Disneyland Early Entry Ends in 2026, Perk Replaced

Published on Aug 20, 2025, 4:35 pm CDT

5 min read

Hotel guests at the Disneyland Resort will lose the 30-minute Early Theme Park Entry on January 5, 2026. In its place, on-site guests will receive one complimentary Lightning Lane entry for a Lightning Lane Multi Pass attraction to use during their stay. Valid admission and a same-day park reservation remain required. Disney Vacation Club reservations qualify for the new benefit, while Good Neighbor Hotels are excluded. Early Entry continues through January 4, 2026, with designated days at each park before the change takes effect.

Key Points

Why it matters: On-site value shifts from morning access to a one-time ride skip benefit.
Travel impact: One Lightning Lane per guest, per stay, not per day.
What's next: Early Entry offered on set park days through January 4, 2026.
DVC bookings qualify; Good Neighbor Hotels do not.
Rise of the Resistance and Radiator Springs Racers remain pay-per-ride.

Snapshot

Beginning January 5, 2026, Early Theme Park Entry ends for the Disneyland Hotel, Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, and Pixar Place Hotel. On-site guests will instead receive one complimentary Lightning Lane entry tied to the Lightning Lane Multi Pass lineup, redeemable during their resort stay. The new benefit requires valid admission and a same-day theme park reservation, and it applies to every guest listed on an eligible reservation. Through January 4, 2026, Early Entry continues on an alternating-days schedule between Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park. Popular rides such as Space Mountain, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway are in the Multi Pass pool, while Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and Radiator Springs Racers remain separate Lightning Lane purchases.

Background

For years, on-site guests enjoyed an hour of pre-opening access, later reduced to 30 minutes when the parks reopened after the pandemic. In 2024, the program shifted to alternating days by park, which required travelers to align hotel plans, park reservations, and rope-drop strategy. Disneyland officials said Early Entry was not widely used, leading to this realignment of on-site value. At the same time, Disney has continued refining Lightning Lane. The Multi Pass option lets guests select the next available arrival window, one at a time, for participating attractions in the app, with one use per attraction per day. The coming change moves the hotel perk squarely into that system.

Latest Developments

How the complimentary Lightning Lane Multi Pass perk will work

Starting January 5, 2026, each eligible hotel guest receives one complimentary Lightning Lane entry to any available Lightning Lane Multi Pass attraction during the stay. This is a single entitlement per guest, not a daily allotment, and it must be paired with valid admission and a same-day reservation. Disney Vacation Club reservations qualify whether booked on points or cash. Good Neighbor Hotel bookings are excluded. The new perk integrates with the Disneyland app, where you choose the next available arrival window for a participating ride. Examples include Space Mountain, Indiana Jones Adventure, Guardians of the Galaxy, Soarin' Around the World, Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway, and WEB SLINGERS. Notably, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and Radiator Springs Racers are not in Multi Pass, and still require a separate Lightning Lane purchase.

Early Entry remains through January 4, 2026

Travelers with on-site stays before January 5 can still use Early Entry. Disneyland Park runs Early Entry on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, while Disney California Adventure Park operates it on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. The 30-minute window covers a curated list of attractions, shops, and dining locations at the designated park that day. To maximize value before the program sunsets, align your park reservation with the Early Entry park, arrive early, and be inside the gates ahead of the crowd. After January 4, 2026, this morning access ends and the complimentary Lightning Lane benefit begins for eligible hotel guests.

Analysis

For many travelers, Early Entry has been a reliable way to knock out two or three headliners before lines build. Ending that perk reduces the day-one advantage for families who plan around rope drop, especially on shorter stays. The replacement, one complimentary Lightning Lane per guest, per stay, is simpler to use and easier to fit into a flexible itinerary, but it is materially less value than daily early access for multi-night trips. The utility of the new benefit hinges on what you pick. Using it on Space Mountain, Indiana Jones Adventure, or Guardians of the Galaxy could save 30 to 70 minutes on a busy day, which feels meaningful once. However, because Rise of the Resistance and Radiator Springs Racers remain separate purchases, the biggest line-busters still require extra spend. On the supply side, Disney reduces staffing and operating costs tied to opening one park early, while shifting perceived value to the increasingly central Lightning Lane ecosystem. Expect savvy travelers to lean harder on arrival timing, mobile ordering, and targeted Multi Pass picks to offset the loss of daily Early Entry.

Final Thoughts

If you prize quiet morning laps, plan any on-site visit before January 5, 2026, to capture remaining Early Entry days. After that date, treat the complimentary Lightning Lane as a strategic bonus, not a full replacement. Use it on a high-demand Multi Pass attraction in the afternoon peak, then rely on early rope drop or late evenings for additional wins. DVC members keep eligibility, while Good Neighbor Hotels do not. The bottom line, your planning tactics change, but a well-timed plan can still deliver a smooth day without daily Disneyland Early Entry.