Disneyland Magic Morning is Back! After over two years, the Disneyland resorts has finally brought back a favorite perk for guests. So your question now probably is, how do I make it happen and what all does it entail? Lucky for you, we’ve got the down low on Disneyland Extra Magic Hour (currently half hour) and plan on telling you all the reasons why it’s totally worth it.
If you aren’t a morning person, it can be easy to disregard the offer for a Magic Morning but we’re begging you to stick around so we can show you why this is one early morning is worth waking up for. After all, there’s always time for a nap later in the day and plenty of caffeine in the parks with the in park Starbucks.
What is Disneyland Extra Magic Hour & Disneyland Magic Morning
Disneyland Extra Magic Hour provides early entry into the parks (one park per day) with access to some of your favorite rides and places to eat. So you can enjoy sometime to get on rides with barely any lines. Since there are only 3 hotels at the Disneyland Resort, Grand Californian, Disneyland Hotel & Paradise Pier, the park is pretty empty
California Adventure Early Access Rides
- Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission BREAKOUT!
- Incredicoaster
- The Little Mermaid ~ Ariel’s Undersea Adventure
- Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree
- Monsters Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue!
- Soarin’ Around the World
- WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure
Disneyland Early Access Rides
- Alice in Wonderland
- Astro Orbitor
- Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters
- Disneyland Monorail
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant
- King Arthur Carrousel
- Mad Tea Party
- Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride
- Peter Pan’s Flight
- Pinocchio’s Daring Journey
- Snow White’s Enchanted Wish
- Space Mountain
- Star Tours – The Adventures Continue
How to Get Disneyland Extra Magic Hour
Disneyland Extra Magic Hour is only an option for Disneyland Resort hotel guests. It allows hotel guests to enter the park 1 hour early (Currently 30 minutes, but rumor is they will bring back the full hour soon) before the crowds arrive and you can go early to a park pretty much on every night of your stay.
- Disneyland Extra Magic Hour Days: Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday.
- California Adventure Extra Magic Hour Days: Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays
How to Get Extra Magic Hour
To get Extra Magic Hour is pretty simple, you need to book a room at one of the three Disneyland Hotels, Grand Californian, Paradise Pier, or the Disneyland Hotel.
If you are booking a room I highly recommend you use our friends over at Best Day Ever Vacations, not only will they plan your entire vacation for FREE, but they will save you money as well. They are truly Disney Experts!
You will need to bring 3 things your Hotel Room Key, Park Admission Ticket, and Park Reservation
Why It’s Super Awesome
Beating everyone into the park.
There are so many benefits that come with entering the park early, but let’s face it part of the coolness of Disneyland Magic Morning is simply being there before everyone else. It feels like you have special access and can really set the tone for an awesome day.
There’s nothing better than kicking things off on the right foot. (Pro Tip – Arrive an Extra 15 minutes early to the gates if you have a room reservation)
Lightning Lane can really make or break your day at Disneyland when it is crowded. Luckily, Disney has opened some of the Lightning Lane quest for early entrance guests. There are no Lightning Lane during early entrance, but you can collect them for later on in the day.
Reserve Lightning Lane with Genie +
You can ride all the rides that don’t offer a Lightning Lane, but tend to get lengthy lines.
Be strategic with your time and set a loose plan beforehand. Some rides, many in Fantasyland, don’t offer a lightning lane pass so hitting them during this time can be really smart. It may be the only way to avoid waiting in a lengthy line for common favorites like Peter Pan.
Enjoy a Character Breakfast later in the morning.
I never enjoy the character breakfast in the park because I feel like I am missing out on riding rides while the park is slow. Magic Morning changes everything. The Extra Magic Hour & Magic Morning are amazing to get on as many rides as possible, but once the rope drops for general admission the park starts to get busier.
My tip is book a character breakfast about an hour after the park’s general admission. You will get two hours of rides in and then you will be ready for a nice hearty breakfast. Here is how to book your Disneyland Dining Reservations
Bonus Pro Tips
Grab a quick bite in Downtown Disney
Earlier I said to dine at the in park Character breakfast later in the morning, and while that is great, you might also want to just go go go. So, grab a bite at Downtown Disney before heading into your Magic Morning. Jamba Juice and Starbucks open at 7 am so you can grab a quick bite or coffee and then head into the parks.
Avoid the Water Rides (Especially Grizzly River Run)!
I say grab a Lightning Lane Pass for Splash Mountain or Grizzly River Run, because we have mage the mistake of riding these water rides in the morning. While we had a blast, it was not fun being wet for quite a while during the day.
How to Get Extra Magic Hour without Staying in a Hotel
The Extra Magic Hour without hotel reservations at a Disneyland Hotel is currently not available, however is has been in the past and is expected to return (fingers crossed) Here is how to get Extra Magic Hour without staying in the hotel once its available.
Disneyland Magic Morning is, in fact, a bit different. The Disneyland Magic Morning is for guests with a 3+ day ticket, so you actually do not have to be staying at a Disney hotel. This is awesome news if you’ve got a big family or hotel points and have plans to stay elsewhere off property. Basically, you get to enter Disneyland park early on one of the days your tickets are valid for. This means early admission to everything from shops to dining and attractions.
**** Disneyland Magic Morning is Currently Not Back *****
Whatever you want to beat the major crowd to, have at it! The park will be open to you for one whole hour before the general public, but make sure to be heading towards the entrance about 1.5 hours prior to opening so you don’t waste any of your extra magical time.
Disneyland Magic Morning is typically on Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday. The Disneyland Magic Morning does not currently ever allow early entrance to California Adventure.
How to Get Tickets with Magic Morning
To get tickets with Extra Magic Morning you must by a 3+ Day ticket. (You can check out my ways to grab Discount Disneyland Tickets Here)
You must purchase your tickets online before arrival to the park. If you buy your tickets at the Ticket Booth, they will not be valid for the Disneyland Magic Morning. As always, make sure to check the calendar before booking anything just to ensure that everything will go as planned.
Have any questions about Disney Magic Morning? Ask in the comments
or send me a message on my Instagram Page
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Can I utilize Early Morning Magic on my check-in day before I check-in to the hotel?