10 Best Disneyland Tips: Park Tickets
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This post began with the intent of being a list of tips and tricks for multiple aspects of a Disneyland vacation. Once I started outlining it, though, it became apparent that it would be a massively long post that absolutely nobody would want to read through.
So instead, I decided to break up the would-be gigantic post into a series, giving each topic its own space and making it easier for you, the reader, to get the information you’re after.
This particular post will focus on tickets (and their accompanying add-ons). I will offer ten of the best tips and tricks that I feel would benefit you. Some will help you save money, others may help you avoid losing money, but all will prove to be valuable.
So if you haven’t purchased your park tickets yet, read on to discover my top ten tips and tricks for purchasing Disneyland tickets.
*Quick Note: If you’re looking to book a vacation to the Disneyland Resort (or Disney World, Disney Cruise, Universal and more) consider tapping/clicking the above image to visit our partners at Get Away Today. Going through them is the same as going directly through Disney only through them, you’ll receive personalized service by Disney experts and receive the absolute best price and any accompanying discounts. By going through Get Away Today, you’ll be getting the best price on your vacation and support our website at the same time.
To see their amazing deals on Disneyland tickets, go here.
1) If you have a Target RedCard, use it to save 5%
For those of you who possess a Target RedCard, you’re able to purchase Disney gift cards at a savings of 5% (when paying with said card). You can then, in turn, use those gift cards to purchase your park tickets.
Reportedly, the largest amount on a Disney gift card Target sells is $50. So you would have to purchase them en masse in order to have enough to buy multiple tickets. This is where you’ll need to do some legwork.
Disney won’t let you use multiple gift cards to purchase tickets online. So in order to use them, you’ll need to consolidate them on the Disney Gift Card website. There, after submitting all of your gift cards, you’ll be issued the combined total on ONE card.
From there, you can take that card and use it to purchase your tickets. Conversely, you can keep it stored on the Disneyland app and use it to pay for mobile orders at quick service restaurants, pay for merchandise or nearly anything else at the resort.
It may be a bit of a pain, but that 5% will add up to some decent savings. Especially if you’re purchasing tickets for multiple family members or friends. Remember, every dollar counts at Disneyland.
2) Take advantage of military discounts
Disney offers significantly discounted tickets to the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces. If you’re active duty, a reservist, retired or dependent, and have access to a base that sells them, you’re good to go.
My Grandpa was retired Air Force and growing up, he would often purchase these tickets for us as birthday and/or Christmas. Of course, back then, they were far more affordable than they are now, but you’ll save a lot of money regardless.
In 2024, the Disneyland ticket military prices are:
3-Day Park Hopper: $269 (a savings of $191 when compared to an adult, three day ticket)
3-Day Park Hopper w/ Genie+: $359
4-Day Park Hopper: $315 (a savings of $200 when compared to an adult, four day ticket)
4-Day Park Hopper w/ Genie+: $435
These prices are the same whether you’re purchasing an adult or child ticket. While the larger savings comes from the example of an adult ticket, your savings are still significant when purchasing for a child as their three day park hopper normally costs $435 (a $166 savings).
Of course, if you’re visiting before March 10th, 2024, you can save even more on a child’s ticket by taking advantage of Disney’s $50 a day kids ticket promotional offer. You can read more about that promotion here.
Otherwise, if you’re eligible, definitely visit the military base closest to you and see about purchasing these tickets. If that particular base doesn’t sell them, they should be able to point you in the direction of one that can.
3) Purchase Genie+ ahead of time
If you’re not familiar with Genie+, it’s a service guests can utilize to virtually hold their place in line and bypass the stand-by queue when their time is called, allowing them quick access to some of the most popular attractions.
While it isn’t perfect, Genie+ has proven to save park-goers a significant amount of time by helping them avoid standing in queues for long periods of time. You’re able to enjoy other aspects of the park while waiting your turn.
This service comes at a cost, though. In order to use it, you’ll need to pay a minimum of $30 per person, per day on your ticket. So if you’re a group of two adults and one child, each with three day tickets, you’ll pay a total of $270.
The reason I recommend purchasing it with your tickets is because when doing so, you’ll pay the flat $30 price. If you don’t, but change your mind later, you’ll have to purchase it each day. After you’ve purchased your tickets, there’s no other way to add Genie+ to them.
The downfall to that is unless it’s purchased in advance, Genie+ is subject to dynamic pricing (much in the way single day tickets are). Meaning, based on demand for that particular day, you could end up paying upwards of $40 per person, per day.
If you’re someone who hasn’t been to the resort in a while or it’s your first time, I highly recommend purchasing Genie+ and doing so at the time you buy your tickets. You’ll likely increase the amount of attractions you’ll get done in a day and save yourself from needlessly paying more for the same service.
4) Take advantage of Disney’s ticket promotions
For the last couple of years, Disney has been offering special ticket promotions, mostly during their “slow” season, but also one or two that have ran through June. Depending on your eligibility, the savings can be great.
In 2024, there are two official ticket promotions offered by Disney. They are:
The $50 per day kids ticket
The SoCal Resident 3-day ticket offer
If you’re visiting between January 8 - March 10 and you have a kid (or several), the $50 per day kids offer is a no brainer. You’re able to purchase up to three days on this ticket, but you’ll need to use ALL of the days on said ticket by March 10. Otherwise, you’ll lose them.
The SoCal resident offer is only available to Southern Californian residents and offers a three day ticket that breaks down to just $75 or $92 per day, depending upon the variant you choose. One is good for weekdays only while the other is good for any day of the week.
Normally, you have thirteen days from first use to use all days on your ticket or they’ll expire. With this ticket, you can use it any time between January 8 and June 2. It’s a great option for locals who aren’t Magic Key holders.
I’ve written an extensive post about these ticket deals (and more) in this post here.
5) Screenshot your tickets
Unless you’ve purchased your tickets at the ticket booth, over the phone or requested one at checkout online, chances are, your ticket is in digital format on your phone. Unlike days past, you’ll never(ish) have to worry about losing your ticket.
As great and convenient as technology can be, it does fail from time to time. Imagine this - you arrive to the Disneyland gate in the morning and pull out your phone to get your tickets ready, all to realize your phone carrier is experiencing a data outage.
Now, Disney does have customary WIFI for guests to use, but if the outage is effecting a large enough carrier, such as Verizon, all of those customers are going to connect to it all at once, clogging it up. Even under the best of circumstances, Disney’s WIFI is notoriously slow and buggy.
To avoid these issues all together, simply take a screenshot of the barcode side of your tickets. It doesn’t take WIFI or data to access your pictures, so you’ll be able to access them no matter what. There’s no guarantee Disney will be able to scan them, but at least you’ll have proof and can possibly get printed tickets at the booth (more on that below).
6) If purchasing single day tickets, check the calendar for the lowest price
Many people, either by choice or scheduling conflicts, choose to visit the resort for just one day. If that’s you, be aware that single day tickets are priced according to demand. Meaning, if the particular day you want to visit on is historically slow, you’ll pay a lower price.
Conversely, if Disney feels that day is going to be busy, that same ticket will cost you more. If budgeting is important to you, it’s imperative that you check the park calendar on the Disneyland website to check ticket prices for your day.
Weekdays are almost always priced lower than weekends. One exception to that is when a holiday, such as Independence Day and Christmas, falls on a weekday. Another example - Thanksgiving - is always on a Thursday. So expect these dates to be priced at the high end.
In general, though, you’ll want to stick to weekdays, whether you’re visiting for one day or a few. Even with covid seemingly changing guests trends forever, they seem to still be less crowded (and priced accordingly) than weekend dates.
7) Request a paper ticket
Above, I discussed screenshotting your tickets in case you’re unable to access them in the app, but what happens if your phone suddenly dies? Whether it’s battery or hardware related, that’s a real issue. So what do you do?
It’s simple, really. Ask for a paper copy of your ticket. You can request one when purchasing online or by asking a cast member at the ticket booths or gate. Do this right away and not after your phone dies. You’ll need to be able to prove the existence of your tickets to get a paper one.
Having a physical back-up of your ticket is never a bad idea. You can simply keep them in your wallet or purse. Better yet, you can keep them in a sealable, waterproof sleeve like this one.
8) DO NOT purchase your tickets on Ebay or Craigslist
The stories are all the same; an unsuspecting ticket buyer starts scouring the internet looking for deals on Disneyland tickets. Eventually, they come across an Ebay or Craigslist listing, claiming to be selling unused, legitimate tickets at an unbelievable price.
I’ll save you time and a lot of money - they’re likely scams. They’ll either offer tickets at a huge discount compared to Disney’s price or they claim to be selling their unused days. An example of this is someone who’s claiming to have a five day ticket, but only used two of those days. So they’re selling you the remaining three.
The reason why it’s a bad idea to purchase these is because there is no way to know for sure if those three days they’re claiming to be unused, are actually unused. You won’t find out for sure until you’re at the gate and trust me, Disney won’t have any sympathy for you if that ticket turns out to be no good.
I’m not saying every one of those people are scam artists, but it’s not worth the risk. Play it safe and only purchase tickets directly through Disney or through an official Disney travel planner, such as Get Away Today.
9) Really consider if park hopping is worth it to you
Sure, being able to bounce back and forth between parks has its benefits, but those benefits come at a cost. Depending on how many days are on your ticket, you’ll pay anywhere between $60 to $75 MORE for the privilege.
For many, that money could make or break a Disney trip as depending on how many tickets you’ll be buying, it can really add up. At minimum, it could mean sacrificing another aspect of the trip. If you’re looking to save money, start here.
Park hopping isn’t a requirement to enjoy your time at Disneyland. You’re not going to lose out and if anything, it’ll enable you to focus solely on the park you’re in that day and get more done.
10) Take advantage of Get Away Today’s ‘Extra Day Free’ promotion
Get Away Today is a fantastic company with a solid reputation thanks to their knowledge of all things Disney. They offer all-in-one vacation packages and, because they’re authorized by Disney, they also sell Disneyland tickets, often with deals attached.
One such deal I always recommend to my readers, specifically those looking to spend four or five days at the resort, is their ‘Extra Day Free’ promotion. Under this promotion, when your purchase a five day ticket, you’ll get it for the price of a four day.
The only catch is, this deal is only available through Get Away Today. Disney is not currently offering this deal but remember, purchasing through Get Away Today is no different than purchasing through Disney as they’re an authorized seller.
The savings aren’t the only benefits of this deal. I discuss this promotion in greater detail in a separate post that you can read here. If you’d like to visit Get Away Today and see what they’re all about, you can do so at the link below.
CLICK/TAP THIS LINK TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF GET AWAY TODAY’S OFFER
