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How to Plan a Trip to Disneyland in 2025

by Mommy Frog on January 2, 2025
9 Los Angeles

Right now, you can save up to 35% on select stays at a Disneyland Resort hotel from Jan. 7, 2025 through Sept. 26, 2025! All Disneyland® Resort hotels are fully refundable when canceled at least 7 days prior to check-in. Ribbit!

Planning a Disneyland Trip in 2025 - Pinterest

If you are planning a Disneyland 2025 trip, we have everything you need to know right here. We have all the dates and events for 2025! This year is going to be quite a frogciting time to visit Disneyland Resort! We are talking major celebrations, the return of an all-time favorite nighttime parade (and the return of a daytime parade!), a new World of Color show, seasonal events and more. Plus, the fan-favorite festivals are back, and they are even bigger and better than ever! The hard part is deciding the best time to make that Disneyland trip in 2025. Never fear — your froggy friends are here to help you plan the most amazing Disneyland vacation. Here's what you need to know about visiting Disneyland in 2025.

You may notice a lot of links and cross-references to other posts in this post. That's because we have so much to share about every topic, tool and celebration that all the information won't fit in one place! We promise that reading up on each of the topics that interest you will help prepare you for your Disneyland trip and make visiting in 2025 so much easier for you.

We want to point out some of the new things that came to Disneyland in 2024. If you have not had a chance to visit, they'll still be new to you in 2025! Tiana's Bayou Adventure opened in November 2024, and the surrounding area has been reimagined into Bayou Country. Pixar Place Hotel had its grand opening in early 2024. Plus, the former Genie+ system has been renamed to Disney Lightning Lane Passes (though it still functions the same way!). There's also a new Lightning Lane Premier Pass option for people who want to skip the line but don't want to deal with the app or scheduling rides.

Timeline of Major Disneyland Events for Your Disneyland 2025 Trip

How to Plan a Trip to Disneyland - Mickey and Minnie party outfits for the 70th

We have two toadally hopful posts on What’s Coming to Disneyland and the full list of Disneyland 2025 events. But let’s quickly look at the timeline for major official events, openings, times that major shows return from refurbishment and important details here (some of these events overlap):

How to Plan for a Disneyland Trip in 2025 - Wine glasses for Food & Wine

There are many smaller events you can find in our events post (such as Dapper Day and Gays Days and Disneyland After Dark events), but these are the biggest festivals, celebrations and openings to celebrate this year.

How to Plan a Trip to Disneyland - World of Color Happiness

Knowing the Disneyland calendar can help you pinpoint when to visit based on the entertainment and decorations in the park. Halloween Time kicks off early, with Oogie Boogie Bash party nights starting Aug. 17, 2025. So if you can only visit in late August, you still get to experience Halloween Time this year and you might also get to enjoy the 70th! Both Halloween Time and Holiday Time come with their own special fireworks and other nighttime entertainment that will temporarily pause "Wondrous Journeys" nighttime spectacular and "Better Together: A Pixar Pals Celebration!" parade to make way for seasonal Halloween and Holiday entertainment offerings. Those offerings will resume at a later time. So plan your journey carefully at those times.

New Experiences and Experiences That Recently Returned 

Planning Disneyland Trip in 2025 - Tiana's Bayou Adventure

Let's take a look at some rides and experiences that recently returned to Disneyland that you may want to add to your 2025 Disneyland trip wish list:

How to Plan a Trip to Disneyland - Haunted Mansion greenhouse

Disneyland 70th Anniversary Celebration

Running May 16, 2025, through summer 2026, the Disneyland 70th brings a lot of new and popular returning entertainment to the parks. Here are a few big things to look forward to during the 70th:

  • Wondrous Journeys projection show with fireworks on select nights (note that show is paused during Halloween Time and Holiday Time) at Disneyland Park
  • Paint the Night Parade returns to Disneyland Park
  • New character outfits at Disneyland Park
  • New World of Color Happiness! show at Disney California Adventure
  • Better Together: A Pixar Pals Celebration Parade returns to Disney California Adventure
  • Projection shows on "it's a small world" and Carthay Circle
  • Character cavalcade in Disneyland Park
  • Special food, beverage and merchandise

Avoiding Crowds in 2025

How to Plan a Trip to Disneyland - Paint the Night Parade sign

Want to avoid crowds? That's getting harder to do with Disneyland demand being so high and demand ticket pricing. Our Best Time to Visit Disneyland post and our Crowd Calendar help predict the most crowded and least crowded days to visit. The busiest times are during holidays, school breaks and on the cheapest days to visit.

Tools to Skip the Lines and Avoid Crowds

How to Plan for a Disneyland Trip in 2025 - Park entrance

Even if you can't avoid the crowds, we can help you feel less affected by them. Here are a few tools we think are worth using to manage your day. Many may seem new to you if you have not visited Disneyland in a few years, but they help you operate outside of the crowds and make it feel like a less-crowded day for you.

  • Mobile Order — Skip the food lines by using the Disneyland app to order food with Mobile Order.
  • Rope Drop or Staying Until Park Close — The shortest wait times of the day are in the first hour of park opening and the last two hours before the parks close. Take a break or have a long sit-down lunch midday so you can power through the evening hours. We offer rope drop strategies for Disneyland and Disney California Adventure.

How to Plan for a Disneyland Trip in 2025 - Riding Dumbo during Early Entry

  • Early Entry — People who stay at one of the three Disneyland on-site hotels can access areas of one of the theme parks 30 minutes before other park guests. Early Entry helps you get a great head start on your day. Only one park per day hosts Early Entry. Check the park hours online or in the Disneyland app to see the schedule.
  • Park Plans — We have park plans to help you navigate the parks and find the rides with the shortest wait times of the day. Knowing where to go first can save you time and help you get the most done.
  • Virtual Queue — You can use the virtual queue (accessible within the Disneyland app) to access the viewing area for World of Color at noon (with valid park admission and a theme park reservation; guests must either have a park hopper ticket or a base ticket with admission to Disney California Adventure Park).

How to Plan for a Disneyland Trip in 2025 - Single Rider Line at Radiator Springs Racers

  • Single Rider — A few rides allow guests ages 7 and up to skip the line by filling in empty seats. Parties will be split up.

How to Plan for a Disneyland Trip in 2025 - Women dining at Cafe Orleans

  • Dining Reservations or Walk-Up List — Make advance dining reservations up to 60 days in advance. If you can't get the reservation you want, try joining the walk-up list in the Disneyland app when you are in the restaurant's vicinity.
  • Disney Genie — This free service in the Disneyland app can help you plan an itinerary that helps you find the shortest lines. Don't get Disney Genie confused with the paid Lightning Lane Multi Pass service. Genie can help people new to Disneyland decide where to go next or alert them to upcoming shows and parades they want to see.

Add-on Tools for a Fee

Then, there are a few services and tools available that come with a price.

How to Plan for a Disneyland Trip in 2025 - Using a MagicBand to redeem Lightning Lane

How to Plan for a Disneyland Trip in 2025 - Lightning Lane sign

  • Lightning Lane Single Pass — A few premium rides (such as Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and Radiator Springs Racers) in each park also have a Lightning Lane but are not included in Lightning Lane Multi Pass. You can skip the free standby line for these by paying for them individually. Our Lightning Lane Multi Pass FAQ post has more details on Lightning Lane Single Pass.
  • Lightning Lane Premier Pass — The new Lightning Lane Premier Pass includes one-time access to all the Single Pass and Multi Pass rides. You do not have to schedule them. It does come at a higher cost.

How to Plan for a Disneyland Trip in 2025 - Mickey in Fantasmic!

  • Dining Packages — You can purchase dining packages that give you reserved spots for parades and shows. Some of them are really hopful in terms of saving time and stress. We break down the pros and cons and discuss which ones we think are toadally worth it in our dining packages post.
  • MagicBand+ — Disney World fans may be used to this wearable technology, but MagicBands are still pretty new at Disneyland. You can link a MagicBand+ to your Disneyland ticket and simply tap it to enter the park, enter a Lightning Lane and get your PhotoPass photos from a photographer. The bands also interact with some rides, shows and park locations to enhance your experiences. You can even use a MagicBand+ to hunt for bounty in Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. Save time and your phone battery by using a MagicBand.

Theme Park Reservations

How to Plan for a Disneyland Trip in 2025 - Woman entering theme park

You still need a theme park reservation for your Disneyland trip in 2025. Disneyland remains high in demand, but reservations are limited. That means reservations can fill up in advance. Plan ahead, but keep in mind that the reservation calendar can change. So if you have your heart set on a date, just keep checking in case something opens up.

Lock in a good Disneyland ticket deal well before your visit and then use it to reserve your dates once they become available. You can book up to 180 days in advance, but you can purchase tickets from Undercover Tourist well before that. When purchasing a multi-day Disneyland ticket, you might want to add an extra day to your Disneyland visit this year, because all these events and celebrations and new experiences are just the icing on the cake. (The cake is all the great rides and shows that are already part of a normal day at Disneyland!) You'll want to allow enough time to see and do it all.

We normally recommend at least three days to visit Disneyland and Disney California Adventure but we are upping that to recommending four or five days in 2025. So much is hoppening!

Early Closures and After Dark Events in 2025

How to Plan a Trip to Disneyland - Pride Nite confetti and cavalcade

Disneyland is open pretty late most days of the year. However, there are occasional times that the park closes earlier than usual for Disneyland After Dark parties or private events. Some early closures we know in advance, while others we do not see until the hours are posted up to six weeks in advance. That’s why you always want to double-check the park hours as your visit approaches in case you want to switch your days around or switch park reservations to the park that is open later. Here are times we know you may encounter early closing hours:

  • Sweethearts Nite — Disneyland Park closes early at 8 p.m. Jan. 21, 23, 28 and Feb. 4, 6, 9, 11, 13, 2025
  • 90s Nite —  Disneyland Park closes at 8 p.m. March 4 and 6, 2025
  • Star Wars Nite — Disneyland Park closes at 8 p.m. April 8, 10, 22, 24, 29 and May 1, 4, 6, 2025
  • Pride Nite — Disneyland Park closes at 8 p.m. June 16 and 18, 2025
  • Grad Nites — Disney California Adventure closes at 9 p.m. on these dates in 2025: May 9, 12, 18, 21, 22, 27, 28 & 30 and June 1, 4, 6, 8, 11 & 13

How to Plan for a Disneyland Trip in 2025 - Frightfully Fun parade at Oogie Boogie Bash

  • Oogie Boogie Bash (DCA) — Watch out for early closing hours on Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Halloween (plus a few Saturdays) during Halloween Time in August, September and October at Disney California Adventure. 2025 party nights are Aug. 17, 19, 21, 24, 26, 28, 31; Sept. 2, 9, 11, 14, 16, 18, 21, 23, 25, 28, 30; and Oct. 2, 5, 7, 9, 12, 14, 16, 19, 21, 23, 26, 28, 31

Keep in mind that some of these days that close early can see low crowds in the morning as people may avoid visiting that park that day. The park with early closing hours can be a great place to start your day when you have a park hopper ticket.

Planning for Disneyland Weather

One thing to consider when planning a Disneyland trip is the weather. Luckily, we have a whole month-by-month guide to Disneyland weather. You could encounter rain in the winter months and very hot days in late summer. But for the most part, SoCal has a sunny, dry climate. Be sure to check the weather report as your visit draws near to find out if you need an umbrella, a sweatshirt or shorts.

Tips for Planning a Disneyland Trip

How to Plan a Trip to Disneyland - Walt animatronic

Here's what you can do to best prepare for your Disneyland 2025 trip:

  • Determine when to visit and how many days to spend in the parks. For multi-day trips, plan a rest day in the middle if you can. Spend it at the beach, pool or doing hotel character dining.
  • Buy tickets and book a hotel room in advance.
  • Make theme park reservations up to 180 days in advance.
  • Make dining reservations up to 60 days in advance.
  • Check the entertainment calendar a few weeks to a few days in advance to plan out your must-see shows (and check park hours at that time too).
  • Check out our park plans to plot out when to ride your must-do rides.
  • Read up on any festival guides, foodie guides and virtual queues if applicable.
  • Look at the weather forecast a few days before your trip to plan when to pack (layers are always a good idea).
  • Arrive early to the theme parks, take a break midday if you can (book a lunch table-service reservation and see a show if you can't leave the park) and stay late!

Do you have any other questions about planning a Disneyland trip in 2025? Please drop them in the comments section below. 

Related: The Best Times to Visit Disneyland

Related: Full ~Frogtastic~ Guide to Disneyland Events

Hoppy planning!

Keep hopping, Mommy Frog!
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Comments

Feb 26, 2024 at 2:31 a.m.
Carlos Says...

Hi, I’m looking to selenite my daughters seeet 16 by taking entire family to resort and park I would like to get a 2-3 bedroom suite with park hoper tickets for 3 days who do I need to contact for a good deal ? Or can you guys provide a price ??? This would be in California

Reply
Feb 26, 2024 at 9:26 a.m.
FrogBlog Says...

Hi Carlos!

You're in luck! We offer both Disneyland tickets and hotel deals. Right now, for a limited time through Feb. 29, 2024, we even have a special offer for tickets — you can get Disneyland adult tickets at child prices (save up to $75 a ticket). For hotels, you can book a two-bedroom suite at The Villas at the Disneyland Hotel through Undercover Tourist. Otherwise, you can search for other off-site hotels near Disneyland by using our search filter for suites.

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Oct 9, 2023 at 10:23 p.m.
john schwartz Says...

please mail john a magazine on disneyland southern california

Reply
Feb 26, 2023 at 5:47 a.m.
Jennifer Says...

I am planning a trip with my family and my mother that will be using a wheelchair. I am not sure if she will be able to park hop. We were planning to get 4 day passes. Is it possible to get 3 days at one park only and one day with park hopper pass?

Reply
Mar 1, 2023 at 4:32 p.m.
FrogBlog Says...

Hi Jennifer!

It is not possible to purchase a ticket that combines Park Hopper days with 1-park-only days. You could purchase tickets separately (a 3-day 1-park ticket and a 1-day Park Hopper ticket), but if you're leaning toward park hopping at all, you would save more money by going with multi-day Park Hopper tickets for the entire trip. (It costs $60 total to add to a 3-day or 4-day ticket - versus $65 for a 1-day ticket.)

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Feb 6, 2023 at 8:42 p.m.
mary Says...

my husband is RETIRED AIRFORCE & i just RETIRED from the school district . our first time to california. FIRST visit to DISNEYLAND!!looking to buy 2 adult tickets to visit for 2 days. do you have any suggestions?

Reply
Feb 6, 2023 at 3:07 p.m.
FrogBlog Says...

Hi Mary!

How exciting! We have a First Timer's Guide to Disneyland that we'd recommend checking out first. Let us know if you have any other questions as you start to plan!

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Jan 8, 2023 at 9:43 p.m.
Doug Miller Says...

In your list of upcoming important dates you correctly mention that Mickey’s Runaway Train ride opens on January 27, but that is also the opening date for a new, or else returning fireworks show as well as a new World of Color show at DCA. I think it is very unusual for Disney to open three new rides or shows on one day unless it is the start of the holiday season or Memorial Day weekend.

Keep up the good work and the savings!

Doug Miller

Reply
Jan 9, 2023 at 6:21 p.m.
FrogBlog Says...

Hi Doug!

Thanks for hopping by :) The Walt Disney Company is celebrating its 100th year, so what better way to celebrate than to open three new rides/shows — it will be a frogciting time!

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply

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