The process of adding a boat to the Storybook Land Canal Boat attraction at Disneyland

One of my favorite attractions at Disneyland is the Storybook Land Canal Boats. It is said that this area of the park - the Casey Jr/Storybook Land area - was one of Walt Disney's favorites as well. I have always loved the intricate detail of the attraction.

When my mom would take me to Disneyland as a child, she would show me where the boats were housed. This was before it became King Triton's home and when the cast members used to repeat the joke, "off to the left is a place we call Neverland because we never, never go there." 

I might have seen a boat coming out of there once or twice before, but never with a camera in hand or a phone ready to take a picture or video. At 9:30am on June 21, 2019 I happened to be in the right place at the right time, with my phone in hand when I saw the water turned off that creates the waterfall over King Triton's underwater castle, where the boats are housed.

Here's a short 8 second video of the quick process of adding another boat to the attraction:

Anaheim Portofino Inn and Suites

When our family of 7 visits Disneyland, we typically stay right across the street (Harbor Blvd) because we like to head back to our hotel for lunch and naps during the mid-day rush. In 2018 we decided to visit Disneyland during the Christmas season - the busiest time of the entire year. Because we waited to book our vacation until October, all of the rooms in at our typical hotels across the street were already booked. So we decided to stay a little further south down Harbor Blvd at the Portofino Inn and Suites. It is still in walking distance, although a little bit farther at about .6 of a mile. It is located on the South-East corner of Harbor and Katella.

The orange highlight shows the route you take to get to Disneyland. It is basically the entire distance of California Adventure.

The rooms are a bit nicer than the typical hotels we stay in directly across the street, which was nice. We booked a kid's suite which has a bunk bed, sleeper sofa, and a King size bed. It also has a mini fridge and microwave which is perfect for our family since we like to precook our meals before we leave and reheat them every day for lunch to save money.

Here are a few pictures of what the Kids Suite looks like:

Here's a look at the bunk bed. The kids love this feature.

This is the sofa bed and a desk area.

The king size bed was comfortable and a perfect way to end a busy day.

The glass windows you can see in this picture are actually part of a sliding glass door you can use to divide the two rooms.

Here's a look at the suite with the sliding doors open.

It was nice to have a vanity outside the bathroom, especially with all the kids we have to get ready every day.

Here's the shower and tub.

The two sinks were an added bonus.

This is what the sleeper sofa looks like when it's pulled out.

The extra distance to and from Disneyland compared to where we usually stay was definitely felt every day after a lot of walking already at Disneyland. But overall, we enjoyed our stay at the Portofino Inn and Suites. Our room was great and their was plenty of room for parking because we were allowed to use the adjacent parking garage. You can visit the Anaheim Portofino Website by clicking here. Also, I have a blog summarizing many options when considering where to stay when visiting Disneyland. 

The Del Sol Inn (Right across the street from Disneyland)

My family and I make the trek to Disneyland at least once a year. We usually stay for at least 3 nights and head to the park every day. When considering where to stay, I have two top priorities. First, I have to be able to walk back to the hotel every day for lunch and naps, so the hotel I stay in has to be within walking distance to Disneyland. Second, because there are at least 7 of us that go every year, price is the second most important thing.

Lately, the Del Sol Inn has been the perfect fit for our family. Located just south of the Harbor Blvd cross walk (to Disneyland), it is a slightly shorter walk to get to Disneyland than if we were to stay in the Disneyland Hotel! It is also typically the lest expensive option of all the hotels across the street. They offer a light continental breakfast every morning beginning at 7:00 am which is located on the first floor near the lobby. There is cereal, fruit, donuts, and other pastries, as well as juice. Be aware that the Del Sol, like all of the hotels in the area do, charges a parking fee for each night you park there of $14.

This year, we got a room with a bunk bed which the kids loved! Here's a look at our room:

Our room had two queen beds.

Here's a look at the bunk bed and desk. 

And here's the vanity, mini fridge, microwave, and coffee maker.

Here's a closer look at the fridge, microwave, and coffee maker. There's also a small closet to hang clothes or store bags.

The bathroom area was a little small, but worked just fine.

When we go to Disneyland, we don't spend a lot of time at our hotel. We are there to basically only eat lunch every day and sleep. Because of this, we don't need anything too extravagant - which the Del Sol definitely is not. It is, however, nicely kept up, has a great staff, and is perfect for what my family needs. You can visit the Del Sol website here and can also check out another blog post of mine called, 'Where to stay at Disneyland' which talks about other hotel options as well.