Tickets and annual passes
First, you must reserve your tickets. The Disneyland Resort requires reservations to visit their parks and often does not have openings for walk-ins. You can purchase one-time or multi-day tickets on Disney’s online reservation system or by calling (714) 781-4636 for mail-to-home orders.
For frequent park-goers, Disneyland offers Magic Key annual passes that also offer discounts on food and merchandise throughout the park.
Lightning Lane Pass is a tiered system for paid access to faster ride queues (prices and availability vary depending on the day).
Disneyland mobile app
One of the most useful things you can do to prepare for your trip is to download the Disneyland Resort mobile app. The app allows you to create a customized itinerary based on the attractions, dining, and entertainment you want to experience, and updates are made throughout the day to optimize your park time. You can either select the exact rides, restaurants, and shows you want or enter more generalized interests like "Princesses" or "Star Wars" for a themed itinerary. The app also features a personalized tip board to display current and predicted wait times at the attractions you’re interested in, so you can see when a line might be shorter.
The app also gives you access to the Disability Access Service (DAS) system within the parks.
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Who is eligible for the Disney DAS pass?
Per Disney, Disability Access Service (DAS) is “intended to accommodate a small percentage of guests who, due to a developmental disability like autism or similar, are unable to wait in a conventional queue for an extended period of time.” With DAS, a rider and a maximum of 3 of their party members wait outside the traditional line by being given a specific time to return (comparable to the current wait), so they can spend the interlude away from the overwhelm of line waits. Once it’s the DAS recipient’s time to ride, the party enters either through a shorter queue or via an expedited entrance.
How to apply for Disney's DAS system
There are two ways to register a guest for DAS:
When connected to a Cast Member to request DAS approval, guests are asked to answer detailed questions about why the person needs DAS and how they manage line waits in everyday life. They are then transferred to a “Medical Professional” who determines eligibility. Please note that at this time, the professional status of these employees cannot be verified, and they will not offer proof of medical license when queried. The interview process is by all accounts personal and detailed and can take upwards of 30 to 45 minutes to complete.
Note: Guests whose disabilities do not affect their ability to wait in long lines must wait in the standard queue. Guests with medical, mobility, or developmental disabilities other than autism are no longer eligible for DAS. As of May 2026, the information on who qualifies for a DAS remains inconsistent. For example, some children with autism have been approved while others have been denied.
For more information from park guests who have been through the approval and denial process and their experiences, an active group to consider learning from is Disney DAS Defenders Facebook group.
How to use Disney DAS registration
If your child is approved for DAS, make note: the maximum party size is the registered DAS guest and up to three additional party members, for a total of four people.
DAS is valid for the length of the ticket or up to one year, whichever comes sooner. Once the service has elapsed or when a new ticket is required, guests will need to re-apply.
If you are approved for the DAS program, you will be able to select return times right from the Disneyland mobile app during the day of your visit.
When your return time is ready, you will scan your app at the “Lightning Lane” area of a ride. You can only hold one return time pass at a time. There is a “cooldown time” of ten minutes between when you scan a DAS return time and when you can reserve your next ride queue.
Other options for shorter lines at Disneyland:
The Disneyland Park Guide Map for Guests with Disabilities and Disney California Adventure Park Guide Map for Guests with Disabilities offer a quick overview and keyed map of each park’s mobility, visual, and hearing accommodations. These maps are available in printed form at Guest Relations and digitally on the Disneyland app.
This list details the rides and attractions that can accommodate wheelchairs and rides that require a transfer.
You can rent a stroller, wheelchair, or ECV/motorized scooter at Disneyland’s Stroller Shop located in the main entrance plaza to the east of the Disneyland Park main entrance as well as at the Pixar Pals parking structure. Manual wheelchairs are $15 per day to rent; ECV rentals are $60 per day plus sales tax. Both require a refundable deposit of $20.
If your child’s stroller will be used as a wheelchair, check with Guest Relations when entering the park at either City Hall to get a “stroller as wheelchair” tag to be placed on your stroller.
Traveling from the parking lot to the wheelchair rental can be challenging if you’re arriving without your own equipment, as it is a long walk to the rental counter from the parking lot or the tram. There are companies that offer rentals outside of the park, so you can arrive with wheels in place.
Disney let us know that families also have the option of utilizing the turnabout at the park’s main entrance to drop off family members who need to rent mobility devices and are unable to travel the long distance to the entrance from the parking lot.
Deaf and hearing loss accommodations
Sign Language Interpretation: The Resort provides American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation at certain live attractions. Sign language interpreters begin in one park during the morning before they move to the other park in the afternoon.
Disneyland Resort offers assistive listening services on the Disneyland Handheld Device. The device provides assistive listening, amplified sound through induction loops, handheld captioning, and audio descriptions for guests with a hearing or visual disability. For a list of attractions that utilize the device, check here.
Packets containing attraction dialogue and narration, a flashlight, pencil, and paper are available for many attractions and shows. Ask for a packet at Accessibility Services.
Blind and low vision accommodations
The Disneyland Handheld Device offers audio description for attractions. For a list of attractions that utilize the device, check here. Per their site, “Disney Handheld Devices are available on a first-come, first-served basis through Accessibility Services and require a $25 refundable deposit. You must return the device on the same day for a refund. It is recommended that you bring your own headphones or induction loop. The device has a standard headphone jack.”
Braille Guidebooks featuring descriptions of attractions, restaurants, and stores printed in braille as well as large text are available on a first-come, first-served basis through Accessibility Services. A $25 refundable deposit is required. You must return the device on the same day for a refund.
Portable Tactile Maps, which feature a representation of building boundaries, walkways, and landmarks for each theme park, are also available on a first-come, first-served basis through Accessibility Services and require a $25 refundable deposit. You must return the device on the same day for a refund.
The Resort also offers stationary braille maps featuring braille and large print with raised graphics to highlight key landmarks and attractions.
For a list of which sensory experiences accompany Disney’s attractions, download the Sensory Experiences Details guide. It includes a handy chart outlining what each attraction offers in both parks so that there are no surprises, including: Scents/Smells, Flashing Lights, Loud Noises, Periods of Darkness, Bumps, Fast, Lifts off Ground, Wet, Element of Surprise, Type of Restraint, and Amount of Time.
A visual schedule helps the whole family feel prepared for what to expect. Disneyland Resorts’ Accessibility Planning Guide & Recommendations offers valuable information for talking to your child about what to expect at the Parks.
For those with Lighting Sensitivity, aside from the above, Disney does not provide a list of attractions that have strobe and lighting effects that could affect individuals with photosensitivity or seizure disorders because Disney says it would be too exhaustive. Strobes and pulsating lights are used extensively in the park, including in exterior building accents and dance clubs, and effects such as simulated lightning, explosions, and chaser lights are used in various attractions and shows.
For babies and toddlers, the Baby Care Centers in both parks are quiet and relaxing environments. Often, there are coloring pages, books, and movies offered to children.
The following break areas can be less crowded and offer a space to unwind.
Disneyland:
California Adventure:
Cast Members at Guest Services can also be good resources to ask for quiet areas.
In addition to accessible bathrooms, Disney offers Companion Restrooms, which offer cots and privacy. Find the Companion Restrooms locations here. Disney’s First Aid stations have several Companion Restrooms available.
For small children, Baby Care Centers offer a quiet place to change diapers, eat snacks, and have some moments of calm.
Many Disneyland restrooms use automatic toilet flushing equipment, which may be loud. Placing a Post-It note over the sensor can block the flushing mechanism until you are ready.
Most table service restaurants in the theme parks can accommodate food allergies or intolerances, and advanced requests can be made through the Disneyland Mobile App when booking dining reservations. Their website has a comprehensive guide to the Disneyland Resort’s dietary accommodations.
Guests with food allergies or intolerances are allowed to bring their own food into the parks. During bag check upon entering the park, let the Cast Member know that someone in your party has a food allergy or intolerance.
Disney’s First Aid stations will store your medications so that they’re safe and ready when you need them.
Disneyland: First Aid is located at the end of Main Street, U.S.A., next to the Baby Care Center.
California Adventure: First Aid is located next to the Chamber of Commerce on Buena Vista Street.
Disneyland Resort allows trained service animals in nearly all areas of the park as long as they remain on a leash. Here is a detailed list of the locations in which they are not allowed and locations where they can relieve themselves.
What to pack for Disney parks:
Anaheim’s weather can vary through the year. Summers can be very hot. Plan ahead with:
A safety bracelet, bluetooth tracker, or nametag can help parents feel more confident about keeping track of their children in crowded environments.
The parks can get very loud. For those with auditory defensiveness, noise-cancelling headphones, noise-dampening headphones, or Loops can make a huge difference in comfort and stamina.
For those who calm themselves with tactile items, bringing fidgets can be soothing during the high-stress periods like waiting in lines.
Keep snacks on hand for the tough moments. Food orders can take time. Consider ordering food ahead on the mobile app and find a table to rest while you wait.
Where to take breaks in and out of the parks:
Bluey’s Best Day Ever is a new live show in Fantasyland that is earning rave reviews from kids and adults alike. At 35 minutes, it’s a good way to sit and take a break.
Many guests choose to stay close to the Resort and take breaks at their hotels in the afternoons when the heat is at its highest, returning in the evenings.
Take a ride on the Monorail from Disneyland Park when you need a good reset. It stops just outside the Lego Store in Downtown Disney, where kids can work on builds in sample centers.
Still have questions? Call Disney’s Disability Services at (407) 560-2547 or email Disney Parks Disability Services.
Above all, keep in touch with us! We’d love to know how your visit goes. If you have any insider tips of your own to share, please do!
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