Disneyland Ticket Decision Guide and Flowchart
Disneyland Park Hopper, Lightning Lane and Ticket Tiers… Confused Yet?
Buying tickets for Disneyland Resort can feel like a going to a fancy coffee shop: you thought you were buying something simple, but then you are hit with a string of decisions. This time, instead of what kind of milk you want, you will have to make decisions about Park Hoppers and Lightning Lanes. We have created a visual aid to help you out (with tickets that is—you’re on your own with the coffee). This flowchart and Disneyland ticket guide steps you through the series of decisions involved in purchasing standard tickets to Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park in California.
To use the chart, simply consider the questions on each orange diamond and follow the arrows to your ideal ticket type. You can also download the flowchart as a PDF if you prefer.
If you need more information about the different options, please read the Disneyland ticket guide below. It is a straightforward guide, but it includes a lot of detailed information about Disneyland tickets choices. If you just want information about a particular option, please use links in the table of contents to skip right to the specific section. For our thoughts on the value of each ticket option, check-out our article How to Choose a Ticket for Disneyland.
We suggest starting with the flow chart and then using the following information in this Disneyland ticket guide to clarify some of the terms.
Disneyland Resort Ticket Guide
Why You Would Need a Ticket
Entrance to the Disneyland Resort is free, but admission to the theme parks, those are Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park, require a ticket or Magic Key (annual pass).
If you would just like to visit Disneyland Resort without going to the theme parks, we have some ideas for you in this article.
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Where to Purchase a Ticket
If you have decided to visit Disneyland Park or Disney California Adventure Park, we recommend purchasing your ticket in advance. We like being able to head straight into the parks when we visit!
Once you understand your choices (which is the reason we made this guide), buying a ticket online or in the Disneyland app should be fairly quick and easy! You can buy tickets from Disney directly or from another authorized seller. Authorized sellers include travel agents or some retailers like Target or Costco. Please make sure that any third-party seller is legitimate: scams around Disney tickets are not uncommon.
You may also purchase tickets over the phone or in-person at booths on the Esplanade at Disneyland Resort. There is no extra cost to purchase your tickets in person, but you should be prepared for lines. If you decide to drive to Disneyland Resort to buy your tickets before your visit, remember that you will have the added expense of paying for parking.
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Disneyland Resort One Day Ticket vs Multi Day Ticket
Visitors may purchase a ticket for park admission in increments of one, two, three, four or five days. Usually, the more days on a ticket, the lower the per-day cost.
One Day Ticket
A one day ticket is an admission ticket to visit one or both Disneyland Resort theme parks over the course of a single day. If you want to visit both Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park on the same day, you will need to purchase the Park Hopper add-on explained below.
Ticket Tiers (Prices Are Different Depending on the Day)
One day tickets have tiered pricing. This means that they are priced differently depending on the day they will be used. Days that are predicted to be more popular will be priced higher than less popular days. When purchasing a one day ticket, you will also make a reservation for the day you want to visit. The day you choose will determine the price. We have a whole article dedicated to ticket tiers and how to navigate them here. Multi day tickets do not have tier pricing.
Changing Dates for a One Day Ticket for Disneyland Resort
You are free to switch your one day ticket park reservation to another day, but you need to follow a few conditions.
- The ticket needs to be unused and unexpired. If your ticket has passed its expiration date, see the section on expired tickets below.
- You need to make sure there are park reservations available on the new day you have chosen. You can see our section on park reservations below.
- Your new day needs to be at the same tier or lower. If it is not, you need to upgrade your ticket. At the time of this writing, one-day tickets are divide into seven tiers numbered 0 through 6. Tier 6 is the most expensive down to tier 0 at the least expensive. A tier 6 ticket can be used on any day. A tier 5 ticket could be used on days marked as tier 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 or 0. Tier 4 could be used on tier 4 down through 0 days… you get the idea. Tier 0 tickets can only be used on tier 0 days.
- If you choose a new day that is HIGHER than your tier, you must upgrade the ticket: the cost of your unused ticket goes toward your new ticket, and you pay the difference in price.
- For example: You have an unused tier 2 ticket, but you want to visit on a tier 5 day. Your tier 2 ticket is for a lower priced tier than the day you want to visit. You would need to speak to someone in Guest Relations to upgrade your ticket to tier 5, and you would then pay the difference in price.
- If you choose a new day that is LOWER than your tier, you can make a new park reservation for that day. However, you will not be reimbursed for the difference in price.
- If you choose a new day that is HIGHER than your tier, you must upgrade the ticket: the cost of your unused ticket goes toward your new ticket, and you pay the difference in price.
Our guide to ticket tiers can be found HERE.
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Multi Day Ticket
If you want to visit the parks of Disneyland Resort for multiple days within a two week period, you should purchase a Multi Day Ticket. When you purchase a ticket with admission for multiple days bundled together, you usually pay less per day. The overall price of the ticket increases, but it is typically less expensive than buying multiple one day tickets. Multi day tickets do not have tiered pricing. Unlike one day tickets, multi day tickets cost the same no matter which day you visit.
Guidelines for Using Multi Day Tickets
All admission days must be used by the same guest. You cannot share a multi day ticket with another person and split the days.
You cannot use two days of a multi-day ticket on a single day. If you want to visit both parks in a single day, you must purchase the Park Hopper.
You do NOT need to use the days of multi day tickets on consecutive days: you can take time to relax between visits. You DO need to use all of the days within thirteen days of your first use. For example: you could purchase a three-day ticket and use the first two days on a Saturday and Sunday. Then you could wait a whole week to use the third on the following weekend. You do NOT need to use all of the days in a row. (These rules may be different for promotional tickets: be sure to read the terms at time of purchase.)
All admission days on a multi day ticket must be used within thirteen days of first use.
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Disneyland Resort Park Hopper
A Park Hopper allows you to visit both Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park on the same day.
It is an optional add-on to a base admission ticket that applies to all days on that ticket. You cannot purchase Park Hopper for just part of a multi-day ticket. However, the cost-per-day decreases dramatically as the number of days increases.
If you want to visit both parks on a single day, you must purchase a Park Hopper to do so. You cannot use two days of a multi day ticket on the same day.
Park Hopping Starts at 11:00am
Currently, park hopping starts at 11:00am each day. After 11:00am, there is no limit to the number of times you can hop between parks with a Park Hopper UNLESS a park reaches capacity. If a park has reached full capacity, cast members will no longer allow guests to enter. This is true of any ticket type.
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Park Reservations with Park Hoppers
With a Park Hopper, you still make a park reservation for just one of the two parks. A the time of this writing, guests with Park Hoppers start their day at the park where they have made their park reservation and then can hop between parks starting at 11:00am. After 11:00am, guests with Park Hoppers can go to either park and continue to switch parks as many times as they would like.
For example: if you have a Park Hopper and wanted to start your day at Disneyland Park, you would make a park reservation for Disneyland Park. At 11:00am, or anytime after that, you could cross the Esplanade and enter Disney California Adventure Park with your Park Hopper ticket. You could keep hopping between the parks for the rest of that day’s opening hours.
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Disneyland Lightning Lane Multi Pass
With a Lightning Lane Multi Pass, you can shorten the time you spend waiting in line by making advance reservations to experience certain attractions.
With this service, you use the Disneyland app to reserve a window of time to experience a particular attraction. When your reservation time arrives, you bypass the regular standby line and enter that attraction through a priority access lane, a “Lightning Lane.”
You can use Lightning Lane Multi Pass to make one reservation per day per included attraction. This service does not include every attraction in the parks, nor does it guarantee that you will be able to experience all of the attractions that are included. You will want to check which attractions are included before your purchase.
Additionally, a select few attractions are designated for Lightning Lane Single Pass. This is a separate service from Lightning Lane Multi Pass. There is no overlap between the attractions bundled into the Lightning Lane Multi Pass and those individual attractions eligible for Lightning Lane Single Pass. For a guide to the differences between Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Lightning Lane Single Pass, check-out our guide here.
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How to Purchase Lightning Lane Multi Pass
Lightning Lane Multi Pass is a ticket add-on that comes at an extra cost. You can add it at the time of ticket purchase or purchase it after entering either park on the day of your visit.
The benefit to buying Lightning Lane Multi Pass in advance is that you can begin using it immediately upon entering a park. Additionally, you will lock-in the purchase price and avoid any increases on the day of your visit.
If you buy Lightning Lane Multi Pass in advance, it will apply to all days on a multi day ticket. However, the cost-per-day is the same as it would be for a single day. There is no discount for buying multiple days. For example: if Lightning Lane Multi Pass costs $30 per day, it will cost $60 for a two-day ticket and $90 for a three-day ticket.
Additional Information on Other Versions of Lightning Lanes
It is worth noting that the Lightning Lane Multi Pass service works differently at Disneyland Resort than it does at Walt Disney World. Disneyland visitors do NOT currently have the option to make ride reservations prior to the day of their visit.
Lightning Lane Multi Pass at Disneyland was formerly called Genie+. Before that, there was a similar service called MaxPass and unpaid one called FastPass. There is still a service called Genie, but it is a free-with-admission itinerary planner and not a ride reservation service. For more insight on these services, read our Guide to Lightning Lanes (or Genie+, FastPass, MaxPass…) at Disneyland Resort.
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Disneyland Resort Park Reservations
Disney put park reservations in place in 2021. At the time of this writing, guests must make a reservation at the park—Disneyland Park or Disney California Adeventure Park—where they plan to start their day.
You can make a park reservation online or in the Disneyland app before your visit. This is also where you will find calendars showing available park reservations for future dates. We suggest checking these calendars before making a ticket purchase. You will not be able to use a ticket or pass without a corresponding park reservation. If you purchase your ticket directly from Disney, you will likely be asked to make a reservation as part of the purchase process.
Tip: The number of park reservations available is dependent on the ticket type being used, and they do run-out. Opting for a different ticket type (for example, adding Park Hopper) MAY open-up availability. You can change your ticket type and compare calendars before your purchase to see if this might be the case.
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Park Reservations and Park Hoppers
If you have a Park Hopper (or Magic Key), you are free to switch parks after 11:00am without a further reservation. You do not need to make a reservation beyond the first park you plan to visit that day. However, if a park reaches capacity, you may not be allowed to enter.
Changing an Existing Park Reservation
As long as reservations are available, there is no penalty for changing reservations in advance of your visit. You can easily do this online or in the Disneyland app. However, if you have a one day ticket and want to change a reservations, you will need to pay attention to the tier of your ticket and the tier for the day you want to visit. Check-out our section above on one day tickets and ticket tiers for more on this.
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Disneyland Resort Ticket Expiration
The expiration date for your ticket will be stated in the terms and conditions. This varies, especially when it comes to special offers, so you will want to check the date for yourself.
If you have an expired but wholly unused ticket, it is Disney’s policy, at the time of this writing, to allow you to apply the cost of that ticket towards another ticket purchase. If you are interested in doing this, you would need to contact guest relations. Of course this policy is subject to change, so be sure to check the terms for yourself.
We hope you have found this Disneyland ticket guide helpful and that it will aid you in making decisions around what Disneyland ticket to buy for your visit. For more insight on the decision process, check out How to Choose a Ticket for Disneyland.
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When reviewing these Disneyland Resort tips and guides, please remember that they are written from the experience of a fellow visitor not affiliated with or endorsed by the Disneyland Resort or the Walt Disney Company. We do our best to make sure that this information is helpful and accurate at the time of writing, but policies change, and this site should not be used in lieu of official information from the Walt Disney Company. Visitors should review all terms and conditions provided to them at the time of ticket purchase.