Hi there, Alexis! You have come to the right place with your question! We love helping fellow Guests plan their days at the Happiest Place on Earth!
I completely understand where you are coming from when it comes to your planning. Three park days where you dedicate one day for Disneyland Park, one day for Disney California Adventure Park, and then a catch-all day to bounce from park to park and revisit your favorite attractions! If you are buying
multi-day tickets, you do have to choose between them all being One Park Per Day tickets or Park Hopper tickets. If you would like to do 2 x One Park Per Day + 1 x Park Hopper, you would need to purchase these as two separate transactions. I will let you know in on a little planDisney secret, though. Due to some Disney magic, sometimes it is actually more cost-effective to do a 3 day Park Hopper! This looks to be the case for your dates in May!
When I travel to the Walt Disney World Resort with my 6 and 8-year-old kiddos, I stick to One Park Per Day tickets so that we can really focus on each park and considering there is some transportation time between hotels and parks. When it comes to the Disneyland Resort, I do not hesitate to do Park Hoppers for my family. With only the Esplanade and about a three-minute walk separating
Disneyland Park from
Disney California Adventure Park, moving between the two is a total breeze and gives you a bit more freedom within your schedule. This is especially helpful when it comes to securing some coveted
dining reservations, which open up 60 days ahead of your arrival. When you are not locked into specific parks on certain days, you have more flexibility in your booking.
I'm so excited for you to visit during the spring. It's such a beautiful time of year at the Disneyland Resort ... AND ... we are expecting some pretty spectacular nighttime shows to return this season! While exact dates have not yet been announced, we will see Fantasmic!, World of Color, and the Disneyland Forever Fireworks light up the sky once again! If you love Disneyland for its nostalgia like me, the Main Street Electrical Parade will be once again floating down Main Street, U.S.A. to honor its 50th anniversary! I would check in with the
Disney Parks Blog or give the
Disneyland Instagram account a follow to hear the latest news!
Alexis, I hope you found this helpful in your planning! No matter how you choose to spend your days, there will be magic waiting for you at every turn. If you need anything else, you have a friend in us here at
planDisney.
Magic awaits!
Tara