This is an entry for “Guest of Mickey” in our Disneyland 101 Glossary: Disneyland Resort definitions in under 101 words, from Mouse Brief. For answers to frequently asked questions about bringing toddlers to Disneyland Resort, keep reading after the entry.
Children two years of age and younger receive complimentary admission to the theme parks of Disneyland Resort and are referred to as “Guests of Mickey.” These guests, under three years of age may enter either Disneyland Park or Disney California Adventure Park for free without admission tickets or park reservations. Of course, they do need to be accompanied by an adult.
Thank you for reading this entry for “Guest of Mickey.” For more Disney definitions in under 101 words, please explore our Disneyland 101 Glossary. For answers for frequently asked questions about visiting Disneyland Resort with one-year-olds, two-year-olds and infants, please keep reading.
Toddler Guests of Mickey at Disneyland Resort, FAQs
We treasure our experiences bringing little ones to Disneyland Resort. There are so many joyous moments, but we also acknowledge that traveling with toddlers and babies brings its own challenges. Here are some tips and observations from our own visits to Disneyland with little Guests of Mickey.
How do children under three use Lightning Lanes at Disneyland Resort? Do I need to purchase a Lightning Lanes Pass for my “Guest of Mickey?”
If you are planning to use a Lighting Lane pass of any kind, you am have noticed that they are attached to your Disneyland Resort ticket (or Magic Key). So what happens when you have a guest with no ticket?
We have already established that children under three years of age can enter the theme parks of Disneyland Resort without a ticket. Their admission to Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park is free; in other words, “it’s on the Mouse.” The good news is they can also use Lightning Lanes for free!
Now, as with their entry to theme parks, they will need to be accompanied by an adult. That means that whoever is entering the Lightning Lane with the Guest of Mickey will themselves need to have purchased a Lightning Lane Pass. Guest three years of age and older must scan their Lightning Lane Pass at the queue entrance. Infants and children one and two years of age may enter without scanning. You can find our guide to Lightning Lanes at Disneyland Resort here: Disneyland Lightning Lanes: How to Super-Charge Your Visit
We have experience doing this ourselves and never experienced any trouble bringing children under three through the Lightning Lane queue without a pass. Of course, many Lightning Lane attractions do have minimum height requirements, so we also make use of the Rider Switch service during our visits. You can learn about Rider Switch here: Rider Switch Service, Disneyland 101 Glossary.
Disneyland Resort policy states that kids under seven need to sit with an adult on attractions, so keep that in mind. See our post on attraction policies and boarding processes here for more information: What It’s Like to Board a Ride at Disneyland
Do I need to get a ticket for my child under three to visit Disneyland?
No, a child under three who is a “Guest of Mickey,” does not require any kind of theme park ticket. There is no $0 ticket for you to obtain and scan. Infants and kids ages one and two are simply allowed through the gates as long as they are accompanied by an adult.
What kinds of freebies do children under three get at Disneyland Resort?
Children under three years of age get free admission to Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park. That means free access to world-class attractions and entertainment at both parks. Infants, one-year-olds and two-year-olds also get free access to Lightning Lanes without the need to purchase a Lightning Lane pass.
At Disney restaurants where the food is served buffet or family-style, kids under three may eat from an adult’s plate for free. At other restaurants where you order and pay for specific dishes, there are no free kids’ meals. You simply pay for the food you buy.
Still, you should include everyone, regardless of age, in your headcount when you are making a dining or hotel reservation. Depending on how many children under three you have in your travel party, they may not count toward the maximum capacity in your hotel room, but you still need to include them in the count. If you are booking a Disneyland Resort Hotel room (and for many hotels in the area) you will be prompted to input the age of each child.
That’s great that my child is a Guest of Mickey, but is it worth visiting Disneyland with a toddler? Is my kid too young to enjoy Disneyland?
Our experience taking little ones to Disneyland Resort has been absolutely wonderful. Our children have given us a whole new perspective on Disneyland and really demonstrated to us what “Disney magic” means. We find they have more than enough to do and see and that Disney does quite a bit to make visits easy for families with young children.
Yes, when you bring babies and toddlers, you do have to worry about naps and diapers, but Disney eases this challenge with their Baby Care Centers. And while adults may need to take turns riding thrill rides, Rider Switch Service makes that almost frictionless. Honestly, we haven’t made good use of Baby Care Centers, because we tend to carry what we need and know good spots for catching some quiet, but we have used Ride Switch more times than we can count. It is one of the best reasons for choosing Disneyland Resort as a family vacation destination.
We know some folks are concerned that Disneyland Resort will not be fun for little ones, but we have found the opposite to be true. Our littlest is Disneyland’s biggest fan. We do address some of this in our post Is My Child Tall Enough for Disneyland? On Height Requirements. If you are worried your children may find attractions at Disneyland Resort intimidating, we also suggest our post Too Afraid to Ride: How to Handle Scary Disneyland Rides.
There is just something indescribable about visiting Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park when what they find there feels real to children. We think it is worth some of the hassle, and kids under three get in for free!
Do you have any tips for visiting Disneyland Resort with babies, toddlers and preschoolers?
Yup. We have pulled together tips from our own experience to create a number of posts related to taking young children to Disneyland Resort. You can always start with 5 Tremendous Tips for Visiting Disneyland Resort with Young Kids.
We have specific tips about visiting Disneyland with a stroller, and I want to offer this advice here: even if you do not use a stroller regularly at home, you may find that you want one in Disneyland. We have a post taking you through the decision process here: Should I Bring a Stroller to Disneyland? Should you decide in the affirmative, we have more advice for you here: Strollers at Disneyland Resort: Quick Tips and Strategies.
A hungry toddler can take down an entire family, so that is why we recommend carrying your own food and water into Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park. This is absolutely allowed. Disney has some great dining options, but we think having something familiar ready to go when needed makes a huge difference. You can read about that here: Why You Should Bring Your Own Food to Disneyland and here Can I Bring Water Into Disneyland?
We also encourage you to review our entries on attraction height requirements and Rider Switch Service. Understanding how that all works can make a huge difference in your Disney days.
Finally, we think the best thing you can bring to Disneyland Resort is realistic expectations. Having some family discussions before our trips really helps. I wrote about that here: Ask These Questions Before You Visit Disneyland.
Thank you for reading this Disneyland 101 Glossary entry “Guest of Mickey.”
We hope you have found this post helpful. For a start to finish guide to planning your Disneyland Resort visit, please see our Step-by-Step Disneyland Prep. Thanks again for reading!