Disneyland parking currently costs $40 per day for a standard car or motorcycle. You can use that standard parking at the Mickey & Friends Parking Structure, Pixar Pals Parking Structure or Toy Story Parking Area. Preferred parking costs $60.
For most people, the bigger decision is not whether to pay for parking but where to park. Mickey & Friends and Pixar Pals give you tram service or a pedestrian route to the parks, while Toy Story uses buses and sits on the Harbor Boulevard side of the resort.
I would choose between those two parking experiences based on which direction I’m arriving from, whether I want to take a tram or bus, and how early I’m reaching Disneyland.
Disneyland Parking Prices
These are the current official Disneyland theme park parking rates:
| Parking Type | Price | Where You Can Park |
|---|---|---|
| Standard car or motorcycle | $40 | Mickey & Friends, Pixar Pals or Toy Story |
| Preferred parking | $60 | Mickey & Friends, Pixar Pals or Toy Story |
| Oversized vehicle, motor home or tractor without trailer | $45 | Toy Story only |
| Bus or tractor with extended trailer | $50 | Toy Story only |
Standard parking is a daily charge, not an hourly parking fee.
You can pay when you arrive or buy a standard parking voucher from Disneyland before the visit. Prepaying can remove one transaction from the morning, but Disney notes that a parking voucher does not guarantee a parking space.
You can confirm current rates or purchase parking on Disney’s official Disneyland parking page.
Mickey & Friends and Pixar Pals Work Like One Main Parking Hub
Mickey & Friends and Pixar Pals are the large parking structures on the west side of Disneyland Resort.
After parking, you have two main ways to reach the parks.
- Take the Disneyland parking tram to the Main Entrance Esplanade between Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure.
- Walk using the pedestrian route and bridge over Magic Way.
If I’m approaching Disneyland southbound on I-5, eastbound on CA-91, or coming from LAX, Long Beach Airport or Hollywood Burbank Airport, Disney currently directs drivers toward Mickey & Friends and Pixar Pals.
I like the structures when I want a straightforward arrival where I can park, get downstairs and let the tram handle most of the remaining distance.
The pedestrian option is useful too. If the tram queue is backed up or I simply want to start walking, I am not forced to wait for transportation.
Toy Story Parking Puts You on the Harbor Boulevard Side
The Toy Story Parking Area is a surface lot rather than a parking structure.
Disney runs buses between Toy Story and the Main Entrance Esplanade. You can also walk toward the parks using Harbor Boulevard.
I would consider Toy Story when it is more convenient to my approach into Anaheim, when I prefer a surface lot, or when I have an oversized vehicle that Disney requires to park there.
I would not call Toy Story the “backup lot.” It is one of Disneyland’s three standard theme park parking locations and charges the same $40 standard parking rate as Mickey & Friends and Pixar Pals.
So Which Disneyland Parking Lot Would I Choose?
If I had no special transportation or accessibility considerations, I would make the decision like this:
- Mickey & Friends or Pixar Pals: my default when approaching from the west or north and I want tram service plus the option to walk.
- Toy Story: a good choice when approaching from the Harbor Boulevard side, when a surface lot is preferable, or when Disney directs traffic there.
Disney may direct arriving vehicles to a different parking location depending on operations, so I would follow the posted Theme Parks Parking signs rather than try to force a specific structure after traffic has already been routed elsewhere.
Parking Opens 60 Minutes Before the Earliest Standard Park Opening
This is the timing detail I would plan around if rope drop matters.
Disney currently says its theme park parking locations open 60 minutes before the earliest standard Disneyland Resort theme park opening time.
So if the earliest normal park opening that day is 8:00 AM, I would expect the parking locations to begin operating around 7:00 AM.
I would check that day’s official park hours before leaving the hotel instead of assuming parking opens at the same time every morning.
Parking is only the first step. You still need time to park, get from your vehicle to the tram, bus or pedestrian route, clear security and reach the park entrance.
If your goal is being ready when attractions open, my Disneyland rope drop tips cover the rest of that morning.
What Does the Extra $20 for Preferred Parking Get You?
Preferred Disneyland parking currently costs $60 instead of $40.
The benefit is positioning. Preferred spaces put you closer to elevators or escalators at the parking structures, with preferred locations also available at Toy Story.
It does not provide a different theme park entrance or a special express tram into Disneyland.
If I already bought standard parking and decided I wanted preferred parking when I arrived, Disney currently allows guests to pay the difference at a parking toll booth, subject to availability.
For me, the extra $20 would make the most sense when reducing the walk through the parking facility matters more than keeping the parking cost as low as possible.
You Can Leave Disneyland Parking and Come Back the Same Day
If you need to leave Disneyland Resort during the day, you generally do not have to pay the full parking charge again when you return with the same vehicle.
Keep your same-day parking receipt or parking ticket and show it when you return.
This can be useful if you need to return to an off-site hotel, run an errand or take a longer break away from the resort.
I would still confirm the current re-entry procedure with the Cast Member when entering that morning if I already know I will be leaving and returning later.
Downtown Disney Has Different Parking
Do not use the theme park parking price above as the rate for a quick Downtown Disney visit.
Downtown Disney has its own parking in the Simba Lot, off Disneyland Drive between West Katella Avenue and Pixar Place Hotel.
The first hour currently costs $10. After that first paid hour, validation can add additional parking time.
- A minimum $20 purchase with validation from a Downtown Disney location gives you 3 additional hours of same-day parking.
- Validation from a Downtown Disney table-service restaurant gives you up to 5 additional hours.
After the validated period, additional parking costs $14 per hour in 30-minute increments, with a $66 maximum daily parking or lost-ticket charge.
I would not use Simba as a substitute for normal all-day theme park parking. My separate guide to parking at Downtown Disney covers the validation rules in more detail.
Magic Key Holders May Pay Less
If you have a Magic Key, check your parking benefit before paying the regular $40 rate.
Disney’s current parking benefits vary by Magic Key:
- Inspire Key: standard theme park parking included at Mickey & Friends, Pixar Pals and Toy Story on eligible dates.
- Believe Key: 50% off standard theme park parking at all three locations on eligible dates.
- Explore, Enchant and Imagine Keys: 25% off standard theme park parking at Toy Story on eligible dates.
Blockout dates and Magic Key terms still apply. My Disneyland Magic Key parking guide goes deeper into those benefits.
A Few Parking Details That Are Easy to Miss
Electric vehicle charging
Disney currently has a limited number of ChargePoint charging ports at Mickey & Friends, Pixar Pals and Toy Story.
Because availability is limited, I would not arrive with an almost-empty battery assuming a Disneyland charger will definitely be available.
Accessible parking
Accessible parking is available at all three theme park parking locations. A valid disability parking placard or license plate is required, and the regular parking rate still applies.
Wheelchair-accessible trams and shuttles are available. If you need extra space for a wheelchair ramp or lift, tell the parking Cast Member when you arrive so you can be directed appropriately.
For broader mobility information inside the resort, see my Disneyland wheelchair guide.
Strollers on the parking tram
If you’re bringing a stroller, one detail in older Disneyland parking advice is worth correcting: children must be removed from their stroller while riding a parking lot tram.
Disney also does not allow its rented park strollers onto parking lot trams or buses.
If you’re bringing your own stroller, check my Disneyland stroller policy guide for the current size and park rules.
Don’t Park at a Disneyland Hotel Just to Visit the Parks
Disneyland Resort hotel parking is separate from theme park parking.
Disney specifically says parking for Disneyland Park, Disney California Adventure and Downtown Disney is not permitted in the resort hotel parking areas.
If you’re actually staying at one of the Disney hotels, hotel parking has its own nightly rates. I cover those separately in my Disneyland hotel parking cost guide.
Before You Walk Away From the Car, Save Where You Parked
The Disneyland app has a complimentary Car Locator feature for Mickey & Friends, Pixar Pals, Toy Story and the Simba Lot.
I would use it as soon as I park rather than assume I will remember the level, section and row after a full day in Disneyland.
You can let the app help determine the location with Location Services enabled or enter the parking information manually.
For the rest of the drive, ticket and park-day logistics, continue with my Disneyland planning guide.
