GUIDE: Everything You Need to Know About Making Reservations to Visit the Disneyland Resort

Guests visiting the Disneyland Resort are required to have two things to be able to enter: a valid ticket/Magic Key and also a reservation. While this system has been in place since the reopening of the Disneyland Resort after the pandemic, it still can be confusing for some. Below is a look at how this system works and how you can utilize it for your next visit to The Happiest Place on Earth!

Admission

Before you can make a reservation for a Disney park at the Disneyland Resort, a valid form of admission is required. There are several options for this. Basically they boil down into two categories: Tickets or Magic Key Passes. For tickets, there are different options for which ticket you can purchase. This can be a single day with a single or multi-park option or a multi-day ticket (up to five days) with single or multi-park options. The multi-park options are known as Park Hopper tickets. They currently allow guests to Park Hop (switch parks) anytime from 11:00 AM on. Tickets/Magic Keys can be purchased at the links below or through the reservation process as shared in the next section below. Tickets/Magic Keys are required for all guests ages 3 and older.

To insure that you can visit on the date that you wish, make sure and check out the reservation availability calendar before purchasing a ticket or Magic Key. This will avoid having a ticket or Magic Key that you have spent money on that won’t get you into a park on your desired day.

Reservations

Once you have a ticket or Magic Key pass, you now will need to make a reservation to visit either Disneyland Park or Disney California Adventure Park before you can actually visit. The reservation availability calendar can be found here:

Here is what you need to know about making reservations for one of the Disneyland Resort theme parks on the Disneyland website (log in first with a Disney account to expedite the process):

To book a reservation, either visit Disneyland.com and hover over Parks & Tickets in the main menu, then click on Ticket & Reservation Details.
Click on either the Select Ticket (to purchase a new ticket) or Make or Modify Park Reservations button.
Follow the prompts to book theme park reservations. This includes picking a ticket/pass that you want to make a reservation, a date, and a park (or starting park if a park hopper ticket/pass).
Once you have picked a date, be sure to follow the prompts through to confirm your reservation. This includes accepting Terms and Conditions. Do not stop until you receive a confirmation screen that is accompanied by a confirmation email. The confirmation page will say in big bold letters “Your Theme Park Reservation is Confirmed!” It will also include a confirmation number. It is a good idea to screenshot this just in case something goes wrong.
Check your email to confirm you received a confirmation for your reservation.
Finally, you can visit your theme park that you have made a reservation for with your valid theme park admission and have a fantastic time!

If you want to do this process through the Disneyland App, there is just one slight difference. It is where you start the process. For the app, click on the + in the middle of the app and then Make a Park Reservation. Then follow the same process as shown above. It will make you log in to the website as it opens another screen.

Once you have secured your park reservations, you can go back and check them by logging into the Disneyland app and starting the process for making a reservation. For the Disneyland website, do the same and once you have visited the Make or Modify Park Reservations button, scroll down on that page to see your upcoming reservations.

Tips for Getting Reservations

Get reservations as early as possible as they are limited per type of pass or ticket for each day.
If you aren’t initially able to get reservations for the day that you want, keep checking. Often reservation availability will open up sporadically for various reasons.
Check the night before your desired visit date for reservations as they will sometimes open up as people cancel their reservations.
Keep your reservation confirmation email in case there is a glitch with your reservation. Then you can show the email confirming your reservation at the main gate to hopefully resolve any issues that might arise.