The holiday festivities at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, are in full swing and the spectacle makes it one of the best times of the year to visit. The theme parks and hotels are decked out in tens of thousands of lights, Sleeping Beauty Castle is covered in glowing icicles and characters wear holiday outfits. The food, fireworks and parades all take on a festive spin. These festivities run Nov. 15, 2024, through Jan. 6, 2025.
Here are some deals and free or lower-cost ways to get your Disney Christmas fix.
Theme park ticket deals
Disney uses dynamic pricing for its theme park tickets and even Lightning Lane fast passes to skip lines, which means that prices for those items increase with demand. That’s why prices tend to spike around the holidays.
A Park Hopper ticket that lets you visit both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure Park in a single day can run you as much as $281 for a one-day visit between Dec. 21, 2024, and Jan. 4, 2025.
Disneyland discounts for Disney+ subscribers
Subscribers of Disney’s streaming service, Disney+, can buy discounted three-day, one-park-per-day Disneyland tickets for $330 — the price of just two days, and it’s valid for visits through Dec. 27, 2024. That’s $110 per day, almost half as much as the most expensive one-day, one-park Disneyland tickets during that period.
🤓Nerdy Tip
If you need to find accommodations near the parks for a three-day visit, Disneyland hotels are also offering a 15% discount, but you’ll have to book by Dec. 9, 2024, for stays through Dec. 20, 2024.
Disneyland discounts for Southern California residents
People who live in an eligible ZIP code near Disneyland can also purchase three-day Disneyland tickets to use starting in January. The one-day, one-park tickets are $199 and are valid for visits from Jan. 1, 2025, to May 15, 2025. Since the holiday programming at Disneyland lasts through Jan. 6, you have six possible days to use this ticket to see the celebrations for less.
3 free Disneyland Christmas activities
1. See the giant gingerbread house at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel
You don’t need to be a guest or pay an entrance fee to enjoy the holiday decor at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel. Park in Downtown Disney and walk to this rustic lodge, where you’ll be greeted by an absolutely massive Christmas tree in the lobby. There’s a holiday cart in the lobby where you can purchase some park novelties, like the gingerbread house-shaped popcorn buckets.
The real star of the show, though, is the seven-foot tall gingerbread replica of Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel. The challenge is to find the 25 hidden Mickeys within the gingerbread hotel.
2. Watch snow fall and live music at Downtown Disney
If a walking scavenger hunt is more appealing, you can also do that in Downtown Disney, the shopping district at Disneyland Resort. Through Jan. 1, you can purchase the map for Chip and Dale’s Ornament Trail for $10 and then spend the afternoon searching for special ornaments in Downtown Disney. Even if you don’t find all of them, you can return your map for a small keepsake.
In terms of free things to do in downtown Disney, you can also enjoy live music at the stage and an artificial snow fall from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. nightly. The snow falls about every 30 to 40 minutes near the west end of Downtown Disney.
3. Watch fireworks from Pixar Place Hotel
Perhaps the most popular Disneyland holiday tradition is the fireworks show set to holiday tunes. You can see the fireworks show from many places near the theme park, but one of the best free options is to watch from the rooftop at the Pixar Place Hotel. You don’t have to be a hotel guest to get to the third floor, where there’s a viewing deck and the soundtrack for the fireworks show plays from the speakers.
Bonus: Dine with Disney characters outside the theme parks
If a stroll through Downtown Disney and the Disneyland hotels isn’t quite enough to justify the cost of parking, book a meal with Disney characters at one of the two restaurants outside the parks. Goofy’s Kitchen inside the Disneyland Hotel and Storytellers Cafe at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa both offer character dining, where characters (some dressed in Christmas pajamas) will come to your table and take pictures during your meal.
At Goofy’s Kitchen, the price is $65 per adult (ages 10 and up) for breakfast or lunch, and $36 per child (ages 3 to 9), or $75 per adult and $39 per child for dinner. That’s a fraction of the price of theme park tickets and it’s a special experience for kids.
