Disneyland on a 3rd Birthday

[MsLady]

Hello everyone,
My daughter is having her 3rd birthday during our week long trip to Disneyland. I am hearing conflicting responses on if she will need a ticket for the second half of our trip (after she turns 3). I was just curious if any of you have any experience with this.
I have contacted Disney a few times for clarification and have received different answers from them as well.

 

[SFMommy]

I always thought that no one ages while at Disneyland. So if she starts the trip as a 2 year old, she doesn’t need a ticket even if she turns 3 during the trip.

 

[katyringo]

If she is two on your first day, she is two on your last day.

 

[gelatoni fan]

Per the rules, she will need a ticket as entry into the parks is based on the date of park entry.

The rule on being a certain age for the duration of a trip relates to hotels and vacation packages, not park tickets. So for the purposes of a vacation package, the age will be at the start date of the package. If you have a hotel stay at a Disney hotel, her name is included on the reservation, and she is not yet 3 on the check in date, then she will not need tickets for the entire duration of the stay, including the check out day.

If you are not staying at a Disney hotel, then she will need a ticket upon turning 3. If you split your hotel stay such that the check in date for the second Disney hotel is after she turns 3, then she will need tickets for those days.

Note that Disney World changed the official policy last year so that the hotel rule no longer applies there. As of 2022, the official response was as I highlighted but as of mid-2023, the hotel stay no-aging exception no longer applies there. I believe the hotel rule still applies at Disneyland but I may be wrong and the official policy US-wide may be to require a ticket.

 

[starlite_]

I've read multiple times that folks have been told by CM at the park that they don't need a ticket for the bday kid when they turn 3 on a trip.

 

[katyringo]

I feel like if Disney had changed this, we would know. Its always been for multi-day tickets the age on the first day is the age you pay. The same way that if my child turned 10 during the trip I wouldn't have to buy separate child and adult tickets for them.

 

[MsLady]

That is what I was told originally but I checked today (before buying tickets) with the chat on the website and they said I would need to buy her a ticket for everyday that she is 3. So now I am stressing out. I am hoping that the person in the chat was just confused. I am going to go with it and if something happens and she needs a ticket I'll get her one at the gate. Thank you all for your help!

 

[Geemo]

That is what I was told originally but I checked today (before buying tickets) with the chat on the website and they said I would need to buy her a ticket for everyday that she is 3. So now I am stressing out. I am hoping that the person in the chat was just confused. I am going to go with it and if something happens and she needs a ticket I'll get her one at the gate. Thank you all for your help!

You might check with a Supervisor at the entry gates on the first day of your trip to see what the policy is.
I would not want to get to the gate on the day she is 3 and need a ticket. The wait at the ticket booths or even buying one on the app will take time.

 

[MonocularVision]

My children stayed 2 years old until they were like 4.

 

[disneychrista]

The "rule" that I have heard that the child needs a ticket for the age they are on the first day the ticket is used. So if your child turns 3 on day two, they don't need a ticket, same if they turn 10. Now if your child turns 3 on the first day they would need a ticket.

 

[GoingSince1990]

There are multiple pages on the Plan Disney official website stating that a child who is under 3 on the first day of park entry is free for the entire stay (https://plandisney.disney.go.com/qu...-trip-disneyland-need-buy-ticket-days-498022/ for example). But then there are some pages stating that anyone over 3 on the day of entry needs a ticket. The one thing that is absolutely certain is that Disney never demands age verification in these circumstances. So if you simply say to the CM "under 3" (meaning under 3 at the beginning of the trip) you will be fine. Of course, anyone who feels guilty enough that they should be paying hundreds of dollars extra to a corporation with a market capitalization of $215 billion, whose CEO earns $32 million per year, based on the fact that their child happened to turn 3 during their vacation, is free to do so.

 

[gelatoni fan]

There are multiple pages on the Plan Disney official website stating that a child who is under 3 on the first day of park entry is free for the entire stay (https://plandisney.disney.go.com/qu...-trip-disneyland-need-buy-ticket-days-498022/ for example). But then there are some pages stating that anyone over 3 on the day of entry needs a ticket. The one thing that is absolutely certain is that Disney never demands age verification in these circumstances. So if you simply say to the CM "under 3" (meaning under 3 at the beginning of the trip) you will be fine. Of course, anyone who feels guilty enough that they should be paying hundreds of dollars extra to a corporation with a market capitalization of $215 billion, whose CEO earns $32 million per year, based on the fact that their child happened to turn 3 during their vacation, is free to do so.

I double checked the dates and it looks like the official policy at both Disneyland and Disney World changed around the beginning of June last year (https://plandisney.disney.go.com/qu...-day-pass-plan-attending-oogie-boogie-541620/).

All the posts before then state that there is free park entry but all the posts after that clearly state that a ticket is required. It seems like the even crazier thing is that since vacation packages require specific number of days for tickets, if your child turns 3 during your trip and you book a vacation package, they will require a ticket for ALL the days of the trip. If your child turns 3 during your trip and you are not booking a vacation package, then you can just purchase tickets starting on their birthday.

Of course, the link here also explicitly states that it's on an honor system... Go to preschools in Southern California and you'll find children who will candidly say to you: "I'm 3 but when my family goes to Disneyland, I'm only 2 and a 1/2!".

 

[smartlabelprint]

That is what I was told originally but I checked today (before buying tickets) with the chat on the website and they said I would need to buy her a ticket for everyday that she is 3. So now I am stressing out. I am hoping that the person in the chat was just confused. I am going to go with it and if something happens and she needs a ticket I'll get her one at the gate. Thank you all for your help!

This is the new rule I’ve been reading on social media.