When Disney Parks first announced that they were going to be changing the ticketing structure at the Disney Park Resorts, fans hit social media sites with concerns and questions. Would the ticket prices be affordable? What would happen with annual passes? How would the ticketing structure work? How would you know what day cost what?
It was only a few days until these questions were answered. Both Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort had the new structure of ticket pricing start on February 28. 2016. The programs are slightly different and this blog is about the program at Disneyland Resort.
With the smaller physical size of Disneyland Resort, guests often do not spend as many consecutive days in the parks as they might at Walt Disney World and many of the guests are from the local area – often coming in as annual passport holders. Disney Parks have taken this into consideration when they developed the tiered pricing structure for the parks.
The new ticketing structure:
There are several different types of tickets that guests can purchase at Disneyland Resort as outlined below. Selecting a multi-day pass or an annual passport will almost always be the better option for those guests wanting to visit for multiple days. It is important to remember that multi-day passports have expiration dates.
- 1 day/1 park ticket
- 1 day Park Hopper ticket
- 2 day/1 park ticket
- 2 day Park Hopper ticket
- 3 day/1 park ticket
- 3 day Park Hopper ticket
- 4 day/1 park ticket
- 4 day Park Hopper ticket
- 5 day/1 park ticket
- 5 day Park Hopper ticket
- Special Passports (such as the SoCal CityPASS)
- Annual Passports
Multi-day Tickets:
The multi-day ticket scheme has not changed in the new ticketing package. These tickets allow for the guest to enter the parks over multiple days. These days do not need to be consecutive, but do need to be within 13 days of the first visit. One Park tickets allow entry into one of the two Disney theme parks per day. You can re-enter the park multiple times during the day but cannot enter the other park that day. Park Hoppers allow the guest to enter both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure on the same day. The guests can re-enter both parks throughout the day.
Annual Passports:
These tickets are designed for those guests who live in the region or will be visiting the parks often. For those people living in Southern California, there is even a monthly payment plan. There are six versions of the annual passport which vary in price, usable dates, and extras.
One Day Tickets:
The one day ticket is the passport which has changed with the new tiered ticketing scheme. The new scheme introduces three new ticket costs based on the season/projected busyness of the parks. The three cost levels are: Value (these days generally are weekdays during the school year), Regular (these days are generally the weekends during the school year and weekdays during summer), and Peak (these days are generally during holiday periods and the weekends during summer).
Like with the multi-day tickets, the one day tickets have two varieties – One Park and Park Hopper. The one park ticket is valid for either Disneyland or Disney California Adventure. The park hopper allows the guest to visit both parks in the same day.
Prices vary between the three levels and the current prices (as of the start of the scheme are listed below):
Value/One Park: Adults (10 years and older): $95, Children (3-9 years): $89
Value/Park Hopper: Adults (10 years and older): $155, Children (3-9 years): $149
Regular/One Park: Adults (10 years and older): $105, Children (3-9 years): $99
Regular/Park Hopper: Adults (10 years and older): $160, Children (3-9 years): $154
Peak/One Park: Adults (10 years and older): $119, Children (3-9 years): $113
Peak/Park Hopper: Adults (10 years and older): $169, Children (3-9 years): $163
This price structure is based on the ‘demand pricing’ style of ticketing becoming more popular in the entertainment and travel industries. The concept behind the scheme is that people who are looking for a lower priced holiday will come during the value season (historically when the parks are less busy) and this will decrease the demand on the parks during peak seasons (when the parks can go through gate closures due to overcrowding).
The Disneyland Resort website has listed the following as the dates for the different seasons for the rest of the year:
Will this new ticketing scheme help with the visitation of guests to the parks? Only time will tell.
What are your thoughts on this new Disneyland tiered ticket system? Let us know in the comments.