Welcome to the Disneyland Training Series. I am calling on 2 of my amazing friends to help me write this series. You will find all of their helpful articles listed in the Disneyland Training Outline.
Disneyland has a few options when it comes to their tickets. They range from 1 day at 1 park up to 6 days with park hopping (going to both parks on the same day). Disneyland tickets are always tangible – they aren’t part of your room key or “Key to Disneyland” card. Always have a spot where you have a copy of your ticket numbers on the back or take a picture of it in case you lose them!
1-Park per day, similar to the base ticket at WDW, is the cheaper option.
- As of today prices for a 1-day 1-park ticket is $80.00 for adults and $74.00 for children (ages 3-9). Ages 10 and up are adult price. 2-day 1-park tickets are $158.00 per adult and $146.00 per child.
If you want to go to both parks on the same day, you will want the Parkhopper option.
- 1-day parkhopper is $105 per adult and $99 per child. 2-day parkhopper is $173.00 per adult and $161.00 per child.
The 1-2 day tickets are going to be the same price online or at the gate. There is rarely any discount on these types of tickets.
Once you get to the 3-day parkhopper, you get the Magic Morning option for one of the days of your visit. This is on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday and lets you in an hour before posted opening time. This is the best way for Good Neighbor hotel guests to have an early entry, since resort guests can get in on ALL Magic Mornings during their stay.
- The 3-day parkhopper starts at $224 for adults and $208.00 for children. They go all the way up to a 6-day parkhopper which is $271 per adult and $251 per child.
Another option is the Southern California CityPass. This includes a 3-day parkhopper (with Magic Morning), an admission to Universal Studios- Hollywood, and Sea World- San Diego. This is a great way to get 5 days admission in one price! An adult CityPass is $279.00 and children are $239.00- just $55 and $31 more than the 3-day Parkhopper alone. 2012 CityPass no longer includes the San Diego Zoo or Wild Animal park.
If you are purchasing tickets separately from hotel, you can save $10-$20.00 per ticket on the 3 day Parkhoppers and longer online with an Advance Purchase price. Just print the eTicket and take it with you as a free option or pay $5.00 to pick up at Will Call or have them mailed directly to you. Sometimes you get an even bigger discount if you purchase with your hotel and make it a package, have your travel agent check that out for you or check them out yourself.
One important note is that the tickets are only good from 13 days from their first use, so you can go a day or two to Disneyland and tour to see other things, but make sure to use them up before your 13 days end.
Annual Passes
Southern California residents get discounts on tickets, they also save $10-20.00 when purchasing online. There are also have some Annual Pass options. There are 2 specifically for So Cal residents.
- The Southern California Select has the most black out dates with 170 pre-selected admission days. They also get food, shopping and room discounts. $199.00 would be the cost for the year per person, and parking can be added to a passholder’s card.
- Southern California AP has 215 admission days chosen, as well as food, shopping and hotel discounts. $269.00 per person alone, parking can be added.
Next is the Deluxe, which is for non-Southern California residents who are traveling on non-peak times. There are still some black out dates, but only about 50 for the whole year and mostly around holidays. Also will get discounts and parking can be added. $379.00 is the price for children and adults.
Parking can be added to any of the above Annual Passes for $99.00. For those coming for the day it is $15.00 per car. After your 7th visit, you have made it worth your investment.
The last Disneyland-only AP is the Premium, which has no black out dates, has higher discount rates on food and shopping, includes parking and other subscriptions and hotel discounts. It’s the same price for anyone 3 and up: $499.00
They also offer the Premier AP, which includes both WDW and Disneyland for everyday that year and all parks!
Upgrading to an Annual Pass
If you have purchased tickets already and decide you want to upgrade to an annual pass for a later visit, you must do this BEFORE you use your last day of tickets. This means if you have a 3 day ticket, you have to do it on that 2nd day, do not wait until the last one. They will take the price you paid for your ticket and charge the difference from the annual pass you want. It will also start your annual pass on the first day of your visit, so do keep that in mind when you are deciding to do this.
Go here to catch up on the Disneyland Training series.
Linds is a Disney fanatic which started from a young age with her first Disneyland trip at 4 years old- now married and has 4 boys, she enjoys going even more! Linds blogs at Enchanting Deals about the latest Disney specials and park, dining and resort guest tips. She loves being a Disney deal expert- to help families get to Disney and save money! Also can find her on Twitter or Facebook.
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