Happy Sunday everyone!  I haven’t posted a Disney Sunday post in quite some time and figured tonight would be  a perfect night to post. 

If you have an annual pass at Disneyland, you know that parking can be quite the challenge on a busy day. I usually head over for only a few hours  to the park and use the Downtown Disney lot  and either  take the monorail  or walk through Downtown Disney. Last week we met up with some family at Disneyland  and needed to park for more than a few hours. I’m not the biggest fan of the Mickey and Friends Structure and to be honest try to avoid it all costs. It always seems that people are grumpy when they are loading the tram  and I’ve seen an arguement or two break out at the end of the night(especially if a stroller is involved) while waiting for the tram.

We decided this time around to try out the Toy Story parking lot off Harbor blvd. It  has now become my  favorite parking lot at the Disneyland Resort.  The Toy Story parking lot is located a few blocks away from Disneyland and DCA and use OCTA buses to shuttle guests back and forth to the parks. Parking is plentiful and there are plenty of shuttles to go around. We waited less than a minute for one. My  kiddos loved being able to take the bus. It was almost a ride in itself! Although my kiddos no longer use a stroller, I watched many parents bring one on without a problem and some without having to fold them up. The shuttles leave you only a few steps away from either park. It really is a great option for parking when you are heading to Disneyland or DCA.

We also discovered another option for parking. Did you know that if you eat at one of the hotel restaurants you can valet park for free for 5 hours? We decided to check out World of Color a few months back with the kiddos and decided to dine at Storytellers Cafe at the Grand Californian.  It was a great dining experience and reasonably priced.  We were able to valet park at the Grand Californian for 5 hours at no charge(just remember to validate at the restaurant).  It was so nice to just head to the car after watching World Of Color, especially since we had two very tired and cranky kiddos.  We loved the experience  and plan to take full advantage  of it whenever  we are heading for a late evening at the park.

I want to hear from you. Have you used the Toy Story parking lot? Did you have a good experience? Have you taken advantage of the 5 free hours of valet parking at the Grand Californian?