Disneyland fans will soon be able to make reservations to return to the California theme parks. Disney today released a schedule for when and how ticket sales and park reservations will begin, and we have the details you need to plan your next vacation.
Here's the calendar overview. Keep reading for details about each item. We'll update this article throughout the day as we get more official information.
- April 6 – Disneyland.com updated with reopening details
- April 9 – New tier calendar to be published
- April 12 – Park reservations open to existing ticket holders
- April 15 – Sales of new tickets resume; park reservations open to everyone.
- April 15 – Reservations open for Disney's Grand Californian Hotel
- April 22 – Reservations open for dining and bookable experiences (Savi's Workshop, etc)
Mickey and Minnie will soon welcome visitors back to Disneyland. MousePlanet file photo.
April 6 – Attractions Update
Disneyland.com now has full details about which rides, attractions, shops and restaurants will be open when the theme parks reopen on April 30. This gives planners a chance to decide if they want to make a trip at this time, or wait until more of the park can reopen. To help you in your planning, we've also created lists of what will not reopen at Disneyland and what will not reopen at Disney California Adventure.
Guests who already hold valid admission will be the first to be allowed to make theme park reservations. MousePlanet file photo.
April 9 – Tickets and Tiers
In February 2020, the Disneyland Resort modified the seasonal flex pricing structure implemented in 2016, with the price of one-day tickets based on five-tier calendar. On April 9, Disney is publishing an updated ticket tier calendar, showing which dates fall under which tier. This structure applies only to one-day tickets, and does not impact multi-day tickets.
Disney is not raising admission prices at this time, so the following schedule is still accurate. Note: Magic Morning is no longer offered with three-day or longer tickets.
Disneyland Resort Tickets – Prices Effective February 11, 2020
| Ticket & Season | Adult One-Park | Adult Park Hopper | Child One-Park | Child Park Hopper |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One Day – Tier 1 (former Value season) | $104 | $159 | $98 | $153 |
| One Day – Tier 2 (new tier) | $114 | $169 | $108 | $163 |
| One Day – Tier 3 (former Regular season) | $124 | $179 | $117 | $172 |
| One Day – Tier 4 (new tier) | $139 | $194 | $132 | $187 |
| One Day – Tier 5 (former Peak season) | $154 | $209 | $146 | $201 |
| Two Day | $235 | $290 | $220 | $275 |
| Three Day | $310 | $365 | $290 | $345 |
| Four Day | $340 | $395 | $320 | $375 |
| Five Day | $360 | $415 | $340 | $395 |
Don't get in line before you make a theme park reservation. MousePlanet file photo.
April 12 – Park Reservations, Phase 1
When Disneyland closed last March due to the global pandemic, thousands of travelers were left holding unused or partially used tickets—either purchased in advance of a planned trip or as part of the 2020 Southern California resident ticket offer. Those customers can start making theme park reservations on Monday, April 12. Disney says the reservations system will open no earlier than 8:00 a.m. California time, so you don't need to wait up all night refreshing your browser.
You must link your tickets to your MyDisneyExperience account before you can make a theme park reservation. If you're making plans for a group, you can link all of their tickets to your account for easier management. You can book reservations booked on a rolling basis, around 60 days in advance, and can make reservations for a multi-day ticket at once if the dates you want to visit are available.
If you hold a park-hopper ticket, you will select the theme park you want to enter first. Park hopping can begin at 1:00 p.m. on the day of your visit, based on capacity.
Under current state guidelines, Disneyland and Disney California Adventure can open at 25% of park capacity, but Disney can choose to open at a lower capacity, and may in fact do so for the first few weeks just to bring cast members up to speed on the new operational procedures after more than a year.
Disney posted an update about new extensions to the expiration dates of those tickets, which should help travelers as they begin to plan their return to Anaheim. It's easy to get bogged down in the fine print, so you need to know what type of ticket you hold and when it expires.
| Single-day tickets |
Unused non-promotional single day tickets that expire on December 30, 2020 or March 31, 2021 will have the expiration date extended to December 16, 2021. Wholly unused, non-promotional multi-day tickets that expire on January 12, 2021 or April 13, 2021 will have the expiration date extended to December 16, 2021, and the ticket will expire 13 days after first use or on December 16, 2021, whichever occurs first. Unused non-promotional single day tickets that expire on December 30, 2021 or March 31, 2022 will have the expiration date extended to December 30, 2022. Wholly unused, non-promotional multi-day tickets that expire on January 12, 2022 or April 13, 2022 will have the expiration date extended to January 12, 2023, and the ticket will expire 13 days after first use or on January 12, 2023, whichever occurs first. |
| Multi-day tickets | Guests with multi-day tickets who used their first visit between February 28, 2020 and March 13, 2020 but did not reach their ticket’s maximum number of uses, will have the 13-day expiration period of their ticket extended to December 30, 2022. |
| Southern California Resident Ticket | If you purchased a promotional Southern California Resident Ticket, the expiration date will be extended through December 16, 2021. Tickets may be used on non-consecutive days. If the theme parks have reopened, blockout days of March 26-April 11, 2021; July 4, 2021; and November 20-27, 2021 will apply. |
There are also extensions for the promotional Child Ticket, Canadian Resident ticket, Australia/New Zealand Resident ticket and the 2020 Military Salute ticket. Visit the Disneyland website for full details.
Despite all the warnings, we still expect people to arrive at Disneyland with no tickets and no reservations. MousePlanet file photo.
April 15 – New Ticket Sales; Park Reservations, Phase 2; Hotel Reservations
Thursday, April 15 is the day that tickets go on sale to all California residents, and is also the first day you can make hotel reservations at Disney's Grand Californian Hotel.
In fact, that's the exact order you should make your plans—get your tickets and make your park reservation BEFORE you book a hotel room. You must have a valid ticket and theme park reservation to enter the parks; having just a hotel reservation won't get you in.
Visitors can also purchase tickets from third-party sellers, like Good Neighbor Hotel or an authorized travel agency like MousePlanet travel partner Get Away Today, but you must still make a park reservation before visiting.
Reservations for restaurants and activities like Savi's Workshop will open on April 22. MousePlanet file photo.
April 22 – Dining and Activity Reservations
Visitors with theme park reservations can start booking dining and activities on Thursday, April 22. These experiences can be booked on a rolling basis, around 60 days in advance. In the case of Savi's Workshop and Droid Depot, expect a modified experience in compliance with state and local guidelines.
Residency Restrictions
At press time, admission is still limited to California residents due to a travel advisory from the California Department of Public Health. This may change in the future, but for now assume that Aunt Alice can't come from Arizona to join you on Main Street, U.S.A. just yet.
The state will also require Disney to obtain “an attestation that when visiting the park, the guest’s party size will not contain more than three households and the guest, and all members of the guest’s party will be in-state visitors,” and to collect the ticket purchaser's name and phone number for possible future contact tracing.
Legacy Annual Passholders
Disney hasn't provided an update about the future of the annual passholder program, which ended in January, 2021. Legacy Passholders (those who held a valid annual pass as of March 14, 2020) still receive dining and merchandise discounts. Disney has also said there will be a special Legacy Passholder location in the parks when they reopen, with more details to come.
With the theme parks so limited in capacity, we don't think it is realistic to expect Disney will debut their new membership program until the state eases restrictions on attendance. This is definitely a frustrating experience for so many passholders, but we are in uncharted waters here.
