Day at Disneyland: More Plans

In the past, when it came to tickets for days at the Disneyland Resort, I usually had several choices. For many years, off and on, I had one of the levels of an Annual Passport. That started back when the Magic Kingdom Club first offered them to test the waters, so to speak. But my last AP had sunset almost ten years ago. That option exists now in the Magic Key program. If I had the interest, and if the Keys were available, I could have invested in one. As my plans for the next 12 months may not include another theme park visit, it did not seem appropriate.

Disneyland has a number of options for ticket purchases for admission to the California theme parks. Everything from single-day single park tickets to multi-day tickets and even tickets that allow guests to park hop (visiting both parks on the same day). Along with the variety of tickets, pricing is now based on season and demand.

Disney has also added an additional wrinkle into the process by requiring that guests have a reservation for specific days of their visit in addition to theme park tickets. By reserving a place in advance, Disney can plan accordingly for operations. Everything from Cast Member scheduling to food service and retail sales can be planned in advance based on projected guest numbers for any given day.

In my case, it would be a one-day one-park pass for Disneyland, at the lowest price of $104 for an adult ticket. I would not require a physical paper ticket, but would instead by using the Disneyland app on my iPhone. The app does offer guests the ability to plan their days in many ways. But I am old school and wanted to be flexible in my visit. I didn’t want to be tied down to scheduling my time for attractions or meals. The goal was to do things as they happened. For the most part, that was how it went on the day.

Another concern relates to my health. As a type 2 diabetic, I require injections of insulin prior to breakfast and dinner. Insulin requires refrigeration. I considered carrying a small foldable cooler with frozen blue ice packs. That could have been stored in a locker and accessed as required. However, a friend shared that Disneyland’s First Aid center offers refrigeration of medications. Problem solved for the first part. The second part? Being diabetic, I needed to consider what to eat during the day. That is where time with the Disneyland app in advance offered a good understanding of what food is available in the Park. I could give thought to what would work best for me in advance. I can’t say that I was absolutely on my best behavior at all times, but in my defense, I did walk a substantial number of steps that day. If a low-sugar or sugar-free option was available, I did choose that. Points for Coca-Cola Zero Sugar and Sprite Zero Sugar being available both in bottles and as fountain beverages throughout Disneyland. (I will share in more detail what my meal and snack choices were in another post.)

Parking was another shock at the price of $30 per vehicle. But added through purchase on the Disneyland app, it was simple enough just to show the iPhone when the Parking structure opened at 7:30 am.

To be honest, this wasn’t planned as a full day at the Park from rope drop to closing. Over the years, getting the chance to get off our feet in the afternoon has become something of a passion. Just being away from the hustle and bustle of even a quiet day at the theme parks has merit for children of all ages. We’ll explore what actually happened in the next chapter of our tale. Stay tuned…