Hiya, Alan!
Thanks for bouncin’ into planDisney, Birthday Buddy! I like your plan to celebrate at the Disneyland Resort. It’s
Tiggerific!
In order to spend time at the Disneyland Resort theme parks, you will need two things: 1. A
theme park ticket for each member of your family, and 2. A
theme park reservation for each ticket. The easiest way to get both at the same time is by purchasing your tickets within the
Disneyland mobile app.
I’m afraid there aren’t any exceptions to the theme park reservation requirement. But I do have a few ideas for getting a reservation on popular days. Since the number of reservations is limited, the ideal way is to purchase tickets early and book park reservations as much in advance as possible. Reservations can be made as early as 120 days before your visit.
Obtaining park reservations is a fairly new requirement. So I understand if that may not have been something anticipated. But I have a few tricks to share. Scheduling a visit for another date could be considered. But one can’t just reschedule their birthday, right, Birthday Buddy? So the next thing to try is to keep a close eye on the
theme park reservation availability calendar. Other Guests often end up needing to change plans. When they cancel their park reservations, they can become available for you! But when you see ‘em, be ready to pounce quickly. They can sometimes be as slippery as a woozle! It’s a good idea to check for reservations a few times a day.
Something else to consider is to upgrade your accommodations to a stay at one of the three
Disneyland Resort Hotels. Guests of the on-site hotels can access
theme park reservations exclusively for them for as many days as their stay, including check-in and check-out day. That could be with either a
Disneyland Resort Vacation Package or with a hotel-only stay and theme park tickets purchased separately. Either way, when both the hotel stay and the park tickets are linked with your Disneyland Resort account, you can visit the "
My Theme Park Reservations" page to book a new reservation through the “Retrieve Hotel Reservation” link. My family used this benefit when reservations were especially hard to come by for New Year’s Eve.
I hope that gives a few ideas of how to make your birthday visit extra special. If it turns out that a visit to the theme parks doesn’t happen to work out, remember there are still lots of fun things at the
Downtown Disney District and the Disneyland Resort Hotels. From
Character Dining experiences, to shopping, to entertainment such as bowling and live music, there are many sights, sounds, and tastes to take in at the Disneyland Resort outside the theme parks.
All of our pals from the Hundred Acre Wood and I are wishin’ on a star that you and your family have a magical birthday celebration, Alan. See ya’ real soon at the Disneyland Resort!
T-T-F-N. Ta ta for now!
~Tony