Disneyland for Beginners – Tickets

Disneyland has increased its ticket prices considerably over the years.  It’s a pricey vacation, but absolutely worth it at least once.

The first thing to decide when looking at tickets is how long you are going to stay.  In an ideal world, I would recommend 3 days in the parks.  You can spend more days, especially if you are planning to take naps or need to stop your day early to accommodate your little one’s sleep schedule.  I tease that the screaming babies at midnight create the sweet sound of Disney.  While we want to get the most bang for our buck, sometimes our little people just can’t hang with all the over stimulation.  On the plus side, if they are little, they can’t ride everything so it can make for a shorter day as well.  If your kids are a little older, you can probably get it all in during 2 days with some determination.

With a 3-day pass you will have plenty of time to hit everything in the park, and not have to kill yourself on that one day when you just need a break.  The 3-day pass makes for a 5 day/4 night vacation.  For me, that would look like the following:

• Day 1 – Arrive as early as possible.  Have some pool time and plan on a nice dinner in Downtown Disney or maybe in Goofy’s Kitchen or at the Grand.
• Day 2 – Disneyland! Unless you are jet lagged getting here, your first day will be the one where you have the most energy, and Disney takes a lot of energy.  Make sure this is a Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday to take advantage of Magic Morning or Extra Magic Hour!
• Day 3 – California Adventure.  This park typically (though not always) opens an hour later than Disneyland and closes earlier making for a shorter day.  California Adventure also has fewer rides and more shows and activities, which can provide a nice break.  If you are staying at a Disney property (Paradise Pier, California Grand, or the Disneyland Hotel), make sure this is a Sunday, Monday, Wednesday or Friday to take advantage of the Extra Magic Hour.
• Day 4 – Sleep In!  Maybe do a Character Breakfast if you haven’t done one already. Enjoy the pool at your hotel (assuming they have one), and explore Downtown Disney at your leisure.  This 3rd day also allows you to explore your favorite rides one more time or to ride the one you just haven’t made it on yet, or to catch that show that just never was quite at the right time for you.  I find an extra day can take a lot of pressure off the other two days to “see it all right now.”
• Day 5 – Head home or off to another adventure

Some things to note when picking the time of year you want to come out.  During the school year (September to May with the exception of the holidays), the park really isn’t that crowded during the week.  It will start to fill up more in the late afternoons as pass holders can pop in once school is out.  It will still be crowded on the weekends, but nothing like the summer or holidays.  The down side is that Disney only does their fireworks on the weekends as a courtesy to their neighbors.  And the fireworks are some of the best you will ever see!

Summer and Christmas are peak times for the park.  There will definitely be more crowds, but you can still see everything with some planning on how to tackle the park.  Fireworks go off every night unless canceled by weather (usually wind) and Disney is its most beautiful in my opinion during Christmas.  Though I know some folks relish Mickey’s Halloween even more!

Be aware that there are special events like Mickey’s Halloween Party that cost extra to attend.  So, if you buy a 3 day pass, be aware that you would need to buy an additional ticket to stay in Disneyland after 6 pm on the nights of the party.  And those tickets are full price – so yes, you would pay double for those days in the park.  We’ve never done Mickey’s Halloween, but my bet is that the early part of the day would be quite empty.

I can’t emphasize enough that it’s critical to check out Disney’s calendar before you pick your days.

Earlier I mentioned the Extra Magic Hour and Magic Mornings.  They both allow you to enter the park an hour early, but there are some key differences.  With the 3 day (or more days pass) you get ONE Magic Morning into Disneyland.  If you are staying in a Disney property, you can get that extra hour in one park or the other every day.  So, if you are staying at a Disney property, there is no additional advantage with the 3-day pass.  However, if you are staying anywhere else, at least you get one day to go in early.

Disney has added a MaxPass for $10 a ticket per day.  Unless you have a big group that makes it cost prohibitive, I would jump on this deal.  In Sept of 2017, it’s an introductory rate, so I expect that this one will increase in cost before too long.

I would buy at least 1 ticket with the MaxPass so you can get free digital downloads.  You’ll likely want your picture from Splash Mountain or Space Mountain, or maybe you have a group picture at the entrance.  All of those pictures usually cost $15 each, so it’s a bargain to have at least one MaxPass.

If you can afford it for everyone in your party, it can also be great because you can get a FastPass from anywhere in the park using your phone.  So, let’s say you started your day in Tomorrowland and used Space Mountain’s FastPass.  As soon as you have used that FastPass while you are still in line for the ride, you can be signing up for your next FastPass across the park at Indiana Jones.  If you are going on a day when the park is particularly empty, this service probably isn’t necessary or worth it (other than for the one person to take advantage of the Photos).  But if you are coming during a busy time, it can help save you a ton of steps and maximize your FastPass opportunities.  Not every ride has FastPass, so it’s great if you can really target the ones that do using your MaxPass.