News Disneyland Resort ends Early Entry benefit starting early January 2026

[Touchdown]

Losing EE is unacceptable, glad my MK expires in October. Might go back to staying off site.

 

[CaptinEO]

Right but I remember there being some construction involved. I don’t think it was simply a matter of reopening an old path.

Yes they did make a new pathway I believe in addition to having to implement modern turnstiles which I'd imagine is a big project too.

 

[mickEblu]

It depends on the scope of the construction area, it might take up the entire backstage area up to that entrance. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Id be surprised if the bridge is going up anytime soon. I think it’s more likely that it has something to do with the Coco construction if anything at all and it’s not just then cost cutting. So my question is what’s the tickle? The news of private entrance for Pixar Pier and early entry removal for hotel guests both coming out on the same day. There must be some good news coming.

 

[HauntedPirate]

TDA:

“Due to overwhelming guest demand, we are removing Early Entry and now giving Disneyland hotel guests one FREE!!! Lightning Lane MultiPass per guest, per stay!”

Guests:

“No one wanted this”

 

[Disney Irish]

Id be surprised if the bridge is going up anytime soon. I think it’s more likely that it has something to do with the Coco construction if anything at all and it’s not just then cost cutting. So my question is what’s the tickle? The news of private entrance for Pixar Pier and early entry removal for hotel guests both coming out on the same day. There must be some good news coming.

I can't see Coco construction needing to go all the way to that entrance, as that is on the "top" of Park while Coco is on the "bottom".

That is why the expansion area construction makes the most sense as that would involve road closures and such during that construction.

Also not sure how much cost cutting that entrance would involve, one to two CMs per shift? Not much savings there. Maybe they found not many guests were using the benefit of that entrance for it to be worth it, so that could be why. But in the overall scheme of things I don't see much savings.

 

[mickEblu]

I can't see Coco construction needing to go all the way to that entrance, as that is on the "top" of Park while Coco is on the "bottom".

That is why the expansion area construction makes the most sense as that would involve road closures and such during that construction.

Also not sure how much cost cutting that entrance would involve, one to two CMs per shift? Not much savings there. Maybe they found not many guests were using the benefit of that entrance for it to be worth it, so that could be why. But in the overall scheme of things I don't see much savings.

I don’t know. Weird that it came out on the same day as early entry going away. Seems like they were born from the same cost cutting goals.

 

[Disney Analyst]

That sounds nice but I imagine that would break the system.

I mean it's only 2400 hotel rooms, so if you offer one per stay, per person booked to a room with a ticket to the parks, I can't imagine it's not manageable. They just want to be cheap.

If not making a day of LL a perk, then at least offer a LL per night booked, or something.

 

[truecoat]

Now that I look at it, it makes sense to close the PPH entrance if you are starting construction on Coco. The entrance to backstage is marked in yellow, and that road needs to be kept open for all kinds of construction equipment and vehicles. It will be an active construction zone to the yellow entrance and not safe for any pedestrian traffic.

 

[CaptinEO]

Could be both the early entry half hour and the special entrances staffing is paid for from the hotel side of Disney (companies have to budget and pay division to division all the time) and the hotels had to make budget cuts. Considering both these things are hotel perks seems like this may be what happened.

 

[mickEblu]

I mean it's only 2400 hotel rooms, so if you offer one per stay, per person booked to a room with a ticket to the parks, I can't imagine it's not manageable. They just want to be cheap.

If not making a day of LL a perk, then at least offer a LL per night booked, or something.

For sure they are just being cheap. LL per night at the minimum. I think 2400 rooms x 3-4 people per room what have considerable impact on the system no?

 

[Disney Irish]

I don’t know. Weird that it came out on the same day as early entry going away. Seems like they were born from the same cost cutting goals.

Coincidence? I don't think one has anything to do with the other as they weren't in the same announcement. In fact has it even been officially announced yet by Disney? Or only Scott Gustin?

So sure maybe both are due to cost cutting, but again looking at it its not much expense for that entrance, like I mentioned one to two CMs per shift. So you aren't saving as much as you could with the early entry which would require the entire park that is open to be staffed. So its a very minimal savings in the grand scheme of things, so that is while I think its less likely for that reason. But who knows.

 

[Disney Irish]

Now that I look at it, it makes sense to close the PPH entrance if you are starting construction on Coco. The entrance to backstage is marked in yellow, and that road needs to be kept open for all kinds of construction equipment and vehicles. It will be an active construction zone to the yellow entrance and not safe for any pedestrian traffic.

View attachment 878399

Don't know if its specifically for Coco, but do agree its more likely for the construction area that is happening.

 

[Disney Analyst]

For sure they are just being cheap. LL per night at the minimum. I think 2400 rooms x 3-4 people per room what have considerable impact on the system no?

I would need a better idea of how many people are truly checking in each day, on average. If you are offering it once per stay, and say you set it that it's for your first park day, you could theoretically only be adding a few hundred people into the mix each day, which theoretically could also be the same few hundred that would have purchased it anyway.

 

[mickEblu]

Don't know if its specifically for Coco, but do agree its more likely for the construction area that is happening.

The construction area is to move things around for Coco. All that is happening backstage at DCA is related to Coco and/or its ramifications on the Parade warehouse/path and backstage road.

 

[Disney Analyst]

Asked ChatGPT to think about it with me.

Response:

Disneyland Resort has about 2,400 hotel rooms (Disneyland Hotel, Pixar Place, and Grand Californian combined). Not every room turns over every day — average hotel stays are around 3–4 nights, so maybe 25–35% of rooms check in daily.

• If we take 30% turnover:
  2,400 × 0.3 = 720 rooms checking in per day.
• Average occupancy per room = ~3 people (families, couples).
  720 × 3 = ~2,100 guests checking in per day.

So, if the perk were one full day of Lightning Lane access on check-in day, you’d be adding ~2,000 extra LL users into the system each day.


Now — how disruptive is that?


Genie+ / Lightning Lane capacity is already structured to absorb tens of thousands of purchases daily (on peak days, Disneyland Genie+ sales alone are rumored to top 20,000+). An extra ~2,000 people with guaranteed access is noticeable, but not system-breaking, especially since:

• It’s spread across two parks.
• Not every guest uses LL aggressively (many will still rope drop, rest midday, etc.).
• Many of those hotel guests would have bought Genie+ anyway, meaning Disney isn’t even adding net-new demand, just shifting who pays for it.

 

[Disney Irish]

The construction area is to move things around for Coco. All that is happening backstage at DCA is related to Coco and/or its ramifications on the Parade warehouse/path and backstage road.

Again that is if Coco is the only thing happening when this closure of that entrance takes place. As there are many projects on the horizon I'm not one to say its ONLY related to just that.

 

[mickEblu]

I would need a better idea of how many people are truly checking in each day, on average. If you are offering it once per stay, and say you set it that it's for your first park day, you could theoretically only be adding a few hundred people into the mix each day, which theoretically could also be the same few hundred that would have purchased it anyway.

Oh I thought you meant everyday. Guest staying at onsite hotels currently have access to early morning everyday. With that said, personally I’d give up 2-3 days of early morning entry for one day of free lightning lane multi passes for the fam.

 

[mickEblu]

Again that is if Coco is the only thing happening when this closure of that entrance takes place. As there are many projects on the horizon I'm not one to say its ONLY related to just that.

I’m 99% sure that’s the case. I don’t see any work on the bridge or Simba lot happening for a while.

 

[tanc]

what's even the point of on property now? On property is still further than hotels across the street and the amenities in the hotel themselves aren't even worth it. I got a DVC booked for DLH in March and I probably will cancel now, completely pointless

 

[mickEblu]

what's even the point of on property now? On property is still further than hotels across the street and the amenities in the hotel themselves aren't even worth it. I got a DVC booked for DLH in March and I probably will cancel now, completely pointless

I think at this point we’re down to not having to walk by a random homeless person or cross a crosswalk.