If your Disneyland ticket says Tier 0, Tier 3, Tier 5 or another tier number, that number determines which dates you can use a standard 1-day ticket.
Disneyland currently divides its 1-day ticket calendar into seven levels, Tier 0 through Tier 6. Higher tiers cover higher-priced dates and also give you more flexibility because a 1-day ticket can be used on a date in its own tier or any lower tier.
Multi-day Disneyland tickets work differently. They are not priced according to Tier 0 through Tier 6, so the tier system is mainly something you need to understand when buying or changing a 1-day ticket.
How Disneyland’s Tier 0 Through Tier 6 Tickets Work
The tier number on a 1-day Disneyland ticket tells you which tier dates that ticket is valid for.
The most important rule is that a ticket can be used on its own tier or on a lower-tier date.
| Ticket Tier | Dates You Can Use It |
|---|---|
| Tier 0 | Tier 0 dates |
| Tier 1 | Tier 1 or Tier 0 dates |
| Tier 2 | Tier 2, 1 or 0 dates |
| Tier 3 | Tier 3, 2, 1 or 0 dates |
| Tier 4 | Tier 4, 3, 2, 1 or 0 dates |
| Tier 5 | Tier 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 or 0 dates |
| Tier 6 | Any Tier 0 through Tier 6 date |
So the higher the ticket tier, the more dates it can potentially cover.
A Tier 2 ticket cannot simply be used on a Tier 5 date, but a Tier 5 ticket can be used on a Tier 2 date.
You can see the current tier assigned to each upcoming date on Disneyland’s official ticket calendar.
What Does a Tier 3 Disneyland Ticket Mean?
A Tier 3 Disneyland ticket is valid for a Tier 3 date or any date assigned to Tier 2, Tier 1 or Tier 0.
It is not valid for a Tier 4, Tier 5 or Tier 6 date unless you change or upgrade the ticket to admission that is valid for the higher-tier date.
The tier is therefore about both price and date eligibility. It is not a separate kind of theme park experience. A Tier 3 ticket does not give you different rides, attractions or park privileges from another standard 1-day ticket.
What Does a Tier 4 Disneyland Ticket Mean?
A Tier 4 ticket can be used on a Tier 4 date or on a lower Tier 3, Tier 2, Tier 1 or Tier 0 date.
If your plans change to a Tier 5 or Tier 6 date, the Tier 4 ticket by itself is not valid for that higher-tier date.
That is why I would check the Disneyland ticket calendar before changing travel dates rather than assuming a 1-day ticket works on every day of the year.
What Does a Tier 5 Disneyland Ticket Mean?
A Tier 5 Disneyland ticket works on Tier 5 dates and all lower Tier 0 through Tier 4 dates.
It does not cover a Tier 6 date without an eligible ticket change or upgrade.
If you use a Tier 5 ticket on a cheaper Tier 2 date, Disney does not give you a refund or credit simply because you used the ticket on a lower-tier day.
What Does Tier 6 Mean at Disneyland?
Tier 6 is the highest standard Disneyland 1-day ticket tier.
A Tier 6 ticket can be used on a Tier 6 date or on any lower Tier 0 through Tier 5 date, provided you also have the required theme park reservation.
That makes a Tier 6 ticket the most flexible of the standard 1-day tier tickets, although you still need a park reservation for the park and date you intend to visit.
Tier 0 Is the Most Restrictive 1-Day Ticket
Tier 0 sits at the opposite end of the system.
A Tier 0 ticket is valid on a Tier 0 date. It cannot be used on a Tier 1 through Tier 6 date without changing to admission that is valid for the higher tier.
Tier 0 dates are therefore the least flexible standard 1-day dates, but they can also represent some of the lower-priced opportunities on Disneyland’s ticket calendar.
A Higher-Tier Ticket Can Be Used on a Lower-Tier Date
This is probably the most useful part of the Disneyland tier system to understand.
If you bought a Tier 5 ticket and later decide to visit on a Tier 3 date, Disney allows that ticket to be used on the lower-tier date.
You do not have to find another Tier 5 date simply because Tier 5 is printed on the ticket.
But Disney’s current ticket terms also state that you do not receive a refund or credit for using a higher-tier ticket on a lower-tier date.
So if a Tier 5 ticket is used on a Tier 2 date, you get the flexibility of using it on that lower date, not the price difference back.
What If Your New Disneyland Date Is a Higher Tier?
If your 1-day ticket is blocked out for the date you now want to visit, Disney says an eligible ticket can be upgraded to admission that is valid for the higher-tier date.
The amount you already paid can generally be applied toward the new ticket, and the new ticket must cost at least as much as the original.
Some tickets have their own restrictions and may not be eligible for an upgrade, so check the terms attached to the ticket you purchased.
Also remember that changing the ticket does not eliminate Disneyland’s reservation requirement. You still need a theme park reservation for the new date and park.
The Tier Does Not Guarantee a Park Reservation
A Disneyland ticket tier tells you whether the ticket is valid for the date. It does not by itself guarantee that you can enter Disneyland Park or Disney California Adventure on that date.
Disneyland currently requires Guests ages 3 and older to have both valid theme park admission and a theme park reservation for the same date and park.
That means a Tier 6 ticket may be valid on a Tier 3 date, but you still need an available reservation for the park you want to enter.
If you’re buying close to your trip, check reservation availability along with the ticket calendar rather than looking only at the tier number.
My guide to whether you should buy Disneyland tickets in advance covers that planning question separately.
Multi-Day Disneyland Tickets Do Not Use the Tier System
This is where Disneyland ticket pricing becomes much simpler.
Disney currently says its standard multi-day tickets cost the same regardless of which eligible dates you visit.
So a 2-day, 3-day, 4-day or 5-day Disneyland ticket is not sold as a Tier 0, Tier 3 or Tier 6 multi-day ticket.
The tier system applies to standard 1-day admission.
This also means there is no strategy where starting a normal multi-day Disneyland ticket on a Tier 0 Tuesday automatically makes that ticket cheaper than starting the same standard multi-day ticket on a Tier 5 date.
If you’re deciding between several park days, see my Disneyland multi-day ticket guide.
Ticket Tier and Ticket Type Are Two Different Choices
The tier tells you which dates a standard 1-day ticket can cover.
The ticket type determines how you can use that day.
Disneyland currently sells both:
- 1 Park Per Day tickets, which let you visit either Disneyland Park or Disney California Adventure Park
- Park Hopper tickets, which let you visit both theme parks on the same ticket day under the current hopping rules
A Tier 4 1 Park Per Day ticket and a Tier 4 Park Hopper ticket share the same date-tier restriction, but they do not provide the same park access.
Do Disneyland Tier Assignments Stay the Same Every Year?
No. Disney says tier assignments are added on a rolling basis, and the dates assigned to each tier can change from year to year.
That is why I would not rely on an old chart saying that a particular Tuesday, holiday or month is always Tier 2 or Tier 5.
Check the current Disneyland ticket calendar for the dates you’re actually considering.
Disney World Does Not Use Disneyland’s Tier 0-6 System
Walt Disney World in Florida also changes standard ticket prices based on dates, but its current ticket system should not be confused with Disneyland’s Tier 0 through Tier 6 system.
Disney World sells standard date-based tickets that require you to choose a start date when you buy them. For a 1-day ticket, the price can also depend on which Walt Disney World theme park you choose.
So if you’re researching a ticket that specifically says Tier 2, Tier 4 or Tier 6, you’re most likely looking at Disneyland Resort ticket terminology rather than a normal Walt Disney World ticket.
If you’re actually planning Florida, use my Disney World ticket price calendar guide instead.
How to Choose a Disneyland Ticket Tier
If your trip date is already fixed, you do not really need to choose a tier manually. Find the date on Disneyland’s ticket calendar and buy admission that is valid for that date.
If your dates are flexible, compare several days on the calendar. A lower-tier date may reduce the cost of a 1-day visit.
If you are considering a higher-tier ticket because your plans may move, remember that the added flexibility only helps if you actually need it. Using a higher-tier ticket on a lower-tier date does not produce a refund for the unused difference.
For current ticket amounts rather than tier rules, see my Disneyland ticket price guide or my more specific Disneyland 1-day ticket price guide.
