You Might Be Able To Save $82 A Person By Buying Two Single Day Park Tickets Versus Two Day Disneyland Tickets
This is a question we get asked all the time! Disneyland's website is really not very clear and it can cause a lot of confusion. This blog is to help you determine the cheapest way to buy two-day tickets for Disneyland.
When you go to purchase tickets on Disneylands website this is what you will see.
It looks like a single-day ticket is $104 making two days at the park a total cost of $208.
It also looks like buying a two-day ticket would cost of $286, meaning you would save a lot of money buying two single-day tickets instead of a two-day pass.
And that is true, but ONLY SOMETIMES. Let's talk about why.
Dynamic (Tiered) Pricing for Single-Day Disneyland Tickets
All single-day tickets at Disneyland now are priced dynamically. This is a nice way to say that Disneyland charges more for single-day tickets on days they think might not normally be as busy. Single-day tickets (without the ability to Park Hop and without Genie +) range from $104-$179 per person.
Disney has 6 tiers and depending on what tier that day is, that will determine the cost of a one-day ticket.
It is important to note that the price for a multi-day ticket (2 days or more) is the same no matter what days you pick. It is only single-day tickets that have this pricing structure.
WHAT IS TIERED PRICING?
First, let’s talk briefly about Disneyland’s tiered pricing. Disneyland has 6 different prices for a single-day ticket. They call these different price tiers. If they expect a day will be popular with guest they make that day more expensive. When you pick the day you plan to visit, it will show you the cost of the ticket.
HOW CAN YOU SAVE MONEY BUYING MULTIPLE SINGLE-DAY TICKETS?
Here is how can you save money by buying multiple 1-Day 1 Park Tier 0 (at $104 per day) versus paying for a single 2-day pass. It boils down to planning your park days around the lowest ticket prices.
If you are going to the parks on two days, and BOTH days are priced at $104 it could be cheaper to buy two single day tickets...
TWO-DAY SAVING STRATEGY CAVEATS
If you plan on visiting on two tier 0 days, it doesn’t make sense to pay for a two-day ticket that covers the higher tiers (that’s some serious churro money!!). However, you have to meet all of the conditions below for this strategy to work.
At least one of the days you are planning on going is priced at $104
Both days you are going to the parks are priced below $159: Personally, the hassle of the two tickets is only worth it to me if the savings is at least $20 a ticket. I usually will only use this strategy if the second day is priced at $129 or less.
You need to be certain of your park dates: Changing your dates with single-day tickets can mean an upcharge and a lot of hassle. So if you think your dates might change, you might be better off with a two-day ticket.
You need to skip the park hopper: The cost for the park hopper add-on is $60 per ticket. So if you added a park hopper to both days the cost would be $120 per ticket on two separate single-day tickets. On one two-day ticket, you would only be charged $60 to be able to park hop both days.
MAGICAL POINTS TO REMEMBER
Like any workaround, there are fine print items you should make note of. These are not deal breakers on going with our recommendation, but rather words of advice to help you avoid unnecessary stress on your vacation.
Tier 0 days can be busy because the lower price gets people to go on these dates. This is especially true in the summer.
There might not be tier 0 tickets on the day you want to visit the park.
If you want to change tier dates you will have to pay an upgrade fee and the difference on each ticket.
Upgrades or changes to your tickets might need to be made over the phone by calling 714-781-4636.
In the event you need to change dates to another tier, you may up paying more than purchasing a 2-Day ticket from the start. Make sure you plan your days wisely. Upgrades are not always available, so have a plan B.
You cannot combine (2) 1 day 1 Park Per Day tickets into a 2-Day ticket after the fact.
Tickets bought through Disneyland Resort are not refundable.
When it comes to a single-day ticket, it’s almost always cheaper to go directly through Disneyland but there are ways to work the system by planning your visit around lower-priced days. Check Disneyland’s ticket price calendar before planning your trip to ensure you are making the best choices when it comes to your park days.
If you change your park visit date, you can end up paying upgrade fees if you change to a day that is a higher tier. An example is if you switch from a 3-tier to a 1-tier day, you don't pay anything. However, if you upgrade to a 4-tier day, you'll have to pay an upgrade fee.
Comparing Disneyland Ticket Prices
We know that even just buying tickets for Disneyland can be overwhelming. There are a lot of options and price points it can be hard to keep them all straight. We built a tool to help make it easier to be able to compare Disneyland ticket prices. We have a little video below showing you how it works.
We also have a free course to help you plan your trip to Disneyland. We cover everything from booking tickets to flights, hotels, and even strollers.
You can jump straight to the tickets page in our free course by clicking the button below: