From Amy Tupper on June 13, 2011 at 1:07 PM
I think I'll stick with my military pass for DL this summer. :)

From KJ Simpson on June 13, 2011 at 1:45 PM
Wow, complicated is right! My head started swimming about halfway through. Great analysis- I hope the SoCal visitors find this post very useful! :)

From M. Ryan Traylor on June 13, 2011 at 1:46 PM
I've always felt as a SoCal resident, it's either a special ticket deal (2fer or Summer Fun pass) or Annual Pass w/parking.

From Robert Niles on June 13, 2011 at 2:34 PM
Gaming the system at Disneyland can be a PhD-level subject for some people.

Ultimately, if you are a local and want to keep it simple, either you adopt visiting Disneyland as a lifestyle - in which case you get an AP and use it frequently, dropping in whenever you'd like - or you just visit when tickets go on discount sale.

And, as I wrote, if you're not local, don't sweat any of this. Get the two- or three-day ticket. (If you haven't been in a while, or ever, I'd get the three-day.)

From 69.237.149.58 on June 14, 2011 at 9:06 AM
Costco also has a really good deal on park hoppers. (see link)

We go so often that the Premium Passes are what's right for us. Plus, with this new price hike the days that all passes are blocked besides the Premium Pass might actually be less crowded than other days, and that makes it worth it as well.

Still, that's a lot of money.

From M. Ryan Traylor on June 13, 2011 at 3:08 PM
I gamed the system back in 2009-2010. One SoCal Pass with parking. Approx 22 scans at the turnstile. Additional purchase of one dole-whip per day. Plus the gas to get there.

Sometimes CA Unemployment has it's benefits.

From 71.108.79.234 on June 13, 2011 at 3:34 PM
Our SoCal select passes have been great. Because of teacher furlough days this year we've used them a lot. Besides, you don't want to be there on weekends or in the summer -- too crowded. The best part about having a pass is the ability to relax and enjoy the park instead of trying to get all of your money's worth at once.

From Anon Mouse on June 14, 2011 at 7:51 AM
Disneyland is easier to figure out than WDW. I really hate Magic Your Way tickets. Park hopping is no longer included.

No matter what you do, Disneyland costs significantly more than any other theme park. The only way around it is visit less. 1 to 3 trips a year should be sufficient. Visit more, annual passes are the way to go.

I'm not sure it is worth going yet. I want to see how DCA turns out. I will wait til next year when everything is finished.

From Tyler Stover on June 14, 2011 at 11:43 AM
We had previously gone with the deluxe passes, figuring we didn't really want to be there on the blocked dates anyway, but the math doesn't lie. Premium it is next time we renew.

From 24.176.165.101 on June 14, 2011 at 10:39 PM
I got a one day hopper for $55 for mid-week September on lafuntickets.net I was a little skeptical at first (although they were registered with the BBB) as I had to drive to a Shell station a couple blocks away to get the tickets (but reserve online) and pay in cash. They buy 5 day hoppers and resell them as 1-4 day tickets. Your supposed to return them at the end of your day (or before the next morning) in the dropbox by their office in the Shell station. My ticket (which worked fine) was the 5th day so I didn't have to return it and got to keep a souvenir ticket card. $55 dollars for a day at two Disney parks was a great deal:)

On another note September mid-week (we went Sept 1st, 2010) is an excellent time to visit Disneyland. It was the least crowded I've ever seen Disneyland in all my years of visiting. We didn't