Dreaming of a Disneyland vacation? According to Google Maps, the trip from Tucson to Disneyland Park is 470 miles and will take approximately 6 hours and 51 minutes. In other words, it's an ideal road trip for Tucson families. You can easily get there and back in a weekend - which begs the question: Are annual passports a worthwhile purchase for Arizona residents? Let's run the numbers.
We'll run three possible scenarios:
Couple (2 people)
A couple would pay $1,198 for the Disney Flex Passport, $1,598 for the Disney Deluxe Passport, $4,596 for the Disney Signature Passport, or $4,596 for the Disney Signature Plus Passport.
We'll pretend that this couple does NOT purchase an annual passport, but decides to go to Disneyland twice in one year. For each trip, they will purchase 2-day tickets (admission to one park per day). Their cost would be $900. If they want to go six days per year (instead of four), however, their cost would be $1,350.
Family of Four
A family of four would pay $2,396 for the Disney Flex Passport, $3,196 for the Disney Deluxe Passport, $2,298 for the Disney Signature Passport, or $5,596 for the Disney Signature Plus Passport.
We'll pretend that this family does NOT purchase an annual passport, but decides to go to Disneyland twice in one year. For each trip, they will purchase 2-day tickets (admission to one park per day). Their cost would be $1,740 (assuming their children are under 10 years of age) or $1,800 if they have children over age 10. If they want to go six days per year (instead of four), however, their cost would be $2,610 (kids under 10) or $2,700 (kids over 10).
Family of Six
A family of six would pay $3,594 for the Disney Flex Passport, $4,794 for the Disney Deluxe Passport, $6,894 for the Disney Signature Passport, or $8,394 for the Disney Signature Plus Passport.
We'll pretend that this family does NOT purchase an annual passport, but decides to go to Disneyland twice in one year. For each trip, they will purchase 2-day tickets (admission to one park per day). Their cost would be $2,580 (kids under 10) or $2,700 (kids over 10). If they want to go six days per year (instead of four), however, their cost would be $3,870 (kids under 10) or $4,050 (kids over 10).
If you plan to go to Disneyland multiple times per year and your number of days in the park will exceed six days total, then a passport might be well worth your money. As you plan, remember that each passport also includes dining and merchandise discounts. You will also want to look at the calendar for each type of pass to see what the black-out dates are for your pass.
The above scenarios are hypothetical and not exact. In fact, it's very difficult to run exact scenarios since individual tickets vary in price based on the ages in the party and the number of days in the park (5-day passes are cheaper than 2-day passes, for example). See below for information about how you can run the numbers for your family.
There are four different annual Disneyland passports currently available for purchase. We'll list the basic perks of each. Note that there are not discounted passport prices for children. All visitors (ages 3+) pay the same price for a passport.
Disney Flex Passport (NEW) - $599/year
Disney Deluxe Passport - $799/year
Disney Signature Passport - $1,149/year
Disney Signature Plus Passport - $1,399/year
Now, we'll move on to a general FAQ about Disneyland Annual Passports.
All of the Disneyland Annual Passports include valuable discounts and provide access to pass holder events. There are currently four pass options to choose from.
Disneyland's newest pass - the Disney Flex Passport - provides both value and flexibility, giving you “Good to Go” dates along with many more dates available with a reservation...with limited block-out dates.
At this time, there are no special discounts on annual passes for Arizona residents.
All of the Annual Passport pricing can be found here. Individual ticket prices can be found here. Remember that babies/toddlers under age three are FREE.
Generally speaking, a passport is likely be worthwhile for you if you plan to make multiple trips throughout the year and hope to visit the parks 6+ days out of the year.
Sarah M, a Tucson resident, put it this way, "Depending on the type of pass, your return on investment is two to three visits. Our family visited the park on eight separate visits and we were able to experience Disney during all of their holidays. I would highly recommend purchasing annual passes to see how the park changes throughout the year."
In January 2020, Disneyland will welcome its newest ride - Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. Disneyland Resort will also debut a new parade (“Magic Happens”) in the spring of 2020 and Disney California Adventure will open the Avengers Campus sometime in 2020 as well.
The Disneyland Resort has three hotels on property: Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, Disneyland Hotel, and Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel. These are thematic and beautiful with fun pools and great perks.
That being said, you can find lower rates at other hotels in the area and still be within walking distance of the parks. Try: Courtyard by Marriott Anaheim Theme Park Entrance, Holiday Inn Express & Suites Anaheim Resort Area, Howard Johnson Anaheim Hotel & Water Playground, Hyatt House at Anaheim Resort Convention Center, Candy Cane Inn, or Homewood Suites by Hilton Anaheim Resort Convention Center.
Yes! Here are three ideas.
HAVE A MAGICAL TIME AT DISNEYLAND!
