Welcome to Ask The Duchess Vol. 10, a monthly Q&A post covering a variety of resort-related topics. Ask The Duchess answers questions submitted by readers. If you have a question you’d like answered, send me a message here!
1. Does Disneyland have a day care center? (submitted by Jeanette)
Disneyland does not offer a drop-off day care center in the parks. They do offer some special care centers for families, but these are more like safe spaces rather than childcare. Check out my post on the care centers for more details. And if you are staying at one of the resort hotels (Grand Californian, Disneyland Hotel, or Paradise Pier Hotel), you can sign your child up for Pinocchio’s Workshop, an hourly play center with care providers.
2. If I want to go to Downtown Disney but not the parks, how do I get there? Do I have to park in the parking lots for the parks and take the tram? (submitted by Jennifer)
You can, but I wouldn’t recommend it. If you do that, you’ll have to go through back check, and you’ll be pretty far from the shops and restaurants. Instead, park over by Disneyland Drive; there is a parking section specifically for Downtown Disney.
3. Do you have to buy separate tickets to visit each park? (submitted by Angie)
Nope! If you only want to visit one park per day, you can buy a 1 Park ticket (you can choose the park). If you want to visit two parks per day, you can buy a Park Hopper ticket. With a Park Hopper, you can go back and forth between Disneyland and California Adventure as many times as you want.
4. Do all of the gift shops sell the same stuff? (submitted by Donald)
Not necessarily. In each land, all of the gift shops sell the same general Disney merchandise, with slight variation. But most gift shops have sections with themed items, like the cowboy section of the Frontierland gift shop. And of course, each land also has specialty shops that sell unique souvenirs. For example, Fantasyland has the heraldry shop, and New Orleans Square has the perfume shop.
5. I’ve been to Disney World and am planning a trip to Disneyland. I don’t get the difference between Frontierland and Critter Country, since they’re the same thing in Florida. What’s the difference? (submitted by Joshua)
Funny you should ask. When I visited Walt Disney World, I was very surprised they were blended into one land…it’s all about perspective! To answer your question, Disneyland’s Frontierland is all about the American Southwest. It’s like a cowboy town frozen in time, with a ranch, saloon, mine train, and shooting gallery. Critter Country is a forest escape, home to bears, chipmunks, and other woodland creatures. Think of Frontierland as an old-fashioned American town, and Critter Country as a peek into a fantasy forest, where you can play with animals like a Disney princess!
Is there a “must visit” gift shop?
Hmm. That depends what you’re looking for. If you don’t know what you want, World of Disney is the place to go. For Mickey Ears, visit the two Mad Hatter shops (Fantasyland & Main Street). If you let me know the kinds of souvenirs you are interested in, I can give you some pointers! In terms of gift shops that are just cool in general, I’d suggest any of the shops in New Orleans Square. They are all beautifully decorated and have some awesome merchandise.