Hi there, Jim! Welcome to planDisney!
Planning for a visit to the Disneyland Resort is one of my favorite things to do, and I'm happy to help you in finding a path to the Happiest Place on Earth. I just went online myself to calculate the
ticket price for your upcoming trip in May and came to the same conclusion regarding the total pricing. With a Park Hopper ticket, you are able to choose your starting park and then hop between the two after 1 p.m. each day. It takes just one minute to walk between the two entrances and the Park Hopper does allow for some endless flexibility for your afternoon and evenings!
While I love this flexibility, seeing as you have two full days to explore the parks, one budget-friendly option may be to choose the One Park Per Day Tickets with one day for
Disneyland Park and one day for
Disney California Adventure Park. I actually prefer this at times as it lets you focus on each park and soak in everything they have to offer. You can take your time; mingle with Super Heroes at
Avengers Campus, learn how to draw some favorite characters from a Disney Animator at the
Animation Academy, listen to The Dapper Dans on Main Street, U.S.A., or take a cruise through the Rivers of America on the
Mark Twain Riverboat. Left to my own devices, I can race through my Disneyland days, crossing parks and going from attraction to attraction without so much as slowing down for a churro. While these days are VERY fun, they go by VERY fast. When I take the time to slow down, this is where most of my favorite and most magical memories are found.
While the value of a Disneyland day is personal for everyone, I can tell you that every minute will be filled with magic. Not only will you be thrilled on attractions like
Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission: BREAKOUT! and
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, you will be charmed on
"it's a small world" and
Peter Pan's Flight. It's hard not to joyfully sing along and declare "It's a Pirate's Life for Me!" on
Pirates of the Caribbean or head on down to the "laughing place" for a Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah day on
Splash Mountain! You can travel through lands of Adventure, Fantasy, Frontier, and Tomorrow, spot some of your favorite characters, and snack on that beloved Disneyland popcorn. And just in time for your trip, the nights will once again be lit up with magic with the grand return of World of Color, Disneyland Forever fireworks, and the Main Street Electrical Parade!
Jim, no matter how you choose to enjoy your time, the magic is yours. If you have any more questions, we are always here for you at
planDisney.
Keep wishing on those stars,
Tara