Millions of people visit Disneyland in Anaheim, California, each year and this is the one and only official guide. As Disneyland continues to grow and evolve, trust Birnbaum as your 2023-2024 guide for: There's a new way to enter theme park attractions: Lightning Lanes. This new service offers expedited wait times for favorite shows and attractions at Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure. Rely on Birnbaum for an accurate description of this time-saving program. (Fees Apply). - Mickey's Toontown has been refreshed and revitalized! We give the scoop on this re-imagined realm. - Disneyland Park welcomes back the popular Magic Happens parade in 2023, and Birnbaum tells you all about it. - There's a whole new land at Disney California Adventure theme park: Avenger's Campus! Look for details about this adventure zone. - A new year brings new dining experience. Turn to Birnbaum for coverage of eateries such as Din Tai Fung and Paseo and Centrico. - Character meals are back! We tell you where and how to dine with your Disney pals. - To help celebrate the Disney100 celebration, we've rounded up classic recipes from several Disneyland nosh spots--so you can whip up a bit of Disney magic at home. - Includes money-saving coupons on dining, merchandise, and entertainment at Disneyland Resort. "The Official Guide is also the best." ― The New York Times One of "10 Gift Ideas Theme Park Fans Will Love . . . While giving a Disney vacation is a gift out of most people's price ranges, you still can help loved ones plan for their next theme park vacation. The best Disney guidebooks are from Birnbaum's, and [release] ahead of the New Year. . . . The guidebooks offer everything from tips on how to maximize your park experiences to restaurant reviews." ― International Business Times When Steve Birnbaum launched this guide in 1981, he made it clear what was expected of anyone who worked on it: The book would be meticulously revised each year, leaving no attraction untested, no snack or meal untasted, no hotel untried. First-hand experiences like these, accumulated over the years, make this book the most authoritative guide to Disneyland. Our expertise, however, is not achieved by being escorted through back doors of attractions (although we would enjoy that). Instead, we wait in lines with everyone else, always hoping to have a Disney experience like that of any other guest. While the Disneyland Resort has vastly expanded, and so has our knowledge of one of the most popular vacation destinations on the planet. We believe the best way to gather useful advice for a Disney park guest is to be one. Over and over again! — Jill Safro, editor A WORD FROM THE EDITOR   Walt Disney, the man who pioneered the realm of family entertainment, was at once an artist, entrepreneur, and creative visionary. He was also a dad. And, like many of the folks who visit Disneyland each year, Walt treasured the time he spent with his kids. In fact, while his two daughters were growing up, Walt would accompany them to carnivals, zoos, and local amusement parks. It was something of a Saturday tradition for the Disney family. During these outings he’d often make the same observation: The youngsters were happily entertained, but the adults didn’t have much to do. It didn’t seem right that he’d be stuck sitting on a bench while the kids had all the fun. To his way of thinking, a park should appeal to the sense of wonder and exploration in guests of all ages. His bold vision became a reality on July 17, 1955, when Disneyland had its opening day in Anaheim, California.   These days, more than ever, it seems many of us long for the classic escape that’s uniquely Disney. Walt’s original park is as beloved as ever—and it continues to grow and evolve. Disneyland park has an exciting new attraction in a re-imagined land—Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway is a popular new smile inducer deep in the heart of the newly refreshed Mickey’s Toontown. This cheery realm also boasts the new CenTOONial Park, complete with a majestic tree under which guests are encouraged to dream like Walt. Of course, Disneyland park continues to delight guests of all ages with cherished classics such as It’s a Small World, Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Peter Pan’s Flight, Fantasmic!—the park’s nighttime extravaganza, plus the new guest-favorite known as the Magic Happens afternoon parade.   Across the esplanade from Disneyland, Disney California Adventure is firing on all cylinders. Attractions such as Soarin’ Around the World, Guardians of the Galaxy—Mission: BREAKOUT!, and Radiator Springs Racers helped put this place on the map, but they’re just the tip of the iceberg. In addition to a super land dubbed Avengers Campus, guests are treated to an array of attractions and entertainment bearing that distinctive Disney Parks stamp. Among them are Toy Story Midway Mania!, Incredicoaster, and the splashy (wildly popular) nighttime spectacle, World of Color.