Disney adventure. Check prices for yourself here and use coupon code: Clubhouse10 to save on a vacation package or give them a call at 855-GET-AWAY and mention Mommy Mouse Clubhouse to get the same deals.
Afternoon at the Disneyland Hotel
After grabbing some snacks in the E-Ticket Lounge, our room was still not ready, so we headed down to the pool to swim. We easily found a couple of lounge chairs to sit on while the kids enjoyed the Monorail water slides. I was able to purchase some sun screen in the gift shop inside the Fantasy Tower and got a discount using my Disney Chase Visa card!
Once our room was ready, we headed up to the 11th floor of the Adventure Tower. Our room happened to be right next to the E-Ticket Lounge, which ended up being very convenient.
While Shane and Derek took a nap, Lucas, Dylan and I went to to explore the hotel. We made a stop in the Discovery Tower to check out the Fitness Center, we played giant Connect Four on the grass, and we stopped in the gift shop to get a Mickey Ice Cream Bar!
Downtown Disney District
For dinner, we we relaxed and enjoyed the snacks and appetizers in the lounge, then we headed over to Downtown Disney. I can’t emphasize enough, how convenient it is to stay at the Disneyland Hotel for the ease of getting to Downtown Disney and the parks!
Dylan and Lucas have been so excited to get more Clyde’s Hot Chicken since our last trip when we stayed at the Grand Californian. Then we stopped at the LEGO Store because Lucas had earned some money and couldn’t wait to spend it!
We headed back to the room to relax, enjoy some desserts from the lounge, let Lucas put his new LEGO set together and watch the fireworks from our room. We had the most amazing view!
Disneyland Day One
We decided that we were not going to rope drop at the parks on this visit. It was more important that my teenage boys get enough sleep so they would be in a good mood. If you have teenagers, you know what I mean!
I woke up early to try and get a spot in the virtual queue for Haunted Mansion Holiday. I used the same methods that worked in the past to join the queue for Rise of the Resistance and it worked again! Check out my virtual queue strategy here. I was pretty quick and got us into boarding group 2!
Breakfast at the E-Ticket Lounge
When everyone was ready, we headed next door to get some breakfast from the E-Ticket Lounge. I have to admit that I was holding this lounge up to the standard of the Deluxe Lounge at the Disneyland Hotel Paris, and I was a bit disappointed. I think it would have been fine, if I didn’t have Disneyland Paris to compare it to.
The kids mostly ate the pastries and cereal, and I ended up loving the yogurt parfaits and the Mickey-shaped watermelon slices. And have I mentioned the view yet? It is amazing!
Fantasyland
After breakfast, we walked through Downtown Disney to get to the parks. As we entered to Main Street U.S.A. we noticed the Disneyland fire engine was getting ready to depart, so we grabbed a ride all the way to the castle.
We then passed through the castle and entered Fantasyland. Lucas and Dylan decided to try his luck at pulling the sword from the stone in front of the carousel. Unfortunately, they were both unsuccessful.
We wanted to go on the Fantasyland rides first on this visit because it has been awhile, so our first ride was Pinocchio’s Daring Journey. Next we headed over to Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, which reminded me of teaching my teenagers to drive. Now that’s a wild ride. We then headed over to ride Storybook Land which has been at Disneyland since 1956.
The Disneyland app said that the wait time for Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway was about 25 minutes, but was actually about 45 when we arrived. We chose to ride it later. The boys changed their mind about waiting in line to meet Mickey, so we boarded the Disneyland railroad instead to take a lap around the park.
Afternoon Break
It was getting hot so we decided to take the monorail back to the Disneyland Hotel to grab some snacks, take a nap, and go swimming. After a quick nap, we headed down to the pool and found some chairs in the shade. A nice Cast Member stopped by our chairs and gave us a couple of rubber duckies for the boys.
When we were done swimming and resting, the boys ordered dinner from Tangaroa Terrace at the Disneyland Hotel. Lucas ordered the kids cheeseburger and was very disappointed by it’s size.
Evening at Disneyland
After our mid-day break, we took the Monorail back to Disneyland. I was able to keep collecting Lightning Lane selections throughout the afternoon, and modifying the times to fit our time frame. Our first stop was Big Thunder Mountain.
Then it was time to head over to Indiana Jones Adventure for our Lightning Lane Reservation. I was excited for our kids because they got to sit in the front of the vehicle and Lucas was able to sit behind the steering wheel!
Our last two Lightning Lane reservations, slightly overlapped, but we were still able to make them both work. We rode Star Tours – The Adventure Continues followed by Space Mountain.
After riding Space Mountain, we watched the fireworks while riding the Monorail back to the hotel. It was a great day at Disneyland and it was time to get some rest for the next day at California Adventure.
Day Two at Disney California Adventure
After all of the kids were up, we headed to the E-ticket Lounge at the Disneyland Hotel to grab some breakfast. After breakfast, it was off to the park!
We took a different way to enter California Adventure. Instead of walking through Downtown Disney, we crossed Disneyland Drive at Paradise Way and entered the Grand Californian. If you want to go this way, you will need your Disneyland Hotel or Pixar Pier Hotel key to enter the gate.
You can walk through the south side of the hotel and find the entrance to the park and you will end up between Corn Dog Castle and Goofy’s Sky School. We stopped for a quick picture at Pixar Pier and walked over to Incredicoaster to join the Single Rider LIne.
After riding Incrediecoaster, we headed to Cars Land. As we were walking to Cars Land, of course we had to stop in the Boudin Bakery Tour for a free sample!
Cars Land is one of my favorite areas of any Disney Parks. The theming can’t be beat! You feel like you are totally immersed in the movie and it is so adorable. We joined the Single Rider Line for Radiator Springs Racers and waited about 30 minutes.
While waiting in line at Disney, my boys favorite thing to do is play Heads Up. They are pretty good with their Disney trivia now. This is a fun app you can easily download, so check it out for your next trip.
We continued our tradition of getting an ice cream cone at Cozy Cone Motel then made our way through Buena Vista Street and over past Smoke Jumpers Grill to ride Soarin’ using our Lightning Lane. Just as the ride began, something happened and it immediately stopped. We were then informed that the ride had broken down and that we would each get a Lightning Lane to return and ride later in the day.
Mid-Day Break
We like to take a break back at the hotel each day around lunch time. Some of us nap, and some just relax and have some downtime. We have done this since the boys were little and it definitely keeps everyone from getting over tired and cranky, even as teenagers!
Evening at DCA
When we arrived back at the park that evening, we used our Lightning Lane from earlier in the day to ride Soarin’. The line, even for Lightning Lane, was very long most likely because everyone was using the pass at the same time.
We had planned to ride the Incredicoaster after Soarin’ but the ride was temporarily closed. So we headed over to play some midway games while we waited for our Lightning Lane to ride Toy Story Midway Mania. We played a fun game and won a Wall-E stuffed animal for Lucas!
After riding Toy Story Midway Mania, we decided to head back to the hotel, to grab some desserts from the E-Ticket Lounge and watch the Disneyland fireworks from our hotel room and go to bed.
Disneyland Day Three
We started out our day at the Disneyland Hotel in the Adventure Tower, A tour of our club level room is coming soon! We had breakfast in the E-Ticket Lounge with amazing views of the parks and I have my favorite yogurt and fruit parfait.
Once we got to Disneyland, Tomorrowland was our first stop. The standby wait time for Space Mountain was still pretty short, so that’s where we went. After Space Mountain, we went to Autopia. I rode with my 14-year-old who was excited to show me his driving skills!
Snack Time
After riding Autopia, we stopped at a Churro cart to get a churro with guava cream cheese. My husband liked the dipping sauce, but the rest of us thought it was just ok. If you want to make your own Disneyland churros or churro bites, be sure to check out my Disney recipes.
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
After finishing our churros, it was time to go to Mickey’s Toontown to ride Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway. I think this ride is adorable and have been on it many times at Walt Disney World.
Afternoon Break
After Runaway Railway, took a ride around the park on the Disneyland Railroad. We then stopped in Tomorrowland to take the Monorail back to the Disneyland Hotel. Once we disembarked the Monorail, we stopped at Clyde’s Hot Chicken kiosk so Dylan and Lucas could get another chicken stick. This time they got Maple Waffle Fries as well, which were delicious.
Derek chose to have this delicious cheeseburger from Tangaroa Terrace at the Disneyland Hotel.
After a quick nap, we did some swimming in the pool and had snacks from the E-Ticket Lounge.
Haunted Mansion Holiday
I was able to join the virtual queue for Haunted Mansion Holiday at about 1:30 pm with a return time of 5:30. We were finally able to ride it. This is a special version of the famous Haunted Mansion that is available to ride from August to January and features “The Nightmare Before Christmas”.
Dinner at Disneyland
For dinner, Derek and Lucas had Macaroni and Cheese in a sourdough bread bowl from Refreshment Corner on Main Street U.S.A.
Dylan chose to have a regular Mickey pretzel as well as this cream cheese filled Cinnamon Roll pretzel from Refreshment Corner.
Shane and I both had the Beef Birria Grille Cheese Sandwich from Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe, also on Main Street U.S.A.
Last Evening at Disneyland
After dinner, the boys decided to use the Single Rider line to ride Matterhorn Bobsleds, while Shane and I rode “it’s a small world”.
After riding it’s a small world and the Matterhorn, we rode Autopia then it was time to head back to the hotel to get ready for bed. Autopia has always been one of my kids favorite Disneyland rides. On one Disneyland trip when my oldest was three, my husband rode it over and over while held a sleeping baby!
Watch Day 3 on YouTube:
Day Four at the Disneyland Hotel
Our last day at Disneyland was Shane’s birthday. He decided that he wanted to have a more relaxed day and not visit the parks. We started out with breakfast, followed by time at the pool. We then walked to Joe’s Italian Ice where we each got an Italian Ice, “Joe-Latti” style topped with ice cream. Our favorite flavor is Cookies and Cream.
Dinner at Black Tap Anaheim
After a nap and more swimming, we had dinner at Black Tap Anaheim in Downtown Disney.
Final Thoughts
I hope you enjoyed this review of our Disneyland vacation in August 2024. Please check out all of my Disneyland tricks, if you are planning your own trip.
Make sure to check Disneyland vacation prices through my exclusive Get Away Today link and use coupon code: Clubhouse10. They really are an amazing company to book your trips with and offer protection plans as well as layaway plans. And with that, I’ll see you next time!
