Disneyland is getting rid of its biggest perk that lets hotel visitors into the parks early to ride Space Mountain, Star Tours, Incredicoaster, Soarin’ and many other popular rides while daily visitors impatiently wait each morning for rope drop.
The Disneyland Hotel, Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Pixar Place Hotel will stop offering Early Entry access to Disneyland and Disney California Adventure on Jan. 5.
“There are fewer reasons for guests to stay on property now with this change,” according to Mickey Visit. “Early Entry was one of the biggest perks of staying at a Disneyland resort hotel.”
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The Disney hotel perk offers hotel guests access to one of the Anaheim theme parks 30 minutes before park opening every day of their hotel stay.
The final day for Early Entry will be Jan. 4.
Starting Jan. 5, Disney hotel guests will receive one free Lightning Lane pass good for a single ride. Each guest on the hotel reservation will receive a single Lightning Lane pass per stay regardless of the length of the booking.
“The change is yet another downgrade for guests paying premium prices for a product that is increasingly less-than-premium,” according to MiceChat. “Disney will save some money in the operations budget by cutting this perk, but how much will it cost them in guest goodwill?”
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Early Entry provides access at 7:30 a.m. to Disneyland on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays and DCA on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.
Not every attraction is open during Early Entry, but many popular rides are available.
An analysis by the Disney hotel booking team found most guests weren’t taking advantage of the Early Entry perk, Disneyland officials told USA Today.
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Reservation requirements also mean that hotel guests can’t always get into the park offering Early Entry on any given day.
The single Lightning Lane pass offered to hotel guests can be used throughout the day.
“While the Early Entry perk has been a major draw for the Disneyland resort hotels, there is no denying that it is not a very luxurious feeling to have to wake up so early in the morning to take advantage of this perk,” according to Mickey Visit. “This new Lightning Lane perk provides more flexibility for guests to enjoy expedited access on a more relaxed timeline.”
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Disneyland had previously trimmed back the valuable Early Entry hotel perk.
Disneyland used to let hotel guests into the park an hour early during Extra Magic Hour.
Extra Magic Hour was a victim of the yearlong COVID-19 pandemic theme park closures. When the parks reopened in 2021, the hourlong perk had been reduced to 30 minutes.
Disneyland also used to offer a one-time Magic Morning perk to hotel guests staying for three nights or longer.