Disneyland Resort Price Increases (+ How to Save Money)

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe will add value to my readers.

In a move that surprised absolutely no one, Disney recently released their usual across-the-board pricing increases for the Disneyland Resort. Everything from single day tickets to Magic Keys and Lightning Lane to parking were affected.

What was surprising is that in large part the increases were modest, with a handful of ticket types receiving no increase at all. Disney’s never been shy about raising their prices, often standing on business in their defense against often overwhelming angst from the Disney fandom.

A recent example of this was them increasing the subscription price of their Hulu and Disney Plus streaming services. They did this despite strong brand protest from fans as a result of them (temporarily) yanking Jimmy Kimmel off the air, which occurred just weeks before this announcement.

Honestly, that move caught me off guard. I’m of the belief that the streaming price increase was on the books long before the Kimmel situation took place but the timing was unfortunate, at best, as many perceived it as Disney “poking the bear”, so-to-speak.

Likewise, for those thinking this recent increase is a strategy to recoup loses from the resulting canceled streaming subscriptions, that couldn’t be further from the truth. This is an annual, often times bi-annual, occurrence. It’s simply Disney raising their prices to match the value offered, along with offsetting rising operational costs.

Getting back to the subject at hand, this post is going to list the various price increases (along with some commentary and tips to save money) so you can better plan for your trip. Remember, a great way to get favorable deals on Disneyland tickets is through Get Away Today. They often feature deals such as “adults at kid prices”, “buy three days, get four” and more. You can see their current deals at this link.

Single-Day Ticket Price Increase

Single day tickets are priced much in the same way hotels determine their room rates - demand. The biggest difference being the various prices which are set in a pre-determined list of tiers, rather than increasing and decreasing by the hour (don’t get any ideas, Disney).

There are seven tiers, starting with Tier 0 and concluding with Tier 6. The top of the tier system, Tier 6, is reserved for what Disney believes will be their busiest days, which often revolve around major holidays and the like. Conversely, Tier 0 are the expected slow days and are competitively priced in an effort to boost attendance on those days.

One bright side to these increases is the surprising increase in Tier 0 days. That’s right, in conjunction with not raising Tier 0 pricing (still at $104), Disney also increased their availability. In last year’s increase Tier 0 days were limited to just 26 days. In this round, that number jumped to 46!

To the contrary, Tier 6 days saw a heavy increase to $224 from $206. This represents an 8.7% increase, the largest of all seven tiers. These varying prices are why I always recommend purchasing a multi-day ticket, as the per day price actually decreases with each additional day, thus increasing your overall value (up to 5).

Unlike Walt Disney World, Disneyland’s single-day tickets are priced identically, regardless of which park you’re visiting. It’s insanity, really. Especially when you consider there is so much more value at Disneyland over that of DCA. Though it’ll get closer to evening out over the next 5-10 years.

Moving on, below you’ll find the new pricing for each tier of single-day adult tickets:

• Tier 0 - $104 (no increase)

• Tier 1 - $129 (formally $126, a $3 bump)

• Tier 2 - $149 (formally $142, a $7 bump)

• Tier 3 - $169 (formally $164, a $5 bump)

• Tier 4 - $184 (formally $180, a $4 bump)

• Tier 5 - $199 (formally $196, a $3 bump)

• Tier 6 - $224 (formally $206, an $18 bump)

As you can see, Disney is precariously close to having two tiers exceeding the dreaded $200 mark. Tier 5 is closer than ever at $199. I would expect Disney to potentially leave this tier alone on the next round of increases. Simultaneously, it also wouldn’t surprise me to see it increased to that price-point.

It’s important to remember that these new prices don’t reflect the various up-charges, such as park hopping, which also saw a rise in price. The old price ranged between $65-$75, depending on tier day or the amount of days on your multi-day ticket. The new range is $70-$90, a jump of 7.4%-18%, respectively.

Multi-Day Ticket Price Increase

Multi-day tickets also received an increase, albeit a modest one. Each tier saw an increase between 1% and 2%, which makes sense as multi-day ticket pricing are tethered closely to single-day pricing, as they offer the advantage of per-day discounts with each additional day purchased.

New multi-day adult ticket pricing is as follows:

• 2-Day, 1-Park - $335 (previously $330)

• 3-Day, 1-Park - $425 (previously $415)

• 4-Day, 1-Park - $480 (previously $474)

• 5-Day, 1-Park - $520 (previously $511)

Additionally, new pricing for upgrading to a park hopper ticket are:

• 2-Day ticket - $100

• 3-Day ticket - $110

• 4-Day ticket - $120

• 5-Day ticket - $135

In large part, it’s a good idea to spend multiple days at Disneyland, three being my middle-of-the-road suggestion to most. Comparing pricing between multi-day and single-day tickets, it’s entirely possible to purchase multiple single-day tickets which combined could come out to lower than one multi-day ticket.

This is where it pays to study the tier calendar and compare it to your desired dates. With multi-day tickets, you pay one flat price. With single-day tickets, you’ll pay the park hopping up-charge for each ticket, which could significantly increase your cost if you’re not paying attention.

For example, February 24, 25 and 26, 2026 (a Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday), are Tier 0 days at $104 per day (adult pricing). You could purchase three of those single-day tickets for a total of $312 per adult. Compare that to a 3-day, 1-park ticket at $425 - which equates to a $113 savings per adult (remember, one park per day).

Conversely, let’s say you want to park hop. For the same dates, that’s another $70 per ticket, equating to an additional cost of $210 and making your new three day total $522 per adult. Compare that to the price of a three-day ticket with park hopping - $425 base + $110 for park hopping = $535. You’d save $13 per adult going this route. Modest savings, sure, but every dollar counts at Disneyland.

That equation changes if you’re visiting on busier days, though. Say you’re visiting around spring break, we’ll use March 31, April 1 and 2, 2026 (also Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday), as examples. Those days are listed at $169 (Tier 3), $169 (Tier 3) and $184 (Tier 4) respectively.

If you purchased these days separately, your total would $522 per adult. Compare that to the base price of a three-day ticket ($425) and you’re saving $97 per adult going the multi-day ticket route already. Now, add the park hopper option:

• 3/31 - $80

• 4/01 - $80

• 4/02 - $80

Adding park hopping to three, single-day tickets in this scenario would increase your cost by $240, making your new total $762 per adult. Purchasing a three-day ticket ($425) and adding park hopping to it ($110) is the obvious route to take here.

I just threw a lot of numbers at you, I know. Bottom line, it pays to study single-day ticket pricing and compare them to your dates. At worst, you save some money. At best, you avoid tremendously overspending. By the way, these numbers don’t even account for adding Lighting Lane to your ticket (or parking, for that matter).

Lightning Lane and Parking

Parking

Along with park tickets, the cost of resort parking and Lightning Lane, Disney’s loathed skip-the-line service, also saw increases. The new parking fees are effective immediately and account for vehicles parked at any of the various resort parking garages/lots, as well as their resort hotels (but not Downtown Disney).

Parking rates for all vehicle types are now:

• Car/Motorcycle - $40 (previously $35)

• Oversized Vehicle - $45 (previously $40)

• Bus/Tractor (has anyone actually parked a tractor at Disneyland?) - $50 (previously $45)

• Preferred Parking - $60 (previously $55)

Parking cost has always been a contentious topic at Disneyland, behind only ticket prices and the ever-increasing cost of a churro (worth it). That said, Disney has cornered the market as nearby options are severely limited, at best.

To save, you could park at the Anaheim Artic Station at 2626 East Katella. Day parking is free, though you’ll need to take an Anaheim Resort Transit (ART) shuttle to the park, as the artic station is roughly 3.5-miles away from Disneyland.

The 553 bus runs straight from the artic station and drops passengers off at Disneyland’s eastern entrance on South Harbor (there are a couple stops in between). ART charges a modest fee of $2 per person, per way. Depending on your party size, this could equate to a significant amount of money saved.

If cost doesn’t bother you and you’d rather park a bit closer to the park, The Anaheim Hotel on South Harbor reserves a limited amount of non-guest parking on its lot. Their price is the same as Disney’s at $40 for the day, but you’ll need to arrive EARLY as they tend to sell out quickly.

Lastly, if you’re planning to visit for multiple days you could save significantly by purchasing a “parking membership” at nearby GardenWalk. You pay $72 (which already costs less than two days parking at Disney) and it’s good for four parks, making each park $18.

Even if you’re only going to the park for two or three days, this is still advantageous over parking at Disney, cost-wise. You can either walk to the park from GardenWalk or take an ART shuttle, which has a pick-up/drop-off location on-site. You can find more information here.

Lightning Lane

I know I’ll likely catch a lot of hell for this, but I’m firmly in the camp that believes Lighting Lane should be expensive, so I don’t see its recent price increase as a bad thing. In fact, I don’t feel Disney raised it high enough. Before you come at me in the comments, hear me out.

If too many guests purchase Lightning Lane on a given day, then stand-by queues will suffer greatly as a result. Often times needlessly. When Disneyland reopened from their covid closure, it was purely stand-by queues only. During my wife and I’s entire visit that trip, we didn’t wait longer than twenty-five minutes for any attraction.

In fairness, that would be different now with demand at an all-time high. I’m not advocating for Lighting Lane to go the way of Splash Mountain, quite the opposite, actually. It serves a purpose and should be offered, just not at rock bottom prices (when compared to nearby Universal Studios).

At its current price-point, most guests could afford to spring for it, given the right budget and amount of time to save up. Additionally, Disney doesn’t seem to limit sales much, opting instead to charge a higher price for high-demand days.

It’s no secret that Lightning Lane significantly impacts wait times so by selling it at a low price-point, stand-by queues become stagnant and Lightning Lane queues develop a wait of their own, completely defeating the service’s entire purpose. Everybody loses in this all-too-real scenario.

If it’s priced higher (like similar offerings elsewhere), less guests would be inclined to purchase it. You may think that would mean less money for Disney, but that’s not the case. Disney will still profit substantially by charging a higher price to fewer people.

Disney still profits, folks who purchase LL get what they’re promised, and all other guests wait in reasonable stand-by queues. It’s a win-win all around. That said, it’s unlikely to happen anytime soon, especially given the release of Lightning Lane Premiere Pass, so I digress.

At the Disneyland Resort, Lightning Lane Multi-Pass’s (LLMP) price varies. If you purchase the service at the time of purchasing your tickets ahead of your visit, you’ll pay the new base price of $34 per day, per person. This is a $2 increase from $32. Again, this is the pre-purchase price.

If you decline to purchase Lightning Lane with your tickets and change your mind later on, your only option is to purchase it on the day of your visit. If visiting on multiple days, you’ll need to purchase for each day of your visit. Additionally, you’ll need to be scanned into the parks before doing so.

Going this route is a gamble, as the price varies according to demand. It begins at $34 and there’s no official ceiling, so-to-speak, but the current highest price (post-price increases) that’s been advertised is $40. It could go higher than that, though.

Lightning Lane Premiere Pass (LLPP) now starts at $399 and peaks at $499, up $100 from each end of the spectrum. I wrote an extensive post detailing what makes LLPP different from LLMP and who would benefit most from it. You can read that post here.

There’s no real way to save money with Lightning Lane. The price is the price. Though if you’re certain you and your group will benefit from it and use it, I recommend purchasing ahead of time (with your park tickets) to ensure you’ll pay the base price and nothing more.

Magic Key Price Increase

Lastly, we’ll discuss Magic Keys. If you don’t know what they are, they’re Disneyland’s equivalent to an annual pass program. There are multiple tiers and each one offers its own set of benefits, perks, blockout dates and finally…price.

In a somewhat surprising move, Disney only raised prices of two of the four tiers. The two higher tiers are what saw the increase while their two lower, more affordable tiers were left alone. This move appears to be in the same vein as Disney not raising the price of Tier 0 (value) single-day tickets.

Those who really want the highest tiered keys will find a way to afford them, while those who can afford the lower two will (assumingely) appreciate theirs being left alone (for now). In Disney’s eyes, it’s good PR. Something they can point to in times of crisis.

Note that benefits and perks didn’t change, just cost. The new prices are:

• Imagine Key: $599 (no change)

• Enchant Key: $974 (no change)

• Believe Key: $1475 (previously $1374, a 7% increase)

• Inspire Key: $1899 (previously $1749, an 8.2% increase)

If you’re a local and you visit the parks often, then purchasing a Magic Key is a no-brainer. If you’re an out-of-area visitor who goes to the parks regularly, they can be a great deal as compared to purchasing a series of multi-day tickets.

For most causal guests, though, Magic Keys aren’t even in the conversation. The cost of a single key, even at the lowest tier, is substantially higher than even the most expensive multi-day ticket. Difficult to justify for a single trip, even with accompanying discounts.

With two annual visits at five days each ($520 for a five day ticket, $1040 total), purchasing an Enchant Key ($974) would be the way to go. Similarly, three annual visits at three to four days each would also justify an Enchant, possibly even a Believe Key. It just depends how often you visit.

Whatever you do, don’t justify the purchase of a key off of the discounts alone. Trust me, they’re largely not that great. Getting 20% off of merchandise with the Inspire Key is, don’t get me wrong, but even that wouldn’t amount to any actual “savings” for the typical guest who visits just once a year.

***Read more about Disneyland’s Magic Key program and when they’re available for purchase here

That said, I hope you enjoyed this article and that at least some of the tips and advice given helped you in some way. If you’re still looking for a hotel near Disneyland for your trip, see my top recommendation here. Additionally, read my review of Great Maple, one of my go-to eateries at the resort.

Best Time to Visit Disneyland in October

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe will add value to my readers.

Sorry to begin this post with bad news but generally speaking, October is a busy month at the Disneyland Resort. Driven largely by the park’s various Halloween-themed offerings, including Cars Land’s Haul-O-Ween, scattered decor, attraction overlays and principally, the hard-ticketed, Oogie Boogie Bash - A Disney Halloween Party.

Locals and tourists alike have a penchant for the spooky season at the Disneyland Resort, meaning crowd levels often flirt with or exceed those of the summer months. It used to be a sleeper-season of sorts, but that began to change even prior to the covid-closures, which they themselves caused predictable crowd patterns to experience an F-5 level of calamity.

October single-day ticket prices are, on average, either highest or in the top three highest months of the year. This won’t affect most guests, as multi-day ticket and Magic Key holders far outnumber those holding single-day passes. In any case, it’s an indication of what to expect in terms of crowds.

In this post, I’m going to discuss the best time to visit Disneyland in October, as well as the worst. I’m basing these semi-predictions on historical data from the prior two years, but I make no guarantees. As previously stated, crowd patterns have become somewhat unpredictable in recent years, though it is beginning to normalize again.

Let’s get into it!

Worst Time to Visit Disneyland in October

October 11 - 13 (worst)

The biggest contributor to crowds this particular weekend is simple…Indigenous Peoples Day. The holiday itself is on the 13th, which is a Monday, giving many families a three-day weekend to work with. Traditionally, crowds at Disneyland during this time are dense.

Another driver is Oogie Boogie Bash, which takes place on the 12th (a Sunday). The bash doesn’t directly drive higher crowds, but since Disney California Adventure closes early to regular park guests on event nights, many of those guests migrate across the esplanade to Disneyland, causing a swell in crowds over there.

Conversely, Sunday crowds haven’t been as high as they’ve traditionally been. My wife and I visited on Mother’s Day and many attractions were virtual walk-ons or had minimal waits. After discussing it with several cast members, they’ve confirmed that’s been the norm lately, albeit with few exceptions.

If you’re keen on visiting Disneyland in October, I’d avoid these days at all costs. If you’re reading this post a bit late and have already booked these dates, I suggest spending Sunday at Disneyland and not DCA. DCA closes early that day for OBB. There’s no sense in paying for a full day and only getting a partial day in return.

Crowd Level: 9/10

October 8 - 10 (second worst)

Many school breaks, particularly in Arizona, Utah, Nevada, and portions of California, have fall breaks around these days. Families typically use these breaks as an excuse to visit Disneyland. When you consider these days precede the aforementioned three-day holiday weekend, a spike in crowds is unavoidable.

Additionally, October 9 will host Oogie Boogie Bash. Despite it being a weekday, the same migration discussed above still occurs. If you’re in Disneyland when this happens you’ll definitely notice, especially around the typical choke-points like Main Street, Adventureland and New Orleans Square.

Crowd Levels: 7-8/10

October 1 - 7 (third worst)

While not quite as crowded as the two former sets of dates, the first full week of October commences the traditional beginning of the Halloween season, despite Disneyland christening mid-August as their official beginning.

There are three Oogie Boogie Bash dates throughout this timeframe. While you’ll likely be predominately safe from fall break crowds, the mild, comfortable weather will surely bring in Magic Key holders (locals), which make up a large chunk of Disneyland’s attendance levels.

Additionally, a non-U.S holiday to consider is Canada’s Thanksgiving. While it doesn’t take place until the second week of October, some Canadians take advantage of the impending holiday and start their vacations earlier. Many of which commonly choose Disneyland as their destination of choice.

Crowd Level: 7-8/10

Best Time to Visit Disneyland in October

October 14 - 16 (third best)

Full blown Halloween vibes accompanied by manageable queues. This three-day stretch of a Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday falls just after the holiday weekend crowds have returned home, offering a short, three-day window of relative calm.

This isn’t to say it’ll be a ghost town, as there will be some carry-over holiday crowd levels warranting the purchase of Lightning Lane. That said, it’ll certainly beat the alternative of fighting dense holiday-level crowds.

The only downfall to these dates are the two Oogie Boogie Bash events. One held on Tuesday and the other on Thursday. If you’re purchasing a three-day ticket, this is enough of a conundrum where adding the park hopper option would be advantageous. This way, DCA closing early wouldn’t impact you as much.

Crowd Level: 7/10

October 26 - 30 (second best)

This is a great time go just before the often bonkers Halloween day/night crowds appear. These are Sunday through Thursday dates, which means Monday will likely be the busiest of the bunch, followed by Sunday. However, they’ll be nothing compared to those earlier in the month.

Another reason why crowds tend to be lower during this time is many folks are preparing for Disneyland’s transition to the Christmas season, which officially commences on November 14 this year.

As such, the Halloween crowds have largely tapered off by this point (with the exception of Halloween day itself) and there’s still another couple weeks before the absurdly-dense holiday crowds begin to make their presence known.

Crowd Level: 6/10

October 21 - 23 (best)

These particular days are great for many of the same reasons as the previous dates, just with the added benefit of mid-week days providing some of the lowest crowds you’ll see all month. Again, you’ll still have Oogie Boogie Bash crowd migrations to deal with, but that can be mitigated by park hopping and a bit of planning.

While both OBB events during this timeframe are sold out, the frenzy shouldn’t be too bad, as park-savvy locals have largely already attended their OBB and mostly out-of-area tourists remain from here on out.

The Halloween season is in full swing, the fall break crowds have largely passed, there are no holidays to contend with and weather is ideal. It’s hardly an empty park and walk-on attractions will still amount to unicorns, but it’ll be manageable and enjoyable, at minimum.

Crowd Level: 5-6/10

What’s Closed in October?

Closed attractions, particularly those of the e-ticket variety, can have a profound effect on crowd levels. Each attraction has an hourly rider capacity number. If you don’t know, hourly rider capacity is the number of guests each attraction can move per hour.

When they’re operating, guests are contained within the attraction itself and its queue (those waiting to get on the ride). When attractions are closed, that same number of guests who would’ve been spread out between more attractions will now compound in the smaller number of attractions still operating, causing a swell.

That said, closed attractions don’t actually increase crowd levels, but they do make those same crowds feel higher than they actually are and they have a profound effect on attraction wait times. You can see planned closures, also known as refurbishments, on the Disneyland website.

In October, there will several attraction closures to deal with. There won’t be much going on at Disney California Adventure, with Goofy Sky School and Mickey’s PhilharMagic, respectively, going down for short refurbishments.

Across the esplanade at Disneyland, though, two Fantasyland attractions, Casey Jr. Circus Train and Storybook Land Canal Boats will remain closed throughout the entire month. Additionally, guest favorite Big Thunder Mountain, which will have the greatest effect, will also remain closed.

Lastly, it’s a small world goes down for the final two days of the month to prepare for its annual transformation into “it’s a small world holiday”. This refurbishment extends into November and usually only lasts a couple weeks.

If you’re planning to visit Disneyland in October, be sure to download the Disneyland app and read my post about its most useful features. If it’s your first time to Disneyland (or it’s been a while), see my twenty-one best planning tips here. Lastly, see my current top recommendation for a hotel close to Disneyland.

Is The Disneyland App Worth It? (10 Features to Suggest “Yes”)

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe will add value to my readers.

Since first moving their theme parks into the digital age in the late 2000-teens, the Disneyland app has evolved to become an essential tool in not only planning your Disneyland vacation, but your day-to-day at the parks as well.

This is much to the chagrin of certain guests who prefer to remain “in the moment” and not buried in a screen. The consequences are steep, though. By not using the app, you’d be putting yourself at a severe disadvantage.

From seeing wait times from one central location and using Lightning Lane, all the way to ordering your meals and remembering your parking space. Your entire Disneyland trip, quite literally, is built into the app.

In this post, I’m going to discuss the numerous features of the app and provide brief summaries on why they’re all important to your trip in one way or another. Let’s get into it!

1) Mobile Ordering (Quick Service Dining)

Arguably the biggest reason to use the Disneyland app is so you can submit mobile orders for select quick service restaurants. Aside from digital tickets, mobile ordering was one of the first major features of the app.

It was pushed and improved upon when the resort reopened after its covid-closure and has proven itself to be a valuable, time-saving tool for guests. So much so, that it’s one of the first tips I give to first timers going to Disneyland.

What started with a handful of park restaurants has since expanded to nearly every quick-service eatery in both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure, including select snack cars. These include:

Disneyland Park

• Alien Pizza Planet (Tomorrowland)

• Bengal BBQ (Adventureland)

• Cafe Daisy (ToonTown)

• Candy Palace and Kitchen (Main Street U.S.A)

• Docking Bay 7 (Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge)

• Edelweiss Snacks (Fantasyland)

• Galactic Grill (Tomorrowland)

• Gibson Girl Ice Cream (Main Street U.S.A)

• The Golden Horseshoe (Frontierland)

• Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree (Bayou Country)

• Harbour Gallery at Pelican Landing (New Orleans Square)

• Jolly Holiday Bakery (Main Street U.S.A)

• Little Red Wagon (Main Street U.S.A)

• Milk Stand (Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge)

• Mint Julep Bar (New Orleans Square)

• Pooh Corner (Bayou Country)

• Red Rose Tavern* (Fantasyland)

• Refreshment Corner (Main Street U.S.A)

• Ronto Roasters (Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge)

• Royal Street Veranda (New Orleans Square)

• Stage Door Cafe (Frontierland)

• The Tropical Hideaway (Adventureland)

• Tiki Juice Bar (Adventureland)

• Tiana’s Palace (New Orleans Square)

• Troubadour Tavern (Fantasyland)

Disney California Adventure

• Award Weiners (Hollywood Land)

• Adorable Snowman Frosted Treats (Pixar Pier)

• Aunt Cass Cafe (San Fransokyo Square)

• Bayside Brews (Paradise Gardens Park)

• Bing Bong’s Sweet Stuff (Pixar Pier)

• Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta (Paradise Gardens Park)

• Cappuccino Cart (San Fransokyo Square)

• Clarabelle’s (Buena Vista Street)

• Cocina Cucamonga Grill (San Fransokyo Square)

• Corn Dog Castle (Paradise Gardens Park)

• Cozy Cones* (Cars Land)

• Flo’s V8 Cafe (Cars Land)

• Hollywood Lounge (Hollywood Land)

• Lucky Fortune Cookery (San Fransokyo Square)

• Mendocino Terrace (Performance Corridor)

• Paradise Gardens Grill (Paradise Gardens)

• Popcorn at Grizzly Peak Airfield (Grizzly Peak)

• Port of San Fransokyo Cerveceria (San Fransokyo Square)

• Pym Tasting Lab (Avenger’s Campus)

• Pym Test Kitchen (Avenger’s Campus)

• Rita’s Turbine Blenders (San Fransokyo Square)

• Schmoozies! (Hollywood Land)

• Smokejumpers Grill (Grizzly Peak)

• Sonoma Terrace (Pacific Wharf)

• Studio Catering Co. (Hollywood Land)

• Trolley Treats (Buena Vista Street)

Disney Resort Hotels

• The Coffee House (Disneyland Hotel)

• Tangaroa Terrace Tropical Bar & Grill (Disneyland Hotel)

Downtown Disney District

• Wonderful World of Sweets

As you can see, the list is long and they’ve even started expanding the service out to the hotels. It wouldn’t surprise me to see more eateries in Downtown Disney join this list in the future. They’ve even made Tiki Juice Bar, which serves the park-famous Dole Whip Float, a mobile order only location.

It wouldn’t surprise me to see that branch out to additional locations. After the resort’s reopening in 2021, several locations were mobile order only. Those test locations have scaled back since, but you never know.

2) Buying & Scanning Tickets

Between crowd control and park reservations, the days of showing up to the park and purchasing your tickets at a booth are slowly, but surely, going the way of Splash Mountain. Tickets have largely gone digital in the last 4-5 years and Disney has been pushing it hard.

These days, you can purchase and store your tickets right on your phone. No more worrying about losing them or getting them soaked on Grizzly River Run. When you arrive to the gate, simply scan the ticket on your phone and you’re off.

To purchase park tickets in the app:

1. Make sure you’ve created an account

2. Tap the + symbol at the bottom of the screen

3. Tap, “Buy Tickets and Passes”

4. Select, “Theme Park Tickets”

5. Select the number of days you’ll be in the parks

6. Select the quantity of tickets (adults, child, etc)

7. Select either “One Park Per Day” or “Park Hopper”

8. You’ll then be shown available reservations (Note: You will not be able to purchase tickets without available reservations)

9. You’ll then select which park you want to begin each day of your reservations

10. From here, select “Checkout” and fill in your payment info

Magic Key Passes

To purchase a Magic Key pass:

1. Follow steps one & two above

2. Select, “Magic Key Passes”

3. Select which pass you want (Note: If you are not a Southern California resident, you will NOT be able to purchase the “Imagine” Key Pass)

4. Select the number of passes and who to assign them to (Note: You will only be able to take advantage of the monthly payment option if you’re a State of California resident)

5. Enter your payment info and follow the steps to link your new Magic Key to your account

With the new gates installed at the resort comes new procedures. When you arrive and use your ticket for the first time, you’ll scan your ticket. The screen in front of you will prompt you to take a photo by pressing a button. Then the gates will open, allowing you through.

Every time you scan your ticket thereafter, it’ll simply prompt the gates to open (provided you have a valid reservation for that day). Many folks miss the physical tickets, as they were considered by many to be souvenirs. To me, the convenience and security of digital supersedes that.

3) Attraction Virtual Queues

While Disneyland doesn’t utilize virtual queues much anymore, but the service is still dusted off from time to time, mostly for highly anticipated attractions. Virtual queues at Disneyland were birthed with the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, and have been used sporadically since.

Since it isn’t a main-stay feature of the Disneyland app, you won’t need to concern yourself with it much. Unless, of course, you’re visiting during the opening a new e-ticket attraction or recently refurbished one.

In the past, the two main attractions that heavily used the virtual queue system were Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and Web Slingers. Then, Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway was briefly added following its opening, followed most recently by Walt Disney: A Magical Life stage show.

Additionally, Disney uses the virtual queue system for DCA’s nighttime spectacular - World of Color. It isn’t necessary, per se, but it is highly recommended by Disney to do so. Typically, that means you should probably do it.

With two new e-ticket level attractions coming to Disney California Adventure in the next two to three years, virtual queues aren’t going anywhere, as they will certainly be using it (in the interim, anyway). You can read more about virtual queues here.

Quick Rundown on Virtual Queues:

1. Be ready to go at either 7am or 12pm

2. Go to the “Virtual Queue” section of the app

3. Tap, “Join Virtual Queue”

4. Select the park

5. If you see a blue tab that says, “Join Virtual Queue”, quickly tap it

6. Verify your party and make sure each person’s ticket is selected

7. You’ll then be taken to a page where you can view your boarding group number, estimated wait time, and your entry code.

4) Check Attraction Wait Times

Let’s say you just got off of Space Mountain in Tomorrowland and you get the sudden urge to ride Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, all the way in Bayou Country. So you hike it all the way there all to discover a massive ninety minute queue has formed.

The app helps to eliminate that disappointment by showcasing a section dedicated to providing real-time queue times for every attraction in both parks. All you’ll need to do is look up the attraction you want to experience and it’ll display the most recent wait time.

In my experience, wait times have been mostly accurate. For example, the app stated a thirty minute wait for Haunted Mansion on my most recent visit. It looked daunting and I didn’t believe it so I set a timer. From the back of the queue to my Doom Buggy, it was thirty-one minutes.

They’ve also been known to high-ball wait times (under promise and over deliver). This strategy helps to keep guest complaints about wait times at bay, as absolutely nobody is going to complain about waiting fifteen minutes in an advertised twenty-five minute queue.

5) PhotoPass Service

Disney’s PhotoPass service is free to use, but will cost you to receive the photos (unless you’ve purchased Lightning Lane, which includes PhotoPass photos).

Disney places photographers around the resort at popular photo spots to take guests photos for them (in hopes that you’ll pay for them). Locations include Cinderella Castle, Blinky (the Mickey head-shaped pumpkin in Town Square), various character experiences and more.

When you’re done taking your photos, you’ll pull up the barcode in the “photos” section and the photographer will scan your photos into the app. They usually take around one to two minutes to appear. Current pricing for PhotoPass photos is:

• $14.99 - Per photo

• $78.00 - For the entire week (PhotoPass+)

They’ll stay in the Disneyland app for 45 days from the time they’re loaded. So you’ll have plenty of time to purchase and/or save them. It should be noted that PhotoPass photos are included in the purchase of Disney’s Lightning Lane service, which is a killer value between the two.

6) Advanced Dining Reservations (Table-Service)

Most restaurants at the Disneyland Resort are quick-service. Meaning you order your food, pick it up, sit down and eat. However, the parks also feature several table service restaurants. Some of which rivals or exceeds those found off property.

Some of these include Lamplight Lounge (pictured above), Centrico, Hearthstone Lounge, and Great Maple American Eatery. These restaurants, and others, are exceedingly popular. So I recommend making your advanced dining reservations (ADR) asap.

In the app, you can make ADR’s sixty days in advance. Best part is, all of your reservations appear in the “My Plans” tab of the app. You’ll be able to view, modify and even cancel your ADR’s from your couch!

7) Cast Compliments

Cast members are the are the heart and soul of the Disney theme parks. Without them, the magic would never come to life the way it does on a day-to-day basis. That’s why it’s important to recognize them when they go above and beyond (which they often do).

In the Disneyland app, you can give cast compliments by providing their name and general location when they do something you feel warrants it. These compliments go a long way for cast members when promotional opportunities come along.

This is one of the newer features of the app. Before, you would need to go to City Hall in Town Square and fill out a form, often having to wait in a hefty queue. Doing it in the app isn’t only convenient for the guest but in my opinion, increases the likelihood of cast members receiving compliments.

8) Save Your Parking Space

Another nifty feature in the Disneyland app is the ability to save your parking space. We’ve all forgotten where we parked. Whether that’s a theme park, the airport, or Costco - it happens. This feature assumes the responsibility of remembering so you don’t have to.

In the app, simply tap “Car Locator”. You’ll then either scan the code in the parking area you’re in or manually select it. Then, enter your parking spot details. The app then saves that information that you can look up when you return to your vehicle at the end of the evening.

This feature certainly isn’t a game changer, as simply taking a photo of your parking spot with your phone totally negates its purpose. However, since you’ll have the app anyway, it’s a simple, useful feature to have.

9) Mobile Checkout (Merchandise)

Mobile checkout is feature that’s still in its infancy. It eliminates the need for you to wait in a queue to purchase merchandise at select stores by allowing you to scan and purchase your items within the Disneyland app. The service is currently available at the following stores:

• Emporium (Disneyland)

• Elias & Co. (Disney California Adventure)

• World of Disney (Downtown Disney)

When you’re in the store and ready to purchase, simply go to the “Merchandise Checkout” tab in the app. You’ll scan your items and see your total in the next page. From there, you’ll pay for your items and will be shown a QR code.

You’ll then make your way to one of the various stations around the store you’re in that say “Mobile Checkout”. There, a cast member will scan your QR code with their device, bag your items, and send you on your way.

10) Lightning Lane

There’s imply no way around it. If you want to use Disneyland’s Lightning Lane service, which allows you to bypass the stand-by queue at select attractions, often dramatically reducing your wait time, then you’ll need to download and use the Disneyland app.

Unlike the traditional FastPass service, there is no paper version of Lightning Lane. It is 100% digital and you’ll need the app in order to book attractions. Since Lightning Lane can be a significant time saver, this feature alone necessitates use of the app.

If you’re unaware of what Lightning Lane is, I wrote an extensive post detailing the service and its various tiers, including Lightning Lane Premiere - the newest branch of Disney’s line-skipping service.

So is the Disneyland app worth it? When you consider the ten features above, I would say so. If anything, the considerable amount of time mobile ordering, mobile checkout and Lightning Lane, alone, will save you, you’d be hard-pressed finding a reason to not use it.

My 21 Best Tips to Plan a Disneyland Trip (For First Timers)

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe will add value to my readers.

​Disneyland park is one of the most visited theme parks in the world for good reason. It's Walt Disney's original park and is, in fact, the only Disney theme park he ever stepped foot in. That, alone, makes it a special place.

With some of the most popular rides in the world, food with creative flare, special events, Disney hotels, Disney California Adventure park and more, a Disneyland vacation is a good time for all, especially for those who have never been.

If it's your first visit (or if you haven't been there in a while), there's a lot to know. In this post, I'm going to present twenty-one of my best tips to help make your Disneyland trip a success. I'll discuss everything from Disneyland Resort hotels, how to avoid long wait times, special events, booking a vacation package, parking tips and much more.

1) Check the Reservation Calendar

Reservations became a thing at Disneyland in the post-Covid era. Initially, it was meant to control attendance but these days, it's simply another way for Disney execs to collect data. Whether we like it or not, the reservation policy is here to stay.

This means that no matter if you're a regular ticket holder or Magic Key holder, you're beholden to the reservation calendar. You cannot, under most circumstances, go to the park without one. Most people make a reservation when purchasing their tickets, but some don't.

Make sure you're not one of those. Research the reservation calendar and compare it to your desired dates. They're much easier to come by now than they used to be, but the possibility of available reservations being sold out still exists. Make yours ASAP.

2) Know Disneyland’s Busy Days

Being able to predict crowd patterns in the post-Covid era isn't as easy as it used to be, but there are still certain dates and timeframes that you can still set your watch to. Busy days can put a damper on the Disney experience as they often result in long lines and shoulder-to-shoulder crowds.

​That said, a busy day at Disneyland is still better than no day at Disneyland at all. However, if you can avoid it, I recommend not visiting during most holidays, common three-day weekends, certain events and the like. You can see exact dates in my post here.

3) Picnic Outside the Gates to Save Money

This is one of the classic Disneyland hacks that, amazingly, many people are still unaware of. To the left of the Disneyland gates, behind privacy walls, is a space where guests can enjoy a family picnic or simply escape from the crowds for a bit.

Disneyland is one of few theme parks that allow you to bring your own food into the park (within reason). You can always eat your food inside the parks if you want, but this a great place to relax and unwind. Best of all, the Monorail glides above you at regular intervals.

4) Download and Use the Disneyland App

The Disneyland app has become an essential tool for a day at the parks. Normally, I would suggest staying off of your phone and being in the moment but you would be at a severe disadvantage if you did.

​The truth is, there are several time-saving features in the Disneyland app that'll make your day so much easier. A few examples include ordering meals through the mobile order feature, paying for merchandise and checking attraction wait times.

​Not to mention the Lightning Lane Multi Pass service. You can't use it at all without the app. So if you want to avoid long lines at the most popular attractions, such as Haunted Mansion and Space Mountain, download and familiarize yourself with the app prior to your trip.

5) Go for Multiple Days (Three is Good)

With 53 attractions between Disneyland and Disney California Adventure park (not including other exhibits and shows) there is so much to do and see. While you won't need as much time as you would at Walt Disney World, I definitely suggest staying for multiple days.

For my wife and I, the magic number is three days. Currently, DCA is barely a one-day park (at least until the current expansion is finished), but Disneyland park deserves a minimum of two days to fully take in what it has to offer.

Additionally, you could opt for the park hopper ticket to spend your time evenly between the two parks. Four days also works, though five would be overkill, in my opinion. One day is definitely isn’t sufficient but if that's all the time you have, see my tips for spending one day at Disneyland here.

6) Research Good Neighbor Hotels

The Disneyland Resort features three Disney-owned hotels - Pixar Place Hotel, Disneyland Hotel, and the Grand Californian Hotel and Spa. They're all great at keeping you within that "Disney bubble" when your park day is over, but the caveat to that is they're expensive. Prohibitively so for some.

The good news is there are a plethora of solid hotels within walking distance of Disneyland (Good Neighbor Hotels), many of which are minutes from the main park entrance. Additionally, nearly all of them are far more affordable than their Disney counterparts and many offer equal, or superior, amenities.

If you're planning to book a vacation package through Disney directly or through the Get Away Today agency (my recommendation), you can book one of several Good Neighbor hotels through either. Alternatively, you can search through reputable third-party sites such as Expedia (my go-to for hotels).

You can read reviews of two of my preferred Good Neighbor hotels, Hotel Indigo Anaheim and Four Points by Sheraton, at their respective links.

7) Consider Special Events

Attending special events at Disneyland is a great way to experience the parks in unique fashion. Some come at an additional cost, such as Oogie Boogie Bash and Stars Wars Night but others, like the Food and Wine Festival, are included with your regular park ticket.

After dark events, which include the aforementioned Star Wars Night, occur at Disneyland park after regular park hours through winter and spring and are separate ticketed events. Other themes include Pride Night, Disney Channel Night, 90's Night and Sweethearts Night.

Oogie Boogie Bash, the resort's annual Halloween party, occurs on select nights in August, September and October at DCA. This is also a separate ticket event but you do get early entry into the park at 3pm, which is three hours prior to the start of the event (see my 15 Oogie Boogie Bash tips here).

The California Food and Wine Festival is held in DCA, typically from March through late April. You can enjoy the event's festivities with your park ticket and purchase special food offerings. In 2024, Disney celebrated Pixar Fest starting in May and continued throughout summer. No word on if it'll happen in 2026, though (it didn't in 2025).

8) Don’t Fear Quick Service Restaurants

The days of Disney only serving up standard theme park fare are long gone. Over the years, they've done a bang-up job bringing high quality, delicious meals to the parks. Yes, there are still a few substandard spots remaining (looking at you, Pizza Planet) but many are solid options.

One of my personal favorites, Bengal BBQ, serves up a variety of tasty (albeit dry, at times) grilled meat kabobs. Down the way at Tiana's Palace is where you'll find some of the best quick service food at any Disney park (gumbo...get the gumbo). These are both at Disneyland park.

In Disney California Adventure park, Lucky Fortune Cookery serves up an amazing birria ramen dish (one of a few delicious birria dishes at Disneyland Resort) and Cocina Cucamonga Grill offers an array of solid Mexican dishes.

9) Purchase Lightning Lane for Faster Ride Access

Some folks visit Disneyland for the vibes and some visit for the rides. If you're in the latter company and you're visiting for the first time, I suggest springing for the Lightning Lane up-charge. If you're unaware, Lightning Lane enables you to bypass the stand-by queue at select attractions, ensuring faster access.

While Lightning Lane isn't perfect (boy do I miss FastPass), it can definitely be a significant time saver and allow you to knock out most, if not all, attractions between the two parks. This is especially true if you're visiting during a particularly busy time or only have one day to spend.

​I've written extensively about Lightning Lane in a previous post that you can read here. The post details the three tiers of the service, what's included, how to use it, cost, and more. If Lightning Lane is something you'd be interested in, I recommend giving it a read.

10) Know Where the Baby Centers Are

If you’ll be traveling with infants and toddlers, you’ll appreciate the baby care centers in the park as they offer a variety of amenities for parents. In addition to the baby care centers, you’ll find diaper changing stations in most restrooms throughout the resort.

In the care centers, you’ll find:

• Nursing room with chairs

• Changing room with tables

• Toddler-sized toilets

• Feeding area with highchairs

• Kitchen with sink, bottle warmers and microwave

• Vending machine offering formula, baby food, juice, diapers, wipes, sunscreen, pacifiers, and over-the-counter medication

There is one baby care center in each park. DCA’s center is located next to Ghirardelli in San Fransokyo Square and Disneyland’s is located at the end of Main Street U.S.A, across from the Little Red Wagon and next to the first aid station.

11) Research Airport Proximity

In Southern California, there are numerous airports you could fly into for your Disneyland trip. Many assume Los Angeles Airport (LAX) is the best to fly into, but that's mostly conjecture. Of all the major airports near Disneyland, LAX is the fourth furthest away at about forty miles.

The second closest, at nineteen miles, is Long Beach Airport (LGB) and the closest airport to Disneyland is John Wayne Airport (SNA), at thirteen miles. Which one you'll fly into entirely depends on your budget and schedule.

LAX is the largest of the three and therefore, you'll typically find more favorable rates there. However, because it's further away, you'll need to account for transportation to Anaheim. There are no free shuttles from LAX to Disneyland (or any airport, for that matter).

Therefore, John Wayne may be the better option. You’ll likely pay a higher fare, but it's usually not by much and you won't pay nearly as much for a shuttle or ride share as you would from LAX, as it's much closer to the park and neighboring hotels.

12) Know the Difference Between Splitting and Sharing Plates

One way to save money at Disneyland is sharing meals. There are several locations in the parks where you can easily do this. A couple of my wife and I's favorites include the Monte Cristo sandwich at Cafe Orleans and the Spotlight barbacoa nachos at Lamplight Lounge (pictured above).

This is advantageous as it could add up to significant savings, but you need to know the difference between sharing and splitting a meal. If you don't use the correct verbiage, you could end up with a surprise surcharge on your final bill.

Sharing a meal means you and the other person will be sharing the complete meal, including the entree (protein) and sides. Splitting a meal means the entree will be evenly split between two plates and the other person will receive their own sides, thus inducing the additional cost.

Simply inform your server that you’ll be SHARING a meal. The other person will be given their own plate and you'll share the complete meal without any additional expense. Note that you cannot do this at character meals, dining packages, buffets, and the like.

13) Research DAS Policy and Requirements

One important, and admittedly controversial, aspect to a Disneyland vacation is their Disability Access Service (or...DAS, for short). I say controversial because there have been many changes to the program in recent years that have made it difficult to impossible for those who need it to obtain and use it.

There are quite a few movings parts to this where you can read further in my post but essentially, you can either speak with a cast member virtually up to 60-days prior to your trip or in person at the DAS kiosk in the esplanade outside the parks.

​The guest requiring DAS will need to be present either way, as the cast member may need to ask them questions or verify certain things. As stated, there's a lot to unpack with this, so it's best to read my extensive post here.

14) Check for Planned Attraction Closures

Planned attraction closures, also known as refurbishments, occur regularly at the Disneyland Resort. This is done to allow imagineers to conduct repairs, updates, improvements and the like. Disneyland park has several attractions that are seventy years old, so they need that TLC in order to run smoothly.

On any given day there could none, one, or multiple rides closed between the two parks. While closures could happen at any time, Disney does keep guests updated on planned closures by scheduling them on the online refurbishment calendar forty-five days ahead.

Rides such as Rise of Resistance haven't seen a refurbishment since opening in 2021 and Radiator Springs Racers seldom goes down. These are exceptions, though, as they're newer and were designed to operate with minimal, if any, downtime.

15) Take Advantage of Rider Switch

Rider switch is little-known benefit available free of charge to Disneyland guests. I've written an extensive guide about rider switch that you can read here but essentially, you're taking turns riding the attraction.

Say you have two children in your party and only one of them is tall enough to ride the attraction. One member of the party waits in the queue with the one child while the other member of the party waits elsewhere with the other, or does something else.

After you've experienced the attraction, you inform a cast member of your intentions to use rider switch. You'll be given a ticket of sorts to hand to the other member of your party. That person can then return to the attraction and enjoy with a minimal wait.

16) Arrive Early for Rope Drop

For those who don't know, rope drop refers to the strategy of arriving a minimum of thirty minutes prior to official park opening (8am) and waiting near the literal ropes along the hub at the entrances to either Tomorrowland, Adventureland, Frontierland or Fantasyland.

This is a great way to knock out many of the park’s popular rides with a minimal wait, whether that's Space Mountain or Soarin' Around the World. This is because most guests don't get to the parks until late morning, the first hour-and-a-half to two hours are typically the least busiest.

I recently introduced this strategy to some friends of mine during a recent trip and it changed their lives forever (kidding..sort of). Seriously, though, rope drop is an essential strategy to take advantage of...especially if it's your first time at Disneyland. I'm currently working on a rope drop strategy post, so be sure to keep an eye out for that.

17) Use Mobile Order and Mobile Checkout

Taking advantage of mobile order (food) and mobile checkout (merchandise) can save you a significant amount of time, especially on days where the crowds are dense. Mobile order is accepted at most quick service restaurants at the resort and is used to order/pay for your food ahead of time through the Disneyland app.

Mobile checkout is available at most stores. How it works is you access the mobile checkout tab in the Disneyland app, scan the tag of the merchandise you wish to purchase, pay for it through the app, and then head to the designated station to show the cast member your barcode. They'll scan it, verify your purchase and off you go.

18) Keep Your Phone Charged

You'll quickly discover that your smartphone will be your lifeline at Disneyland. You'll use it to access your park tickets, check attraction wait times, redeem Lightning Lanes, order food, pay for merchandise, and more, all through the Disneyland app. Your battery will drain much quicker than it normally does.

To counter this, it's a good idea to purchase a power bank to bring with you. They store easily inside your backpack, purse, or pocket, and make keeping your phone charged a breeze. Disney does have FuelRod stations throughout the park, but I no longer recommend those due to having to pay to swap them out at most other locations.

My recommendation is the one I use, which is made by Anker. It costs a bit more than a FuelRod up front, but you'll never pay for swaps. You simply charge it back up when it depletes. It has USB and USB-C ports and at 20,000 MAH, it'll fully charge your phone several times before depleting. You can see it on Amazon here.

19) Know the Parking Situation

Unfortunately, there is no free parking anywhere near the Disneyland Resort. That's why one of my biggest recommendations to first timers is to stay at a hotel within walking distance of the parks, or at least one with shuttle service.

Disneyland features two parking structures - Mickey & Friends and Pixar Pals. They are located on the west side of the resort and most guests utilize the complimentary tram to access the parks from there (walking paths are available as well, though).

On the east side, which is where most guests access the parks from, there's the Toy Story lot. This is an open lot with no parking structure. You can walk to the parks from here or use the provided shuttle. Parking is currently $35 per day.

Another option is to park a few miles away, for free, at the Artic Station in Anaheim. From there, the 533 shuttle will take you to the parks (with a few stops in between). Again, parking here is free, but the shuttle costs $2 per person, each way. Depending on your group size, this could be much cheaper than parking at Disneyland.

20) Park Hopping May Be Worth It

Admittedly, I'm usually against park hopping. Mostly due to the extra cost and my belief that maximizing your day in a single park is best. Conversely, if you're a first timer, it may be worth it. Especially if you're visiting for multiple days.

For those who don't know, park hopping is the act of visiting both parks in the same day. Unlike Walt Disney World, it's much easier to do this at Disneyland due to both parks being less than a football field distance away from each other.

It does come at an additional cost of up to $85 per ticket, but it may be worth it to you, especially considering Disney California Adventure isn't quite a full-day park just yet. That'll likely change in a few years but for now, that isn’t the case.

How it works is you must begin your day at whichever park you have a reservation for. Starting at 11am, you're then able to "hop" across the esplanade to the other park and enjoy the rest of your day there. If you arrive after 11am, you can enter whichever park you want, provided you've purchased the park hopper option.

21) Use Get Away Today for Hands-Off Planning

Due to an expanse of free information online (such as Inked with Wanderlust), I normally don't suggest using travel planners as I feel it's mostly unnecessary. Some, though, find comfort in having an expert handle the planning stage for them. If that's you, I highly recommend Get Away Today.

They're simply the best Disney vacation planners out there. They'll help put together your entire trip, including purchasing multi-day tickets, booking your hotel, keeping an eye out for discounts and last minute offers, provide helpful tips and more.

​They have a solid reputation and have been in business for a long time, which is why I've partnered with and recommend them. Booking with them is like booking directly with Disney, only you'll also receive personalized guidance and service, in addition to peace of mind.

To put together your customized Disneyland vacation package and see how they can help you save money, visit them through this link and tell them I said “hello”. Also, be sure to use code INKED20 for additional savings.

How Disneyland’s Payment Plan for Vacation Packages Works

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe will add value to my readers.

If you're thinking of putting together a Disneyland vacation for your family, the first thing you've likely noticed is how expensive an endeavor it is. With theme park tickets and hotel rates the highest they've ever been, visiting the happiest place on earth requires thoughtful planning and budgeting for most.

To help with this, you can take advantage of a little known option when booking your Disneyland Resort vacation package - you can make monthly payments towards your package. That's right, paying the full balance up front is not required in most cases.

There are a few things you'll need to know, and this blog post aims to inform you of those, along with offering a few bits of tips and advice along the way. Note that the monthly payment option is for practically everyone and not just California residents. Let's get into it!

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Disneyland Resort Vacation Package Payment Plan

First, in order to take advantage of the monthly payment plan, you'll need to book a vacation package consisting of a hotel (either one of the Disneyland Resort hotels or a "Good Neighbor" hotel) and Disneyland tickets. It can't be just be one or the other.

It isn't an official payment plan where Disney charges you a specific amount on a specified day of each month. Nor is there an automatic payment plan. Rather, it works similarly to a layaway plan, where you pay a portion of the total up front and make payments towards the balance while Disney "holds" your package.

Once you've paid the remaining balance in full, Disney will send you an email communication stating such. You may receive a welcome package in the mail but for most folks, you'll access your theme park tickets and hotel reservation information in the Disneyland app.

At the time of booking, you'll select the "Deposit" option within the "Payment Info" tab. No matter how large the amount of your vacation package is, the deposit amount is $200. It's been this amount for years, but it could always change in the future. It's the same for a Disney World vacation package as well.

You can pay the deposit with any debit or credit card, as well as Disney gift cards or reward redemptions (if you're a Disney Visa cardholder). Ensure that you're signed into your Disney account, as this is where all of your plan details will be stored.

After paying your deposit, the only requirement given from there is ensuring you make your final payment at least 30-days prior to your arrival date. You can make weekly or monthly payments, or even pay the final balance in 2-3 large payments. It's entirely up to you.

As long as the full amount is paid off prior to your arrival, how often and how much you pay at a time is entirely up to you. If you're getting close to the deadline and need more time, call the resort reservations line and explain your situation to the cast member. They're usually able to accommodate you.

While going this route doesn't make a hotel rates or ticket prices any cheaper, it does help to make your magical vacation a bit more attainable. Just remember to have a budget in mind prior to booking and be sure that you can commit to a self-imposed installment plan. 

​Making it even easier is the lack of interest charges on your vacation package. The amount you booked is the amount you'll pay - nothing more. You'll also have the option to purchase travel insurance. If you elect to do so, that amount will be added to your deposit.

Vacation Package Perks and Magical Extras

Aside from a standard pin and lanyard, there really aren't any special "on vacation" perks you get for booking a Disneyland Resort vacation package, in general. However, that changes if you book a Disneyland Resort Hotel, such as Pixar Place Hotel, as part of your package.

​Staying within the Disney bubble and having the ability to charge in-park purchases to your room are a couple of the perks, but the biggest involves being able to access Disneyland and Disney California Adventure before anybody else.

That's right. Guests of the three Disney-owned hotels get early access to specific attractions in each park 30-minutes prior to anybody else. So while regular guests are lining up for rope drop, you could easily knock out one, two, or even three attractions.

Get Away Today Ticket Layaway Plan

As stated above, you cannot make payments to Disney for Disneyland tickets. If you purchase directly through them, you'll either need to pay them in full at time of purchase or include them in your Disneyland Resort vacation package.

​However, if all you need is tickets but you want to make payments on them, there is a work around - purchase through the reputable Get Away Today travel agency. Purchasing tickets through them is the same as purchasing through Disney, as they're partnered with Disney.

​The one difference is they offer buyers the ability to put their tickets on a layaway plan. You'll pay a $200 deposit (which includes a $99 non-refundable fee) and like with Disney's vacation packages, you're free to pay what you want, whenever you want.

You have until 9-days prior to your arrival date to pay the remaining balance. When they're paid in full, you'll receive a code to load your tickets into the Disneyland app, much like if you purchased directly through Disney. To take advantage of this, visit Get Away Today here and select "layaway" at checkout.

If you’re looking for recommendations for hotels close to Disneyland, see my reviews of Hotel Indigo and Four Points by Sheraton!

Buy me a coffee?

If you found this blog helpful, consider leaving a tip through the Buy Me A Coffee button below! Whether it’s $1 or $5, every bit helps offset small travel costs like coffee, water, lunch, parking, or park entry fees. Your support means the world—thank you!

How to Get to Disneyland from Santa Ana (John Wayne) Airport

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe will add value to my readers.

Serving approximately 32,000 passengers daily, the Santa Ana Airport (also known as, John Wayne Airport), is one of the many commercial airports in the greater Los Angeles/Orange County area.

When booking a flight to Disneyland, many folks' first thought is to fly into LAX, as many believe that it's the closest major airport to Disneyland. If that's you, you'll be glad you stumbled upon this blog because that couldn't be further from the truth.

While LAX is nearby, it is approximately 35 miles from the Disneyland Resort, which translates to a 40-45 minute drive (and that's WITHOUT traffic). Alternatively, John Wayne Airport is much closer to Disneyland at just 15 miles or a 15-20 minute drive (again...not counting for traffic). Making it the closest airport to Disneyland.

Therefore, I recommend booking your flight there. Sure, you may save a few bucks flying into LAX, but you'll get to the parks/your hotel much quicker by flying into Santa Ana. In this post, I'm going to discuss the several ways you can get to Disneyland from John Wayne Airport. Let's get into it.

Getting to Disneyland from John Wayne Airport

Car Rental

Firstly, you can rent your own vehicle. This ultimately provides the greatest freedom of travel as you won't be beholden to another's time constraints. John Wayne Airport hosts many of the national car rental brands you're likely familiar with, including Budget, Avis, Alamo, Enterprise, and Hertz.

Once you have your vehicle, simply be on your way. I won't provide actual directions here, as you can simply plug-in either Disneyland or your hotel's name/address into Google Maps for turn-by-turn directions.

However, if Disneyland is the sole focus of your visit, I do advise against renting a vehicle. There are a plethora of hotel options within walking distance of Disneyland, many being just across the street, so you'll essentially be paying $30-$40 dollars a day or more just to drive yourself to/from the airport.

Furthermore, many of the hotels surrounding Disneyland now charge guests a parking fee. At some hotels, this fee can be as high as $50 per night! In my opinion, it simply isn't worth it unless you're planning to visit other theme parks or area attractions and want that freedom of travel.

Rideshare Options

Ride sharing through apps such as Uber and Lyft are far and away the most popular and convenient way to get to your destination from the airport. These apps offer up front, flat rates and often go the fastest and best route as the drivers are paid per ride instead of per mile (like a taxi).

This is advantageous if you run into traffic on the way there, again, thanks to the flat rate. Additionally, considering John Wayne is the closest airport to the Disneyland Resort, you'll pay a much smaller rate versus coming from LAX or Burbank.

John Wayne Airport has its own dedicated ride sharing space. You'll find it on the top level of the parking structures A2, B2, and Terminal C. Keep in mind that this is the only area where rideshare drivers will pick you up and you MUST be there prior to summoning a ride.

Of course, time of day and current traffic conditions could cause your rate to spike or even worse, if there's significant demand at the moment you need a ride, surge pricing could kick in which can double or triple (or higher) your rate.

You can somewhat protect yourself from surge pricing by scheduling your ride ahead of time. Both Uber and Lyft allow you to schedule rides up to 90 days in advance. However, it isn't unheard of for drivers to cancel your ride at the last minute in favor of higher pay during a surge. So be warned of that possibility.

Another way to protect yourself from surge pricing is by using Wingz instead of Uber or Lyft. Wingz focuses and specializes in airport pick ups, offering its riders the ability to book up to two months in advance, have a locked-in rate, and book specific drivers (personally, I LOVE this perk).

*Use this link to sign up for Wingz and receive a $5 credit towards your first ride.

Shuttle Service and Anaheim Resort Transit (ART)

Unfortunately, there’s no official Disney shuttle service from John Wayne to the parks (or hotels). Don't fret, because you still have a few options. First, check with your hotel. Some of them offer complimentary shuttle service from area airports directly to the hotel for registered guests.

It's bad news if you're staying at one of the three Disney resort hotels, as neither of them offer airport transfers. Disney does recommend a third party service, Karmel Shuttle, if needed. Karmel offers shared and private shuttle service, as well as town cars and large SUVs, if needed.

Karmel Shuttle is one of two most reputable airport transfer service providers in the area, the second being Prime Time Shuttle. Looking at Prime Time Shuttle's website, it appears as though they offer town cars, SUVs, and Limos, but not traditional shuttles. In my opinion, those two would be your best options.

They're pretty far apart on rates, with Karmel offering a private sedan from the airport to the Disney Resort area for about $150 and Prime Time offering the same sedan for just under $70 (after a discount). Also with Karmel, a shared shuttle commands just over $75 while a private shuttle would set you back $122.

The next runner up would be the Anaheim Resort Transit (ART) through their off-shoot brand, EVE (Everyone Ventures Everywhere). While the rates are minimal, I've seen numerous online reviews stating that the service is highly unreliable and they take forever to reach your destination due to all the stops they make.

There are other options, mind you. A quick Google search results in dozens of transportation services. However, Karmel and Prime Time are the two that almost always appear at the top of the search results and appear to be the most reputable. Additionally, Disney recommends Karmel.

​Word of warning! Whatever you do, DO NOT book with a company called "24/7 Ride". They burned me badly one time by taking my money and no-showing the pick up time. I had an early flight out of LAX and had to scramble at the literal last minute.

I was eventually emailed by them (HOURS later) stating that my ride had been canceled as they do not operate that early. This is despite "24/7" being in the literal name of the business. I'm not the only one, either. Their Yelp page is loaded with similar (and worse) experiences. Out of 2,484 reviews…2,018 of them are one star rated.

Moral of the story...stick with reputable companies and don't get burned. If it's too good to be true, it likely is.

Orange County Transit Authority (OCTA)

Finally, the OCTA offers a network of interlinked bus routes from the airport and throughout Orange County and connects to additional public transportation options. Keep in mind that going this route, while financially beneficial, would require several transfers and walking between stops. This isn’t exactly ideal when you’re hauling kids and luggage around.

At the end of the day, I still recommend going the ride sharing route, with Wingz, particularly. You just can’t beat the convenience, flat rate, and direct access to your destination. If your group is large, then definitely consider the private shuttle service through Karmel. If you’re feeling boujee, then book that limo through Prime Time.

To recap, here are the links to companies mentioned in this post in no particular oder:

• Prime Time Shuttle

• Karmel Shuttle

• ART and EVE

• Orange County Transit Authority

• Wingz

• Uber

• Lyft

• John Wayne Airport (SNA)

Also, if you’re still researching a hotel for your Disneyland vacation, check out my personal reviews of Hotel Indigo Anaheim and Four Points by Sheraton. Both of these hotels are within walking distance to Disneyland and are solid options.

2026 Disney California Adventure Food and Wine Festival Guide

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe will add value to my readers.

What began back in 2006 as a small celebration with just two food booths has blossomed into perhaps the biggest festival held at the Disneyland Resort. These days, the California Food and Wine Festival, not to be confused with its EPCOT counterpart, isn’t to be missed.

With participation from upwards of ten food booths (or, marketplaces), multiple brick and mortar restaurants, food carts, culinary demonstrations, entertainment offerings, cooking classes, and more, it can seem daunting to figure it all out.

In this post, I’m going to list the festival’s offerings and help you to figure out where everything is, based on my experience attending the event. Not all details have been released about the 2026 festival, so I’ll be using information from prior years to lay it all out. Let’s get into it…

2026 California Food and Wine Festival Dates

Dates for the 2026 California Food and Wine Festival haven’t been announced yet. However, the event typically begins in early February or March and ends sometime in late April.

When the exact dates are made public, I will update this post accordingly.

Food and Wine Sip and Savor Pass

If the main focus of your trip is to experience as much of the food and drink offerings as you can, then the Sip and Savor Pass is an essential component to the experience. Depending on which one you purchase and how you use it, it can actually save you money.

I’ve already written an extensive post about the Sip and Savor Pass which you can read here, so instead of a deep dive, I’ll simply cover the basics. The Sip and Savor Pass comes with either four or eight allotments, which you can redeem for select festival food and drink items.

If you’re a Magic Key holder, you’ll receive a slight discount on the 8-count card, but not on the 4-count version. Since you’re essentially pre-paying for multiple items at once, the more higher priced items you redeem your allotments for, the better your savings will be.

To redeem your allotments, present your card to the cast member taking your order and they’ll scan the back of it. You’ll then be handed a receipt which will display the total number of remaining allotments your card has.

As stated above, to get the most of your Sip and Savor Pass, use your allotments for the higher priced items. I say this because depending on the price of an item, you could actually lose money if you don’t pay attention.

For example, in 2024, the price of a four allotment pass was $31. Broken down, that meant each allotment was worth $7.75. Most food items were either at or higher than that price. However, most non-alcoholic drinks and some desserts were priced below that.

Therefore, every time somebody used one of their allotments for those, they actually lost money. If you’re keen on a drink or two, use your allotments on food and just pay for the drinks and certain desserts out of pocket. Note that your allotments cannot be used for beer, cocktails or wine.

Again, for a deeper dive into the Sip and Savor Pass, read my comprehensive post about it here. In it, I break down the math on both versions of the pass, where and what you cannot use it on, and more.

Food and Wine Festival Marketplaces

One of the main offerings during the Food and Wine Festival are a variety of themed marketplaces, each offering its own menu specific to that theme. Don’t expect to receive large portions at these booths. Each food item is typically priced around $8 to $9 and are considered “sample sizes”, for the most part.

We don’t yet know the themes for the 2026 festival, but we do know that much like in 2024, there will be ten featured marketplaces. Keep an eye on this post as I’ll update it with the theme names as they become known.

Marketplace Locations

Locations could always change, but Disney typically keeps the marketplaces in the same general areas. The Performance Corridor, which is the pathway leading from the hub at Buena Vista Street and passes Avengers Campus, Cars Land, San Fransokio, and the entrance to Pixar Pier, usually has 3-4 of them.

Additionally, you’ll also find one or two in the Paradise Gardens area, and another one or two in the Hollywoodland Backlot. Finally, there’s often one tucked away near the Grizzly River Run water wheel, at the end of the Embarcadero buildings.

The marketplaces are open daily during the entirety of the festival, operating from 10:30am to 9pm. We don’t yet have a foodie guide for the 2026 festival but to see examples of the offerings, see my list of 17 items my wife and I tried at the 2024 Food and Wine Festival. A few of those will definitely be repeats this year.

The festival food and drink offerings don’t end with the marketplaces. At several of the traditional restaurants, such as Wine Country Trattoria and Lamplight Lounge, there are usually one or two festival-specific items added. The exact restaurants vary by year, but generally, most of them participate in some manner.

The Paradise Gardens area transforms into the Festival Beer Garden, offering a variety of beers and wines from all over, but with a heavy focus on southern California beers. Additionally, Sonoma Terrace typically offers special wine tasting events as well.

Select Downtown Disney restaurants also get in on the act. The official list changes every year, but you’ll generally see Jazz Kitchen participating to some extent. I wouldn’t be surprised to see relative newcomers, such as Great Maple American Eatery, Centrico, and possibly Din Tai Fung participate.

Event Entertainment and Limited Time Specials

Another fan-favorite aspect of the Food and Wine Festival are the numerous entertainment offerings throughout the event, namely the live musical acts. A variety of bands make appearances throughout each day on two stages throughout Paradise Gardens Park.

Also in Paradise Gardens Park, near the entrance to the Little Mermaid attraction, is where the Jammin’ Chefs perform. It’s a 12-minute performance featuring Disney characters such as Chip, Dale, and Daisy Duck, dancing to music while the chefs perform with pots, pans and other common kitchen ware.

As far as special character meet and greets are concerned, the only one specifically for the festival is Chef Goofy. Normally, the only way you would see Chef Goofy is if you paid for a character meal at Goofy’s Kitchen. You’ll find him in the Hollywood Backlot, near the Hollywood backdrop photo-op.

During Food and Wine, Soarin’ Over California returns to the park. In 2016, this original version of Soarin’ was replaced with the updated, Soarin’ Around the World. Since then, fans clamored for the California film to return, so Disney began bringing it back during the festival, probably to quiet us all down.

Beyond these, there are numerous culinary demonstrations featuring well known chefs from around the world, cooking classes guests can partake in, tasting seminars, and other related activities. You can view and book from the schedule here.

Limited Time Merchandise

Finally, it wouldn’t be a Disney event without corresponding, limited-time merchandise. Corkcicle, who is a huge sponsor of the event, usually has several limited edition tumblers available for purchase. In 2024, Disney sold these Corkcicle champagne flutes (pictured above) that came with a serving of your drink of choice.

Of course, Disney features a wide variety of their own branded merchandise for the event as well. You’ll surely see the usual line up of spirit jerseys, Loungefly bags, pins, Mickey ears, t-shirts, hoodies, glass ware and more. You can find merch at the booths and carts set up along the Performance Corridor, as well as in the gift shops on Buena Vista Street.

In addition to the Disney branded merchandise, you’ll also find several third party companies and individuals offering a wide range of specialty products and foods. We did one where cast members digitally drew caricatures of my wife and I, and placed a print of them onto a wine bootle with fairy lights inside.

Our artist did such a fantastic job. She even went the extra mile and included the Inked with Wanderlust logo that was on my hat. This souvenir, while expensive, was super unique and unlike anything we’ve purchased in a theme park.

Let me know in the comment section below if you’ve been to the Food and Wine Festival before or if you’re planning to visit in 2026 for the first time. For my wife and I, it’s our second favorite event at the park, right after Oogie Boogie Bash, of course.

Oogie Boogie Bash 2025 Dates and Prices (+ Villain Info)

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe will add value to my readers.

Recently, Disney made a slew of announcements regarding a multitude of Disneyland’s special events in 2025. One such announcement was the official Oogie Boogie Bash 2025 dates. Which was somewhat of a surprise considering we don’t normally receive that information until closer to the middle of the year.

In 2024, the Halloween season at the Disneyland Resort began earlier than ever in August. Oogie Boogie Bash also followed suit, with a few events held in August for the first time. Disney will continue that trend in 2025, only with expanded dates in August starting even earlier in the month than before.

Oogie Boogie Bash held its first event of 2024 on August 25. In 2025, the first event will be on August 17. Additionally, Disney will hold more OBB events in 2025 than they ever have before, with 31 total confirmed dates (as compared to 2024’s 27, which was the previous record until now).

Here’s the full list of Oogie Boogie Bash 2025 dates in August (dates with a strikethrough are sold out):

• August 17, 2025

• August 19, 2025

• August 21, 2025

• August 24, 2025

• August 26, 2025

• August 28, 2025

• August 31, 2025

Here’s a full list of Oogie Boogie Bash dates in September 2025 (dates with a strikethrough are sold out):

• September 2, 2025

• September 9, 2025

• September 11, 2025

• September 14, 2025

• September 16, 2025

• September 18, 2025

• September 21, 2025

• September 23, 2025

• September 25, 2025

• September 28, 2025

• September 30, 2025

Lastly, here are the Oogie Boogie Bash October 2025 dates (dates with a strikethrough are sold out):

• October 2, 2025

• October 5, 2025

• October 7, 2025

• October 9, 2025

• October 12, 2025

• October 14, 2025

• October 16, 2025

• October 19, 2025

• October 21, 2025

• October 23, 2025

• October 26, 2025

• October 28, 2025

• October 31, 2025

When Do Oogie Boogie Bash Tickets Go On Sale?

(New updates below this section)

Unfortunately, the answer to that question (as well as date-specific pricing) wasn’t included in the media release. However, thanks to historical data (and first hand experience), we do have a general idea as to when they’ll go on sale and for how much.

Typically, Disney releases date specific pricing and sales date information in June of each year. In 2024, specifically, pricing and dates were announced in the middle of the month, with the first sale date occurring the following week on June 27.

While Disney could always surprise us again, I suspect they’ll stick with the usual June timeline. Last year, the event carried a price range between $134 - $189. Generally, August and early September dates were at the lower end of the spectrum.

The closer it got to Halloween, though, the prices tipped towards the higher end, with Halloween night itself commanding the highest. These prices were nearly identical to 2023, with Disney opting to increase profits via expanding the number of dates versus raising prices.

Considering they’ve expanded Oogie Boogie Bash 2025 dates even further, It’s possible they’ll repeat this strategy. Conversely, I also anticipate a fair share of individual dates will be priced higher than they were last year, as that seemed to be the formula in 2024.

That said, 2024 was wrought with price hikes. Hotel rates, magic keys, multi-day tickets, you name it. Nothing was safe. There’s a good chance Disney will keep that ball rolling by raising prices by $5 to $10, effectively pushing the high end to the $199 mark.

I’m not encouraging them, but Disney can charge even more than that and still sell out. While it took longer than it had historically, OBB 2024 dates all sold out. As they have every year since the event’s debut in 2019. Time will tell, but I don’t anticipate a huge price increase, if anything at all.

*UPDATE: Disney announced that Oogie Boogie Bash 2025 tickets will go on sale to the general public on June 26, no earlier than 9am (pst). Magic Key holders will enjoy earlier sale dates, with Inspire Key holders getting the jump over everyone on June 24 and on June 25, all other key tiers will have their turn.

*UPDATE: Ticket prices did increase as expected. The new range is $139 to $199. That’s a $5 dollar jump on the low end and a $10 dollar jump on the high end. There are six dates in August and September at the $139 price point, with Halloween night being the sole date at the $199 mark. If you’re looking to save, then aim for an event in either August or early September.

Oogie Boogie Bash Villains 2025

(New updates below this section)

The biggest draw of any special event at Disneyland is arguably the characters, but this is especially true for Oogie Boogie Bash. Each year, the event features around eight or nine rarely seen villains, largely portrayed by face actors. Additionally, there are numerous costumed characters conducting traditional meet and greets.

In 2024, the Oogie Boogie Bash villains line up included:

• Ernesto de la Cruz

• Dr. Doofensmirtz (new for 2024)

• Judge Doom

• Sid

• Yokai

• Oogie Boogie

• Hades (new-ish for 2024)

• Agatha Harkness

• Mad Madam Mim

Disney usually retains the more popular villains, with Sid and Oogie Boogie himself being the sole originals from the first OBB. Ernesto de la Cruz made his debut in 2022 and has remained a mainstay ever since. If you’ve never seen him before, you’re in for quite the experience (psst - read my Oogie Boogie Bash characters guide to learn how to see all of them, and others, in one night).

Mad Madam Mim, Yokai, and Agatha Harkness were also repeats from the 2022 and 2023 events. In 2025, I would definitely expect Yokai to return, as he’s the only real villain you could place in San Fransokyo Square.

I would be surprised to see Agatha return, as her Disney Plus series didn’t exactly pull stellar numbers and there will be tons of construction for the Avengers Campus expansion still going on at that time. If anything, I would expect a different Marvel villain this time around (Doc Ock, preferably).

Dr. Doof and Hades were the freshmen villains last year and were a mega-hit with guests. Their return in 2025 is a near certainty, in my opinion. Same goes for Judge Doom, who debuted in 2023 and has also been a fan favorite. And of course, you can’t have OBB without the host himself, Oogie Boogie.

For me, the wildcards this year are Mad Madam Mim and Sid. As mentioned above, Sid has been appearing since OBB’s inception and Madam Mim has been around since 2022. Both are great, but Disney commonly introduces two new villains each year and it may be their time to bow out.

My money is on Sid and Madam Mim bowing out this year. Personally, I would love nothing more than to see a face actress portray the Old Hag from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The actresses currently portraying Madam Mim would kill it, for sure.

We likely won’t know what the Oogie Boogie Bash villains line up will be until the first event. Similar to prior years, we’ll likely get teasers of who the new additions will be. Now that the Oogie Boogie Bash 2025 dates have been revealed early, though, there’s a chance we’ll learn the villain line up early as well.

Oogie Boogie Bash Characters 2025 Update

Disney recently released an Oogie Boogie Bash-themed map revealing certain aspects of the event, including characters. As suspected, there isn’t much changing in 2025 with familiar favorites returning - such as Villains Grove and Frightfully Fun Parade.

It also revealed specific villains returning. These include Judge Doom, Hades, Dr. Doof, Ernesto de la Cruz, Yokai, Agatha and Oogie Boogie himself. One surprise was the all-but-confirmed return of Hagatha.

Between the underwhelming performance of her Disney Plus series and the ongoing construction in Avengers Campus, I was certain we wouldn’t see her return this year. With all the amazing villains in the Marvel canon, it’s a head scratcher why Disney won’t pull the trigger and replace her.

It’s no surprise to see Ernesto returning, as he’s become a fan-favorite (and rightfully so). Dr. Doof and Hades were the two debuts in 2024, so their return is also no surprise. The two missing from the graphic, though, are the two I predicted would be replaced when this post was originally published - Mad Madam Mim and Sid.

Sid is an original Oogie Boogie Bash villain, having been at every event since the inaugural 2019 OBB. He’s become a fan-favorite over the years, with his roast-style crowd interactions being legendary amongst Disney fans.

Based on the graphic, though, it appears as though 2024 was Sid’s final year. As well as Mad Madam Mim. It has become tradition in recent years for Disney to introduce two new villains each year. It does a fine job at causing FOMO with those who’re on the fence about attending the event.

Whichever villain will replace Mad Madam Mim will be a wildcard, with my hope of it being the Old Hag (Snow White) or Yzma (Emperor’s New Grove). Sid’s replacement is all but guaranteed to be a Pixar villain, given the location.

We will likely see teasers from Disney as the event draws near, but I’m going to drop my predictions now (based on nothing but gut instinct). My three guesses as to who it’ll be are Stinky Peat (Toy Story), Charles Muntz (Up), or Syndrome (Incredibles). I’ll be sure to update this post once the new villains are announced. For now, be sure to read my 12 Oogie Boogie Bash Tips here.

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Lightning Lane Disneyland Tiers Explained

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe will add value to my readers.

Lightning Lane, the newest incarnation of Disney’s ever-evolving line skipping service, is offered at the Disneyland Resort in California, as well Walt Disney World. This post is going to focus on Lightning Lane at Disneyland, as there are a few differences from its Florida counterpart.

While the service is fairly simple in application, figuring it out can be downright confusing to casual guests who either haven’t been to the park in a while. For starters, as of October 2024, there are now three levels to Lightning Lane, each with their own price-point, perks and usage limits. They are:

• Lighting Lane Premiere Pass (LLPP)

• Lightning Lane Multi-Pass (LLMP)

• Lightning Lane Single Pass (LLSP)

In the post below, I’m going to discuss these three tiers and their details. Topics such as what they cost, how to use them, what you can and can’t do with them, which attractions are included, and more, will be covered. Let’s get into it.

Lightning Lane Single Pass Cost & Info

Lightning Lane Single Pass (or…LLSP) is currently only offered at two attractions - Rise of the Resistance (ROTR) in Disneyland and Radiator Springs Racers in Disney California Adventure. These attractions often see the highest average wait times and thus, are not included with Lightning Lane Multi-Pass (which we’ll discuss later).

LLSP allows you to purchase one-time access to these attractions, up to twice in a single day. So if you’re in Disneyland for the day and want to ride ROTR twice, you can purchase LLSP at the attraction both times. Conversely, if you have a park hopper, you can purchase it for ROTR and Racers, once each.

No matter how you slice it, you’re limited to two LLSP purchases per person, per day. Also, there is no set price for LLSP, as it’s subject to dynamic pricing, meaning it fluctuates based on crowd levels for a particular day.

On average, the cost of “Rise” is usually set at $26. The absolute lowest I’ve seen it at was $22 and highest was $30. At “Racers”, the average tends to be $22. Though I’ve seen it hit the $25 mark in the past, and I’ve seen it as low as $17 on more than a few occasions.

Keep in mind that this is per person and LLSP is your only recourse for utilizing their Lightning Lanes. Again, they are not included in Lightning Lane Multi-Pass. However, they are included with Lightning Lane Premiere Pass, which we’ll discuss in greater detail below.

In the past, several other attractions, including WEB Slingers and Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway were a part of LLSP, but were moved to LLMP once the initial hype died down. Currently, LLSP is not offered at Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, Disneyland’s newest attraction.

Lightning Lane Multi-Pass Cost & Info

Lightning Lane Multi-Pass is the main arm of the service, the one in which most guests will purchase. It includes all Lightning Lane Disneyland attractions, with the exception of the two discussed above. You can view of full list of attractions here, but a few notables include:

• Matterhorn Bobsleds

• Space Mountain

• Indiana Jones Adventure

• Haunted Mansion

• Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway

• Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission BREAKOUT!

• WEB Slingers

• Soarin’ Over the World

• Incredicoaster

• Toy Story Mania

At Disneyland, you can buy LLMP at the time of your ticket purchase at the set price of $32 per ticket, per day. For example, if you’re purchasing a three-day ticket and want to add LLMP to it, you’ll be charged $96 (32 x 3 = 96) for the add on.

When purchasing ahead of time, there’s no way to purchase just one or two days of that three-day ticket. You must pay for all three days up front. Likewise if you’re purchasing a two, four, or five-day ticket. If you’ll only want LLMP on certain days, you’ll need to purchase day-of, and there’s a major downside to that.

Purchasing day-of puts you at risk of paying more for the service, as day-of pricing is subject to demand, with the average cost at $36-$39 per ticket. Provided, if your goal is to only use it for one of your three-day (or more) visit, it’ll be much less than buying all three days.

Note that once you’ve completed your ticket purchase, you cannot go back and add LLMP onto it later. Once purchase is complete, you’ll have no choice but to purchase the service day-of. Be sure of what you want to do prior to buying your tickets.

Using LLMP gives you potential access to each Lightning Lane eligible attraction. I say “potential” because you’re not guaranteed access to any attraction, as it may be closed for refurbishment, temporarily out of service, or simply out of return times for the day.

Using LLMP is relatively simple. You access the portal using the Disneyland app (you must have the app in order to use the service), tap “Book Lightning Lane Entry”, then select the attraction and return time that works best for you. Return times are in one-hour windows.

Once you’ve selected a return time, you cannot select another until:

• Two hours have passed

• You’ve scanned into the attraction

• You cancel the current selection

Note that unlike at Walt Disney World, you cannot select a specific return time window. If the presented return time for the attraction you want doesn’t work for you, you’ll need to refresh or check again at a later time.

Generally speaking, cast members are trained to hold you to your return time. If you arrive early, you likely won’t be allowed through. However, there was an instance where I arrived early to an attraction, thinking I was on time, and the CM let me go anyway. Don’t count on this, though, as I’m pretty sure it was her last day (or close to it).

Likewise, if you’re late, there’s a 50/50 chance of the CM letting you in. If you’re late due to a conflicting dining reservation, show the CM a screenshot of it and you’ll likely be allowed in. Otherwise, ask nicely and they may throw some magic your way.

It’s important to note that while a majority of the most popular rides are included with LLMP, not all of them are. These include:

• Every attraction in Fantasyland (with the exception of “it’s a small world”)

• Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage

• Jungle Cruise

• Disneyland Railroad & Disneyland Monorail

• Tiana’s Bayou Adventure (eventually will be)

• Jessie’s Critter Carousel

• Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind

• Every attraction in Paradise Gardens (with the exception of Goofy’s Sky School)

In 2024, after Splash Mountain was shuttered and Haunted Mansion went down for a long term refurbishment, the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction was “temporarily” added to LLMP to offer more value to the service, with the promise of its removal once the aforementioned rides were once again online.

As of November, Haunted Mansion is once again on LLMP and I expect Tiana’s Bayou Adventure to be added in the coming months (probably after the holidays). While it’s possible Disney will keep their word and remove Pirates from Lightning Lane, I’m expecting the opposite.

Since its inception, Disney has been trying to make Lightning Lane as appealing as possible. They’ve added several attractions to the line up that, due to their reputations as “people eaters”, didn’t necessarily need LL. The most infamous being the Little Mermaid attraction in DCA.

These moves were done in order to add a perception of additional value to LLMP. Including Pirates, in my opinion, was always part of the plan and the two neighboring attractions being closed was the perfect excuse. Pirates will likely remain on LL, especially with the addition of Lightning Lane Premiere Pass.

Lightning Lane Premiere Pass

The premiere tier is the newest (and most expensive) arm of Lightning Lane at Disneyland, debuting in the final months of 2024. I’ve already written about LLPP extensively in another post you can view here so to avoid repetition, I’m just going to cover the basics.

LLPP is the top tier, offering guests a similar, yet different service as opposed to LLMP. With premiere, every LL attraction is included, including Radiator Springs Racers and Rise of the Resistance, which aren’t included with LLMP.

Perhaps the most notable difference of premiere is the ability to access each attraction whenever you want. Unlike LLMP, you’re not beholden to return times, though you’re still limited to one-time use at each attraction.

This service is especially advantageous for those with a one-day park hopper ticket. Premiere Pass gets you on every LL attraction in both parks for the same price. But you must have a park hopper ticket to take advantage. Otherwise, you’re restricted to a single park.

This means you could, in theory, go through each LL attraction in quick succession, enabling you to potentially ride every attraction in one day with relative ease. If you only have one or two days at the park and have money to burn, this service is a great option.

Like most Disney upgrades, LLPP doesn’t come cheap. For the remainder of 2024, LLPP will set you back a staggering $400 per ticket, per day. In 2025, the price will vary between $300 - $400, based on daily demand.

Early reports from those who’ve used premiere pass have been mostly positive, with the main gripe being the cost. Again, if you’re short on time and rides are your priority, you may want to give premiere pass serious consideration. Again, read my post on LLPP for more details.

Is Disneyland’s Lightning Lane Worth It?

Whether or not Lighting Lane is worth it is a matter of perspective and personal preference. Personally, I’ve done the parks with and without Lightning Lane Multi-Pass, and had a great time under each scenario. It all depends on you and what you want to achieve.

As discussed above, if you’re limited on time with only a day or two in the parks, and you’ve never been to Disneyland or rarely go, I would definitely recommend purchasing Lightning Lane. The premiere level, specifically, if you have the money to spend.

More and more, the days of there being “slow periods” at Disneyland are slimming. There are still a handful, but nowhere near what it was pre-covid. Lightning Lane is often loathed by Disney fans but considering today’s crowd levels, it’s almost a necessity on some days.

That said, I only recommend Lightning Lane to those who don’t visit very often and prioritize attractions. If you tend to visit often and prioritize other elements and offerings, then I would say there are better things you could spend your money on.

I’ve had a range of experiences with LLMP. Some days were good, as I was able to tackle many attractions. Other days, it was so over-sold that return times were often multiple hours out, severely hampering the number of rides I could access.

For my wife and I, we prefer not to spend the extra money on LLMP and just remain vigilant on checking wait times in the Disneyland app. Conversely, I almost always purchase LLSP at Rise and Racers once each during our visits, as those queues are rarely not long.

You just need to sit down with your group and decide what’s most important to you. Don’t concern yourself too much with time of year and potential crowd levels, as those have largely been craft-shoots in the post-covid era. For the most part, Disneyland is always busy.

If you’ll for sure want to ride Racers and Rise and don’t want to wait long, be sure to budget LLSP (if you’ve mostly skimmed through this post, I listed average price-points for these above). From there, if your group wants to hit up as many rides as possible, then LLMP or LLPP (if budget allows it) are the way to go.

If you’re planning a vacation to Disneyland, be sure to visit Get Away Today. They’re simply the best Disney vacation planners out there, and offer a wide-range of hotel and ticket packages. Additionally, they’re one of the few places where you can make payments on Disneyland tickets. They’re highly reputable, and will take care of you every step of the way.

Three Disneyland After Dark Events Confirmed for 2025

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Recently, Disney updated the ‘After Dark’ page of their website and quietly confirmed the return of three after dark themes returning in 2025. They are Sweetheart’s Nite, Star Wars Nite and Pride Nite. All three ran multiple dates in 2024, however, there’s one notable absence from the list - Disney Channel Nite.

While not outright confirmed by Disney, it does appear as though Disney Channel Nite failed to make the cut for 2025. It’s no surprise, really. The event only ran for two dates in 2024 and both took an abnormally long time to sell out. While my wife and I had a great time during our experience at the event, it’s no surprise Disney decided against a repeat, as that’s usually an indication of a lack of interest on the guest’s part.

Looping back to the three that did make the cut, the only confirmation was that they were returning. There wasn’t any information as to dates, price, and activities released. However, there is plenty of historical data to look back on to summarize. But first…

What are After Dark Events?

If you’ve never heard of Disneyland After Dark events, they’re after-hours, hard-ticketed events held during the first half of the year at Disneyland. By ‘hard-ticketed’, I mean they’re not included with your regular park ticket and you’ll need to purchase an event-specific ticket in order to attend.

On event nights, Disneyland park will close early to regular park guests, usually at 9pm. Guests with an event ticket are allowed entry into the park three hours prior to start time and are given a wristband. If a guest doesn’t have one, they’ll be asked to leave once the park closes.

Aside from Oogie Boogie Bash, which isn’t generally considered part of the after dark line up, the events run for four hours, from 9pm to 1am. During the party, guests are treated to special photo opportunities, rare character appearances, dance parties, parades, specialty food and drink options, event merchandise, and more.

Now, let’s take a look at Disneyland’s 2025 after dark line up and what they entail.

Sweethearts Nite

First, we’ll discuss Sweethearts Nite, as this will be the first after dark event held in 2025. Sweethearts Nite takes place on select nights in late January and February, with the final event usually taking place on or shortly after Valentine’s Day.

In 2024, tickets for Sweethearts Nite started at $139 and topped out at $169, with dates closer to and on Valentine’s Day commanding the higher end of the pricing spectrum. During the event, the main attraction were rare character appearances and meet and greets, including Indiana Jones and Marion.

Sweethearts Nite has been a mainstay since Disney started running after dark events in 2019 and has gotten more and more popular every year. Tickets sell out quickly and typically go on sale in November. I expect expanded dates this year, still throughout the months of January and February, though.

Star Wars Nite

Star Wars Nite has been another popular addition to the after dark line up over the years. Year after year, it’s usually the event with the most dates and they often coincide with “Season of the Force”, a separate event that takes place during the day in Tomorrowland and Galaxy’s Edge.

In 2024, Disney ran multiple event nights, more than prior years, throughout the months of April and May. Like Sweethearts Nite, tickets topped out at $169, however, started much higher at $159. And unlike prior years, it look an exceptionally long time to sell out.

You could argue that was because prices were higher and there were more dates, and you wouldn’t be wrong. Those aspects certainly played a part, but I feel it had more to do with the lack of any substantial changes made to the event and guests (locals, namely) grew tired of it.

The event did eventually sell out, making its return in 2025 an all-but-certain reality, which has now proven to be accurate. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if Disney ran fewer nights next year. Look for tickets to Star Wars Nite to go on sale in February 2025.

Pride Nite

Returning for its third year, Pride Nite has been quite successful for Disney, offering the LGBTQ+ community and their allies their own night of celebration. Historically speaking, there aren’t many dates offered for this event, with only two in 2023 and 2024, respectively. However, based on its past success, I expect that to change in 2025.

At past events, Pride Nite featured rare character appearances, photo opportunities, specialty menu items, a pride parade (cavalcade style) down Main Street U.S.A, a Ohana dance party featuring Lilo and Stitch, line dancing at the Golden Horseshoe Saloon, and more.

June is pride month, and Disney will likely continue to hold Pride Nites in that month. Following the usual two month in advance sales pattern, expect tickets for Pride Nite 2025 to go on sale in April.

Will There Be a Fourth After Dark Event?

The presumed exclusion of Disney Channel Nite leaves an open slot for a fourth after dark event, which begs the question as to what it’ll be, assuming Disney even wants to do one. It seems as though Disney is desperately trying to create an event that appeals to nostalgic millennials, with Throwback Nite in 2023 and Disney Channel Nite in 2024, and just haven’t been able to nail it down, so-to-speak.

With March being the spiritual halfway point to Disneyland’s Halloween season, they could take another crack at a Villains Nite, like they did in 2022, to piggyback on the ever growing success of Oogie Boogie Bash. Disney likes to make a big deal out of the “Halfway to Halloween” celebration, so running Villains Nite events during that period could be a great way to drum up additional hype.

While I don’t necessarily believe this to be the case, as millennials have been cash-cows for Disney in recent years, there’s the argument that Disney could be moving away from nostalgia-related events and towards something recent. What that would be, exactly, remains a mystery.

As stated above, though, I don’t think that’s the case. Nostalgia is big business across multiple industries. But none, in my opinion, know how to capitalize and deliver on it better than Disney. They just need to iron out the theme and its marketing, and tickets will undoubtedly sell fast.

Of course, considering 2025 is Disneyland’s 70th anniversary, which will undoubtedly be a year-long celebration at the park, it’s possible Disney is simply applying the nostalgia elements (and budget) to that rather than holding a singular event, and then launch another Disney Channel or Throwback-style event in 2026.

Either way, we won’t know for sure what Disney is doing until they themselves make the announcement. However, I don’t see a reason why they wouldn’t announce the return of Disney Channel Nite with the other three if they had any intention of holding it.

That being said, I do believe the three announced after dark events are all we’re getting, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I would rather Disney increase the amount of nostalgic-related elements of an after dark event to the park’s daily offerings during the 70th anniversary, than to have to pay additional money to see it.

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When Will Magic Key Passes Be Available? (Pricing, Tiers and More)

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After recently raising the prices for two of the four Magic Key tiers (among other things), Disney is once again resuming sales of all Magic Keys this November, and sales will continue until supply has run out.

Imagine Key, the park’s SoCal resident-exclusive offering, and Enchant Key have been available since August. Listing all the tiers indicates Disney is preparing to boost attendance this holiday season, as well as cash in on holiday gift giving.

In this post, I’m going to cover several topics related to Disneyland Magic Keys. I’ll discuss when the next confirmed or expected sales date will be, current pricing, tier levels and benefits, park hopping privileges and more. Let’s get into it!

When will Magic Key passes be available in 2025/2026?

Disney has recently announced the next sales event for Disneyland Magic Keys. It will be on November 4, 2025, at no earlier than 9am, PST. You can enter an online waiting room (and I suggest you do so) beginning at 8:45am.

All four passes, including the Inspire Key, which is Disney’s top key offering. Disney does this periodically when it sees renewals dwindling and wants a boost in attendance and/or sales. This helps to somewhat regulate crowd levels, manufacture demand, and make the books look good for investors meetings.

It works in the same vain as the fictitious “Disney Vault” did for Disney movie VHS DVDs Blu Rays. Put a ticking clock on the release and then lock it away for a time. By the time the next release comes around, those who previously missed out will likely make it a point to not miss the boat again.

Disneyland Magic Key Tiers, Price and Benefits (2025/2026)

Much like the original iteration of the program, there are four tiers of magic keys to choose from. Each has its own price, benefits and amount of blockout dates. Thanks to a class-action lawsuit in 2022, all Disneyland magic keys now come with blockout dates.

As far as benefits are concerned, all four have the same general benefits, though with varying levels. For example, you get a better discount on dining and merchandise with one key over another, but all keys do offer a discount.

Additionally, only the top tier key, the Inspire, includes complimentary parking. The remaining three keys offer discounts on parking, and only at certain parking lots, depending on the key you choose. Let’s take a look at the tiers and what they offer:

Inspire Key Price: $1899 (or $150 per month after $99 down payment)

This is the Rolls-Royce of the Disneyland Magic Key program. If you visit the parks a lot and want the best benefits available with the lowest amount of blockout dates, this is the pass for you. Currently, the only blockout dates with this pass are the two weeks around Christmas and New Years. Every other day is fair game, provided there is reservation availability. Inspire Key benefits include:

• Reservation-based entry on the majority of dates throughout the year

• Hold up to 6 park reservations at a time

• 25% off of Lightning Lane Multi-Pass

• Unlimited PhotoPass photo digital downloads

• Up to 20% off merchandise

• Up to 15% off dining

• Free standard parking at Mickey & Friends, Pixar Pals, and Toy Story

• Park hopping included (after 11am)

Based on tier 0 days, which are days when Disneyland charges the least amount of money for an adult, one-day park hopper ticket, the break even point for this tier is eleven visits. If you’re a local, you visit the parks more than most, typically park your own vehicle, and often indulge in Disneyland’s restaurants and gift shops, this key is a bargain despite the high price-point.

Believe Key Price: $1474 (or $114.59 per month after $99 down payment)

If the price of the Inspire Key gives you sticker shock, you can save by going with the Dream Key, though you’ll go down a peg or two with the benefits a bit and will have to deal with additional blockout dates. Despite the blockout dates, you’ll still have access to the majority of the year as it’s mostly during the two weeks around Christmas and New Years, spring break week, and a few random weekends.

• Reservation-based entry on most dates throughout the year

• Hold up to 6 park reservations at a time

• 25% off Lightning Lane Multi-Pass

• Unlimited PhotoPass photo digital downloads

• Up to 10% off merchandise

• Up to 10% off dining

• 50% off standard parking at Mickey & Friends, Pixar Pals, and Toy Story

• Park hopping included (after 11am)

The Believe Key’s break even point is nine visits, again, based on the price of a tier 0 adult, one day ticket with park hopper option included. This is another great option for locals who visit often, but perhaps best for those who typically take an Uber to parks, as you’ll be charged half the rate for parking. Though, with Uber’s pricing increasing in recent years, it may be more cost-effective to just pay the half rate to park yourself.

Enchant Key Price: $974 (or $72.92 per month after $99 down payment)

If you’re not a SoCal resident, this is the lowest you can go and is the most affordable option. Its price may be great, but you’ll receive less benefits and have significantly more blockout dates. Blockout dates for this key include nearly all holidays and the days surrounding them, spring break week, most weekends, and the entirety of summer.

• Reservation-based entry on select dates throughout the year

• Hold up to 4 park reservations at a time

• 25% off Lightning Lane Multi-Pass

• Up to 10% off merchandise

• Up to 10% off dining

• 25% off standard parking at the Toy Story lot ONLY

• Park hopping included

This pass comes with a break even point of just six visits, making it an ideal key for those who live close enough to Disneyland to visit often, but not close enough to be considered a local who visits weekly, or even monthly. If there are weeks or months between your visits, the limit of four reservations at a time wouldn’t hinder you much as you’d go through them rather quickly and typically, reservations are much easier to come by these days.

Imagine Key Price: $599 (or $41.67 per month after $99 down payment)

This key is only available to SoCal residents living in zip codes 90000 - 93599. Due to it being the lowest priced key for the four, it also comes with the least amount of benefits and the greatest amount of blockout dates.

• Reservation-based entry on select days throughout the year

• Hold up to 2 park reservations at a time

• 25% off Lightning Lane Multi-Pass

• Up to 10% off merchandise

• Up to 10% off dining

• 25% off standard parking at Toy Story ONLY

• Park hopping included

This key pays for itself in just four visits, but comes with a tremendous amount of blockout dates and you’re limited to just two reservations at a time. Really take the time to research the blockout calendar below and find out if it’s worth upgrading to the Enchant Key instead. It may have a great entry price, but it’s limited in just about everything else.

To see the full blockout date calendar for all four Magic Keys, go here.

As you can see, along with the increase in price, there are quite a few benefits attached to these keys than there were in prior years. At one point during its run as the AP program, Disney offered the option to upgrade your pass by paying a separate annual charge for MaxPass (the digital version of FastPass).

Instead of offering the same for Lightning Lane, Disney opted to offer the benefit of a per-purchase discount on the service for all Magic Keys. While it’s certainly better than nothing, this is clearly an attempt by Disney to increase daily sales of Lightning Lane and to not overwhelm the attraction queues.

One added benefit I particularly like is the inclusion of unlimited PhotoPass digital downlaods (be sure to check out our article on this service) for Inspire and Believe Key holders. In my opinion, this one benefit alone increases the value of the Magic Key program. Still, more could be done.

Magic Key Reservations & No-Show Policy

As you can see above, each Magic Key includes a certain amount of reservations you’re permitted to hold at any given time. The Enchant Key, for example, permits four reservations to be held at a time and the Inspire and Believe Keys include up to six.

These reservations are available on a rolling period. Meaning, if you’re an Enchant Key holder and you’ve used all four of your reservations for an upcoming trip, you won’t be able to make another reservation until you’ve either checked into the park or canceled one.

Speaking of canceling, if you’re not going to be able to make it to the park on your reservation day, be sure to follow the no-show policy or you could be suspended from making additional reservations for thirty days.

Here’s what you need to know about the Magic Key no-show policy:

• Any key holder who no-shows on three reservations in a 90-day window will be suspended from making additional reservations for 30-days

• This suspension will continue even if the current key is upgraded or renewed during the suspension

• A cancellation must take place by 11:59pm the day before the reserved date

• As long as you’re scanned into the park prior to closing on the reserved date, it will not count as a no-show

In short, do everything you can to avoid racking up no-shows. If you’re suspended and you’re on the payment plan, you’ll still be charged for that month and Disney will not extend to you another month.

Magic Key Park Hopping Benefit

Another added benefit to Magic Keys is being able to park hop without any added cost. The way you park hop is the same as a regular park ticket holder:

• From opening to 10:59am, you must start your day at the park in which you made a reservation for

• After 11am, you will then be able to hop over to the other park

• If you arrive on property after 11am, you will be able to enter either park no matter which one you made a reservation for

Let’s say you wanted to make a reservation for Disneyland Park but the only available reservations for that day are for DCA. You can use the above rule to “hack” your way in, so-to-speak. You’ll proceed with making the reservation for DCA, arrive at or shortly after 11am and simply head to Disneyland. Or simply begin your day at DCA and hop over to Disneyland after 11am.

Disneyland Magic Key Important Reminders

• Magic Keys are often renewals only. New sales of Magic Keys are suspended more than they’re not, as Disney only releases them once they’ve reached a certain threshold of non-renewals ( or a slump in attendance). The next round of Magic Key sales is scheduled for November 4, 2026.

• Park admission isn’t guaranteed. This isn’t the days of old anymore. For the foreseeable future, you’re at the mercy of the reservation system. Thankfully, it has become MUCH easier to snag reservations, even at the last minute.

• Payment plans are still a thing, but only for Californian residents. If you reside in the state, ensure your Disney account and the credit or debit card you’re using are linked to a California zip code.

• Blockout dates are now in included in EVERY key. Even the highest tiered key now includes blockout dates.

• Imagine Keys are for SoCal residents only. Unless your account is registered with a Southern Californian zip code, the Imagine Key won’t be presented to you as an option. They Enchant Key will be the lowest you could go.

• Special events are NOT included. You cannot use your Magic Key to access events such as Oogie Boogie Bash and other after dark events. Nor will you receive discounts on those tickets. You will, however, often get a jump on purchasing event tickets ahead of the general public.

Lightning Lane Premiere Pass: Disneyland’s New $400 Skip-the-Line Service

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Recently, Disney confirmed that a long-rumored addition to the Lightning Lane line up of services, Lightning Lane Premiere Pass, would be coming to the Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World. While this service is being offered at both coasts, this post will focus on Disneyland’s version.

If you don’t know what Lightning Lane is, it’s the latest iteration of Disney’s beloved FastPass service and until recently was known as “Genie Plus”. The name “Lightning Lane” was a byname for the physical queues at the individual attractions, while the service itself was called Genie Plus. This often confused guests, so the service went through a much-needed refresh in order to simplify it.

Prior to Genie Plus (and the covid-related closures) we had the paper FastPass tickets, which were free, in addition to the digital, app-based version of the program, MaxPass, which used to cost $15-$20 per person, per day. When Disneyland reopened in 2021, then Disney CEO, Bob Chapek, rolled out the loathed Genie Plus (which was nearly identical to MaxPass) and discontinued the free paper version of FastPass.

Then, as already stated, Genie Plus was done away with. Now, we have Lightning Lane Multi-Pass (LLMP), which is the standard service with multiple attractions included, and Lightning Lane Single Pass (LLSP), which grants you one-time access to two premium attractions, Star Wars - Rise of the Resistance and Radiator Springs Racers, at a separate cost per attraction.

One caveat to this service is you can only use it on each attraction one time. Additionally, you can hold only one LLMP selection at a time and cannot select another until you’ve used your current LLMP selection or until two hours have passed, whichever comes first. For example, if it’s 11:00am and you select Space Mountain with a return time of 2:05pm, you cannot make another selection until 1:00pm or until you’ve redeemed it at 2:05pm.

A few months ago, eagle-eyed fans noticed a small update in the Disneyland app which seemed to indicate that another tier was coming to the Lightning Lane line up and recently, that rumor proved to be true with the announcement of Lightning Lane Premiere Pass. Suffice it to say, Disney fans are up in arms over it. Particularly because of its price.

Lightning Lane Premiere Pass Details and Cost

Lightning Lane Premiere Pass (LLPP), debuting at Disneyland on October 23, will cost upwards of $400 per ticket, per day. Though during the initial roll-out, the service will cost a flat $400 for the remainder of 2024 and starting January 2025, will vary between $300 - $400, dependent on demand. That means that at its highest price, LLPP will cost park-goers a staggering 12.5 times more than the standard LLMP service.

While similar in nature, there are a few differences between LLPP and LLMP, such as:

• You can use it whenever you want (you’re not restricted to the two-hour rule)

• You won’t need to constantly look at your phone

• It’ll be sold in limited quantities daily

• Access includes the premium attractions not included with LLMP

Despite the high cost, you can still only use it at each attraction one time. The stand out difference is you’re not held to a quantity or time restriction. In theory, you could go from one attraction to the next in quick succession without worrying about return times.

LLPP will be available to guests to purchase up to two days prior to your visit through the Disneyland app or website. There will be limited quantities available, especially during the roll out. If this is something you’ll be interested in, be sure you’ve already purchased your ticket and have a reservation tied to it.

Unlike LLMP, you won’t be able to purchase LLPP at the time you purchase your ticket unless your ticket/reservation is within the two day timeframe and there’s available inventory. Day-of purchasing is also possible, again, provided there’s inventory available.

Another similarity of LLPP to LLMP is it’s good for Lightning Lane eligible attractions at both Disney California Adventure and Disneyland proper. However, it does not give you park hopping privileges. You will need to add the park hopper option to your tickets to access both parks, which will set you back another $65 - $75 per. Let’s take a look at a worst case scenario price for a one-day visit:

• Adult One Day Ticket on a Saturday in December: $206

• Park Hopper option: $75

• Lightning Lane Premiere Pass: $400

• Total = $681

That’s a tough pill to swallow, especially considering that’s just one adult. Families would get a small break, especially if you take advantage of the kids’ ticket deal for 2025. However, even for kids, the park hopper option and LLPP pricing doesn’t change. Your only break will be with the tickets.

Considering the average family size of those vacationing at Disneyland is four, that family would be looking at thousands for a one day visit. Tack on another two or three days and that number rises substantially. Though, I don’t feel purchasing LLPP would be necessary (or cost effective, for that matter) for a multi-day visit, but we’ll discuss that in further detail below.

There has been much criticism and flat-out angry comments on social media about this new offering from Disney. Most of those comments declaring how Disney is pricing families out and catering only to the rich. While I can sympathize, I don’t see that as the case here. Honestly, I think Disney is playing the long-game with this decision, and it has nothing to do with pricing families out.

Why Disney Lightning Lane Premiere Pass

Turning to commentary, I feel it’s important to discuss what I believe LLPP’s intended purpose is. Disney is the originator of this system, a system most theme parks today utilize in one form or another. For years, guests of Disney parks enjoyed this perk free of charge, while others charged for it.

Corporations aren’t too keen on leaving money on the table, which is why it came to no surprise to me when Disneyland first introduced MaxPass, the paid, digital version of FastPass. Since the free paper version was still being offered at the time, most didn’t mind the paid upgrade.

Like many, I knew this was just the beginning, as I predicted (mostly to myself) that Disney would eventually move to rid itself of the “free” version of FastPass and monetize it completely. They just needed an excuse, and that excuse would come in the form of a 13-month closure brought on by a global pandemic.

Disney would reopen from this closure in May 2021, but with no physical character interactions, no park hopping, reservation and face mask requirements, and most germane to this post, no FastPass or MaxPass. That’s right, only traditional stand-by queues were offered and that, coupled with low attendance, made attraction hopping a breeze.

Despite not being offered at the time, FastPass distribution kiosks and signage remained, leaving Disney fans hopeful for its (presumed) return. That return would never come, however, as then-new Disney CEO, Bob Capek, announced the impending debut of Genie Plus and the accompanying Lightning Lanes, which became the total replacement for FastPass and MaxPass.

As it pertained to FastPass, the covid-closure was a bit of a blessing for Disney. They didn’t need to spend time phasing it out and they purposely made it unavailable to guests when they reopened, which I believe was mostly a way to manufacture demand for a product guests would pay for, much like what they do with Magic Key sales.

So what does all of this have to do with Lightning Lane Premiere Pass? In my opinion, it’s the beginning of another phase-out, but this time with the intention of phasing out the low price-point of Lightning Lane Multi-Pass.

If you’ve been to the parks at all in the last few years, you’ve undoubtedly noticed the often slow-moving traditional stand-by queues. Sure, pent-up demand has played a role, but so has LLMP, which is priced insanely low compared to other theme parks offering a similar service.

Disneyland is an expensive place to visit, with many taking on debt and/or saving for years in order to treat their families to a magical vacation. For many, Disneyland is a once every few years, or once-in-a-lifetime trip. If they’re already willing to spend hundreds, or even thousands, just to walk through the gate, then they’re certainly willing to spend another $32 per person for a service that’ll help them maximize the limited time they have.

For a lot of folks visiting Disneyland, coming up with that amount, even for a family of five, isn’t much of an issue. At minimum, they’ll find a way, and this has led to Lightning Lane queues becoming over-saturated and causing the traditional stand-by queues to get longer than they need to be. It’s gotten so bad that on some days when you use LLMP, it’s almost like paying extra just to wait in another line.

How to do you fix that? The obvious answer would be to charge more and while I believe many would still pay it, you would eventually hit the mark where casual guests and Magic Key holders, who make up a large chunk of the daily attendance, would balk and not pay it.

So with less people purchasing LLMP, that would certainly solve the over-saturation issue, however, it would create a new problem - a decline in profits. The Disney bean counters would never allow it, so what does Disney do? Simple, you charge less people more money and target the right guest. Enter, Lightning Lane Premiere Pass.

At $300 - $400, LLPP is a premium product. It does virtually the same thing, only it allows for more freedom throughout your day since you wouldn’t need to concern yourself with return times, cool down periods, or being on your phone all day. These perks allow for greater flexibility and may allow you to hit every major attraction in one day.

That’s a massive selling point for those short on time. You see, it isn’t necessarily the “rich” that Disney’s targeting here, it’s those who are short on time. The ones that only have a day, maybe two to spend in the parks and are looking to maximize their time. Sure, that price-point does put LLPP out of reach for many, but there are just as many who would make it work despite their financial situation.

Back to my statement above about Disney charging more for LLMP and guests balking at it - I believe that would be the case if there wasn’t a competing, higher-priced service to make the now higher priced LLMP seem like a value by comparison. That’s what I believe the ultimate goal of LLPP is.

It’s isn’t so Disney can eliminate LLMP altogether, but raise the price, perhaps to around the $100 mark, so they can increase profits, while selling the service to less people and thus reducing the amount of congestion in the Lightning Lanes. Those who paid for LLMP and LLPP would get on the attraction quickly, as promised, and guests in the stand-by queue wouldn’t be faced with longer than necessary wait times.

Is LLPP a service I would purchase? As a Magic Key holder, probably not. I go often enough to where I have no need to ride every attraction in one trip. If I don’t get to ride a specific attraction, I’ll just prioritize it on the next visit. However, not everyone has that luxury as it may be their one and only visit. It’s those who LLPP would be most beneficial for.

As such, I wouldn’t expect Magic Key holders to receive any kind of discount on LLPP. There’s a possibility that Disney Vacation Club (DVC) owners could receive a discount, as there’s been a recent push by Disney to provide them with more in-park perks, but that’s just speculation on my part.

So, no, Disney isn’t pricing anyone out by offering this service. Lightning Lane Premiere Pass’s existence isn’t going to affect your park experience much (or at all). You’ll still pay the same as anyone else to get in and you’ll still have access to the same attractions via stand-by or LLMP/LLSP. This is simply another way for Disney to increase profits from those willing to pay it and (what I believe) to ultimately solve the current dilemma created by the Lightning Lane program.

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My Honest Review of Hotel Indigo: A Hotel Near Disneyland

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe will add value to my readers.

My wife and I recently stayed at Hotel Indigo for our Halloween season visit to the Disneyland Resort. I’ve known about this property for a while, but never pulled the trigger on booking it until this trip and I want to share my experience with you.

I’ve stayed in many of the hotels surrounding Disneyland, including a couple of the Disney owned properties, and can say that Hotel Indigo was one of the better experiences I’ve had. The point of this post isn’t to convince you to book here, nor has this property given me any kind of incentive to write this.

The point is to simply provide you with the facts of my stay, images and descriptions of the room, amenities, etc, to help you decide if Hotel Indigo Anaheim is the right hotel for your upcoming Disneyland vacation. If you do decide to book here, you can support this blog by booking through Get Away Today, a reputable agency I’ve partnered with, as they’re simply the best Disney vacation planners out there (psst - use code INKED10 to save $10).

Hotel Indigo Location, Parking, Rates and Proximity to Disneyland

Hotel Indigo Anaheim is located on Katella Avenue in the Anaheim Resort District, in between the Harbor BLVD and South Clementine Street intersections, but closer to the former. One of its biggest selling points is its proximity to both Disneyland and the Anaheim Convention Center, making it ideal for park goers and business travelers alike.

It’s closest to the Anaheim GardenWalk, but also within walking distance to Disneyland. Dependent on your pace and timing at the two intersections you’ll need to cross, Hotel Indigo is a 10-15 minute walk to security check at the esplanade. To the convention center, you’re looking at a meager 5 - 10 minute walk.

Much like the interior, the hotel’s exterior gives a hip and trendy vibe, whilst avoiding being too trendy as to scare away families. The palm tree-lined Katella Avenue gives you the feeling of being in a true resort environment, while city employees work diligently to keep the area clean and safe.

I walked around the area extensively, both during the day and at night, not once did anybody bother me (even with lugging around a beast of a camera) and I never felt uneasy. I’m not suggesting that you let your guard down, I’m just saying it felt like a safe area, with the traffic being the only potential hazard.

Down the street, closer to the Harbor intersection and on the other side of neighboring Wyndham, is a fantastic pizza joint that seemingly never closes. You can buy a decently sized slice at a reasonable $4 bucks, making it a comparatively cheap meal outside of the Disney bubble.

Parking is hassle free at Hotel Indigo Anaheim, with complimentary parking in their on-site garage on the basement level. I love that they offer guests free parking, as that perk is becoming increasingly rare for hotels within walking distance to Disneyland.

As far as nightly rates are concerned, I paid $187 per night, which was the IHG rewards member rate. If I wasn’t a member, the rate would’ve been around $197. While not a great discount, it’s certainly better than nothing. Since the holidays are the busiest time of year at Disneyland, you can expect to pay similar rates. Looking at November and December, I’m seeing rates around $180 to $190 for the same room.

For some baffling reason, their rates tend to be even higher during Disneyland’s off-season (if there’s even such a thing anymore). Rates from January through late April hover between $230 and $250, with rates for select dates in March breaking the $300 mark. Clearly, this isn’t a value hotel but considering the free parking, free Wifi, and no resort fees, those rates are a tad easier to swallow.

Hotel Indigo Anaheim Shuttle to Disneyland

Unfortunately, this is one of the few downsides of this property. Unlike many hotels surrounding Disneyland, Hotel Indigo Anaheim is not part of the Anaheim Resort Transit (ART) network. However, there is a work around to this.

Less than a quarter-mile (or four minute walk) away from the hotel on the corner of Katella Ave. and S. Clementine Street is a Cheesecake Factory. The ART shuttles pick up and drop off in front of that Cheesecake Factory (route #8).

You can purchase a multi-day ART pass ahead of time (recommended) or if you think you’ll only use the shuttles sparingly, you can now pay as you go with their “Tap2Ride” feature with a credit or debit card. You cannot purchase the passes at the hotel.

Hotel Indigo Anaheim Amenities and Lobby Area

Hotel Indigo is considered a Disney “Good Neighbor” hotel. Meaning they’ve passed certain criteria to be included as a hotel you could book as part of your Disneyland vacation package. Additionally, it’s listed with the highly reputable Get Away Today travel agency as well.

The lobby is fairly small, but they make good use out of the space. To the right of the front desk is a small seating area for guests to use, as well as their on-site restaurant, Chambers Bar & Bistro, located to the left (which we’ll discuss further into this post).

To the left of Chambers is a small area where various drink and snack items can be purchased. Additionally, on the counter next to that is a microwave for guests to use. There are no microwaves in the rooms, so this is a nice and welcomed perk, though I would’ve preferred an in-room.

Above Chambers Bistro on the second floor (only accessible with room key) is a small, chic lounge. When I say small, I mean it. It’s only big enough for about a half a dozen people or so. On the plus side, there doesn’t appear to be much competition for it, as I only saw one other guest using it throughout my four day stay.

The pool left much to be desired, to be honest. It screamed afterthought to me, as it appears there was minimal effort put into it. That isn’t exactly surprising to me, as that’s par-for-the-course with most hotels by Disneyland, with very few of them going the extra mile. It’s distinctively utilitarian, it serves its purpose, but I was hoping for more from this property.

There are a handful of lounging chairs scattered around the edges of the pool, with a lounge-style couch on the south end and another lounge-style couch under a canopy on the north end. Near the canopy is the hot tub where maybe four or five adults could fit in, comfortably.

As far as work spaces go, there was one at the end of hallway behind the front desk, but I didn’t use it as there wasn’t much in the way of privacy. I did utilize the outdoor space in between the pool and bistro, which had a plethora of seating options and provided a bit more privacy.

The fitness center is a small space, with a couple of treadmills, one elliptical, one bike, and a handful of weights making up the available equipment. There’s a nice view of the pool through the floor to ceiling window, but all of the cardio equipment is facing a wall with no TVs. Next to the fitness center is the laundry room that’s available for guest use.

Hotel Indigo Anaheim King Room

Now we’re getting to the ‘meat-and-potatoes’ part of the review - the room. Since it was just the two of us (and our dog), I booked the standard King room. The room was a cushy 310-square feet with one bed, hard-wood flooring (possibly faux), a chair, TV, Keurig coffee maker, mini refrigerator, walk-in shower, vessel-style sink, hair dryer, small work space, area rug, and premium toiletries by Zenology.

Our room was impeccably clean, well appointed, and had an amazingly comfortable mattress and pillows. Storage space was decent, as we had a closet near the bathroom to hang our clothing and stash away our luggage. Also, there was a safe inside the closet, which I appreciated. There was additional storage in the ottoman and drawers in the TV stand.

The mini refrigerator was roomy enough for us. We brought protein drinks, a few PRIMES, a couple energy drinks, and drinkable yogurts and still had more room to play with had we needed it. This was for just two people, though. For a family of four or five, you may have to get creative with the space.

There’s also a fully stocked Keurig set up, complete with a variety of coffees and teas, just above the mini-fridge. I can’t tell you if the provided coffee’s good or bad, as I’m always weary of using in-room coffee machines, even in the nicest hotels. You just never know what the previous occupants may have done with it.

The bathroom, at least in the king room, is the part of the room that makes Hotel Indigo stand out from most, as many hotels in the area tend to phone it in as it pertains to bathrooms. I feel Hotel Indigo did a great job, especially considering the space constraints.

The vessel-style sink is a nice touch, as is the in-mirror lighting. The big winner is the walk-in shower, as walk-ins are my preference. Though I do acknowledge that it may be a deal breaker for families who prefer a bathtub. Fret not, there are dozens of other hotels within walking distance to Disneyland that offer bathtubs.

Jumping back into the sleeping area, the bed comes with pillows of varying firmness. On the opening side of the pillow sheet there is wording indicting which is which. That was a nice touch as at other hotels in Anaheim, I’ve had to deal with what I call “flat” pillows that offer me no support.

Excitingly, the mattress was the real winner. It allowed me to sink into it just enough, while having the right amount of firmness without me feeling like I was sleeping on the floor. It made for a great sleeping experience after schlepping myself through the parks all day.

Honestly, my only gripe with the room was the severe lack of USB ports. For a modern hotel, especially one close to a convention center, the room should be crawling with them. The only ports was the one on the Apple Home device and one on the desk lamp. That was it.

Hotel Indigo Anaheim Chambers Bistro

The hotel’s on-site restaurant, Chambers Bistro, is located in the lobby, to the left of the check-in desk. It’s open for breakfast and dinner, with varying hours depending on the day. They’re closed mid-day, as most guests are in the parks during that time. You can see the current hours listed in the photo above.

The restaurant has a strange, blue-hue in the dining area. This lighting is on whether it’s breakfast or dinner. I could understand the blue lighting during dinner, as it’s night time and it helps to set the mood. During breakfast is another thing entirely, as it should be a brighter color, such as yellow or orange. It just comes across as strange to me, but I digress.

We ate here for breakfast on our final day before hitting the road. I went with the Hearty Breakfast platter ($17). It came with two eggs, hash browns, a choice of meat (I went with bacon) and two pieces of toast. It was decent. Wasn’t great. but wasn’t bad either. My friend tried their chorizo burrito a few days prior and said it was tasty, but there was no way I was going to eat chorizo before heading out on a road trip.

You can opt to eat in the dining room, take your meal to go, or order room service. The food is decent and the service from the staff was great (as was the case with the rest of the hotel). There aren’t many affordable options for breakfast in the parks, so Chambers makes a great option to carb-up before rope-dropping Space Mountain.

Is Hotel Indigo Anaheim Pet Friendly?

This is where our stay somewhat fell apart for my wife and I, because the answer to that question is subjective. Is Hotel Indigo Anaheim pet friendly? Yes, in the sense that they do allow your pets to stay with you (with restrictions, of course), but no in the sense that there’s absolutely no designated area for them to do their business.

After we checked in and got our stuff situated, my wife took our dog to go do her thing and when she asked an employee where that area was, she was told (I’m paraphrasing) that there wasn’t a designated area and that people just take them around the “neighborhood”.

As stated at the beginning of this post, Hotel Indigo is located on the super busy Katella Avenue. That road is always experiencing heavy vehicle and foot traffic, day and night. If your dog has severe anxiety like ours does, it can make for a challenging and frustrating experience trying to get them to do their thing in that environment.

We made it work, and we still had a good stay, but if you’re going to call yourself a pet friendly hotel, having a designated space for dogs to go do their business is one of the bare essentials. Hotel Indigo was legitimately the first “pet friendly” hotel I’ve stayed in to not have this. Even Motel 6 Maingate had one! For this reason, I can’t recommend this hotel for those traveling with their pets.

Aside from that, and a couple other annoyances I discussed above, we had a great, overall experience at Hotel Indigo. I would never bring my dog here again but if we were traveling without her, I wouldn’t hesitate to book it. If you’d like to book Hotel Indigo Anaheim, you can do so at the links below (I’ll make a small commission if you do, but it won’t affect the rate you’ll pay):

• Book through Expedia (if you just want a hotel and preferred rates)

• Book through Get Away Today (for hotel + ticket packages, personalized service and magical extras)

Alternatively, you can read my reviews of other hotels near Disneyland. One features rare 24/7 access to its resort-style pool and hot tub, the other is perfect for large families or those looking for more space.

Oogie Boogie Bash Character Guide (2025 Update)

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe will add value to my readers.

Oogie Boogie Bash is the premier Halloween event at the Disneyland resort. While many have fond memories of Mickey’s Not-so-Scary Halloween party over at Disneyland Park, Disney decided to move the party across the esplanade to Disney California Adventure, and give it a fresh makeover with a new theme.

While there are numerous things to do at Oogie Boogie Bash, one of the main attractions of the event are the numerous, rarely seen characters that pop up. Some are face actors portraying iconic villains in treat trails while others are fully costumed, equally rarely seen characters conducting traditional meet and greets.

It can be difficult to navigate them all and figure out where they are, which ones to hit up first, what to expect in regard to wait times, and the like. In this guide, I intend to help you with those challenges. I have been to the bash numerous times and have developed a sound strategy that allows to see most, if not all, of the characters that I will share with you below.

Let’s get into it.

*UPDATE: Scroll down to see updates on the two new Oogie Boogie Bash villains of 2025!

Oogie Boogie Bash Dates

First, you need to know the event dates. Disney recently made an early (and surprising) announcement by releasing the Oogie Boogie Bash 2025 dates much earlier than usual (like, by six months). This is great as you know have plenty of time to plan whereas before, you have a week or so to decide on a date.

As far as to when tickets will go on sale, late June is the usual timeframe. However, June was also the usual time Disney would announce dates and prices, so anything is possible. However, considering OBB regularly sells out, I don’t see a reason why they would change it.

Don’t allow desperation to kick in and purchase tickets from third party sellers, or through sites like StubHub or Craigslist. Disney does not allow for tickets to be resold and if it’s discovered that you obtained tickets this way (and they’ll likely know), they will deny you entry and no, they won’t care if you were duped or how much you spent.

Trust me, Oogie Boogie isn’t going anywhere. It’ll return next year. Just hold off until then and purchase your tickets directly through Disney. If you did obtain your tickets and this is your first bash, be sure to read my 12 tips to maximizing your time at the event.

*UPDATE: All Oogie Boogie Bash 2025 dates are sold out!

Oogie Boogie Bash Traditional Meet and Greets

I’m beginning with the traditional meet and greets because far and away the most popular one at the bash are Daisy Duck, Minnie Mouse, and Clarabelle cosplaying as the Sanderson sisters (Hocus Pocus). They meet with guests at the far side of the Hollywood Backlot. As of 2025, their new spot is in Paradise Gardens Park, just across from the Little Mermaid attraction.

If you’re going to want a photo with them, heed my advice and line up prior to the start of the event. The bash begins at 6pm, but your ticket allows you into the park at 3pm. Grab an early dinner, review the event map, and then head over to Paradise Gardens Park.

I recommend lining up at least 45-minutes prior to start time. My wife and I did just that and only waited 20-25 minutes to get the photo above. Just a minute before the event started, as new guests entered the queue, I heard a cast member advise them that it’ll be a 1.5-2 hour wait. So if you must have a photo with them, make them your first stop and line up early.

There are several other meet and greets happening around the edges of the Buena Vista Street Fountain. Pain and Panic, the sidekicks to Hercules antagonist, Hades, are making their Oogie Boogie Bash debuts and have proven to be popular. During my visit, I saw them rotating out with Prince Hans (Frozen).

On the other side of the fountain during my event was Captain Hook and his sidekick, Smee, rotating out with each other. It would’ve been cool to be able to photograph them together, but I digress. These meet and greets begin at 6pm and continue until roughly 10:30pm (a half hour before the event ends).

These were only characters at the fountain that I saw during my visit but at past events, I have also seen the following characters:

• Blue Fairy (Pinocchio)

• Mulan (Dressed as Ping)

• Frollo (The Hunchback of Notre Dam)

• Sheriff of Nottingham (Robin Hood)

• Governor Ratcliffe (Pocahontas)

• The Old Hag (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs)

Further into the park, you’ll find additional meet and greets. Bruno (of Encanto fame) is in his usual spot near the Grizzly River Run Water Wheel. He’s been there since 2022 but now that he’s a character you can see during regular park hours, I suggest skipping him (unless you’re a big Bruno fan).

Down the Performance Corridor, in that little enclave behind Carthay Circle, is where you can meet Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy in their Kingdom Hearts outfits. We decided to skip this as we had little knowledge of it. Their outfits looked cool, though.

If you’re into Kingdom Hearts and want a photo with them, do note that their queue gets long, but it starts to taper later in the night. You’ll likely have to settle for one or the other, as they tend to rotate with each other, leaving one character at a time greeting guests.

Along Pixar Pier are several meet and greets. One of the biggest draws in the area is Lotso (Toy Story 3). I managed to get lucky and walk by right as Lotso was walking out, so my wife and I ended up being the first in line. I have heard his queue isn’t as large as it used to be, but cast members still do a great job keeping the queue moving. You can find him in front of the Toy Story Midway Mania attraction.

Just across from Lotso’s meet and greet is where you can meet some not-so-rare Pixar characters. Joy and Sadness (Inside Out) often stop by, as well as the newly minted Anger character (I missed him, unfortunately). Additionally, Ember and Wade (Elemental) made their bash debuts here. We got to meet them during Pixar Fest.

Moving into Cars Land, multiple characters from the popular franchise make appearances throughout the night donning their Halloween costumes. Mater is dressed as a vampire, Red (fire engine) is dressed as a clown and Lightning McQueen as a pirate.

I know for sure that Mater and McQueen appear in their costumes during regular park hours, but I believe Red only appears in his costume during the event. Mater and McQueen are usually near the Cozy Cones, while Red is typically parked in the pathway between Cars Land and Avengers Campus.

In Avengers Campus, numerous characters appear throughout the night. After we left Agatha Harkness (we’ll get to that momentarily) we randomly ran into Spiderman on a stroll. I’ve also seen Shuri as the new Black Panther, the zombie variant of Captain America, and more.

That about sums it up for traditional character meet and greets. The specific characters you can see are always subject to change. So the ones that I’m discussing in this post may or may not be there during your event. Though it’s likely you’ll see at least most of them.

Oogie Boogie Bash Villains Treat Trails

Now we’re going to discuss the villains treat trails at Oogie Boogie Bash. The treat trails differ from traditional meet and greets in the sense that the character is elevated above the crowd and aside from Oogie Boogie, they’re all face actors portraying iconic Disney villains rarely seen in the parks.

The characters will interact with you, and will even briefly stop to pose for photos or video but aside from a quick selfie, you won’t be able to take a photo with them as you could with the characters listed above. Cast members keep these lines moving quickly so despite how long some are, they go quickly.

Below, I’m going to list the villain treat trails in the order in which I recommend you hitting them up in. This is also assuming you’re going to follow the above-mentioned advice and get your picture with the Sandersons first thing.

The treat trails have candy stations positioned at multiple points throughout the queue to keep the lines moving. Additionally, you are allowed to take photos and video of the characters but if you linger for too long, a cast member will likely start to shoe you along. Remember to keep in mind that these characters stay active until the end of the night (11pm).

In the Hollywoodland/Backlot area, there are five popular villain treat trails. They are Hades (Hercules), Dr. Doofenshmirtz (Phineas and Ferb), Oogie Boogie (Nightmare Before Christmas), Ernesto de la Cruz (Coco) and Judge Doom (Who Framed Roger Rabbit?).

Assuming you’ve already knocked out the Sandersons, there’s a good chance it hasn’t gotten dark enough yet. I recommend skipping Hades, Ernesto, and Judge Doom for now, as their lighting productions are amazing once it’s dark. Instead, begin with Oogie Boogie and Dr. Doofenshmirtz, since they’re both indoors and unaffected by ambient light.

Oogie Boogie is located in the Art of Animation building and Dr. Doofenshmirtz (or just…Doof) is positioned inside Disney Theatre. The queues for both get rather long, but don’t be scared of even the longest of lines as they go rather quickly. During my visit, the queue for Doof stretched and snaked outside the theatre and all along the street but despite that, our wait was only 15 minutes.

By now, it should be dark enough to see Judge Doom, who has a new location in the Hollywood backlot, where Minnie, Daisy, and Clarabelle used to be. Bringing Judge Doom to life was a home run by both Disney and the actor portraying him. His stage is brilliantly decorated and like Ernesto and Hades, his lighting package is great.

Even if it isn’t totally dark yet, I still recommend making Doom your third stop. If you’d rather wait, you could always head over to the Buena Vista Street Fountain and spend time with those characters while you wait for it to get darker, and then go see Judge Doom.

From Judge Doom, I recommend skipping Hades and Ernesto (for now) and head over to the Grizzly Peak area, specifically in the pathway behind Grizzly River Run, to see Maleficent. This is her first Oogie Boogie Bash appearance since 2022.

From here, your next stop is going to be the highly anticipated newcomer, Syndrome (Incredibles) at the far end of the park in front of the Pixar Pier bandshell. Syndrome is the only legitimate new villain in 2025, because as stated above, Maleficent was featured in prior years.

Since he’s the newest, his line has been a bit crazy. You’ll often arrive to find it snaking all around the pier. Still, it doesn’t take long to get through any of these lines, so I wouldn’t worry too much about it. If you’d rather wait it out, you could always hold off until the first showing of Frightfully Fun Parade.

From here, you’re going to make your way through Pixar Pier and into San Fransokyo to see the next villain - Yokai (Big Hero 6). He’s positioned in the back corner of the land, where Baymax and Hiro conduct their meet and greets during the day. His queue is usually quite short, so you should be able to breeze through it.

After Yokai, make your way through Cars Land and into Avengers Campus for the next villain. Cars Land does have a treat trail, but there’s only candy stations, no villain. You can find it along the pathway leading to San Fransokyo, across from Flo’s V8 Cafe’s outside seating area.

Once you’re in Avengers Campus, head left after entering the land and into the Ancient Sanctum, where Dr. Strange usually does his meet and greets. There, you will see Agatha Harkness, who’s the star of her own Disney Plus series, “Agatha All Along”. Much like Yokai, her queue never gets too long.

Honestly, it’s amazing to me that Agatha returned again. This is her third straight year and when I think about all of the amazing villains Marvel has in its arsenal, it’s criminal that we haven’t gotten a new featured villain. Not that I have anything against her, I would just rather see Disney pull the trigger on bringing Thanos or Doc Ock to life.

After Agatha, head back to the Hollywood Backlot. At this point, it’ll be plenty dark to see Hades and Ernesto in all their glory. First, you’ll stop to see Hades, who’s located on the backlot stage. Take your time with this one so you’ll have a chance to see his lighting package change according to his mood pattern.

This was one of my favorites this year and I’m so glad we waited for it to get dark. He interacts with the crowd in a similar manner to how Sid used to, often roasting guests who dare to bring up Hercules, or mention Hades’ loathed sidekicks, Pain and Panic.

This is actually Hades’ second time being a featured villain at the bash, but now his production value is a vast improvement from the previous version. His queue remained fairly consistent throughout the night but since he’s outside, you’ll have sight of him the entire time.

Once you’ve bagged Hades, it’s now time to make your way to Ernesto de la Cruz who, in my opinion, is the premier villain to see. The actor(s) portraying him do a phenomenal job at bringing him to life. They actually sing a spooky rendition of “Remember Me” and play the guitar. Whether or not you’re a fan of the Coco movie, I implore you to check out Ernesto.

I’m going to sound like a broken record here but like a few of the above mentioned villains, Ernesto attracts large crowds and thus, has long queues. In previous years, his queue moved a bit slower because he’s consistently been the most popular villain since his debut and folks would tend to linger.

This year, to solve that issue, Disney set aside a viewing area in front of the stage for guests to watch Ernesto perform. According to guest reports, this has helped to expedite the queue. If this is what you want to do, then simply make your way to the stage and stay there.

Lastly, if you’re keen on avoiding long lines for your favorite villain, you can always wait until the Frightfully Fun Parade begins. Queues tend to be significantly shorter during parades, whether it is for characters or attractions.

2025 Villains Line Up

Recently, Disney released a map seemingly confirming the return of certain villains and the exit of a couple others. This is a first as Disney typically doesn’t advertise the full line up ahead of time.

In 2025, the following villains have been confirmed by Disney as returning:

• Oogie Boogie (Art of Animation building)

• Dr. Doof (Hollywoodland)

• Hades (Hollywood Backlot)

• Ernesto de la Cruz (near Hyperion Theatre)

• Agatha (Avengers Campus)

• Yokai (San Fransokyo)

• Judge Doom (near Soarin’ Around the World)

• Maleficent (Grizzly Peak)

• Syndrome (Pixar Pier)

The returns of Dr. Doof and Hades are no surprise, as they were Oogie Boogie Bash freshmen in 2024. Disney typically keeps villains for roughly three or so consecutive years, provided they were received well by guests.

Ernesto is also no surprise, as he’s become incredibly popular with guests. This year will become his fourth consecutive year being featured at the event since debuting in 2022. Despite his popularity, this could be his final.

One villain who is a surprise is Agatha. With so many iconic villains in the Marvel canon at Disney’s disposal, it’s shocking to me they’ve kept her around, especially after her Disney Plus series flopped. This year is also her fourth.

Another confirmation from the map is the phasing out of two villains, one of which was a hit with guests - Madam Mim (Sword in the Stone) and Sid (Toy Story). In their former spots on the map you’ll notice the flame, indicating something “soon to be unleashed”.

Then, Disney " target="_blank">dropped a teaser trailer on their social media accounts, hinting at who the two new villains will be. The teaser all-but-confirmed the debut of Syndrome from The Incredibles, as you clearly see one of his utility gauntlets rolling on the ground.

The second villain is up for debate. The teaser shows visuals of green smoke and thorny shadows, in addition the caws of a crow. You would think that heavily leans to Maleficent but that would be too easy, especially considering she’s already been a part of Oogie Boogie Bash in the past.

While it very well could be Maleficent (and probably is), I’m going to throw out a deep-cut. One so deep, most people would never see it coming - Horned King from The Black Cauldron.

It’s a long shot, especially since Disney has barely referenced or acknowledged anything ‘Black Cauldron’ related since its initial release. However, the green smoke and thorn references in the shadows and the video’s caption make it a possibility...albeit a slight one.

Planning a trip to Disneyland during Oogie Boogie Bash? If so, read my Disneyland Halloween Guide to see all that’s going on throughout the resort. Also, check out my Ultimate Oogie Boogie Bash Guide to see all of what the event offers. If it’s your first time, see my 12 tips to maximize your time at OBB. Lastly, for great deals on Disneyland vacation packages and excellent service, visit my friends at Get Away Today.

Pixar Fest Character Locations Guide

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe will add value to my readers.

Pixar Fest is in full swing at the Disneyland Resort and one of the main offerings are the many characters you can potentially interact with. Some of these are the usual suspects you’d regularly see in the parks, while others are making their first ever appearance!

Aside from the food, rare character meet and greets is our favorite part of special events, festivals, and After Dark events Disney puts on throughout the year. Seeing the characters you know and love brought to life and interact with them is priceless and one of the hallmarks of a Disney vacation.

Disney is advertising more than twenty new and familiar characters during Pixar Fest, but keep in mind that you’re not guaranteed to see all of them. Many factors such as staffing, unforeseen circumstances, and the recent unionization of Disneyland performers can impact the amount of characters out at a particular time.

With so many characters to see during Pixar Fest, you may be wondering what characters you can meet at Pixar Fest and their locations. During our visit, we painstakingly sought out as many of them as we could to bring this information to you. We didn’t get pictures of all of them, but we did find out where they are. Do keep in mind that this list isn’t absolute and you should always refer to the Disneyland app day-of for current character information.

Pixar Fest Characters at Disney California Adventure

While the entire resort is on the festivities, much of the event’s offerings are being held at Disney California Adventure. These include many food and drink offerings, Club Pixar, the Better Together Parade, and more. The characters, however, seemed to have been split fairly evenly.

In the backlot area of Hollywood Land, Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl conduct meet and greets in front of a “We Are Incredible” backdrop in their retro suits. While these two are typically seen on a day-to-day basis, namely near the Incredicoaster attraction, you rarely see them in these outfits.

During our visit, we only saw them together one time. Aside from that one time, it was either one or the other. This is going to be an ongoing comment throughout this post as Disney seemed to be suffering from staffing issues while we were there.

One of the bigger character draws during Pixar Fest are Mei and Ming Lee from Turning Red. Prior to Pixar Fest, these two have only made one appearance in the parks and that was during Lunar New Year earlier in the year. Their debut saw hours-long queues.

During Pixar Fest, their meet and greet is set up in front of the waterwheel in Grizzly River Run, just up the way from the Little Mermaid attraction. These two will always do meet and greets together, so just know that when their thirty-minute interval is up, you’ll either need to wait for them to come back or return at a later time.

Disney could potentially have another pair of actors lined up to swap out with them so if that’s the case, you’ll only need to wait a few minutes. If they don’t, it’ll be at about thirty minutes before they’ll come back out. Cast members will keep the queue updated and will usually cut off the queue so folks don’t end up waiting for nothing. It can happen, though. So be prepared for that possibility.

In Pixar Pier, you’ll see many of the usual suspects. These include Woody and Buzz Lightyear, who take photos in front of the Toy Story Mania attraction. Further down the pier and across from the Pixar Pals Fun Wheel in the band shell, there’s a mixed bag of characters that appear. These include:

• Mike and Sulley from Monsters Inc.

• Joy and Sadness from Inside Out

• Anger from Inside Out (Beginning June 14)

• Bo Peep and Jessie from Toy Story

They’re completely random and depend entirely on staffing. On one of the mornings during our visit we were hoping to catch Mike and Sulley together but unfortunately, Sulley was the only character to appear. I asked a cast member if there was any chance for Mike to show and was told that, “Unfortunately, Mike is stuck in traffic in Monstropolis”. You have to admire her commitment to the “bubble”.

Another great way to see characters at DCA is during the Better Together Pixar parade that runs twice daily at DCA. You won’t be able to take pictures with any of them, but the parade is a practical smorgasbord of Pixar characters. Some you’ve seen in the parks before and others you’ve never seen.

A few examples include Joe Gardner from Soul, Carl from Up, Miguel from Coco, Mei Lee in Red Panda form from Turning Red, Luca, Alberto and Giulia from Luca and more. As stated above, the parade runs twice daily and because it hasn’t exactly been the most stellar of Disney’s parade, snagging a prime viewing spot is a fairly easy endeavor. For more information on that, including my recommendations to viewing areas, read my Pixar Fest 2024 Ultimate Guide.

To recap, Pixar Fest characters and locations in DCA are:

• Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl in the Hollywood Land Backlot

• Edna and Frozone near the Incredicoaster attraction

• Lightning McQueen, Mater, and more from Cars near the Cozy Cones in Cars Land

• Mike, Sulley, Bo Peep, Jessie, Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Lotso, Joy, and Sadness throughout Pixar Pier

• Mei and Ming Lee near the Grizzly Peak waterwheel

• Dug (talking version) in the Grizzly Peak area near Redwood Creek Challenge

• *NEW - Beginning June 14, you can now meet Anger (from Inside Out) by the Pixar Pier Band Shell

Additionally, characters you’ll see during the parade include:

• Red Panda from Turning Red

• Carl, Dug, Russell, and Kevin from Up

• Joe Gardner from Soul

• Joy and Sadness from Inside Out

• Luca, Alberto, and Giulia from Luca

• Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl from The Incredibles

• Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Jessie from Toy Story

• Miguel and Dante from Coco

• Mike and Sulley from Monsters Inc

Pixar Fest Characters in Downtown Disney and Resort Hotels

While not exclusively for Pixar Fest, Disney is touting the ability to meet beloved character Bing Bong from the movie, Inside Out, at the Pixar Place Hotel. Bing Bong usually meets guests of the hotel in the pool area but if you’re lucky (like I was) you can sometimes catch him in the lobby of the hotel.

Another character you’ll likely encounter at the hotel is Joe Gardner from Soul. You can often find him playing on the piano in the lobby area across from the registration desk. I’m not sure if he’ll pose for photos with you, but at the very least you can say you watched Joe Gardner play live jazz.

While not live characters, Downtown Disney features two cars cosplaying as Woody and Buzz Lightyear up against a Pixar Fest mural on the former ESPN building. This photo-opp is available to all guests, regardless if you hold a park ticket or not.

As far as characters outside of the parks go, that’s about it. While things could always change in that regard, there are only two months remaining for Pixar Fest at the time of this post’s publishing, so I’m doubtful. Besides, other than the parks and hotel, there are no other locations where a Pixar character meet and greet would make sense.

Pixar Fest Characters at Disneyland Park

DCA may be considered the “Pixar Park”, but Disneyland proper is also getting in on the action. However, the majority of all Pixar Fest characters meet with guests in the same area, and that area is the Fantasyland Theatre across from the it’s a small world attraction.

The meet and greets occur between the hours of 11:30am and 5:30pm daily during the Pixar Pals Playtime Party. It consists of a high-energy stage show featuring many Pixar characters, about a half dozen Pixar-themed photo-opps, and several meet and greets with rare characters.

The first two you’ll likely encounter are Russell and Dug from the movie Up. During our visit, they were greeting guests near the entrance of the theatre, just prior to the official start time of the party. Note that this isn’t the talking version of Dug that you would meet at DCA.

Their official meet and greet area is to the left of the stage, up against the Up-themed backdrop. Again, I’m sure there was a staffing shortage during my visit, as none of the characters were ever out at the same time. It seemed as though the same two or three cast members were pulling double-duty and acting as multiple characters each.

In the upper area of Fantasyland Theatre, just behind the stands, are two additional meet and greets. Both of which are brand new to the parks. They are Ember and Wade from Elemental, and Luca and Alberto from Luca. Unfortunately, Alberto never came out during our time there. We did, however, get some quality time with Luca.

Both Ember and Wade made their appearances together while we were there, but I’ve recently read that both have been making sporadic solo appearances. Again, the recent cast member unionization and/or staffing shortages are the likely culprits. If you have your heart set on a photo with them together, you may have to camp out for the opportunity.

Additional newcomers, Barley (left) and Ian (right) Lightfoot from Onward, are also available for meet and greets in front of Barley’s mighty steed, Guinevere, located to the right of the theatre stage. For us, these two and Ember and Wade were the main highlights.

Much like Russel and Dug, the Lightfoot’s meet and greet area is in the lower level of the theatre, mixed in with all the Pixar-themed backdrops. Don’t get scared away if there’s a performance of the Playtime Party stage show happening, as the brothers will still make their scheduled appearances.

Another character that has been popping up around the theatre lately is Merida from Brave. Based on the photos I’ve seen, she’s been hanging around in the upper area of the theatre, near Troubadore Tavern.

Finally, the Pixar Pals Playtime Party stage show features numerous Pixar characters in a high energy song and dance performance. The show occurs in thirty-minute intervals between 11:30am and 5:30pm. At the conclusion of each performance, a few of the characters actually leave the stage to dance with guests.

The characters appear in phases, starting with Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Jessie, and Bo Peep. Joy and Sadness then join the party, before concluding with appearances by Mr. Incredible, Elastigirl, Frozone, and Edna (subject to change, as always).

Joy and Sadness spent the most time dancing with guests. I have to admit, the highlight of the day was watching Sadness dance as unhappily as she could to Taylor Swift’s mega-hit, Shake it Off. The second was snagging the above-displayed rare photo of four of the main characters from The Incredibles.

Outside of Fantasyland Theatre, there isn’t much going on in the way of Pixar meet and greets aside from Miguel, from Coco, who often greets guests in his charro (a suit often donned by mariachi performers) in Frontierland near the Day-of-the-Dead display. To see Miguel in his regular clothes, you’ll need to watch the Better Together parade at DCA.

It’s baffling that they didn’t set up a temporary meet and greet for Coco-related characters near Paradise Garden Grill in DCA, considering that this particular restaurant’s entire menu is being billed as “Coco-inspired” during Pixar Fest, but I digress.

To recap, Pixar characters and locations in Disneyland Park are:

• Barley and Ian Lightfoot, Ember, Wade, Luca, Alberto, Russell, Dug and Merida at Fantasyland Thestre

• Joy, Sadness, Woody, Buzz, Jessie, Bo Peep, Mr. Incredible, Elastigirl, Frozone, and Edna during the Pixar Pals Playtime stage show

• Miguel in Frontierland

• Buzz Lightyear makes occasional appearances in Tomorrowland as well

Attractions Featuring Pixar Characters

Costumed and face characters aren’t the only way to get your Pixar character fix as there are many attractions throughout both parks featuring several Pixar IP’s. Currently, none of these attractions are listed on the refurbishment calendar and since Pixar Fest is still going on, the chances of it staying that way are good.

The vast majority of Pixar-themed attractions are in California Adventure. They feature a whopping ten rides versus Disneyland park’s two. So if your goal is to remain in the Pixar bubble as much as possible, DCA is likely where you’ll want to spend most of your time.

So which rides can you see Pixar characters on at Disneyland? They are:

• Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters (DL)

• Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage (DL)

• Incredicoaster (DCA)

• Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind (DCA)

• Jessie’s Critter Carousel (DCA)

• Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters (DCA)

• Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree (DCA)

• Monsters, Inc. Mike and Sulley to the Resue! (DCA)

• Pixar Pal-A-Round (DCA)

• Radiator Springs Racers (DCA)

• Toy Story Midway Mania (DCA)

• Turtle Talk with Crush (DCA)

Planning a trip to Disneyland? If so, and especially if during Pixar Fest, read my Pixar Fest Ultimate Guide to help navigate all of the offerings. Additionally, see many of the Pixar Fest food and drink offerings by reading The 24 Pixar Fest Foodie Offerings We Tried to see pictures, prices, and more. Furthermore, photos from our tour of the new Pixar Place Hotel. Finally, for great deals on Disneyland, Disney World, and Disney Cruise Line vacation packages, visit my partners at Get Away Today.

Pixar Fest 2024 Ultimate Guide

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe will add value to my readers.

With Pixar Fest 2024 in full swing at the Disneyland Resort until August 4, you may be wondering what’s being offered and what there is to do. We’ve recently visited the resort to experience Pixar Fest for ourselves and man, we honestly don’t remember the last time we’ve had so much fun at the park.

There’s so much to see, experience and eat that it could seem daunting to even attempt to experience everything (pro tip - it is). If you have a few days at the parks, you shouldn’t have any issues seeing most of it. If you only have one day, however, you may need to pick and choose.

If you don’t already know, the Disneyland Resort has hosted only one other Pixar Fest back in 2018. It wasn’t all that popular at the time, largely due to Disney seemingly phoning it in, and didn’t return in 2019. From 2020 until now, the parks have been working to recover from the effects of the pandemic. That now seems to be the case, as Disney decided to bring it back for 2024 and this time around, inject of whole lot of effort into making it successful.

If you’re thinking of visiting the parks during Pixar Fest, or you’ve already booked dates, this information-packed guide will help you navigate all of the offerings so you can prioritize which elements of Pixar Fest you’d like to experience. Let’s get into it.

Pixar Fest Decorations

The entire resort is adorned in Pixar Fest decorations. In the esplanade (the open space between Disneyland and DCA) there are numerous banners on the posts and a giant Pixar Fest display showcasing dozens of Pixar’s most popular characters and the infamous Luxo ball in the center.

It’s an impressive display during the day, particularly when the sun is hitting the panes near the top. In the evenings, though, it’s a bit of a dud as there’s nothing to illuminate it. That’s a huge (and surprising) miss on Disney’s end. It would’ve been an attraction all its own had it lit up at night.

Additionally, there are several smaller versions of this display scattered throughout Downtown Disney, as well as more banners. The main attraction are the two cars in Woody and Buzz Lightyear cosplay displayed against the former ESPN Zone building.

The parks are no different as both Main Street U.S.A in Disneyland and Buena Vista Street and Hollywood Land are also adorned in Pixar Fest banners. Additionally, the parks each feature their own large display, similar to the ones in the planters in Downtown Disney, but much larger in scale.

While these don’t light up either, there are spotlights installed at their bases to give them some illumination. In Disney California Adventure, the display is located in the hub area, in between the Carthay Circle building and the Elias & Co gift shop. It interacts with MagicBands, if you have one.

The display in Disneyland is located in Town Square near the flagpole, where the Christmas Tree and Mickey Head Pumpkin are displayed during their respective holidays. Unlike the display in DCA, this one does not interact with MagicBands. It is a popular PhotoPass spot, though.

Better Together Pixar Parade

The Better Together Pixar parade is one of the main features of Pixar Fest and runs twice daily at Disney California Adventure. It isn’t entirely new, as many of the floats and characters appeared in the former Pixar Play Parade during Pixar Fest 2018.

This year, however, the parade has a new name, theme song, and features a few new floats/characters, including those from Turning Red, Luca and Soul. While it’s possible this could change, the floats and characters you can expect to see in this parade (in order), are:

• Luxo Lamp

• Turning Red featuring the giant panda

• Up featuring Carl and Dug

• Soul featuring Joe Gardner

• Inside Out featuring Joy and Sadness

• Luca featuring Luca, Alberto and Giulia

• The Incredibles (not on a float) featuring Mr. and Mrs. Incredible

• Toy Truck featuring Woody

• Pixar Grand Finale featuring Miguel (Coco), Jessie, Buzz Lightyear, Sully, and Mike (Monsters Inc.)

You can see the difference in quality between the floats from the Pixar Fest of 2018 and new ones made for the 2024 version. The Luca float, in my opinion, was the best of the bunch. However, it felt like a wasted opportunity to hold two day time parades and not reserve one for nighttime, as many of the floats (the Soul float in particular) would’ve looked amazing lit up at night, but I digress.

Better Together Parade Route

The Better Together parade runs the same route as every other parade at DCA. Since there’s two per day (once at 4pm and again at 6:30pm) the first parade begins from behind Hollywood Land (adjacent to Mission Breakout), down the main street of Hollywood Land, through Buena Vista Street, down the Performance Corridor and then through Paradise Gardens Park, before concluding just before Pixar Pier.

The second showing will be the exact opposite, starting in Paradise Gardens Park and concluding at the end of Hollywood Land near Mission Breakout. Generally, many (myself included) feel the second showing of any parade or show at Disney is best as there’s often less competition for the most coveted viewing spots.

Better Together Parade Viewing Spots

There are several viewings areas for Better Together (or any parade that happens to be showing at DCA). One of the most popular of which is in Paradise Gardens Park in the stretch between the Little Mermaid attraction and Corn Dog Castle.

Another popular spot is along the street of Hollywood Land. This is especially true for the second showing, as there’s typically a lot of shade in this area. My personal favorite (and it’s from here where I took the photos you see in this section) is the island where the water fountain is, directly across from Carthay Circle and facing the entrance to the Performance Corridor.

This was where I stood for the 6:30pm showing and I had a great, mostly unobstructed view of the characters and floats. In addition to that, it was well shaded. Though by this time the sun was already working its way down, so I imagine that would be especially advantageous during the 4pm showing.

Keep in mind that if you choose a spot at the opposite end of where the parade begins, you won’t actually see any floats until 15-20 minutes after the official start time. For example, if your spot is in Hollywood Land for the second showing, which begins at 6:30pm, don’t expect to see any floats until closer to 6:45 or 6:50, possibly later if there any delays.

Better Together Parade Dining Packages

Unlike for other parades, such as the Frightfully Fun parade during Oogie Boogie Bash, there’s only one dining package offered for Better Together and it’s more of a dessert party than anything else. However, it does come with a reserved seat along the parade route in the Performance Corridor.

The cost is $69 per person (2 and under are free, but they must sit on your lap). At one hour to forty-five minutes prior to your selected parade time, you’ll check in at Sonoma Terrace, where your reserved seating is. The earlier you arrive, the better as seats are first come, first serve. If you snag a table at the front, you’ll have an unobstructed view of the parade. Though you’ll have the sun beating down on your as there are no umbrellas for these tables.

The tables behind the front row still have a great view and depending how you look at it, may be better than the front row, as they’re slightly elevated and come with umbrellas. If having others in front of you doesn’t bother you, these may be preferable.

You’ll receive a variety of Pixar-themed foods and desserts, along with two mocktails and unlimited water, tea, coffee and soda. Once the parade begins, though, they will no longer bring any beverages to your table. So be sure to get your monies worth before the parade start time. To book this package, go here.

Pixar Pals Playtime Party and Club Pixar

Club Pixar Hours and Offerings

Club Pixar is in the backlot area of Hollywood Land in Disney California Adventure. During the day, there are several Pixar-themed backdrops you can take photos with, in addition to a Mr. and Mrs. Incredible meet and greet in their blue retro super hero suits. This is also where the Hanger Management food marketplace is located.

Once it starts to cool down, Club Pixar comes further to life with neon lights themed to Pixar characters, live performances, dance lessons, photo-ops, games, and more. Additionally, there’s an area themed after a drive-in where you can watch Pixar shorts while relaxing in a classic car. Seating is limited and competitive here.

Another element to Club Pixar are the games guests can play. One such game is a giant chess board (with accompanying pieces) themed after the Pixar short, Geri’s Game. These games, in addition to the live performances, are only accessible to guests between 4:30pm and 8:30pm.

Many were hoping that Club Pixar would be a call-back to the nighttime events, Mad T Party and ElecTRONica, Disney used to put-on in the backlot area. There was live music by local DJ’s, themed cocktails served in a pop-up style bar, lighting effects and more. These events were immensely popular with teenagers and adults.

Alas, that has proven to not be the case, as Club Pixar is more on the family-friendly side of things. It isn’t a bad thing, as the offerings in this area are unique and fun in their own right, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention how much of a missed opportunity I feel it is to not feature a Pixar version of the Mad T Party during Pixar Fest.

Pixar Pals Playtime Party Hours and Offerings

The Pixar Pals Playtime Party takes place at Disneyland Park in the Fantasyland Theatre across from the It’s a Small World attraction. A sign out front states the hours are between 11:30am and 5:30pm but when we were there, a few of the characters began coming out for meet and greets right at 11am when the cast members dropped the rope.

There’s a lot going on in this relatively small space. The main feature is a high-energy stage show starring many of Pixar’s most beloved characters, such as Woody, Bo Peep, Jessie the Cowgirl, Sadness, Joy, Edna, Frozone, The Incredibles and more. At the conclusion of the show, many of these characters leave the stage and dance with the crowd. If you’ve never seen Sadness dancing to “Shake it Off” by Taylor Swift, you’re in for an entertaining treat.

Another feature of Pixar Pals Playtime Party are the incredible (no pun intended) amount of character meet and greets going on. The day-to-day ones include Dug and Russel from Up, Ember and Wade from Elemental, Luca and Alberto from Luca, and Barley and Ian Lightfoot from Onward. Lately, Merida from Brave has also been making sporadic appearances.

Down on the dance floor, there are several themed backdrops for guests to take pictures with, including the Piston Cup from Cars and Boo’s door from Monsters Inc. This is where there seemed to be a lack of forethought, as there where several things all happening in one cramped area. For instance, during the stage show, both Joy and Sadness were dancing in the crowd while Barley and Ian Lightfoot came out for a meet and greet, all while guests were taking photos with the backdrops.

Also here is one of the main food locations during Pixar Fest. Troubadore Tavern, which is located at the entrance to the Fantasyland Theatre, has received a Pixar makeover, offering several themed dishes, drinks and snacks with a Pixar flare. These include:

• Roundup BBQ Potato

• Una Papa Loca Potato

• Firetown Mac and Cheese Bites

• Mixed Emotions Popcorn

• Joyful Tenders and Mac (kids)

• Lotso Berry Lemonade

• “Adventure is Out There” Cold Brew (pictured above)

We tried nearly every Pixar Fest item at Troubadore Tavern and for the most part, all of them were tasty. We didn’t get around to trying every food item during our Pixar Fest visit (there were over 80, after all), but we did try 24 that you may want to learn more about.

Pixar Character Meet and Greets

Disney rolled out all the stops when it comes to character meet and greets for Pixar Fest, as there are well over twenty beloved Pixar characters out interacting and taking photos with guests. While some are the usual characters you would normally see in the parks, there are several new additions. Including:

• Ember and Wade from Elemental

• Barley and Ian Lightfoot from Onward

• Luca, Alberto, and Guila from Luca

• Mei and Ming Lee from Turning Red

• Mike and Sully from Monsters Inc.

• Woody and Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story

• and many, many more

For us, the rare character meet and greets are our favorite aspect of these special events. It’s why we attend Oogie Boogie Bash every year and it’s why we’ll likely continue to attend Pixar Fest. Some have standard queues, while others, including Mei and Ming Lee, had huge queues. Checking the app (or with a Cast Member) about when they’ll be making their appearances and being there early is key if you want a photo with your favorites.

READ: Pixar Fest Character Locations Guide

Pixar-Themed Food and Drink Items

As we briefly discussed above, Disney has rolled out over 80 new food and drink items for this year’s Pixar Fest. Many restaurants and snack carts in both parks are participating, as well as several eateries in the Downtown Disney District.

Exclusive to Disney California Adventure are the six Pixar-themed marketplaces. You may recognize these marketplaces as they’re the same ones used during the California Food and Wine Festival, Festival of Holidays and Lunar New Year. Their names and locations are:

• The Spark, inspired by Soul

• 4*Town Favorites, inspired by Turning Red

• Gusteau’s To-Go, inspired by Ratatouille

• Portorosso Pasta, inspired by Luca

• Hanger Management, inspired by Inside Out

• Elemental Table, inspired by Elemental

The Hanger Management marketplace is located in the Club Pixar (Backlot) area of Hollywood Land while the remaining five are placed along the Performance Corridor between the main entrance to Avengers Campus and the Little Mermaid show building.

We tried several offerings at these booths and found them to be hit and miss. The Jumbo Panda Bao was the clear winner for us, especially with the accompanying chili-garlic sauce. Another favorite was the Kol Nut Whoopie Cookie Pie from Elemental Table.

The mac and cheese from Hanger Management, however, we loathed. It was an obvious move on Disney’s part to provide a safe option for picky eaters, but it was too safe of an option. The mac itself was cold and overcooked and to make matters worse, the Cheeto puffs were stale.

Outside of the marketplaces, there were several excellent Pixar Fest offerings. For starters, the “Shake 2319” sold at Schmoozies in DCA was one of the best shakes I’ve ever tasted. Also, while basic in nature, the Pixar Fest cake, sold at the Plaza Inn in Disneyland Park, was perfectly moist and had just the right frosting to cake ratio.

If you’re looking for actual food, the Bruno sandwich sold at Jolly Holiday Bakery and the Una Papas Loca Potato sold at Troubadore Tavern are both solid options. I wish I could recommend the Coco-inspired menu at Paradise Garden Grill in DCA, but it mostly fell flat for us (the sole exception being the Tres Leches Parfait).

In total, we tried 24 Pixar Fest food and drink items during our visit. If you’d like, you can read through that post to see what we do and do not recommend. No matter your palette, there’s something for everyone at Pixar Fest.

Search for Hidden Pizza Planet Trucks

I’m sure you’ve heard of hidden mickey heads, but have you ever heard of hidden Pizza Planet trucks? I’m doubtful, because it’s new for this year’s Pixar Fest. Scattered throughout the resort are creatively themed and decorated Pizza Planet trucks that do an excellent job blending in with their surroundings.

There’s no official guide book, checklist, or anything like that, but there are fifty of them for you to find. To my knowledge, they’re only in the two parks. The truck photographed above is in one of the window displays of the Emporium on Main Street. I’ve seen others in the DCA Starbucks, Mission Breakout and in Adventureland.

It’s too bad Disney didn’t offer something similar to what they do for Easter and sell people an official checklist that offers clues to help you locate all fifty trucks. If you’re successful, you’d turn it in and receive a pin or something similar. Honestly, if you want to keep the kids busy and distracted, just have them search for these trucks. They could spend an entire day on this.

Together Forever - A Pixar Nighttime Spectacular

Much like the Better Together parade at DCA, the Together Forever Pixar Nighttime Spectacular at Disneyland is a rehash of the 2018 version, with several familiar moments from Toy Story, Inside Out, Coco and The Incredibles retained, and new scenes added from Turning Red, Luca, Soul, Onward and Elemental.

As far as where to view the show from, the same rules that apply to other fireworks shows at Disneyland, also apply here. The cream-of-the-crop spot is dead-center in front of the castle. For that view, you’ll need to arrive several hours prior to showtime and loiter until cast members put the ropes up.

Our personal favorite is in between and near the end of the Main Street buildings. My reasoning is twofold, in that you still get a great view of the projections and fireworks in and around the castle, but you also get to see the projection on the Main Street buildings as well, which adds to the experience in my humble opinion.

If you watched the 9:00pm showing of Fantasmic, specifically from one of the reserved viewing areas, you can stay put and watch the fireworks from there. The music will be piped in and you’ll (somewhat) see the projections on the water walls on the Rivers of America. In my opinion, it isn’t a great spot but if you’re already there, it beats having to fight your way through the crowds to the Main Street.

The show happens nightly at 9:30pm but due to local noise ordnances, the fireworks aspect of the show occurs only on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. During the week the show will be featured with projections only. Either way, you’re in for a great show.

Planning a trip to Disneyland? If so, be sure to stay privy to ride closures with my 2024 Disneyland Refurbishment Calendar. Furthermore, don’t get caught off guard by non-availability at your favorite restaurant by reading my 2024 Disneyland Dining Guide and 10 Best Disneyland Tips: Dining. Also, learn about the recent changes to Disney’s DAS program here. Finally, for great savings on tickets and vacation packages to Disneyland, Disney World, and Disney Cruise Line, visit my partners at Get Away Today.

The Ultimate Oogie Boogie Bash Guide (2025)

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe will add value to my readers.

While we already knew that Oogie Boogie Bash would be making a return this year, Disney recently released additional information about this year’s event during the Halfway to Halloween celebration.

If you don’t know what Oogie Boogie Bash is, it’s an annual after-hours, separate ticketed event held at Disney California Adventure on select nights throughout the Halloween season. It’s different than normal theme park Halloween events, as it’s more about the spirit of Halloween rather than the scares.

It started back in 2019 as the successor to Mickey’s Not-so-Scary Halloween Party as a way to beef up the crowds at DCA. The gamble worked, as many would argue that Oogie Boogie Bash has surpassed its predecessor in nearly every way.

In this post, we’re going to discuss several topics pertaining to Oogie Boogie, such as 2025 event dates, ticket prices, when tickets go on sale and some frequently asked questions about the event. Let’s get into it.

Oogie Boogie Bash 2025 Dates and Ticket Prices

This year, Disney’s Halloween season at the resort kicks off on August 22. In prior years, Halloween didn’t begin at Disneyland until the first or second week of September. Consequently, as I previously predicted, Oogie Boogie Bash will expand with event dates in August.

There are a total of 31 event nights this year, which is four more than last year. Considering the immense popularity of the event (evident by it’s blink-and-you’ll-miss-it ticket sales), it isn’t surprising to see Disney add more dates to the calendar.

Additionally, there’s no word on if they’ll be a D23-specific night like there was in 2022. I doubt this is something they would intentionally hold back so since they haven’t announced it, it’s safe to assume it isn’t happening. I’ll be sure to update if that changes.

To see specific 2025 dates and pricing information, be sure to read my 2025 Oogie Boogie Bash Dates and Information post here.

The event begins even earlier this year than it did last, with the first event on August 17. Prices did see a jump at $139 to $199. This is a $5 increase on the low end and a $10 increase on the high end. All of the $139 dates are in August and early September, with Halloween night being the sole $199 date.

This is no surprise as Oogie Boogie Bash has consistently sold out every year since its inception in 2019 and is no showing no sign of slowing down. Like most things, though, there is a ceiling and I believe Disney is pushing to see how far they can take the price before receiving pushback.

Considering the event has remained mostly the same through the years, albeit with changes to its villain line up, I imagine that ceiling is drawing near. If Disney wants to push it beyond the $200 mark, they’ll have to introduce more than a new villain or two.

When Do Oogie Boogie Bash 2025 Tickets Go On Sale?

Unfortunately, Disney made no mention as to when Oogie Boogie Bash tickets would go on sale, other than stating they would do so, “in the coming weeks”. In 2023, tickets went on sale in late June, but that was when the halfway mark to the Halloween season was closer to June. Since it’s now in early May, I would predict sales dates in late May.

As has been the case with After Dark events this year, definitely expect to see Magic Key holders to get first crack at tickets with exclusive sales dates. Disney could even hold an Inspire Key-only sales date, much like they did with the Star Wars Nite event.

As stated above, there’s not yet been any mention of a D23 night. If they do decide to add one, you would need to be a member of D23 in order to purchase tickets. If you’re not a D23 member but you know someone who is, you’ll be able to attend the party with them provided they’ve purchased the tickets.

*UPDATE: Oogie Boogie Bash tickets will go on sale to the general public on June 26. Magic Key holders will again receive their own sales dates, with Inspire getting an exclusive sale date on June 24. All other keys can participate in their pre-sale on June 25.

Be wary of uninformed opinions of how quickly Oogie Boogie Bash tickets will or will not sell out. Many will point to how long it took for tickets to the bloated amount of Star Wars Nites to sell out. Honestly, they’re not entirely wrong, but Star Wars Nites are not Oogie Boogie nights. Not by a long shot. While many of the offerings during Oogie Boogie events remain the same year after year, Disney changes them up just enough to remain appealing.

Typically, one or two new villains are added to line-up of treat trails, which prove to be immensely popular with event-goers. Admittedly, the parade could use a refresh, but that’s a conversation for another post. Villains Grove is a major attraction and the chance to see even more rare characters entices more and more guests to attend.

To sum it up, don’t slack on tickets or count on them not selling out quickly. They likely will. So if you’re intent on attending Oogie Boogie Bash this year, be ready to go on the first available sales date you can participate in.

Same-Day Admission to DCA with Oogie Boogie Bash Tickets

Many ask what time do Oogie Boogie Bash events start and if they could get into the park early with those tickets. The event officially begins at 6pm and goes until 11pm but with your ticket, you can actually get into DCA earlier than that.

Guests with tickets to Oogie Boogie Bash can enter Disney California Adventure as early as 3pm. That’s three additional hours of park time. Many use this time to research the park guide, get in an early dinner, or camp out at the most popular event offerings to be the first in line.

If you do arrive early, you can check in and receive your event wristband and treat bag near the main entrance to Avengers Campus. If you arrive closer to the event start time, though, you’ll receive them the gate in which you entered.

Additionally, there’s no need to worry about reservations as your ticket is your reservation (remember those simple days?). Aside from that, if you want to spend time in the park prior to 3pm, you’ll need a regular park ticket or Magic Key, in addition to a reservation.

What to Expect at Oogie Boogie Bash

If you’ve never attended Oogie Boogie Bash before, you should know that it isn’t scary like Knott’s Scary Farm or Halloween Horror Nights at Universal. The mood at Oogie Boogie is generally lite, and more about the spirit and celebration of Halloween than the scares. If you have littles, they shouldn’t have any issues as far as being scared is concerned.

We don’t yet know what the exact offerings will be during Oogie Boogie Bash 2025, as Disney doesn’t release that information until the event gets closer. As stated above, the main offerings generally remain the same every year, with just a few changes or additions. That said, I can fill you in on what will likely be offered with a decently high degree of certainty.

Villains Grove Walk-Through Attraction

You can definitely expect to see Villains Grove return to the event. Each year, Redwood Creek Challenge is transformed into a ethereal world of Disney villains. If you’ve never experienced it, it’s a walk-through attraction featuring several scenes with projection, lighting, and shadow effects, in addition to musical elements, themed after many of Disney’s most beloved villains, such as Scar and the Queen of Hearts.

It’s the attraction that consistently has the longest queue during the event and many would argue that it’s worth the price of admission all its own, so be sure not to miss it. While it can always change, scenes from past events included:

• Frollo’s Sanctuary

• Maleficient

• Queen of Hearts’ Garden.

• Scar’s Elephant Graveyard

• Dr. Facilier’s Friends on the Other Side

• The Queen’s Lightning Forest

• Home of the Wisps

Villains Treat Trails

Another villain offering during Oogie Boogie Bash are the treat trails that feature several, rarely-seen Disney villains. These treat trails are not your typical character meet and greets, as cast members entice guests to keep moving through the queue with handfuls of candy.

The villains will interact with guests and periodically stop to pose for photos, but you won’t be able to take a selfie or group picture with them. This keeps the line flowing, ensuring short wait times. At last year’s event, we didn’t wait longer than ten minutes to see each one. A few examples of villains from past parties include:

• Ernesto de la Cruz (Coco)

• Judge Doom (Who Framed Roger Rabbit?)

• Sid (Toy Story)

• Cruella (live-action version)

• Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty)

• Mother Gothel (Tangled)

• Oogie Boogie (Nightmare Before Christmas)

• Syndrome (The Incredibles)

Judge Doom and Dr. Doof were the two new villains in 2024 and they’re sure to stick around in 2025. However, I believe that Mad Madam Mim and Sid will be the two who’re replaced in 2025. As to who they’ll be…only Disney knows that. We’ll find out through online teasers once the event nears.

To read more about which characters to expect at Oogie Boogie Bash, read my ultimate Oogie Boogie Bash villain guide here.

Frightfully Fun Parade

The Frightfully Fun parade is exclusive to the event and runs twice nightly at 7:50pm and 10:05pm, respectively. The first showing begins in Paradise Gardens, runs up through the Performance Corridor, then down Hollywood Land, before concluding near Mission Breakout. The second showing runs in the opposite order.

It’s a relatively short parade and it isn’t the greatest thing Disney has ever produced, but it’s fun and fine for what it is. The Headless Horseman kicks off the parade, followed by multiple villains and Halloween-themed floats, including those from Nightmare Before Christmas and the Haunted Mansion. Mickey and Minnie Mouse also make an appearance, of course.

You can elevate the experience by booking the Oogie Boogie Bash dessert party. With your booking, you receive a box of decadent desserts, charcuterie items, and a pin, as well as unlimited drinks. Not to mention, you’ll have an actual seat versus sitting on the ground. You can read my comprehensive review here.

Halloween-Themed Food and Drinks

While the Halloween season in general brings about several specially-themed Halloween treats throughout both parks, Disney will also reserve a handful that are exclusive to Oogie Boogie Bash attendees.

These special offerings include everything from tasty desserts and full-blown entrees to bagged candy and cocktails. As stated above, Wine Country Trattoria offers a special three-course meal as part of a dining package for the parade and several other locations, including Studio Catering Cart and Schmoozies, get in on the action as well.

These are the main offerings during Oogie Boogie Bash, but there are plenty of others as well. In addition to the Villain Treat Trails, you’ll also experience several traditional character meet and greets, unlimited trick or treating, ride attractions with low to no wait times and more.

Speaking honestly, I love the existing offerings, but I wish Disney would offer just a bit more. Personally, I would love to see a special dining experience with ultra-rare characters. Imagine enjoying a three or four course meal at Carthay Circle while the Seven Dwarfs make their way around the room. Or the villains of Pixar greeting you while dining at Lamplight Lounge. The possibilities are truly endless.

Oogie Boogie Bash Frequent Questions

How quickly do Oogie Boogie Bash tickets sell out?

In prior years, tickets sold out either the same day or by the next day. In other words, they go super quick. Be sure to be on-the-ball once Disney announces the on-sale date.

Are the attractions open during Oogie Boogie Bash?

As long as they’re not down for refurbishment, yes, most or all attractions are open during the event. Often with little to no wait times.

Does DAS work during Oogie Boogie Bash?

Yes and no. The only attraction that offers DAS during Oogie Boogie Bash is Villains Grove. Since there aren’t as many people in the park during the event, the rides have little to no wait times, making DAS mostly unnecessary. To read about the recent changes to DAS, go here.

Does Genie Plus work during Oogie Boogie Bash?

No. If you’ve purchased Genie Plus during normal park hours, it will no longer work once the event begins. Additionally, you cannot purchase it during the event.

Is the park crowded during Oogie Boogie Bash?

Busy is a relative term and highly depends on you perceive it. From my perspective, the crowd levels are nowhere near like they are during the day. That said, the queues at the most popular offerings, such as Villains Grove and certain character experiences, can experience long wait times.

Are costumes allowed at Oogie Boogie Bash?

Yes! Both children and adults alike can dress in a Halloween costume for the event. There are a few rules, however. They are:

• Guests who dress like Disney characters cannot pose for pictures or sign autographs

• Costumes cannot have sharp or pointed objects or material

• No part of the costume can drag on the ground

• Costumes that surround or cover the entire body may not be allowed

• Costumes must not be violent, objectionable, or offensive

• They may not contain objects that could be construed as weapons

Which entrance can I use?

All three entrances into DCA can used to access the gate. All guests can utilize the main gate and the Grand Californian entrance, and guests who’re registered at the Pixar Place Hotel may use their exclusive entrance as well.

Is there a World of Color showing during Oogie Boogie Bash?

While there was a villains-themed World of Color shown during the first Oogie Boogie Bash, it has not made a return since. That could always change, though.

Planning a trip to Oogie Boogie Bash? If so, read my 17 Oogie Boogie Bash tips. If you only have one day to spend, read Disneyland in One Day: 8 Tips to Maximize Your Time. Finally, for great prices on Disneyland tickets and vacation packages to just about anywhere, visit my friends at Get Away Today.

An Overview of the Six Pixar-Themed Marketplaces at Pixar Fest

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe will add value to my readers.

When Disney released details of what to expect during Pixar Fest in 2024, one of the offerings mentioned were several Pixar-themed marketplaces in the Hollywood Backlot area. If you’ve ever attended a Food and Wine Festival or Lunar New Year, you’d know exactly what those “marketplaces” are.

If you don’t know, they’re essentially themed food booths with certain elements having to do with whichever festival is taking place. For example, during Food and Wine, one of the marketplaces was called “Garlic Kissed” and featured food items related to - you guessed it - garlic.

They’ve proven to be insanely popular, so it only made sense for Disney to theme after some of Pixar’s most beloved films and use them to elevate the offerings during Pixar Fest.

In this post, we’re going to take a look at the names of these marketplaces, which film they’re themed after, and images and descriptions of what each one is going to offer. Unfortunately, I can confirm that there will not be a Sip and Savor Pass for sale during this event.

1) “The Spark” - Inspired by Soul

Inspired by Pixar’s hit film Soul, “The Spark” will offer several brand new food and cocktail offerings, in addition to an exhaustive amount of beers and seltzers. The booth’s sole entree offering is the Supper Club Chicken & Potato Waffles with peach cobbler sauce and cinnamon-herb crumble. For dessert is the Half Note Jazz Cake which, by the website’s own admission, is essentially a basic red velvet cake.

The Great Beyond, one of two crafted cocktails at this booth, is made with gin, maraschino liquor, violet & blue curacoa syrups, lemon juice and pear nectar. The second cocktail, SPARK-ler, seems like it’ll be on the sweeter side with a concoction of varying syrups including mango, pineapple and cotton candy.

2) 4Town Fav*4*ites - Inspired by “Turning Red”

The Turning Red marketplace is the one I’m most looking forward to, as all of the offerings look stellar! First, the Red Panda Bao is a jumbo bao stuffed with vegetables, pork and a chili-garlic sauce. The word “jumbo” in the description indicates a single bao per purchase, though a sizable one.

You can follow this up with the Panda Apocalypse, a pan-baked, chocolate-layered brownie and New York-style cheesecake topped with orange and red cream cheese frosting. Finally, wash it all down with the Nobody Like U Cooler, a non-alcoholic beverage made with Joffrey’s Raspberry Rose Tea, white cranberry, lime & orange juices and cherry syrup, garnished with an orange wedge gummy.

3) Gusteau’s To-Go inspired by “Ratatouille”

It would’ve been criminal for Disney to feature Pixar-themed marketplaces at Pixar Fest and not include the most food-relatable IP in their portfolio. After all, Ratatouille’s entire premise was centered around a rat who loved to cook.

Gusteau’s To-Go’s criminally small menu consists of the Ratatouille Pizzetta topped with mozzarella, eggplant, squash, zucchini, a drizzle of tomato sauce, and a wedge of French camembert. The only other food offering is a macaron themed after Chef Gusteau, with creme brulee mousse and a caramel center.

The two alcoholic offerings, the Le Critique Cognac Sidecar and Little French Daiquiri, make up the only drinks on the menu, with no non-alcoholic options.

4) Portorosso Pasta inspired by “Luca”

Representing Italy, the Luca booth features only one food offering, but may be the most interesting of the bunch that has the potential to “steal the show”. It’s the Portorosso Pesto Pasta, Portorosso being the fictional Italian town where the movie is based. The dish is ribbon pasta tossed in a basil pesto with potatoes and green beans mixed in.

The non-alcoholic Sea Monster Lemonade consists of white grape juice, lemonade and peach syrup garnished with blue citrus mango jellies. Rounding out the drink offerings, the adults-only Silenzio Limoncello! has a Limoncello base with amaretto & Aperol liquors, blood orange syrup, lemonade and house-made oregano tea and garnished with micro daises.

5) Hanger Management inspired by “Inside Out” 

The Hanger Management marketplace offers a simple menu consisting of two variations of a basic macaroni and cheese dish. One of which is traditional yellow mac topped with a handful of Cheeto puffs and the other being the “angry” version topped with hot Cheetos. In all honesty, this is quite disappointing and uninspiring as it looks to be nothing more than boxed mac and cheese.

The cocktail appears to be a variation of a Maker’s Mule. It’ll have a bourbon base with watermelon liquor, candied orange & watermelon syrups, and orange & lime juices topped with ginger beer and garnished with watermelon candies.

I feel Disney dropped the ball here (the food, specifically). The food offerings are about as basic as it gets without any real creativity added whatsoever. Considering all of the mood elements featured in Inside Out, this marketplace could’ve been the stand-out with multiple incredibly creative dishes.

6) Elemental Table inspired by “Elemental”

If you’re looking for plant-based options, the Elemental marketplace is for you. Food offerings include a BBQ-spiced IMPOSSIBLE chicken dish with hot mustard sauce, pickles and charred onions, followed by the Kol Nut Whoopie Cookie Pie baked with cocoa powder and filled with cream cheese frosting and topped with crushed cinnamon candies.

The drink offerings, both of which are tequila-based, are visually stunning and will undoubtedly be popular. First is the H2O-rita made with tequila, blue curaçao syrup, lychee nectar, yuja purée and lime juice garnished with a rock candy stick. Lastly, the Exothermic Margarita consists of tequila, ancho chile liqueur, passion fruit nectar, lime & grapefruit juices and agave nectar garnished with a rock candy stick.

While there are some disappointments on the menus of the marketplaces (Hanger Management, specifically), overall, I’m looking forward to sampling the majority of them.

Of the all the cocktail offerings, the two at the Elemental marketplace are sure to be the clear stand-outs as they’re the most Insta-worthy of the bunch. As it pertains to food, I’m most looking forward to the jumbo bao at the Turning Red marketplace and the pesto pasta dish at Luca’s.

I’m going to reiterate my stance on what I believe is an epic let-down at the Hanger Management marketplace. I wish Disney would have gone the BBQ route here, offering a creative version of the classic pulled-pork sandwich with several emotions represented in different variations, or something similar.

Despite this, I’m predicting Pixar Fest will be a massive success. More and more, guests are clamoring for more “non-standard” Disney. Usually, that comes in the form of an After Dark event where in order to partake, you’d have to pay for another ticket.

Special events like Pixar Fest and Season of the Force, however, are available to all guests who hold a regular ticket or Magic Key, making it accessible for everyone to enjoy. With Pixar Fest looking like an un-official “foodie festival”, I hope to see it become a part of DCA’s annual line up of festivals. Time will tell.

Planning a trip to Disneyland? If so, be sure to stay on top of ride closures by reading (and saving) my 2024 Disneyland Refurbishment Calendar. To see all the activities taking place at Pixar Fest, read Pixar Fest 2024: 10 Things to Know. Additionally, to see the newly transformed Pixar Place Hotel, read my Tour of the Pixar Place Hotel post. Lastly, for deals on Disneyland tickets and vacation packages, see my friends at Get Away Today.

An Overview of Disability Access Service (DAS) Changes at Disneyland

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe will add value to my readers.

Recently, Disney announced changes to their Disability Access Service (DAS) that will apply to both the Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort. This post will focus on what these changes mean for visitors to Disneyland so if you’re planning a trip to WDW, you read more about their details here.

DAS at Disneyland began a number of years ago with the intent of providing guests with certain disabilities who cannot wait in traditional queues a more comfortable experience at the parks. This service enabled those guests and their group to skip the stand-by queues in a manner much like how Genie+ works.

Unfortunately, DAS has been wrought with abuse over the years, enabling many who really shouldn’t be using the service to cheat the system by skipping lines. This has led to many issues, the worst of which being an over-inflation of wait times in stand-by queues and Lightning Lane queues alike.

The changes go into effect at Disneyland on June 18th and were made with the intention of both making the service easier to use for those who require it and to better prevent abuse and/or misuse. In this post, I’ll discuss the details of DAS, such as who can use it, how to sign up for it, policy changes and more.

What is Disability Access Service (DAS)?

As stated above, DAS is a service offered at Disneyland that provides guests with certain disabilities who are unable to wait in traditional stand-by queues quick access to select attractions in both parks. For the most part, those disabilities include autism and other development related disorders.

Instead of waiting in stand-by queues, guests utilizing DAS and their party arrive to their selected attraction during the designated return window, similar to how Genie+ works. Upon arriving, DAS guests will use either the Lightning Lane or exit to access to the attraction, bypassing the stand-by queue.

The total wait for each attraction is comparable to the posted time for stand-by but instead of waiting there, DAS guests spend that time elsewhere that’s more comfortable, or at another attraction or show that has a tolerable wait.

If you’ve ever used Genie Plus (or its predecessor, MaxPass), this process will be familiar to you. Like Genie Plus, you may select only one attraction at a time and can only make another selection once you’ve used your current allotment or a certain amount of time has passed. Unlike Genie Plus, you can select the same attraction more than once.

So what can you do while waiting for your return time? You can spend that time exploring the park, enjoying other attractions with shorter wait times (Adventureland Treehouse for example), meet your favorite characters or take this time to enjoy a meal or snack.

When approved, your DAS eligibility is good for every day on your Disneyland ticket or up to 120-days, whichever is shorter.

Who Can and Cannot Use DAS at Disneyland?

Once the recent changes have been implemented, only guests with “hidden” disabilities such as autism or similar developmental or mobility disorders that make it difficult to impossible to wait in traditional queues will be eligible for DAS.

Another feature of the program is the ability to take strollers (if the DAS eligible guest requires it) all the way to the loading area of the attraction. Most guests must leave strollers in the designated area outside of the attraction but DAS guests are given exceptions. In order to take advantage of this, be sure to ask for a stroller tag when you sign up.

If the guest’s disability requires the use of a wheelchair or scooter, that guest will not need DAS unless there are additional elements to the disability that might require it. Otherwise, those guests should refer to the cast member at each attraction about what to do.

At most attractions in Disneyland park, this typically means accessing the attraction through the exit as stand-by queues in the older attractions aren’t ADA friendly. The modern attractions in the park, in addition to those at California Adventure, do have ADA compliant queues.

If your mobility issue prevents you from standing for long periods of time but doesn’t require the use of a wheelchair or scooter, you may be asked to bring or rent one as the solution as you may not be eligible for DAS as it’s mostly for guests with “invisible” disabilities.

Furthermore, at Disneyland, you do not need to provide proof of disability as Disney take guests at their word. However, the more details you can provide to the cast member, the more they’re able to help you. It’s best to be perfectly honest as if it’s proven a guest has lied about the disability, they’ll face a lifetime ban from both Disneyland and Walt Disney World.

How to Sign Up For DAS at Disneyland

There are two ways to sign up for DAS. You either speak with a cast member on arrival at the park or online via DAS Advance up to 30-days prior to the first day of your visit. Keep in mind that starting June 18, you will no longer be able to sign up inside the park, as that service will be moved outside in the esplanade.

Both options have their advantages and disadvantages, but no matter which option you go with, the guest requiring DAS will need to be physically present. If that guest is a minor, the parent will be able to speak for them, but they’ll still need to be present as they’ll have their photo taken. Additionally, you’ll need to ensure that you have all of your tickets purchased by then.

How to Sign Up For DAS Advance

The advantages to DAS Advance are; it’ll be done in an environment the guest is comfortable with (they’re home) and as an added bonus, the cast member will assist you with making your first two attraction selections for each day of your visit. You can register to begin that process at this link.

As mentioned above, you may begin the process through DAS Advance up to thirty days, but no less than two days prior to the day of your first visit. The downfall to DAS Advance is the wait for a cast member can be long, especially in the afternoon and evening. Logging in first thing in the morning is key to avoiding a lengthy wait.

DAS Advance key info:

• Hours of availability are 9am - 8pm

• It is currently only available in the English language

Before beginning your video chat, be sure to:

• Log into your Disney account

• Review and accept the terms & conditions

• Ensure park tickets are linked together in the account

• Make sure the guest requiring DAS is physically present

Once you’ve connected with a cast member, you’ll discuss with them your needs. If approved, you’ll be able to select two DAS return times for select attractions for each day of your visit. Some of these attractions include Matterhorn Bobsleds, Big Thunder Mountain, Incredicoaster and Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission BREAKOUT.

How to Sign Up For DAS in Person

If you choose to wait until you arrive (and you’re arriving prior to June 18), make your way to guest services inside either park to inquire. At Disneyland Park guest services is at City Hall and in DCA, you’ll find it just past Oswald’s to the left, just inside the gate.

The only real advantage to this is it’s typically faster than doing it in video chat, but that could be offset if there are many others in line. People go to guest services for several reasons, not just to sign up for DAS, and there are usually only a small handful of cast members available to assist.

This could get worse starting June 18 as guests of both parks will need to go to a single location in the esplanade. A particular location hasn’t yet been announced, but it’ll likely be one or two of the unused ticket booths. For this reason, I highly recommend signing up through video chat.

How to Use DAS at the Parks

Using DAS in the parks is easy and similar in nature to Genie Plus, as you’ll book your attraction return times within the Disneyland app. You can also ask cast members stationed throughout the park to do it, but it’s much quicker through the app. To make your first selections (aside from the ones you made in the video chat) you must be scanned into the park.

One you’re in the park, open the Disneyland app and sign into your account. Scroll to the “More” option at the bottom of the main tab. Then, tap the DAS button to see available attraction selections. Note that only guests who have been approved for DAS will be able to view this.

When you arrive to the attraction for your return time, simply hold your phone or MagicBand up to the Mickey-shaped scanner to access the attraction. Keep in mind that the person who was approved for DAS must scan theirs first, followed by the rest of the group.

If you have a park hopper ticket, you will not be able make DAS selections for the other park until you have been scanned into it. For example, if you’re currently in DCA, you won’t be able to make a DAS selection for an attraction in Disneyland until you’re actually in Disneyland.

Which Rides and Attractions Work With DAS?

At Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure, guests with DAS can access all attractions. Including the ones without Lightning Lanes. This is especially advantageous for DAS guests as those with Genie Plus can only access select attractions.

For example, none of the Fantasyland attractions, aside from Matterhorn Bobsleds, are included with Genie Plus. Since these attractions don’t have Lightning Lanes, you’ll likely access the ride through the exit where a cast member will scan you in. If you’re unsure, just check with a cast member.

Additionally, the attractions with Individual Lightning Lanes are also included in DAS and do not require a separate purchase. These attractions include Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance in Disneyland and Radiator Springs Racers at DCA.

If an attraction you have a return time for were to break down, you will be issued a “Multiple Experiences Pass”. Normally, this pass would only work on attractions that are on Genie Plus but with DAS, you’ll be able to use it on any attraction.

Does DAS Work During Special Events?

Generally, no, DAS does not apply to special events such as After Dark Nites and Oogie Boogie Bash. Reason being is because during these events, there are far less people in the parks than a normal day and the majority of event attendees are there for the special event’s offerings, not the rides.

As a result, the lines for attractions during these events are mostly on the short side, at most. When we attended Disney Channel Nite in March, most of the attractions were walk-ons, with Space Mountain having the worst line of the night at just twenty minutes.

The sole exception to this is the Villains Grove attraction during the annual Ooogie Boogie Bash at DCA. Though there are ways to avoid it, the queue for Villains Grove is often long, so cast members are stationed near the entrance to assist DAS approved guests.

How Many Guests Can Be in a DAS Group?

With the old policy, the general consensus was six to a group (five family members for every one DAS guest). However, it wasn’t exactly a hard and fast rule as cast members didn’t want to break groups up so essentially, your group could be as big as you wanted it to be.

As of June 18, 2024, you’ll be permitted four to a group (three family members for every one DAS guest). From what I’m hearing, this is going to be enforced much more than it used to be, but you can discuss that with the cast member during the sign up process.

While there are no guarantees, if the fifth person in your group is a child or an elderly parent, you stand a good chance of gaining an exception. Remember, Disney’s goal here is to reduce abuse of the system, so don’t count on everyone being approved if you have a large group.

Planning a trip to Disneyland? If so, be sure to read my review of the new Pixar Place Hotel. Additionally, read up on the multiple aspects of dining with my 2024 Disneyland Dining Guide. Furthermore, learn how to save money at Disneyland by reading 10 Best Disneyland Tips: Food and Drink. Finally, to save money on Disneyland tickets and vacation packages, visit my friends at Get Away Today.

Visiting Disneyland in September 2024

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Is Disneyland Crowded in September?

Historically speaking, September has always been the best time of year to visit the Disneyland Resort (well, part of it anyway). The best time, of the best time, to visit Disneyland is between the end of August and mid-September.

That timeframe is loaded with days on the low end of the crowds spectrum. Typically by Labor Day, many schools in Southern California are back in session and parents are back in the office. Since Disneyland is largely a local’s park, it sees a temporary dip in attendance in that period.

One caveat to this that could end up making a liar out of me is the fact that for the first time at Disneyland, Halloween season begins in late August. In prior years, it began in mid-September and caused a spike in crowd levels that would continue to snowball until after well Christmas.

Another wildcard this year is the upcoming Tiana’s Bayou Adventure attraction. The current opening timeline is being billed at, “late 2024”. However, there’s been significant progress on the attraction in the last couple months, making the possibility of a September opening a decent one.

I doubt Disney wants to open this attraction in the colder months, as wait times for water-based attractions are typically low, for obvious reasons. Disney needs Tiana’s to be a smash hit, so opening it when the temperatures are still fairly hot would be preferable as demand would surely be high.

Looking at the single-day tickets calendar, weekdays during the first two weeks are priced at the low end of the spectrum at $104. Some view this as an indicator that it’ll be a slow day, but it could potentially be a situation where you might want to utilize the, “zig while they zag”, strategy.

The reason I say that is because value-seekers will likely see that price as an opportunity to go doing those low-demand days which in turn could cause crowds to swell. Weekends surge to the $160 mark and weekdays in the latter half of the month aren’t far behind that.

Keep in mind that since locals are back in school and work, the bulk of the crowds you are going to see will be in the mid-afternoon and evening hours. If you commit to rope dropping the parks and being back at your hotel by 1:00 or 2:00pm, your opinion on how crowded it is will largely differ from someone who didn’t arrive until 5:00pm.

Something else to consider is the annual Oogie Boogie Bash party at Disney California Adventure. On Oogie Boogie nights, DCA closes early to regular ticket holders, often causing a huge migration across the esplanade to Disneyland park, causing an even bigger swell.

With Halloween beginning in August this year, this is yet another wildcard that could have an adverse effect on crowds during a traditionally slow time. As it pertains to evenings, anyway.

That said, as the month progresses and Halloween gets into more people’s minds, the crowd levels will steadily rise. Due to this, I’ll stick with my usually recommendation and say go ahead and book dates between the last week of August and mid-September.

You’re going to get all the benefits of visiting during the Halloween season with far less crowds than any other time. Do be weary of weekdays, though. As I discussed above, that $104 price tag could make weekends more favorable if you can swing the extra cost.

Anaheim Weather in September

Anaheim generally has pleasant weather in September. The humidity remains low despite day-time temperatures often exceeding 80 degrees for the majority of the month. It’s more of a dry heat, though, and generally isn’t too bad.

Night-time lows dip into the mid-sixties for the first half of September. As the month progresses towards October, it’ll get down to the low sixties while rarely going below that. Many assume that because it’s Southern California it’s always warm. That isn’t the case, so be sure to pack a hoodie.

Precipitation is nearly non-existent as September is one of the driest months in Orange County, so I definitely wouldn’t bother with packing an umbrella or rain jacket.

Overall, aside from a few unusually high temperature days, September is great month, weather-wise, to visit Disneyland.

Disneyland Resort Hotel Rates

Disney has years worth of historical crowd pattern data to go off and they’re known for maximizing profits whenever and wherever they can. One of their most profitable sectors in which to do that is nightly rates at their branded hotels.

The Disneyland Resort currently has three; the Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, The Disneyland Hotel and Pixar Place Hotel. They each vary in rates and amenities, but all offer an opportunity to stay within the Disney bubble. Disney considers resort hotel guests to be the most valuable.

Hotel rates are a good indicator of expected crowd patterns for any specific period because as stated above, Disney will maximize their profits however they can. So if they’re expecting a busy week, their hotels will command high nightly rates.

The following are averages of the three resort hotels listed above. Keep in mind that if you decide to book, your average may be lower or higher than what I’m listing below. Disney prices their hotels dynamically, similar to how airlines price tickets, so they’re easily affected by demand, major area events, etc.

Grand Californian Hotel & Spa Rates: The ‘Grand’ is always priced the highest as it’s Disneyland’s luxury, high end resort. For a standard view room, the average rate in September is $761.24. For a club level room with the same view, the rate spikes to $1,351.31.

The Disneyland Hotel Rates: This is Disneyland’s original hotel (though there isn’t much of the actual original hotel remaining) and is considered their mid-range offering. For a standard view room, September’s average rate is $588.90 and for a club level room of the same view, you’re looking at $987.45. For a deluxe studio in the Discovery (Villas) Tower, it’s $680.99 per night.

Pixar Place Hotel Rates: Pixar Place is Disneyland’s newest(ish) hotel offering, recently completing it’s years long transformation from its previous Paradise Pier Hotel brand. For a standard view room, you’re looking at a nightly rate of $481.25 and $692.25 for club level.

Disney is definitely trying to entice people to stay on-property as the rates for September are indeed lower than they were in July or August. You may think that’s obvious since those are summer months but in recent years the holiday season has rivaled summer as the resort’s busiest time of year.

After breaking up the averages between the first and second half of September, the average rates are higher in the latter half than they are in the first. That’s a huge indicator to me that, despite the early kick-off of Halloween at the resort, Disney is still expecting lower crowds in that first half.

Disneyland Rides Closed in September

Disney typically doesn’t release attraction refurbishment information until 45-days ahead of time. At the time of this post’s publishing, that’s a ways off. While I don’t have anything concrete to offer at this time, I do have some suspicions as to what’ll be open or closed.

Firstly, as discussed above, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure could, in theory, be open by September. I have my doubts, personally, but it’s definitely possible given the recent progress. If I had to bet the farm, I would say September is a pipe dream at the moment.

On the flip side, I am fully expecting Haunted Mansion to reopen in time for the kick-off to the Halloween season as Haunted Mansion Holiday. It would be an “egg-to-the-face” moment for Disney if their biggest holiday attraction isn’t open in time, so I believe they’ll make it happen.

If you haven’t heard, Disney is walling off Critter Country in May in order to convert two of the land’s gift shops into themes after two supporting characters from Princess and the Frog, among other smaller projects. While I don’t know how long this closure will be for, I would be shocked if it was still closed come September.

All that said, Disney would have completed the major refurbishments by this point, as they cannot afford to lose more capacity during their incredibly busy holiday season. Still, I would anticipate a few quick closures here and there, but nothing big.

Still, there’s always the chance that both Tiana’s and Haunted Mansion experience construction delays and thus, remain closed. If this happens, capacity throughout the rest of the park will suffer as a result. I’ll keep my eyes on these and update this post as credible information becomes available.

Planning a trip to Disneyland? If you’ll be visiting during Halloween, be sure to read 2024 Disneyland Halloween Guide to read about what to expect, tips and more. For tips and advice on tickets, read 10 Best Disneyland Tickets: Park Tickets. To learn about the changes made to Advance Dining Reservations, read Improvements Made to Advance Dining Reservations at Disneyland. Finally, for great deals on Disneyland tickets and vacation packages, visit my friends at Get Away Today.