Parking
If you are driving to Disneyland, your adventure begins when you park. There are two primary places to park if you are driving to Disneyland. This site does not address getting to Disneyland when you are staying at one of the resort hotels or walking or taking a shuttle from one of the area hotels. It also doesn’t address overflow parking you may encounter on busy days.
The Mickey and Friends Parking Structure
Located off of Disneyland Drive and the 5 freeway, the Mickey and Friends parking structure is one of the largest parking structures in the country. At a whopping $14 per day, the structure has a bank of elevators at the front center of each floor, which will take you to the tram that will take you to Downtown Disney and Disneyland. Before boarding the shuttle, there are restrooms at the base of the structure. On the bright side, parking in the pricey garage (except for on the top) means you don’t come out to a hot car during those sweaty summer visits.
It is important to know that when you take the tram to the resort, you will have to take baby out of his/her stroller. Ideally, they would like you to fold up the stroller, but that isn't necessary if you sit in the front row of the first or last cars on the tram. A Cast Member will help you with the stroller. If it's just too difficult to take your child (or children) out of the stroller, you can walk to the resort and a Cast Member will show you the path to take. (The walk is approximately one mile, but sometimes it's much faster.)
The Downtown Disney Parking Lot
If you will be visiting Disneyland for three hours or less, you can park in the Downtown Disney parking lot for free. Every hour there after is $6 (which is cheaper than the regular parking fee), so if you will be attending for only 4 hours, this might not be a bad option for you. If you plan on eating at one of the table service restaurants in Downtown Disney, you can get an extra two hours validated giving you 5 hours of free parking. Not too shabby!
Beyond the cost savings (especially if you are an annual passholder without parking on your pass), the Downtown Disney lot affords you the convenience of not having to deal with the parking lot trams, plus you can board the Monorail and enter Disneyland in Tomorrowland. This can be a huge time saver and lots of fun for your children. (*It is important to note that you must fold down your stroller to board the Monorail.)
**Ask to sit in the cockpit of the Monorail with the driver. It will be an absolute thrill for your toddler!**
