A LOT of things are changing in the Disney parks these days, and while some of the changes might seem to be “bad” at first, that is not always the case.

In fact, Disney has made a few changes recently that have made certain systems EASIER to use. Now, we’re going to tackle a change that has been announced for one Disneyland policy that might not sound all that great at first but does have a unique silver lining.

Early Admission Rule Change

What we’re talking about is the important Early Admission Option rule change Disneyland announced on August 24th.

Under the current policy, if you stay at one of the Disneyland Resort hotels, you can enter Disneyland Park or Disney California Adventure Park (whatever park you choose) 30 minutes before the park opens to everyone else. (Essentially it’s similar to the Early Theme Park Entry option at Disney World.)

A valid theme park ticket AND park reservation for the same park on the same date are required. But this early access provides a nice perk for those paying to stay at the Disneyland hotels.

So what’s changing? Well, Disneyland has announced that starting January 20th, 2024 the early entry benefit will only be available for ONE of the 2 Disneyland theme parks on any given day (not both).

Starting in early 2024 Disneyland will designate ONE park that will be open early to hotel guests each day (either Disneyland Park or Disney California Adventure Park). You’ll have to check which park has been designated as the early-entry one for that day — it’ll be posted on the theme park calendar.

Then, you’ll be able to enter that specifically designated park early if you’re a Disneyland Resort hotel guest (and if you have the appropriate ticket and park reservation required).

The Not-So-Good

For many, this change might NOT sound like a good thing. Those staying at Disneyland Resort hotels (and paying decent money to do so) will no longer be able to get early access to whichever Disneyland Resort park they want every morning.

Instead, they’ll have to see what park Disneyland has designated to open early to hotel guests that morning and then make sure their park plans fit around that (if they want to take advantage of the early access time).

Of course, you could only enter one park early anyway, but currently, the perk lets YOU pick which park to enter early. Once the change is implemented in early 2024, Disney will be making that choice for you by designating which park will open early. That might not be all that great if you had planned to visit Disneyland Park on a particular day and were hoping to get in early but instead Disney has specified that on that day Disney California Adventure Park will be the one opening early.

But, there IS a good side to this.

The Good

Disneyland doesn’t have very many of its own resort hotels. There are only three — the Disneyland Hotel (where new Disney Vacation Club rooms are being built), Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel (which is undergoing a massive transformation to become the Pixar Place hotel), and Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa.

But there are LOTS of hotels surrounding the Disneyland theme parks owned by third parties. Many of these are incredibly popular with those visiting Disneyland, especially because they can often be much cheaper than the Disneyland Resort hotels.

Plus, many of them are within easy walking distance of the parks and can have great benefits of their own. Some even have fireworks and park views.

If you, like many others, aren’t planning to stay at a Disneyland Resort hotel (or are at least considering opting for a non-Disney-owned hotel for your next Disneyland trip) this early theme park access change is actually a GREAT thing.

Why? Well, it means that instead of being 30 minutes behind Disneyland Resort hotel guests at BOTH parks each day, you’ll only be at a disadvantage for the one park Disneyland designates as available for early access that day.

So, if Disneyland says that on January 20th, 2024, Disneyland Resort hotel guests can enter Disneyland Park 30 minutes early, guests staying at outside hotels will be at a bit of a disadvantage in Disneyland Park on that morning. That’s because the Disneyland Resort hotel guests will have been able to enter the park early and already start filling up those ride lines.

BUT everyone will be on equal footing when it comes to Disney California Adventure Park since that should open at the same time to all guests on that date (in our example) (no early access just for Disneyland Hotel guests since it wasn’t the designated park for the day).

Similarly, the change in this perk could benefit locals who are not staying on property at all and would never stay on property since they live close to the parks. It puts them on a more level playing field with Disneyland hotel guests for at least 1 park each day.

Now, that’s not to say that staying at a Disneyland Resort hotel doesn’t come with a bunch of benefits aside from early park access that might encourage you to stay at them. But, if you will be staying off-property (or are a local), this change might be a good thing for your overall park plans.

What do you think about this? Would you recommend that guests stay in a Disneyland Resort hotel or stay off-property when visiting in 2023, 2024, or beyond? Tell us in the comments!

To see some of our thoughts on why you might NOT want to stay in a Disneyland Resort hotel at all, click here.

Need help booking your next Disneyland trip? Reach out to our friends at Small World Vacations! Their experienced agents monitor your reservation for possible future savings, compare discounts, and figure out which one works best for your travel party, dates, resort, and touring plans. And, they share expert tips and first-hand advice with you about your magical vacation.