Major changes to Disneyland resort hotels as early access perk dropped in favor of Lightning Lane access
Rather than entering early, guests will now have the flexibility to choose when they want to use their Lightning Pass — but they only get one
Disneyland Resorts is ending its Early Theme Park Entry program for guests beginning at the start of 2026, according to a news release.
On January 5, 2026, hotel visitors are no longer going to be able to use the Early Theme Park Entry program, which lets guests enter the park 30 minutes before the park opens.
While the program is going away, Disneyland Resort visitors will instead be given a complimentary Lightning Lane entry to a Lightning Lane Multi Pass attraction during their stays.
Guests will only get one pass per resort stay, not one pass per day spent at the park.
Disneyland has released a list of all the applicable attractions.
Park visitors will have to have a valid theme park admission and a same-day reservation in order to qualify for the Lightning Lane pass. People staying at the Disney Vacation Club will be included in the new system, but those staying at Good Neighbor Hotels won't.
According to Disneyland officials, the early entry program was "not widely used," which reportedly motivated the change to the Lightning Lane system.
The Lightning Lane pass will give visitors more flexibility in how they access attractions rather than forcing them into the park early.
The early entry program will remain in effect until January 4, 2026. Early entry is offered to guests on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. At Disney California Adventure Park, guests can enter early on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays.
The Lightning Lane Multi Pass gives guests the ability to skip lines for certain rides. To use the pass, guests have to book rides ahead of time using the Disneyland companion app. Disney officials said for best results, guests should link their park tickets, hotel reservations, and Lightning Lane reservations in the Disneyland app.
Unfortunately, some major attractions aren't included in the Lightning Lane pass. Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and Radiator Springs Racers aren't included in the list of applicable rides. Those require separate Lightning Lane purchases.
Some of the rides included in the pass that will be offered to resort guests include Space Mountain, Guardians of the Galaxy. —Mission: BREAKOUT!, Star Tours, and Mr Toad's Wild Ride, among others.
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