Update for April 4 – April 10, 2011
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News and Views
Rumor: Star Tours soft openings to begin at Disneyland May 20 | Disney to remove photos from annual passes | 25% “off peak” dining discount coupons for Disneyland | Disneyland Resort to add RFID tags to cast member costumes | DCA’s “lush” new park opens, and other construction updates | This and That… | Crowd forecast
Rumor: Star Tours soft openings to begin at Disneyland May 20
I’m labeling this with a big “RUMOR” notice because this information has not been officially announced by the Disneyland Resort: Reliable sources have told us that Disneyland’s Star Tours is reopening for “soft opening previews” on Friday, May 20, which happens to be the same day the ride officially reopens in Walt Disney World. This soft opening continues on Saturday, May 21, and Annual Passholder previews are scheduled to begin on Sunday, May 22. Officially, however, this Disneyland version is not set to reopen for another two weeks, sharing a June 3 debut date with the new Little Mermaid attraction at Disney California Adventure.
New exterior signage for Star Tours is expected to be installed this week. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
The Star Tours building was repainted with a new blue design. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Again, this is a rumor, and has not been confirmed by Disney; you should not make any travel plans based on this information, since soft openings can be offered just a few hours a day or cancelled altogether if problems are discovered, and thus are never officially announced. The Annual Passholder previews should be announced by Disney much closer to the actual dates, and we have not heard how Disney plans to control attendance to those previews.
This departures board reveals new destinations for Star Tours – if you read Aurebesh. Photo (c) Disney.
What Disney did officially confirm last week, however, are the new destinations you might visit when you ride Star Tours: The Adventures Continue. Posting on the Disney Parks Blog on Tuesday, Walt Disney Imagineering Executive Vice President Tom Fitzgerald shared an image of the departures board for the new ride, listing the destinations of Tatooine, Coruscant, Endor, and Alderaan, all written in Aurebesh, a Star Wars alphabet. Devoted Star Wars fans will appreciate the flight status for the Alderaan as reading “see agent.”.
For those who don’t read Aurebesh, this image confirms six new destinations for Star Tours. Photo (c) Disney.
On Friday, Fitzgerald posted an English-language version of the image, and confirmed six destinations:
- Kashyyyk – described by Fitzgerald as a “Wookiee planet”
- Geonosis – where Star Tours will visit the Death Star
- Hoth – icy planet from The Empire Strikes Back
- Naboo – home planet of Queen Amidala and Jar Jar Binks
- Coruscant – site of the speeder chase in Attack of the Clones
- Tatooine – site of the podrace in The Phantom Menace
Fitzgerald concluded Friday’s post saying, “these destinations will be combined in more than 50 different story adventures, so you’ll never know where the Force will take you!”
Disney to remove photos from annual passes
Starting April 6, new and renewal annual passes issued at the Disneyland Resort will no longer bear a photograph of the passholder. This change will allow the main entrance ticket booths to print new annual passes right at the time of purchase, instead of the current process where new passholders receive a temporary voucher that must be redeemed for the plastic pass after the new passholder has their photo taken at an Annual Pass processing center inside Disneyland or Disney California Adventure. Since a digital photo of the passholder will still be used to verify identity at the main entrance gates, Disney is testing a new program where passholders can upload their own photo from home, completely bypassing the current in-park photo session.
Customers who purchase a new annual pass will now receive their plastic annual pass, sans photo, right at the ticket booth. Most new passholders will still be directed to the existing Annual Pass Processing Centers to have their digital photo taken, but some passholders selected to participate in a trial program will instead receive instructions on how to upload a photo of themselves from home.
Existing passholders who renew their passes over the next 12 months will receive their new AP card without a photo at the ticket booth, or by mail as usual. Passholders who already have a photo on file will only need to visit the processing center if they want to update their photo.
David Koenig reported last week that Disney is looking to turn the Plaza Pavilion, currently the site of Disneyland’s Annual Passholder processing center, into a bakery. The processing center inside Disney California Adventure is currently located inside the Greetings from California store, which is slated to close this fall for renovation as part of the DCA main entrance remodeling project. Disney is reportedly looking for a solution that would allow them to close both processing centers instead of relocating them. Printing the plastic pass at the ticket booths solves half of the problem, but for now the resort still needs a way to take photos of new passholders. We’ve heard that in addition to testing this new photo upload option, Disney may turn to the PhotoPass department for help. There is already a plan in place to let passholders use their plastic pass as a PhotoPass card, and it makes sense that Disney would make use of the dozens of photographers already roaming the parks to help collect the AP photos.
Since Walt Disney World relies not on photos but on on biometric scanners to verify the identity of annual passholders at the main entrance, a Premier Pass valid at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World parks is printed without a photo of the passholder. However, since Disneyland uses the photo on the annual pass to verify identity, Premier passholders are usually asked to present a photo ID along with their pass when trying to take advantage of discounts and benefits. At the parking lots, this means cast members at the toll booths must request and verify a photo ID in addition to the annual pass, which adds a little more time to each interaction. As increasing numbers of passholders receive passes without a photo, one parking lot cast member said their department has “thrown wait time expectations out the window.”
Disneyland cast members are currently being trained on the new procedures, and we hope to have answers to some questions our readers have raised about the plan once the new passes are released on Wednesday. A concern voiced by several parents is how their minor children will prove their identity. It is very common for families of Deluxe or Southern California passholders to purchase either a parking upgrade or even Premium pass for one of their children, as this allows either parent to use the free parking and/or extra discounts when visiting the theme parks with that child. Parents now question how their child will be able to use the benefits of their pass when they can’t show a photo ID.
25% “off peak” dining discount coupons for Disneyland
The Disney Parks Blog announced a 25 percent dining discount offer valid at Disneyland Park for guests who are willing to dine at less-traditional meal times during the peak spring break season. Disney offered a similar promotion over the 2010 winter holiday season, though there are some notable differences this year. The spring discount is 25 percent instead of the 30 percent offered over the holidays, and you must dine before 11:30am, instead of noon. This offer is also limited to Disneyland park this spring, with no locations at Disney California Adventure participating. Participating establishments at Disneyland park include:
- French Market
- Hungry Bear
- Rancho del Zocalo
- Redd Rockett’s Pizza Port
- Tomorrowland Terrace
Before you can receive the discount you must first download a voucher from the Disney website, and dine at a participating restaurant either before 11:30am, or sometime between 3:00 and 4:30pm. The voucher offers a 25 percent discount on your entire bill with the purchase of an entree. The offer is valid between April 17 through 23, does not include tax, is limited to one coupon per transaction, and cannot be combined with other offers.
If you forget to print the voucher before your trip (or you run out of them), the vouchers will also be available printed in the Entertainment Times Guide available at the Disneyland main entrance, or might be found printed at the bottom of a food or merchandise receipt.
Disneyland Resort to add RFID tags to cast member costumes
Starting this Monday, the Disneyland Resort will sew Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags into all costume pieces at the Disneyland Resort, beginning with workers at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel. The process will continue through October, and will involve every costumed department, from parking lot to entertainment. Cast members have been asked to bring in every costume piece they have been issued so the tags can be added. The change is expected to make costume checkout process faster for workers, will allow Disney to remove the barcode from many costume pieces (which is definitely an improvement, as the white barcode tag is actually visible on some costume pieces unless extra care is taken to conceal it), and will allow “more accurate tracking of costume pieces.”
One cast member reader asked via Twitter why this news matters to Disneyland visitors. As it relates specifically to Disney employee costumes, it’s admittedly not that interesting to casual park guests. However, we see this as just another sign of how much Disney is looking to incorporate both RFID and Near Field Communications (NFC) technology in their daily operations, including applications that relate directly to theme park visitors.
As we previously reported, Disney currently issues room keys (or for children, wristbands) embedded with an RFID chip to passengers on the Disney Dream, and that technology is used to open stateroom doors, track attendance at the mandatory safety drill and sort photos taken by the ship’s photographers. During a presentation at February’s Disney Investor Conference, Walt Disney Parks & Resorts Chairman Tom Staggs mentioned new tools that “will allow [the Disney characters] to greet and interact with our guests in an immersive and highly personalized way,” and several sources have speculated that these tools, part of Disney’s “Next Generation Initiative,” rely on the type of location-tracking and RFID technology Disney has been testing in the theme parks for years.
As Disney continues to develop ways to utilize RFID and NFC technology to enhance the guest experience, what better way to test various applications than with cast members? Once this costume project is complete, Disney will have thousands of cast members walking around the Resorts every day wearing 6-12 pieces of Disney-issued, RFID-tagged clothing, giving Disney plenty of data to collect and analyze.
So while you might not care about the tags sewn into a cast member costume, you can bet that in the future cast members may be very interested in the RFID tags you’ll wear as you walk through Disneyland.
DCA’s “lush” new park opens, and other construction updates
For the past several weeks the path around the west side of Paradise Pier has been blocked by construction walls, with only a narrow walkway to provide access to the Silly Symphony Swings and no way to walk all the way around Paradise Bay. The walls were pushed back last week, revealing the new sand-colored walkway, and giving visitors their first look at the new park built on the site of the former Maliboomer ride, removed last year as part of the makeover of Disney California Adventure. Signs on the walls surrounding the Maliboomer site during construction stated that “Paradise Pier is Goin’ Green,” and promised a “lush new park” was being built “just for you!”
The entrance to the new park in Paradise Pier is lined with low beige walls that do nothing to really conceal the roller coaster track above you. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Whatever you pictured, the reality of this new area is probably much different. The approach from the northwest side leads under the California Screamin’ track, and decorative walls have been placed on either side to form an entrance of sorts. The concrete platform and queue – complete with handrails and shade structures – are still in place, with large trees apparently just dropped into the pits that once housed the foundation of the Maliboomer towers. More bushes were planted around the base of the concrete pad.
The new Paradise Pier park is clearly not designed to encourage visitors to linger. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Where the signs showed the Disney characters strolling through a grassy field and frolicking near a fountain, this park is blocked off by yet another wall – you can walk around it, but you can’t walk through it. A few benches line the walkway, but this isn’t anyplace you want to linger. To be brutally honest, this new “park” feels more like a neglected back corner of Magic Mountain than anything found elsewhere in a Disney theme park. We can only hope that this is a very temporary solution, and that the space can be put to a better future use.
The walkway is once again open all the way around Paradise Bay. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
The tower outside Goofy’s Sky School is taking shape. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
The scaffolding came down from around another section of the Little Mermaid ride building last week, showing the finished look for the rotunda that was originally constructed to resemble the Palace of Fine Arts building. This structure was the only piece of the former Golden Dreams theater left standing, and workers repainted the exterior as part of the renovation project.
More of the Little Mermaid building was unveiled last week. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
More of the Little Mermaid building was unveiled last week. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Before you get to Paradise Pier however, you’ll probably walk past the new construction crane at the entrance to Disney California Adventure. The crane was brought in last week as vertical construction began on the Carthay Circle Theater.
A new construction crane dominates the entrance to Disney California Adventure. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
The skeleton of the Carthay Circle Theater is visible over the construction walls inside the DCA entrance. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
The start of vertical construction on the theater required workers to move the walls around the site, forcing a relocation of the ElecTRONica stage. A small electronic bulletin board is now located outside the entrance to the Hollywood Pictures Backlot, and the stage itself relocated outside the restrooms between the Off the Page store and the Disney Junior theater.
The ElecTRONica stage moved into the Hollywood Pictures Backlot. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
This and That…
…Fans wait hours in line on select days during the Christmas holiday season to purchase Disneyland’s fresh made candy canes, but did you know that Disneyland also has a special treat in the spring? Fudge Easter eggs, each weighing 8oz and covered with milk chocolate, are offered in the weeks leading up to Easter. Four flavors are available, including black walnut, vanilla nut and chocolate with or without nuts, and each egg is topped with a candy bunny and packaged in a colorful window box. The eggs are $9.95 each, and are made once a week at Disneyland’s Candy Palace. Since the eggs have yet to develop the same cult following as the candy canes, you can usually find them days after they are made.
Chocolate-covered fudge Easter eggs as a spring treat at Disneyland. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
…Still no word from the Disneyland Resort about rumored premiere of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides we believe will be held at Disneyland on Saturday, May 7, but the entertainment schedule for the weeks surrounding that date show that Disneyland’s Fantasmic will not be presented April 25 through May 14. An enormous movie screen was constructed on Tom Sawyer Island for each of the past three premieres, forcing a similar hiatus for Fantasmic.
…Visitors planning trips to the Disneyland Resort should make a point to check the Current Refurbishment/Attraction Closures section each week for the most recent updates. The Disneyland Resort website currently only publishes refurbishment information about six weeks in advance. Be sure to check the most recent Disneyland Resort Update for the latest changes, as MousePlanet does not edit past Park Updates to reflect changes.
Disneyland Resort crowd forecast
Crowd information and forecasts are provided by TouringPlans.com, the website of the Unofficial Guide to Disneyland, to help you better plan your trip to the Disneyland Resort. TouringPlans.com gathers wait time data from a team of in-park researchers and users of their Lines mobile phone application, and then predicts crowd levels for the next 365 days. Using a scale from 1 to 10, TouringPlans.com has a 90 percent accuracy of predicting the crowds to within 1 point, helping visitors prepare for their trips so they can “Do more. Wait less.”
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Another busy spring break week has come and gone at the Disneyland Resort. We had researchers submitting wait times in the parks every day of the week, and were aided by our fabulous Disneyland Lines App users. Last year, here’s what our statistical team measured for the upcoming week (note that last year this was the week after Easter Weekend, one of the busiest times of year):
Another very busy, but not extreme week ahead of us at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. The crowds will again reach a Crowd Level 8 or higher all week:
Get wait time predictions on your Mobile Phone. Do more. Wait less.  SPECIAL OFFER FOR MOUSEPLANET READERS: |
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Current Refurbishments and Attraction Closures
Disneyland
- Star Tours – closed for refurbishment and addition of elements for Star Tours 2.0.
- Star Trader – closed through April 30 for refurbishment. The store has been relocated to the Starcade during construction.
- Splash Mountain – closed through May 26 for refurbishment.
- Stage Door Cafe – closed May 2-26 for refurbishment.
- The Golden Horseshoe – closed May 9-26 for refurbishment.
- Indiana Jones Adventure – closed May 17 and 18 for refurbishment.
Disney California Adventure
Seasonal refurbishments:
Construction-related closures:
- Burger Invasion – closed through May 24 for conversion into Paradise Garden Grill.
- Corn Dog Castle – closed due to construction in the area. An employee publication lists May 25 as its return date.
- Souvenir 66 – closed due to construction in the area. An employee publication lists May 25 as its return date, and “Seaside Souvenirs” as the new name of the store.
- Pizza Oom Mow Mow – closed through May 24 for conversion to Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta.
- Mulholland Madness – closed through May 24 for conversion to Goofy’s Sky School.
Downtown Disney & Disneyland Resort Hotels
- Disneyland Hotel Guest Laundry – closed due to construction. Hotel guests can use the laundry facility at Disney’s Paradise Pier hotel during the refurbishment.
- Disneyland Hotel Fitness Center – closed due to construction. The fitness center equipment has been relocated to one of the hotel meeting rooms; ask the front desk for the most recent information as you check in.
- Lost Bar, Croc’s Bits ‘n’ Bites, Hook’s Pointe and the Wine Cellar – closed. These four locations will be replaced by a new bar and fast casual restaurant during the ongoing Disneyland Hotel courtyard renovation project. During construction, the only remaining bar at the Disneyland Hotel is the Lounge at Steakhouse 55, which has extended its operating hours, and will be closing at 1:30 a.m. nightly.
Note: Refurbishment schedules are estimates only. All information is subject to change without notice. To get the most recent updates, call Disneyland at (714) 781-7290.
Resort Events
Check here to see if a large convention, competition or park event might fall during your next trip to the Disneyland Resort. If you know of any in-park events, official or unofficial, that should be listed here, please send us an e-mail.
2011
- ElecTRONica – Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights through Labor Day weekend.
- Spring 2011 MouseAdventure at the Disneyland Resort – Sunday, April 10. Registration is now closed. Visit MouseAdventure.com for more information about future events, and to sign up for the MouseAdventure newsletter.
- AIDS Walk Orange County – May 1. Registration information available on the event website.
- Grad Night events – The after-hours parties for graduating high school seniors will be held Thursday, May 12; Thursday, May 19; Thursday, May 26; Thursday, June 2; Wednesday, June 8; Thursday, June 9 and Thursday, June 16. Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure close earlier on these nights to prepare for the after-hours graduation parties.
- D23 Expo – August 19–21 at the Anaheim Convention Center. Tickets for the D23 Expo 2011 are now on sale at the event website.
- Sixth annual Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend – September 2–4. Registration for the 2011 event is sold out, but you can join the wait list at the Run Disney website.
- Fall 2011 MouseAdventure at the Disneyland Resort – no details yet. Visit MouseAdventure.com to sign up for our newsletter.
- Fall 2011 MouseAdventure at Walt Disney World – Saturday, November 12. Visit MouseAdventure.com to sign up for our newsletter.
We also recommend checking the convention calendar at the Anaheim/Orange County Visitor and Convention Bureau website. When looking at that site, remember to note both the number of people and the number of rooms resulting from each convention. A gathering of 25,000 people booking few room nights (indicating most will be driving in to the area for their meeting) can impact traffic around the Resort much more than a crowd of 25,000 staying in area hotels. Of course, that second group is going to make finding a hotel room more difficult (and possibly more expensive), so it’s best to book your own room as early as possible if you see that a big convention is in town during your trip.
Current Discounts & Promotions
Several current promotions offer discounted admission to the Disneyland Resort. For your convenience, we have grouped the discount offers based on the number of days the tickets are valid. Check out the category that best matches the amount of time you plan to spend at the resort, and pick the offer that works best for you. And keep those tips coming—let us know if you find a better or different offer, so we can share it with other readers!
This first section is a list of discounts on ticket-only purchases. Though it has become more common in recent years, Disneyland tickets are rarely offered at deep discounts unless you are a resident of Southern California or Northern Mexico. For residents outside that area, the best discounts available tend to be simple advance purchase discounts.
If you know of any additional discounts, offers, promotions, or contests that should be listed in this section, drop us a line. Note, we are no longer listing offers from the Anaheim-Orange County Visitor & Convention Bureau, as their convenience fee negates any savings.
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One Day, One Park Ticket – Regularly $76/$68 One Day Park Hopper – Regularly $101/$91 |
No discounts currently available to the general public. Check with your employer, school or credit union to see if any discounts are available through them. |
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Two Day, One Park per Day Ticket – Regularly $151/$136 Two Day Park Hopper – Regularly $161/$146 |
Resident 2-Day 1-Park per Day ticket ($99) – The Resident 2-Day 1-Park per Day ticket offers Southern California residents (ZIP Codes 90000–93599) and Northern Baja California residents (ZIP Codes 21000–22999) two one-day admissions to either Disneyland or Disney California Adventure before May 14. The ticket is the same price for adults and children. This base ticket is NOT a park hopper, and allows admission to only one park per day. For an additional $10 per person, you can upgrade the ticket to a Park Hopper ticket that allows admission to both parks each day, a savings of up to $52 compared to the box office price of a two-day park-hopper ticket. There is no “fuse” on this ticket, which means you can use the first admission today and wait until May to use the second admission, but the ticket must be purchased by April 15 and the ticket expires May 14. There are no blockout dates for this ticket. The ticket can be purchased online at Disneyland.com and printed from home for immediate use, and is also available at the Disneyland Resort ticket booths. You can also purchase the ticket at participating Disney Stores and authorized third party ticket outlets, including many local grocery stores. Keep in mind that Disney states “proof of residency required for purchase and admission,” but MousePlanet readers who purchased these tickets from off-property retailers last year consistently reported that they were not required to provide proof of residency at the time of purchase. However, be aware that Disneyland Resort Main Gate cast members can—and may—require proof of residency when you first use the tickets. Whether this will happen to you is an oft-debated topic on our MousePad discussion boards, but we feel it would be irresponsible for us to not at least make our readers aware of the “official” policy, regardless of what the park’s actual practice may be. *Now for the fine print: Tickets valid for Southern California residents within ZIP codes 90000-93599 and Northern Baja California residents within ZIP codes 21000-22999. Proof of residency required for purchase and admission. The Resident 2-Day 1-Park per Day Ticket entitles Guests to admittance to either Disneyland® Park or Disney California Adventure™ Park each day for two days. This ticket is not valid for visits to both theme parks on the same day. The first visit must occur on or before May 14. Tickets may only be purchased between January 2 and April 14. |
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Three Day Park Hopper – Regularly $206/$185 |
Disney Military Promotional 3-Day Park Hopper Ticket ($99) – A discounted price offered to active or retired U.S. military personnel or their spouses. Based on past offers, Disney defines “Eligible Service Members” as active or retired members of the U.S. military, including active members of the National Guard or Reservists and active or retired members of the U.S. Coast Guard. This discount is available at MWR/ITT offices at your military base, or at the Disneyland Resort ticket booths. Valid military ID is required. The price is the same for adults and children, and total of six tickets may be purchased per military member, regardless of who purchases the tickets (the member or their spouse). Tickets must be purchased by September 28 and used by October 1. The ticket has the following 2011 blockout dates: February 18–21; April 17–23; and July 1–4. As far as we can tell, there is no “fuse” on this ticket, so you may have more than the standard 13 days from first use to use the remaining two admissions, but we highly recommend you contact your base MWR/ITT office for more details before making travel plans. Please note that this ticket is not a “bonus” ticket, and so does not include an early admission day. Promotional 3-Day Park Hopper Bonus Ticket ($169/$152) – A discounted price offered with advance purchase through the Disneyland Resort website. This discount is not available at the theme park ticket booths, you must purchase online before you arrive. Tickets are valid January 4 to April 14. Tickets must be purchased by, and first day of use must occur on or before, April 14. Tickets expire 13 days after the first day of use or April 27, whichever occurs first. “Promotional Tickets” include one early admission day (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday). Advance Purchase 3-day Park Hopper Bonus Ticket ($186/$165) – A discounted price for advance purchase through the Internet or select dealers. Available at the Disneyland Resort website where shipping is included if you order more than 10 days prior to your travel date. Also available from AAA offices in Northern California, Nevada, and Utah (not currently listed at the AAA website, you may need to call your local office). Disney Stores (California), Safeway supermarkets (California and Arizona), and certain travel agents may also sell these tickets. It is best to call and confirm before visiting a location, however. “Bonus Tickets” include one early admission day (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday). If purchased from AAA, the tickets come with free parking at the Mickey & Friends parking garage (a $15/day value). |
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Four Day Park Hopper – Regularly $231/$199 |
Costco 4-Day Park Hopper Ticket ($199) – A special offer for Costco members who are also residents of Southern California, this ticket is currently not sold online but must be purchased in Costco stores. Unlike most other park hopper tickets, this ticket has no “fuse” – you can use the first admission today, and have until May 31 to use the remaining admission days before the ticket expires. The ticket is blocked out August 22-23 and the entire period between Dec 15, 2010 – Jan 1, and has an “upgrade value” of $151. The ticket states that visitors “Must reside within ZIP codes 90000-93599” and that “Proof of residency required upon redemption.” The ticket you purchase at Costco is a valid admission ticket, and you can take it directly to a main entrance gate to use it. We’ve been told that, to prevent the unauthorized “transfer” of tickets between visitors (i.e., you use the first two days of the ticket and give it to a friend to use the second two days), visitors will be required to write their name on the ticket when it is first used for admission, and to show ID with that same name upon subsequent admissions. Obviously minor children will be exempt from the ID requirement, but will also be required to write their name on the ticket when it is first used. Adults should plan to have ID with them to use the ticket. Promotional 4-Day Park Hopper Bonus Ticket ($182/$163) – A discounted price offered with advance purchase through the Disneyland Resort website. This discount is not available at the theme park ticket booths, you must purchase online before you arrive. Tickets are valid January 4 – April 14. Tickets must be purchased by, and first day of use must occur on or before, April 14. Tickets expire 13 days after the first day of use or April 27, whichever occurs first. “Promotional Tickets” include one early admission day (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday). Advance Purchase 4-Day Park Hopper Bonus tickets ($201/$178) – A discounted price for advance purchase through the Internet or select dealers. Available at the Disneyland Resort website where shipping is included if you order more than 10 days prior to your travel date. Also available from AAA offices in Northern California, Nevada, and Utah (not currently listed at the AAA website, you may need to call your local office). Disney Stores (California), Safeway supermarkets (California and Arizona), and certain travel agents may also sell these tickets. It is best to call and confirm before visiting a location, however. “Bonus Tickets” include one early admission day (Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday). If purchased from AAA, the tickets come with free parking at the Mickey & Friends parking garage (an $15/day value). These tickets are now valid through January 3. |
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Five Day Park Hopper – Regularly $251/$219 |
Promotional 5-Day Park Hopper Bonus Ticket ($192/$172) – A discounted price offered with advance purchase through the Disneyland Resort website. This discount is not available at the theme park ticket booths, you must purchase online before you arrive. Tickets are valid January 4 – April 14. Tickets must be purchased by, and first day of use must occur on or before, April 14. Tickets expire 13 days after the first day of use or April 27, whichever occurs first. “Promotional Tickets” include one early admission day (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday). Advance Purchase 5-Day Park Hopper Bonus tickets ($211/$186) – A discounted price for advance purchase through the Internet or select dealers. Available at the Disneyland Resort website where shipping is included if you order more than 10 days prior to your travel date. Also available from AAA offices in Northern California, Nevada, and Utah (not currently listed at the AAA website, you may need to call your local office). Disney Stores (California), Safeway supermarkets (California and Arizona), and certain travel agents may also sell these tickets. It is best to call and confirm before visiting a location, however. “Bonus Tickets” include one early admission day (Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday). If purchased from AAA, the tickets come with free parking at the Mickey & Friends parking garage (a $15-per-day value). |
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Six Day Park Hopper – Regularly $256/$230 |
Promotional 3-Day Park Hopper Bonus Ticket ($196/$176) – A discounted price offered with advance purchase through the Disneyland Resort website. This discount is not available at the theme park ticket booths, you must purchase online before you arrive. Tickets are valid January 4 – April 14. Tickets must be purchased by, and first day of use must occur on or before, April 14. Tickets expire 13 days after the first day of use or April 27, whichever occurs first. “Promotional Tickets” include one early admission day (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday). Advance Purchase 6-Day Park Hopper Bonus tickets ($216/$190) – A discounted price for advance purchase through the Internet or select dealers. Available at the Disneyland Resort website where shipping is included if you order more than 10 days prior to your travel date. Also available from AAA offices in Northern California, Nevada, and Utah (not currently listed at the AAA website, you may need to call your local office). Disney Stores (California), Safeway supermarkets (California and Arizona), and certain travel agents may also sell these tickets. It is best to call and confirm before visiting a location, however. “Bonus Tickets” include one early admission day (Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday). If purchased from AAA, the tickets come with free parking at the Mickey & Friends parking garage (a $15/day value). |
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| Disneyland Resort Annual Passports |
No discounts currently available for new purchases. Southern California residents can take advantage of the monthly-payment plan when purchasing any but the Premier Annual Passport. Premier Annual Passport: $700 [Valid at Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort] |
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| 2011 Southern California CityPass $269/$229 |
2011 Southern California CityPass ($276/$229) – This pass includes a 3-Day Disneyland Resort Park Hopper Bonus Ticket (including one early-entry day), a one-day admission to either San Diego Zoo or San Diego Wild Animal Park, as well as one-day admission to Sea World San Diego and Universal Studios Hollywood. The CityPass expires 14 days after first use at any location, and the first use must occur by January 3. Purchase CityPass through the Disneyland Resort website or on-site at the ticket booths of Disneyland Resort or the other theme parks included in the pass. You can also purchase directly from the CityPass website though this has a minimum $7.50 shipping charge (no shipping charge from the Disney website if purchased more than 10 days in advance). You can also purchase the Southern California City Pass online from Costco.com at a cost of $259.99/$209.99, which includes free UPS shipping. A 5% surcharge for non-members, and shipping fees to members in Alaska and Hawaii may also apply to your purchase. Booklets may be available for sale in some stores but varies widely. If you want to buy in person it would be best to call ahead and confirm availability. If you do buy at Costco, you will initially purchase a large plastic container or a cardboard placard that you must trade for ticket books prior to leaving Costco! [Editor’s note: The 2011 Southern California CityPass is not currently available from Costco.com as of March 2011. The link above searches Costco.com for the CityPass. If and when Costco.com begins carrying the CityPass again, the link will show a result for it.] |
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Hotel/Travel Packages
Spring discount offers – In addition to the Promotional Park Hopper bonus tickets listed above, the Disneyland Resort released two hotel discounts for Spring 2011. We definitely recommend comparing prices on these offers before you buy, as it may be less-expensive to book the hotel and ticket separately.
Room-only hotel discounts
The Resort is offering discounts of up to 35 percent on select Disneyland Resort Hotel stays for arrivals January 2 through April 13. Travel must be booked by February 19, and a two-night minimum stay is required. Offer is not valid January 14 & 15, or February 18 & 19. Discount applies only to standard and concierge level rooms. There is a limit of two rooms per reservation, and a maximum of five people per room.
4th night free
Book a three-night, four-day package at a Disneyland Resort Hotel and get a fourth night free. Package includes four nights at a Disneyland Resort Hotel and four-day park hopper bonus tickets for a family of four. This offer is valid for arrivals from January 4 through April 11; travel must be completed by April 15. This package also includes one collectible pin, lanyard and luggage tag per person; one $20 ESPN Zone game card per package, admission to Mickey’s Toontown Morning Madness, preferred seating at select shows in DCA, and a “character call” from a Disney character.
Book online at the Disneyland Resort website, call Walt Disney Travel Company at (714) 520-6425, or contact your favorite travel agent and ask them to look for the “Spring Package Offer.”
Costco Travel Packages – Many different travel packages including visits to Disneyland and Disneyland hotels are available through Costco.com. When purchasing a Costco Disneyland travel package, extras that will be included are: Mickey’s Toontown Madness admission (currently available Mondays, Wednesday, Fridays, and Saturdays), a character breakfast collectible pin and lanyard, and a Costco luggage tag per person, plus a $20 Disneyland Resort gift card per package.
Disney’s Resort Magic and Good Neighbor Magic Packages – Package includes accommodations one of the three resort hotels or at one of 40 Good Neighbor hotels; Souvenir Park Hopper ticket with voucher for admission to Mickey’s Toontown Morning Madness, plus one Magic Morning (early entry) for three-day or longer Park Hoppers; preferred seating at four DCA attractions (Disney’s Aladdin – A Musical Spectacular, Muppet*Vision 3D, It’s Tough to be a Bug!, Golden Dreams); Preferred Showing of Turtle Talk with Crush (Priority Viewing at the first Turtle Talk with Crush show of the day, on any one day – one voucher per Guest); Disney Dream coin keepsake (one per package), luggage tag and lanyard with pin; a Downtown Disney Fun Card; and a “Character Call” from Mickey, Minnie, Goofy or Crush. Contact Disney Travel or your favorite travel agent.
Contact a MousePlanet sponsor travel agency for assistance in booking your next trip
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Other Discounts
Character Dining Vouchers – Discounted character dining vouchers are available for purchase online, in advance of your trip, through Get Away Travel.
Disney Visa Discounted Stroller Rental – If you have a Disney Visa card you can rent up to two strollers at a discount of 50%. This offer is valid only at the Main Gate rental location between Disneyland and Disney California Adventure.
Rainforest Cafe Safari Club – Members of the Rainforest Cafe get priority seating when available (which makes a huge difference on busy days), and a 10% discount on entrees for up to four people. Additionally, after signing up, your membership card will be mailed to you and be accompanied by a $10 award good for your next visit to a Rainforest Cafe. So if you know you will be eating there while at Disneyland and have a Rainforest Cafe local to you, it may make sense to prejoin the Safari Club so that you can use the award during your trip. See the Rainforest Cafe website for details.
ESPNZone MVP Club – Membership in the MVP Club does not offer any discounts on food. However, once a member you can make an online reservation for your party up to three days in advance and will get a 25% increase in points purchased when playing games in the Sports Arena (and 40 bonus points at activation). You must register online at ESPNZone.com and your membership card will then be mailed to you within two weeks. The card must then be activated at any ESPNZone by the person who signed up for the card and ID will be required.
Park Schedule/Blockout Dates
DL: Disneyland
DCA: Disney California Adventure
Annual Pass blockout dates:
- SL – Southern California Select Annual Pass
- SC – Southern California Annual Pass
- DX – Deluxe Annual Pass
Disneyland Resort Special Events:
- MM – Magic Morning at Disneyland
- TT – Toontown Morning Madness at Disneyland
- Grad Nite
- MHP – Mickey’s Halloween Party at Disneyland
MousePlanet Special Events:
- MA – MouseAdventure (www.mouseadventure.com)
| 4/3 | 4/4 | 4/5 | 4/6 |
4/7 |
4/8 | 4/9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DL: 8a-12a
DCA: 10a-10p SL MM |
DL: 8a-12a
DCA: 10a-10p
TT |
DL: 8a-12a
DCA: 10a-10p
MM |
DL: 8a-12a
DCA: 10a-10p TT |
DL: 8a-12a
DCA: 10a-10p
MM |
DL: 8a-12a
DCA: 10a-10p SL TT |
DL: 8a-12a
DCA: 10a-10p SL/SC/DX MM / TT |
| 4/10 | 4/11 | 4/12 | 4/13 |
4/14 |
4/15 | 4/16 |
| DL: 8a-12a
DCA: 10a-10p SL MM / MA |
DL: 9a-11p
DCA: 10a-10p
TT |
DL: 9a-11p
DCA: 10a-10p
MM |
DL: 9a-11p
DCA: 10a-10p TT |
DL: 9a-12a
DCA: 10a-10p
MM |
DL: 8a-12a
DCA: 10a-10p SL TT |
DL: 8a-12a
DCA: 10a-10p SL/SC/DX MM / TT |
| 4/17 | 4/18 | 4/19 | 4/20 |
4/21 |
4/22 | 4/23 |
| DL: 8a-12a
DCA: 10a-10p SL/SC MM |
DL: 8a-12a
DCA: 10a-10p SL/SC TT |
DL: 8a-12a
DCA: 10a-10p SL/SC MM |
DL: 8a-12a
DCA: 10a-10p SL/SC TT |
DL: 8a-12a
DCA: 10a-10p SL/SC MM |
DL: 8a-12a
DCA: 10a-10p SL/SC/DX TT |
DL: 8a-12a
DCA: 10a-10p SL/SC/DX MM / TT |
| 4/24 | 4/25 | 4/26 | 4/27 |
4/28 |
4/29 | 4/30 |
| DL: 8a-12a
DCA: 10a-10p SL/SC MM |
DL: 9a-11p
DCA: 10a-10p SL/SC TT |
DL: 9a-11p
DCA: 10a-10p SL/SC MM |
DL: 9a-11p
DCA: 10a-10p TT |
DL: 9a-11p
DCA: 10a-10p SL/SC MM |
DL: 9a-12a
DCA: 10a-10p SL/SC TT |
DL: 8a-12a
DCA: 10a-10p SL/SC/DX MM / TT |
| 5/1 | 5/2 | 5/3 | 5/4 |
5/5 |
5/6 | 5/7 |
| DL: 9a-12a
DCA: 10a-10p SL/SC MM |
DL: 9a-8p
DCA: 10a-9p
TT |
DL: 9a-8p
DCA: 10a-9p
MM |
DL: 9a-8p
DCA: 10a-9p TT |
DL: 9a-8p
DCA: 10a-9p
MM |
DL: 8a-11p
DCA: 10a-10p SL/SC TT |
DL: 7a-5p
DCA: 10a-11p SL/SC/DX MM / TT |
| 5/8 | 5/9 | 5/10 | 5/11 |
5/12 |
5/13 | 5/14 |
| DL: 8a-12a
DCA: 10a-10p SL/SC MM |
DL: 10a-8p
DCA: 10a-8p
TT |
DL: 10a-8p
DCA: 10a-8p
MM |
DL: 10a-8p
DCA: 10a-8p TT |
DL: 9a-8p
DCA: 10a-8:30p Grad Nite MM |
DL: 9a-12a
DCA: 10a-10p SL TT |
DL: 8a-12a
DCA: 10a-10p SL/SC/DX MM / TT |
| 5/15 | 5/16 | 5/17 | 5/18 |
5/19 |
5/20 | 5/21 |
| DL: 8a-12a
DCA: 10a-10p SL MM |
DL: 9a-8p
DCA: 10a-9p
TT |
DL: 9a-8p
DCA: 10a-9p
MM |
DL: 9a-8p
DCA: 10a-9p TT |
DL: 9a-8p
DCA: 10a-8:30p Grad Nite MM |
DL: 9a-12a
DCA: 10a-10p SL TT |
DL: 8a-12a
DCA: 10a-10p SL/SC/DX MM / TT |
| 5/22 | 5/23 | 5/24 | 5/25 |
5/26 |
5/27 | 5/28 |
| DL: 8a-12a
DCA: 10a-10p SL MM |
DL: 9a-9p
DCA: 10a-9p
TT |
DL: 9a-9p
DCA: 10a-9p
MM |
DL: 9a-9p
DCA: 10a-9p TT |
DL: 9a-8p
DCA: 10a-8:30p Grad Nite MM |
DL: 9a-12a
DCA: 10a-10p SL TT |
DL: 8a-12a
DCA: 10a-10p SL/SC/DX MM / TT |
Visit our Annual Passholders Blockout Dates page to see more dates. You can see future calendar schedules at Disneyland. As always, specifics are subject to change without notice (or occasionally, without us noticing) so when information conflicts between what is presented here and that presented by Disney, it is best to assume Disney’s information is correct.
Visit the Park Hours section of our Disneyland Park guide for additional details about Magic Morning and Toontown Morning Madness, including available attractions.
Entertainment schedule: This week’s entertainment schedule on the Disneyland Resort website.
