5 Secret Tips for Getting Disneyland Paris ANNUAL PASS Park Reservations
If you’re feeling confused about the Disneyland Paris annual pass or unsure about securing park reservations as a new Pass Holder, you’re not alone. When I planned to purchase my first pass, I was completely stressed out, until I figured out exactly how to do it. That’s why, in this post, I want to help you learn everything you need to know about using your new Disneyland Paris annual pass.
Let’s talk about how to secure park reservations, avoid blackout dates, get your park discounts, and other helpful tips. That way you can relax and get on with planning your amazing Disney trip!
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What We Will Cover in this Post
- How to get a park reservation for the same day when you buy your annual pass in person
- How to get park reservations for Day 2, Day 3 and beyond
- The risk of not getting a park reservation
- The blackout dates you need to be aware of
- Basics of using your new annual pass
- Busy periods and scarce reservations
What You Need to Know as a New Annual Passholder
If you are new to the Disneyland Paris annual pass system, welcome! Let’s run through the basics you need to know about the annual pass, when you can use it, and how to make park reservations.
1. Introduction to the Disneyland Paris Annual Pass
📌 There are five golden rules you need to know about your new Disneyland Paris Annual Pass.
- There are three types of annual passes: Bronze, Silver and Gold, and each has different pricing and perks. I have here a list of the full costs and benefits of each Disneyland Pass.
- Each annual pass has different blackout dates, or dates when you are not permitted to use that pass to enter the parks. The cheapest pass (Bronze) has the most blackout dates, while the Gold pass has no blackout dates.
- It is necessary to book a park reservation for ALL the dates you wish to use your pass to visit Disneyland Paris.
- You may only hold 3 days of park reservations at any one time (but if you want to use it for more consecutive days, don’t worry. I’ll help you with that later in this article)
- You can only book another park reservation AFTER midnight on the day you have a current park reservation. (for example: you have 3 days of park reservations, and you want to book a 4th day. You may only do this from midnight on Day 1 of your park reservations. In other words, when that park day has been used up. See below for more examples.)
2. How to Use Your New Disneyland Paris Annual Pass to Enter the Park for the First Time
After you purchase your new Disneyland Pass from the ticket desk, you will need to show your physical pass and the contract you have been given to the cast member at the gate.
?! FAQ: How soon can I use my annual pass?
If you buy your Disneyland Pass on the day, it is ready for you to use immediately.
3. The Importance of Park Reservations for Pass Holders
Since the pandemic, Disney has imposed a mandatory reservation system for entry to their parks.
🤓 GOOD TO KNOW Even if you have a Disneyland Pass, you will have to possess a valid park reservation to enter the park on any specific day.
Disneyland Paris Pass Park Reservations
?! FAQ: How can I get a park reservation when I haven’t bought the annual pass yet?
POV: I am planning to buy an annual pass in person, and I want to use it straight away for multiple days.
The park reservation system becomes complicated when you buy a Disneyland annual pass in person, and you wish to use it to enter the parks straight away.
A bigger worry is that you buy the annual pass intending to use it for 2, 3, or more days, but that requires park reservations you can’t make yet. What happens if you can’t get that park reservation?
Not to worry. I have a solution for this (keep reading!).
Step-By-Step How To Make Disneyland Paris Park Reservations for Your Annual Pass
➡️ If You Already Have an Annual Pass
The first scenario is you have bought your pass in advance online. So, if you already have an annual pass, then there are two easy ways to book up to 3 days of park reservations.
Make park reservations online
Making Disneyland Paris park reservations can be as easy as booking it here online.
Make park reservations using the Disneyland Paris app
Having the Disneyland Paris app is a handy tool for your trip. If you have it, you can make your park reservations in 3 steps:
- Open the app, and tap the ‘Account’ tab at the bottom of the screen
- Tap ‘My Disneyland Passes’ (not in the purple box, on the tab below it)
- On this screen, you can see any reservations you already have and can book future days
➡️ If You are Buying an Annual Pass on the First Day of Your Visit
If you are buying your annual pass in person, entrance to the park is guaranteed on your first day – as long as something special is not happening that day and parks are at capacity.
🤓 GOOD TO KNOW Historically, this has never happened, but it could be a problem if there was an extraordinary event, like opening day for Frozen Land for example!
However, for subsequent park days, you’ll need to know how to get your park reservations. So, let’s talk about that.
How to Use Your New Disneyland Pass for the Following Day / or the Following 2 Days / or for More Days
The process is a bit more complicated for making park reservations for the day(s) following the first day after the purchase of your annual pass.
Let’s look at the two methods you can use to make park reservations for Day 2 (and Day 3 if you are staying longer).
Method #1 – Ask the Cast Member at the Annual Pass Desk
When you buy your annual pass at the ticket desk in Disneyland Park, ask the cast member if they will kindly book your park reservations for Day 2 and Day 3 while you are there.
The benefit of this method is that although you can make park reservations with your online account (or in the app), it can technically take up to 24 hours for your annual pass to be linked up.
If the cast member is willing to do this for you, then this method is the most convenient.
Method #2 – Make Your Reservations Once You Are in the Park
Another way to make park reservations is to do it later the same day.
After you purchase your new pass, enter the park, have some fun, and wait a short time for the pass to be linked to your online account in the Disneyland Paris app. This might take place within the hour, or it may happen a bit later that day. In some instances it make take up till the next day.
A) Simply make your reservations online, or
B) Through the Disneyland Paris app like this:
- Open the app and tap the ‘Account’ tab at the bottom of the screen
- Tap ‘My Disneyland Passes’ (not in the purple box, on the tab below it)
- On this screen, you can see any reservations you already have and can book future days
?! FAQ: How Do I Make Park Reservations if I Am Staying for Longer Than 3 Days?
Many people like to buy an annual pass if they are planning to stay longer than 3 days at Disneyland Paris.
The problem is that Disney will only allow you to hold 3 days of park reservations at a time. I have a solution for that!
How to Get Reservations for Day 4, Day 5, Day 6 and Beyond
We have gone over how to buy your Disneyland Paris annual pass and enter the park on Day 1, Day 2 and Day 3. Now let’s look at getting more days in the park.
⭐Remember the Two Golden Rules for Disneyland Paris Annual Pass Park Reservations⭐
- You can only hold reservations for 3 park days at a time.
- You can only make another reservation once your current reservation has ended at 11:59pm (just before midnight).
So, the solution for making your Day 4 reservation is to do it from 11:59pm on Day 1, when you entered the park for the first time. (Or in other words, anytime from about midnight onwards.)
After midnight on Day 2, you can make a reservation for Day 5.
After midnight on Day 3, you can make a reservation for Day 6.
And so on and so forth.
✏️ PRO TIP If it’s not convenient, you do not have to make your park reservations exactly at midnight. You can try all the way up to the day you want to enter the park. But to give yourself a maximum window of availability, you should try to do it as early as possible. If nothing is available, keep trying the next day and so on.
🚨Risks of Not Getting a Park Reservation
This is all well and good if park reservations are available.
But what if they are not?
Let’s explore the risks of not getting a park reservation.
Disney prefers to keep their options open. If a special event were to occur, and parks are at their capacity, then it stands to reason that you will not be able to gain a park reservation.
Busy Periods and Scarce Reservations
I have known reservations to be available for Christmas Day as late as mid-December.
But I also remember a time when Halloween itself was sold out, disappointing fans who planned to travel for that event.
It is never a 100% guarantee that you will get a reservation for any day at Disneyland Paris, but in most cases, you will never encounter a problem.
Peak Seasons and French Bank Holidays
If you are considering buying an annual pass in person, try to avoid peak seasons to maximise park availability. It makes sense that it will be harder to guarantee entry at times like Christmas and other busy periods.
Watch out for these popular seasonal celebrations and French national holidays:
- Christmas Eve through to New Year’s Day
- Easter weekend (Friday through Monday)
- Labour Day – 1st of May
- Victory Day – 8th of May
- French Bastille Day – 14th of July
- Halloween – 31st of October
- All Saint’s Day – 1st of November
- Armistice Day – 11th of November
How Can I GUARANTEE Entry to the Parks with my New Disneyland Pass?
Suppose you are visiting during a busy season, or even a moderately popular time like the summer holidays.
Or, what if you want to be 100% sure that you can gain access to the parks with your annual pass?
There is a way to make sure you can get a park reservation regardless of general availability and that is by booking a Disneyland Paris hotel room.
✏️ PRO TIP By staying on-site, even if you have a room-only booking, you can show your Disney Hotel Magic Pass to enter without a park reservation. To be doubly sure, ask the cast member who checks you into your Disney hotel to link your Magic Pass to your Annual Pass.
One night in a Disney hotel room will grant you two days of park entry (the day you check in and the day you check out) with your annual pass.
✏️ 5 Tips for First-timers Using the Disneyland Paris Annual Pass
1. How to Buy a Disneyland Paris Annual Pass
You can buy a Disneyland Paris pass at the ticket desk located at the entrance to Disneyland Park. Alternatively, you can order a pass online.
➡️ READ NEXT Your step-by-step easy guide to buying your Disneyland Paris Pass. This includes how to make monthly payments and tips for your first time.
If this is your first Disneyland Paris annual pass, congratulations and welcome to the club!
2. How to Use Your New Disneyland Paris Annual Pass
Your Disneyland Pass will be valid for 365 days, starting from the date you purchase it.
Annual passes differ from standard park tickets in the way that the pass provides unlimited visits to its user, as long as those are dates outside of the relevant blackout dates. And as long as park reservations are secured.
To use it, you will simply tap your pass at the entrance gate to the park of your choice. You can also find a digital version of your Disneyland Paris annual pass in the Disneyland app.
3. A Quick Overview of Your Pass Benefits
There are different benefits to each pass: Gold, Silver and Bronze.
Each level comes with a specific set of Disneyland Paris Annual Passholder perks, which you should get familiar with before purchasing.
- All passes come with Free Parking
- Gold Pass is the most expensive, but it allows you to enter the parks 365 days a year and get 15% off merchandise and restaurants. You also get PhotoPass+ included.
- Silver Pass is in the middle price range, with 300 days of access to the parks and a 10% discount on merchandise and restaurants. Enjoy 10% off PhotoPass+.
- Bronze Pass is the least expensive giving you 170 days in the park, but no discount on merchandise, restaurants or PhotoPass+.
- If you are still weighing the cost vs benefits of the annual pass, you should check out Is the Disneyland Pass worth it? It compares every alternative from Do-It-Yourself bookings to package holidays. So you can decide which is cheapest for you.
4. Watch Out for Blackout Dates
As we have already discussed, the Silver and Bronze Annual Passes come with blackout dates – these are dates that you are not allowed to use your pass to enter the parks.
In brief, the blackout dates are:
- Bronze Pass excludes all weekends except selected dates in January and February. It also excludes all of July and August, weekends in October, November and December, the Christmas and New Year weeks, and the end of Feb through the beginning of May.
- Silver Pass excludes dates around Halloween, Christmas, and Easter holidays, and selected dates in May, June and August.
- Gold Pass has no restrictions.
5. ?! FAQ: Can I Book a Disney Hotel and Use My Annual Pass on a Blackout Date?
That is a firm no, I am afraid. There is no going around a blackout date except to buy a standard ticket instead.
✂️💶How to Get Discounts at Disneyland Paris, Disney Village and in Disneyland Paris Hotels With Your Annual Pass
To take advantage of all the discounts available to Gold and Silver pass holders, simply present your Disneyland Pass at the till when buying merchandise or at the quick service establishments when buying food. When checking into a restaurant, your cast member will ask to see your card as well.
Don’t forget that discounts are not only available in the two parks – you can also get them at any of the Disney hotels and in selected shops and restaurants in Disney Village. It always pays to ask before you buy anything in case you get a discount.
🤓 GOOD TO KNOW Smaller food vendors in Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios do not offer discounts with the annual pass (ie snacks and drinks from the kiosks).
Is the Disneyland Paris Annual Pass Right for You?
I hope I have answered all your questions about making Disneyland Paris annual pass park reservations and more.
👱🏻♀️ MY EXPERIENCE Having an annual pass has saved me money because I travel to Disney often and frequently stay offsite. There’s also an element of something I can’t quite describe – it’s sort of a feeling of belonging. Having an annual pass makes me feel even more a part of the Disney magic bubble.
But it’s not always the most cost-effective choice for everyone! So, I would strongly encourage you to read my post on all the possible costs before committing to purchasing an annual pass, as sometimes a Disney package deal can work out cheaper, and you don’t even need to worry about park reservations.
Over to You…
Whatever your plans are, enjoy yourself to the max. Having a Disneyland Paris annual pass is a privilege. Go out there and make memories for a lifetime!
Do you have any more questions about making park reservations with your Disneyland Pass? Let me know in the comments below👇.
➡️ READ NEXT If you enjoyed this Guide to Park Reservations with Disneyland Pass, check out these:
🩷 Have you sorted your backpack for the parks? Here’s a handy list of what to pack inside it, plus my favourite backpacks for Disneyland Paris
💜 Planning your itinerary? Here are 10 MUST-DO’s every first-timer should do at Disneyland Paris (and grab your printable bucket list!)
💙 Are you finding it hard to get a table at popular Disney Restaurants? Check these 9 Secret Tips to Dining Reservations
