When it comes time to book a Disneyland trip, lots of people want to know whether Airbnb is a viable option. The short answer—it can be, for the right person.
In this post, I’ll mostly write for people who have never used Airbnb before, or at least aren’t experts. If you are an expert, you’ll hopefully find some good tips in here, but you’ll have to look past the more basic material.
We’re going to start with an introduction to Airbnb and a brief “who it’s good for” section before talking about when it makes sense to book an Airbnb near Disneyland as well as our tips for finding your perfect apartment. Read on to learn all about using Airbnb at Disneyland!
Referral Link
Use our referral link to sign up for Airbnb and you’ll get $40 off your first stay of $75 or more. We’ll get up to $30 for referring you (thanks!).
What Is Airbnb?
Airbnb is a website that allows people to list their apartments for short-term rental (or long-term, occasionally). Airbnb hosts can also rent out just a room instead of an entire apartment, but this post isn’t concerned with those listings. We’re focused on entire apartments being rented out.
For example, when we visited London recently we really wanted to stay in the Shoreditch neighbhorhood. There aren’t a ton of hotels in Shoreditch, but we were able to find a one-bedroom apartment on Airbnb.
The apartment looked like any lived-in apartment—closets full of clothes, a fully stocked kitchen (don’t eat your host’s food without permission), pictures of the host, etc. When we arrived, the host told us she’d be staying with a friend nearby and we could contact her she needed anything.
So she rents out her personal apartment on Airbnb to earn some extra money, staying with someone else when the apartment is rented out. That’s a typical Airbnb experience.
Near Disneyland, you’ll find a wide range of Airbnb offerings. There are dedicated vacation homes, typical Airbnb apartments, and the occasional RV that someone rents as an Airbnb (we’ve done this multiple times and love it).
Considerations for Airbnb NEar Disneyland
When we wrote about Airbnb near Disney World, we talked about it as an alternative, budget-centric option that was good if you’re driving but still okay even if you weren’t. In Disneyland, the hotel landscape is very different, so Airbnb considerations are very different. The biggest reason is…
Disneyland Has Many Nearby Budget Hotels
There are several budget accommodations within a few minutes walking of Disneyland. These hotels are at a huge advantage over farther hotels or Airbnbs because of the convenience of getting to and from the parks. At Disneyland, people who stay on Harbor Boulevard are just going to walk to the parks. This is way different from Disney World, where everyone is going to have some significant transit to most parks.
But while there are plenty of budget hotel options, there aren’t a ton of reasonably priced Airbnbs—or many Airbnbs at all, really—within walking distance of the Disneyland parks. This is partly due to the hotel concentration—the geography of Disneyland Resort is such that the most walkable area is filled with hotels, not residences.
Lots of Airbnb rentals in Anaheim advertise themselves as being close to Disneyland, but this is almost in terms of driving distance. Even those within walking distance of the physical parks might require an extra mile walking to get to the entrance. (You might be open to driving, but it will entail extra time getting into parking lots and then to and from the parks. And, again, you’re probably not saving money.)
If you do a search for “walk” in reviews of Airbnbs, you’ll see very few listings near Disneyland have guests saying that they actually made the walk. After long days at the park, you might decide to Uber either way, but that’s just adding to your cost.
The bottom line is that Airbnbs are not a good budget option at Disneyland.
Disney Hotels Are Way Expensive
While Airbnbs aren’t a budget option, they also aren’t anywhere near the most expensive option for accommodations. That goes to Disney itself.
The three Disney hotels—Disneyland Hotel, Disney’s Grand Californian, and Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel (transforming to Pixar Place hotel) start at about twice the nightly rate of the nearby hotels on Harbor Boulevard (some of which are closer to the parks than Paradise Pier and Disneyland Hotel, by the way).
This means that if you want the Disney hotel perks—primarily Early Entry and a dose of Disney “magic”—you’re going to be in a different world of planning altogether.
Since most of you are going to be looking at non-Disney hotels, you’re at least not losing any perks by considering an Airbnb. You’re mostly just comparing the price, location, and different styles of accommodations (hotels vs. apartments).
So Who Are Disneyland Airbnbs Good For?
For starters, if you prefer to stay in an apartment, consider Airbnb. This is obvious, but I don’t want people to think they should just scrap Airbnb plans altogether to get a hotel room on Harbor Boulevard. If you have a large group, or if you really value having a kitchen or the space of an apartment, an Airbnb might be your best option. Additionally, if you have a longer trip where you’re planning to visit other sites, an Airbnb might be better than a hotel right across the street from Disneyland.
If you’re looking for a budget Disneyland trip, Airbnb is less convincing. You’re probably going to wind up paying more to stay farther from the parks, and that distance actually comes at a cost, too—Disneyland parking starts at $30 per day.
This means if you can walk from a hotel with free parking instead of driving from an Airbnb, you’ll save that $30 (don’t forget the appropriate Disneyland annual pass will also cover your parking). You could also Uber if that cost less than $30 round-trip, but mind surge pricing when the theme park closes.
Tips for Booking Your Airbnb Near Disneyland
We’ll close with a few tips for book your Airbnb near Disneyland.
Get $40 off Your First Stay
Use our referral link to sign up for Airbnb and you’ll get $40 off your first stay of $75 or more. We’ll get up to $30 for referring you (thanks!).
Start Searching Now
If you’re considering it, run a search now. You’ll see what prices and availability look like. Search for your dates, but also search for a week or two from today to see what short-term availability looks like.
Search for “Disneyland Park, anaheim, CA”
This search typically covers the area nearest Disneyland and should be sufficient coverage for most guests. Keep in mind that Airbnb locations on maps are not exact and can be miles off. This is why in a few tips we’re going to recommend you search reviews to confirm the true distance from the Airbnb to the Disney parks.
Use Your Filters
We always search for “Entire Home” in “Type of Place” because we don’t want to be renting a room from someone, we want the entire apartment.
We also always start by searching with the “Superhost” filter on. Superhosts are Airbnbs best hosts. We’re always open to non-Superhost stays, too, though.
Click Through for Full Price
Nightly rates are deceptive because they don’t include taxes and fees. While these can provide a good guide, you’ll want to always click into the listing to get the actual price.
Compare Prices on VRBO (And Elsewhere)
Many people list on both VRBO (a similar site) and Airbnb. Prices off Airbnb will sometimes be lower.
Reviews are the Gold Mine
Searching reviews—whether it’s of Airbnbs or hotels or rental car agencies or restaurants—is one of the best ways to get useful information about them. An Airbnb will always say “easy to get to…” or something like that. But reviews will often be more specific—“drive took 20 minutes because of traffic,” “just five minute drive down one street,” etc.
So whatever you care about in accommodations—noise, neighborhood, kitchen—search the reviews for what you’re looking for. The searches are simple searches, so you’ll need to search “oven” to see reviews using the word “oven.” You don’t search “how good is the oven?”
I care about travel times, so I’d search for “drive,” “walk,” “disney,” “Disneyland,” “uber,” and “lyft.”
I also search for “cash” because Airbnb hosts really shouldn’t ask for cash to be exchanged, and reviewers often give others a heads up about this (I’ve occasionally booked listings where the listing said cash was required for something, but that’s rare).
Other Downsides of Airbnb
We’ll close with two things to know about Airbnb. We don’t consider these serious problems, but we know some people do, and we wanted to let you know about them.
Unexpected Cancellations
Airbnb hosts can cancel at any time. This is reason enough for some people to avoid the service.
We’ve never had an Airbnb listing cancelled after booking. While I’ve heard that Airbnb will help you find alternative accommodations in the case of a short-notice cancellation, it’s not as if they have a secret hoard of apartments last-minute. You’ll be dealing with whatever hotels and Airbnb options are available.
Host cancellations show up in reviews of properties. If you search reviews for “cancelled,” you should be able to see whether the host has ever cancelled a reservation. One of the qualifications for Superhost status is that the host have a cancellation rate of 1% or less.
Airbnb Scams
The most common type of Airbnb scam involves someone listing a fake apartment and then relocating you at the last minute to an undesirable accommodation.
Keep in mind this is not the same as Airbnb hosts who actually have multiple listings in the same area and may offer or request that you switch accommodations. As we said, Airbnb hosts can cancel at any time, and to avoid that they may offer you an alternative space.
Scammers are sophisticated and always trying to improve, so there’s no foolproof way to avoid them. The best tips we can give is to look for consistency, honesty, and completeness in the photos, reviews, and descriptions.
A property with five photos that doesn’t include all the indicated rooms and three generic reviews is more likely to be a scam than a property with 20 photos of every listed amenity and 50 non-generic reviews.
All Your Other Disneyland Planning Questions Answered
Don't be overwhelmed by Disneyland planning! Take a second to check out our most important content and you'll not only be an expert, but you'll save big $$$ along the way.
Just starting out? Check out our Disneyland Planning Guide. If you're still picking dates, we've got everything you need to know about Disneyland crowd calendars.
When it comes to hotels, we’ve got reviews of all three Disney hotels: Disneyland Hotel, Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, and Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel. As for tickets, check out where to find discount Disneyland tickets.
Know what to ride with our: Disneyland Rides Guide and Disney California Adventure Rides Guide. And just as important, know how to get on the best rides without the wait with our Disneyland and Disney California Adventure FASTPASS and MaxPass Strategy! For the complete guides to a day at the park, we have a One Day Disneyland Itinerary and a One Day Disney California Adventure Itinerary.
We always recommend arriving at the parks early. If you can get access to Extra Magic Hour at Disney California Adventure or Extra Magic Hour and Magic Morning at Disneyland, you’ll have the most time in the parks. Even without those bonus hours, you’ll need to know Rope Drop Strategy at Disneyland and Rope Drop Strategy at Disney California Adventure.
Finally, before you head out, be sure to check out our to-the-point packing list, 10 essentials you forget to pack for every Disney trip. And if you're interested in saving, there's no better list than our 53 Ways to Save on your Disney trip from start to finish.