Your Guide to Disneyland's Theme Park Reservation System

Hip, hop, hurray — the 100 Years of Wonder anniversary celebration is taking place at the Happiest Place on Earth in 2023! Before that, it's holiday time! You can reserve your park dates now, up to 120 days in advance (or 90 days if you are a Magic Key pass holder). Here's how to make Disneyland theme park reservations and purchase Disneyland tickets (on sale now)!

You'll want to read carefully as Disneyland recently changed the process for purchasing tickets through the Disneyland site. You must now select dates to reserve before purchasing when buying tickets through Disneyland. If you already have tickets, plan to purchase from Undercover Tourist or have a Magic Key pass, you'll need to use the Disneyland park reservation system to reserve your dates. Even if you do purchase directly from Disneyland, you will still use this same system to manage your reservations if you need to cancel and change them.

We were so hoppy to jump back into the action when we visited Disneyland Resort, and if you feel the same way, there are some important things you need to know before you visit. To visit Disneyland or Disney California Adventure, you will need valid admission for that park AND a reservation using the new Disneyland theme park reservation system. This post will walk you through all of the key details you need to know to get a ticket and reserve your spot at Disneyland Resort!

Who Needs to Make Disneyland Reservations?

Short and simple answer: All guests ages 3 and up!

Disneyland has set aside a limited number of park reservations for visitors in order to limit capacity. All guests who have existing tickets or who need to purchase theme park tickets require reservations. Hotel guests with tickets also need to make reservations. These reservations will be released on a rolling basis, 120 days in advance. We do see more reservations released in batches, so definitely keep checking if you do not see availability right away. If you do see your date appear, reserve quickly, as popular dates go quickly.

What About Annual Passes?

Magic Key passes are available for renewal only until further notice. New Magic Key sales are temporarily paused. The Magic Key program replaced the former annual pass program. Magic Key holders must make advance reservations to visit the parks. Magic Key holders use the same reservation system and may make reservations up to 90 days in advance (for other ticket holders, it's 120 days in advance) and have a limited number of reservations they can hold at a time, which varies by type of pass. But as soon as a reservation is used or canceled, a new reservation may be booked. The availability calendar for Magic Key holders differs from other ticket holders. You might see a day without reservations available for Magic Key holders while there is plenty of availability for other ticket holders and vice-versa.

Unlike people with 1-day and multi-day ticket reservations, Magic Key holders face penalties for no-shows. Key holders can cancel a reservation without penalty up until 11:59 p.m. the night before the reservation. However, if they no-show three times in a 90-day period, the ability to make new reservations will be suspended for 30 days. Existing reservations are not deleted at that time. In comparison, if regular ticket holders no-show, they can simply make a new reservation. To avoid a Magic Key no-show, a Key holder should cancel by the night before or enter the park before closing on the day of the reservation.

How Do I Buy Tickets and Make a Reservation?

Whether you already have a valid Disneyland ticket you've been hopping to use or need to purchase a new ticket, you will use the theme park reservations page.

And don't froget: You can get discounted Disneyland tickets from your favorite froggies, available now! After you purchase, you will link your tickets and visit the theme park reservations page.

Important Links

It's so easy for the information you need to find to get lost in all the details. Here are all of the important links you may find hopful: 

• Disneyland Park Availability Calendar — This calendar allows you to make sure the park you want to visit is available the day you want to visit (before you buy or start to reserve). Some days have only one park available, and others have no more availability for either park. Check the Park Hopper calendar versus the 1-Day ticket calendar, as they are different. You can even check the availability for hotel guests!
• Disneyland 1-Day Ticket Tier Calendar — If you have or wish to purchase a 1-Day ticket, you can see which days require a certain tier-level ticket. Popular days such as weekends and holidays are higher tiers and cost more than, say, Tuesdays and Wednesdays at a non-peak time. Note that this calendar does not show if the days are full. You must also visit the Disneyland Park Availability Calendar to see which days are currently available to reserve.
• Magic Key Holder Availability Calendar — If you have a Magic Key pass, you can check availability and blackout dates here.
• Disneyland Theme Park Reservations — This is where you can get started, whether you need to buy tickets and/or reserve your days. A step-by-step guide is below.
• StartYourDisneylandExperience.com — After you've purchased tickets, this link also takes you through the step-by-step process.

When to Book

You'll need to plan your visit in advance, but you are limited to 120 days in advance at this time. The reservations are released on a rolling basis, and new reservations for 120 days out go live at 8 a.m. Pacific Time each day. The earlier you book, the better park availability there is. In our experience, dining reservations go live before then on the same day, so book your dining 60 days out early in the morning before you even make your park reservations (usually shortly after 6 a.m.). You can always cancel dining up to 24 hours in advance if your park reservations change or you do not start your day in the park you had originally planned to visit.

Purchasing Tickets Through the Disneyland Site

If you want to purchase a 1-Day ticket, you'll need to go through the Disney site. Don't worry; it just got easier. You can now purchase and reserve tickets at the same time! When purchasing through the Disneyland site, you'll follow these steps:

1. Visit Park Reservations and click Select Ticket.
2. Select the number of days you wish to visit the parks (in this case, one).
3. Choose the number of tickets you need for all of the guests in your party, per age group.
4. Select your ticket type — one park per day, or Park Hopper tickets.
5. Pick a date and park for your theme park reservation, subject to availability. With a Park Hopper, select your starting park for each day of your visit and Next.
6. For added convenience, you may now select the add-on option of purchasing parking vouchers in advance.
7. Review your current selections, add to cart and purchase!

Because you're purchasing directly through the Disneyland site, your ticket will automatically be linked to your account. You do not have to make a separate reservation.

You may have noticed that ticket prices have increased recently. You'll want to hop down to compare costs for purchasing from Undercover Tourist.

There are a few things to keep in mind when purchasing directly from Disneyland. You can no longer purchase tickets to Disneyland without first choosing your reservation dates. You must reserve all the dates for multi-day tickets before you purchase. But if you need to change them, you can cancel the reservations and rebook. Keep in mind that the 1-Day tickets are subject to tiers so if you change your dates, you can only visit the same level tier or below. If you are buying for multiple people, you need to book the same dates for your entire party. If you have different dates that some party members wish to visit, purchase those tickets separately.

If you want to save money on multi-day tickets, read on for how to purchase and reserve.

How to Make a Disneyland Reservations for Existing Tickets or Tickets Purchased from Undercover Tourist

In order to limit capacity at Disneyland, every park-goer must make an advance reservation. To enter a theme park, guests 3 and up must have both a theme park reservation and valid admission to that same park.

It's a good idea to check the park reservation availability before you purchase to make sure the park you want to visit has availability for your day. (If park hopping, you will want to make sure the park where you want to start your day is available.) Once you have your theme park ticket, you will want to make your Disneyland reservation ASAP! Here's how to do it. We expect to continually update this post as new information comes in.

How to Make a Disneyland Park Reservation 

First off, you need to buy a ticket or link an existing ticket. (For 1-Day tickets and prices, hop down to Ticket Pricing and How to Check Ticket Calendars for 1-Day Tickets.) If you're purchasing through Undercover Tourist, our E-tickets are typically processed within a few minutes and emailed to you (though this may take up to 24 hours). You'll receive a confirmation email that includes your E-ticket so that you can hop on those reservations!

Here is how to make your Disneyland theme park reservation:

1. Register or sign in to the Disneyland app or head to StartYourDisneylandExperience.com and link your admission. To link your ticket from Undercover Tourist, you'll simply enter your ticket's 19-digit confirmation number. This can be found in your confirmation email, or just beneath the barcode on your ticket (or, using the barcode on the ticket, you can scan it directly into the app). You may need to enter the name of each ticket holder (it's important to do this correctly as you cannot change this). Then, access the theme park reservation system. You'll have two choices: Book Theme Park Reservation or Retrieve Hotel Reservation (which allows you to link a resort reservation to your account). Once you click Book Theme Park Reservations, you'll see Create Your Party. (If you do not see your tickets, click +Link a ticket to link your park admission.)
2. Create your party. Select the ticket you want to make a new theme park reservation for and click Continue. You may only make park reservations for up to 15 tickets at a time.
3. Select a date and theme park. Choose the date and the theme park that you'd like to visit. You'll see a calendar that shows availability (this photo is not current as availability changes all the time). If a date has no park availability left, you'll see a slash through it. If you have a multi-day ticket, after you confirm one day, you'll return to the previous screen and select Book Theme Park Reservation to repeat the process and make reservations for each day of your ticket. If you have a Park Hopper ticket, choose the theme park where you want to start your day. The Park Hopper availability can vary from the 1-Day availability. Once all of your ticket's days have been reserved, the button to book a reservation will no longer appear, leaving just the option to view existing reservations. To make changes, you will cancel and rebook.
4. Review and confirm your visit. Scroll down to confirm. Provide an email address (this may be auto-populated, so be sure to double-check it) to receive confirmation of your reservation and QR code. You'll be able to see or manage your park reservations in the Future Plans part of the Disneyland app at any time. (Cast members are not asking for the reservation QR code — you just need your ticket — when you enter, but it's good to have proof just in case something goes wrong.)

Tips for Navigating the Site

We frogs consider ourselves pretty sharp when it comes to navigating the theme parks, but Disneyland reservations are new for everyone, us included! We've just booked our tickets. We purchased multi-day tickets through Undercover Tourist, linked our tickets and then made our Disneyland theme park reservations. We know the process can be stressful and take a while at busy times!

You may have a lot of questions. There is a bit of flexibility in the system if you have several people with tickets. In our case, we have days we wanted to visit together and days where some people will visit separately. We were able to make each person's reservations and customize the visits for our extended froggy family.

On the Disneyland home bar, you will see My Disneyland. On the pull-down menu, click Theme Park Reservation Details to start reserving.

You should see your tickets listed. For people who will be visiting together, click all the tickets that apply. To customize, click just the ticket you want to reserve. If you have a 1-Day tiered ticket, your calendar will look different from the park hopper calendar.

When park hopping with a multi-day ticket, you will select your date and park for your first day, and then you may select other dates and the park you'd like to start at for your additional days. You will be shown all eligible dates. The first date you pick does not need to be the first date you visit. You'll be shown available dates that are 13 days before and after that date you selected.

Theme park reservation dates can be changed (provided your ticket isn't date-based), but it's worth noting that it isn't a straight swap. Instead, you'll need to cancel your current reservation and rebook for your new date — so check availability before you make that move! You can do this directly through the Disneyland app or site at any time.

Reservation Limitations:

• Guests may make reservations up to 120 days in advance.
• Key Holders may make reservations up to 90 days in advance.
• Theme park reservations may not be modified, but they can be canceled by visiting "My Theme Park Reservations." You can then rebook a reservation.

How to Make a Magic Key Reservation

To use a Magic Key pass:

1. Access the calendar. Make sure your pass is valid the day you want to visit up to 90 days in advance and that the park has availability.
2. Go to the reservations page and log in to your Disneyland account and make a reservation the same way other ticket holders reserve their days. You can make reservations for one park, choosing the park you want to visit first if both parks are available. All Magic Keys are park hoppers. You can hop back and forth after 1 p.m., but starting Feb. 4, guests can park hop as early as 11 a.m. Yay! Park hopping guests can enter either park no matter the reservation if arriving after hopping is allowed.
3. Review and confirm your visit. (Do not froget to scroll down and complete this step.)

Magic Key holders use the same reservation system as everyone else but may have a more limited selection of days when booking. Weekend days and holidays fill up quickly for Magic Key holders, so reserve early. It can be challenging to find same-day reservations, even during the week.

If you hoppen to have both Magic Keys or regular tickets in your account, you will see all of your reservations and tickets/passes in the same place. If you have linked friends or family members to your Disneyland account or app, you'll also see their reservations. We have found that hopful in coordinating plans and starting theme parks.

Ticket Pricing and How to Check Ticket Calendars for 1-Day Tickets

Disneyland has a tiered pricing schedule for the 1-Day tickets. Each day has a different price based on expected crowds. Before you purchase, you'll have to check the Ticket Calendars to see which dates are valid. If you already have an unused tiered ticket, you can look at which days are valid for your tier at disneyland.disney.go.com/park-availability. The "Good to Go!" tells you which days that tier ticket can visit, but it does not indicate that the day is still available. You'll have to hop over to the Disneyland Park Availability Calendar to see which days have filled up or still have room for reservations.

We know you want to save as much money as you can, so looking at the park availability calendar can help you pick the cheapest ticket for your day. If you already have a ticket, you can see which days the ticket is valid for making a park reservation.

The best savings come with multi-day tickets. Multi-day tickets are not subject to the tiered pricing or date restrictions (whew, one less thing to worry about!) — and we have hoppin' good news! Undercover Tourist is offering discount multi-day Disneyland tickets, available now! Our official Disneyland tickets can be linked to your account and used to make park reservations.

One more hop tip to save money: The price to add park hopping is the same for all multi-day tickets. The Park Hopper is $60 for Multi-Day tickets, so a Multi-Day Park Hopper is an especially good value (compared to the $65 park hopper cost for a 1-day ticket).

For now, Disneyland has released pricing schedules. More details will be released on a rolling basis. Hop over to view the ticket dates each tier is good for.

Let's take a look at ticket tiers and prices for 1-Day Tickets with admission to 1 park per day (prices went up as of Oct. 11, 2022):

• Adult 1-Day Tier 6 Ticket with Admission to 1 Park Per Day — $179 ($169 child)
• Adult 1-Day Tier 5 Ticket With Admission to 1 Park Per Day — $169 ($159 child)
• Adult 1-Day Tier 4 Ticket With Admission to 1 Park Per Day — $159 ($150 child)
• Adult 1-Day Tier 3 Ticket With Admission to 1 Park Per Day — $144 ($136 child)
• Adult 1-Day Tier 1 Ticket With Admission to 1 Park Per Day — $114 ($108 child)
• Adult 1-Day Tier 2 Ticket With Admission to 1 Park Per Day — $129 ($122 child)
• Adult 1-Day Tier 0 Ticket With Admission to 1 Park Per Day — $104 ($98 child)

Park Hopper 1-Day Tickets :

• Adult 1-Day Tier 6 Park Hopper Ticket — $244 ($234 child)
• Adult 1-Day Tier 5 Park Hopper Ticket — $234 ($224 child)
• Adult 1-Day Tier 4 Park Hopper Ticket — $224 ($215 child)
• Adult 1-Day Tier 3 Park Hopper Ticket — $209 ($201 child)
• Adult 1-Day Tier 2 Park Hopper Ticket — $194 ($187 child)
• Adult 1-Day Tier 1 Park Hopper Ticket — $179 ($173 child)
• Adult 1-Day Tier 0 Park Hopper Ticket — $169 ($163 child)

If you have older unused 1-Day Peak, Regular and Value tickets, you can find the ticket dates by scrolling down on the ticket dates page:

• 1-Day Peak Tickets — All days available
• 1-Day Regular Tickets
• 1-Day Value Tickets — the most restricted number of days available.

Most tickets' expiration dates have been extended.

Keep in mind that a ticket can be used for its tier as well as a lower tier. But a lower-tier ticket cannot be booked for a higher-tier date if you change your mind. You can only upgrade at the ticket window. That's one reason why we love multi-day tickets. You do not have to worry about tiers or blackout dates. Another reason to love multi-day tickets is that it's cheaper to add park hopping to a multi-day ticket than to a 1-day ticket!

If you are unable to use your tickets before they expire, keep in mind that Disneyland tickets never lose their value. You can apply them toward a future purchase. We have hoppin' good news! Unused Undercover Tourist Disneyland tickets now have a 365-day refund policy. Look at the refund policy on the ticket you wish to buy for the details.

Multi-Day Ticket Prices

Hoppy news — multi-day tickets are available now too! Like we mentioned, these tickets are not subject to tiered pricing or blackout dates like 1-Day tickets. Multi-day tickets expire 13 days after their first use, or Jan. 12, 2024, whichever comes first. You have your first use, plus 13 days. Advance theme park reservations are required for each day of your visit, in addition to valid admission. If you'll be park hopping, you'll only need to make a theme park reservation for the first park you wish to visit. Disneyland recently increased ticket prices, but Undercover Tourist will continue to sell at the old prices for a limited time, so buy now for the best deal.

Multi-Day Park Hopper Tickets from Undercover Tourist

• 2-Day Disneyland Park Hopper Ticket — save up to $8 versus gate price
• 2-Day Disneyland Park Hopper Ticket with Genie+ — save up to $23 versus gate price
• 3-Day Disneyland Park Hopper Ticket — save up to $52 versus gate price
• 3-Day Disneyland Park Hopper Ticket with Genie+ — save up to $25 versus gate price
• 4-Day Disneyland Park Hopper Ticket — save up to $58 versus gate price
• 4-Day Disneyland Park Hopper Ticket with Genie+ — save up to $31 versus gate price
• 5-Day Disneyland Park Hopper Ticket — save up to $26 versus gate price
• 5-Day Disneyland Park Hopper Ticket with Genie+ — save up to $33 versus gate price

Want to know how to the get a 5th day free? And Undercover Tourist 5-day ticket costs less than a Disneyland 4-day ticket!

Multi-Day Base Tickets from Undercover Tourist

• 2-Day Disneyland Base Ticket — save up to $7 versus gate price
• 2-Day Disneyland Base Ticket with Genie+ — save up to $8 versus gate price
• 3-Day Disneyland Base Ticket — save up to $20 versus gate price
• 3-Day Disneyland Base Ticket with Genie+ — save up to $24 versus gate price
• 4-Day Disneyland Base Ticket — save up to $22 versus gate price
• 4-Day Disneyland Base Ticket with Genie+ — save up to $28versus gate price
• 5-Day Disneyland Base Ticket — save up to $23 versus gate price
• 5-Day Disneyland Base Ticket with Genie+ — save up to $30 versus gate price

Keep an eye out for even cheaper sales and promo tickets that appear from time to time! We have a great SoCal Resident Promo 3-Day ticket right now for visits Jan. 2 through May 25, 2023. With this ticket you can visit on three separate days, Monday through Friday, by May 25 for as low as $68.86 per day. There are park hopper and Genie+ options as well. In fact this is the cheapest you will find Genie+!  Follow us on social media for more sale announcements. Look for our Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals!

What to Know Before You Make Your Disneyland Reservation

With safety a top priority, you'll find some new policies in place throughout the Disneyland Resort. Here are full details about the health and safety policies and what to expect during the Disneyland reopening. Before you make your Disneyland reservation, there are a few important things to remember:

• You must have valid theme park admission to make a reservation.
• You'll make a reservation for a specific park.
• Disneyland on-site hotel guests have a different pool of reservations, so if you really want to visit but your days are full, check the Disney hotel guests' availability and book a room.
• If you have an eligible unused Disneyland ticket from before the closure, the expiration date is updated. You can link your ticket to your Disney account in the Disneyland app or online to see the new expiration date.
• You will want to link all the tickets to at least one account to make joining a virtual queue for World of Color easier.
• Reservations are limited and subject to availability.
• You must make a park reservation for each day of entry. If you have a multi-day ticket, you must make a park reservation for each day of your visit.
• Guests ages 2 and under do not need a ticket or reservation.
• You can view a Disney Park Reservation Availability calendar at disneyland.disney.go.com/availability-calendar.

Making Dining and Other Experience Reservations

Once you make your Disneyland Park Reservations, you may want to book dining or the lightsaber-building experience at Savi's Workshop right away. Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique reservations fill up quickly. You may book up to 60 days in advance. You can even book dining or other experiences before you book your park reservation. Just remember to cancel it if you are not able to make a park reservation that day. We recommend booking in-park dining and other experiences at the park where you have a theme park reservation. You can make dining reservations or add your party to the walk-up list at select table-service restaurants via the Disneyland app after your Park Hopper ticket is used to enter the second park. This is subject to availability. Limited dining and experience reservations are available.

Since Disneyland requires you to have both a theme park reservation and a valid admission ticket for the same park on the same date, having reservations for dining experiences and other pre-booked experiences does not guarantee access to a park. Park Hopper availability may change daily (although hopping has not been an issue so far).

If you are new to Disneyland, hop over to our post on using the Disneyland app. It's full of tips and tricks to make your day easier.

Hop to it! it's time to make those Disneyland reservations. What questions do you have about Disneyland's new reservation system? Let us know in the comments below! And remember, you can save some green by purchasing your Disneyland tickets and your hotel stay through Undercover Tourist. Ribbit!

Related: Disneyland Reopening

Related: Status of Major U.S. Theme Parks

Related: What Is Open at Disneyland Right Now?

Hoppy planning!