Thank you for contacting Glass Slipper Concierge for your Disneyland® Resort Vacation! We will need to discuss several things in order to put together the best package for your family. Below are some of the things you'll need to consider.
When to Visit: In general, think about a basic school calendar...if kids are in school, crowds are lower. If kids are out of school, especially on holidays, crowds are higher. Weekends are more crowded than weekdays so, ideally, you can choose some weekdays that kids are normally in school.
Length of Visit: You can experience Disneyland® and Disney California Adventure Park in 3 days plus your Arrival and Departure days. If you can stay 4 days, that would give you time at the great pools!
Where to Stay: Disneyland® Resort has 3 "on property" resorts, in order of pricing, least to greatest: Disney's Paradise Pier® Hotel, Disneyland® Hotel and Disney's Grand Californian Hotel® & Spa.
Disney's Paradise Pier® Hotel: This hotel has a beach theme and is across from Disney California Adventure Park. It's the longest walk from the hotel to the parks.
Disneyland® Hotel: This is the most nostalgic of the three. It has a great pool, great restaurants and lounges.
Disney's Grand Californian Hotel® & Spa: The Deluxe Resort of the hotels, it's the closest to the parks that even has it's own entrance to California Adventure! It's a gorgeous resort with a fantastic pool. You can have exciting views of the parks, pools or Downtown Disney® District.
Park Tickets: Park Hoppers are strongly recommended because the 2 parks are very close to each other. It's common to be at one park, hop over to another for lunch and the afternoon and return to the first for the evening show.
As you can see, planning a Disneyland vacation doesn't have as many decisions to make. As a whole, Disneyland Resort is much more laid back than Walt Disney World. You can make dining reservations at 60 days out so it's more conducive to a last minute trip!