Early 15

RedmonFamily

Make it Blue!
Joined
Jul 27, 2017
Can anyone explain how the extra 15 mins work by staying at a Disney hotel. We are staying at the celebration. Do I still need to get to Park opening an hour early? Thanks
 
When you check in, they will give each member of your party a Happy 15 pass for each morning that you will be staying at the hotel.

When are you coming? In general, you should arrive about 30-45 minutes* before park opening.

*TDL is okay at 30 minutes
*For TDS, MiraCosta guests have their own entrance into the park and are all going to be ahead of you, so plan accordingly if you're coming at a busy time
 
We are planning on the second week of april 8-10, these are week days so I was hoping not too early. Thanks for the response!
 
Happy 15 gets you in 15 minutes early at DisneySea but 30 minutes early at Disneyland. So I would arrive 45 minutes in advance of scheduled park opening for each park.
 


Happy 15 gets you in 15 minutes early at DisneySea but 30 minutes early at Disneyland. So I would arrive 45 minutes in advance of scheduled park opening for each park.
Not exactly. You can enter the park itself but you're held back from the attractions until 15 minutes prior to opening. On most days, everyone (not just hotel guests) can also enter the park at that time. So, it makes no difference if you arrive 30 minutes early, 45 minutes early, or more. You're still going to be held at the same place. There are two designated access points within the park & that's where you need to be when Happy 15 starts.
 
I am going to piggy back on the original post. Where is the Happy 15 entrance for each park? We will be there next week, park days on the 9th through the 12th. On the 9th we wont be arriving until the afternoon, hoping to be at the parks by 1:30/2 but will have three other mornings. We will also be staying at the Disney Celebration hotel for those days. Would you recommend an hour early? Or less? We aren't typically morning people but do try to be early for Disney.
 
I am going to piggy back on the original post. Where is the Happy 15 entrance for each park? We will be there next week, park days on the 9th through the 12th. On the 9th we wont be arriving until the afternoon, hoping to be at the parks by 1:30/2 but will have three other mornings. We will also be staying at the Disney Celebration hotel for those days. Would you recommend an hour early? Or less? We aren't typically morning people but do try to be early for Disney.
http://www.disneyhotels.jp/en/privilege/index.html

The Halloween event is on, so it's a little busier than usual, but won't be too bad during the week. 45 minutes is fine.
 


@MKTokyo- Thanks! We are very excited for all the Halloween stuff. We are a group of 15 traveling together, though my family of 5 will likely break away from the larger group for parts of the day. We did plan to avoid the weekends on purpose. Our Tokyo time is limited as most of this trip will be spent in Osaka doing day trips from there but we will likely spend another few days in or around Tokyo middle of May.
 
*For TDS, MiraCosta guests have their own entrance into the park and are all going to be ahead of you, so plan accordingly if you're coming at a busy time

Actually, the Miracosta private entrance to TDS is NOT open for Happy 15. We had to walk out the lobby, turn right and go down the stairs to join the Happy 15 entrance queue.
 
Actually, the Miracosta private entrance to TDS is NOT open for Happy 15. We had to walk out the lobby, turn right and go down the stairs to join the Happy 15 entrance queue.
I don't mean the one that leads directly into the park. I mean the north entrance, which is exclusively for MiraCosta guests during Happy 15. Everyone else has to go to the south entrance. The north entrance feeds in ahead of the south entrance & is positioned better for getting to the American Waterfront quickly.
 
When you check in, they will give each member of your party a Happy 15 pass for each morning that you will be staying at the hotel.

When are you coming? In general, you should arrive about 30-45 minutes* before park opening.

*TDL is okay at 30 minutes
*For TDS, MiraCosta guests have their own entrance into the park and are all going to be ahead of you, so plan accordingly if you're coming at a busy time
Do you get the pass for your check-in day? The website says no. But some blogs say yes. If we don’t get it on check in day, I may have to stay an extra night onsite for that perk.
 
Do you get the pass for your check-in day? The website says no. But some blogs say yes. If we don’t get it on check in day, I may have to stay an extra night onsite for that perk.
If you're staying at MiraCosta, yes, but for DisneySea only. If you're staying at any other hotel, no. Ambassador will also allow check-in day Happy 15 entry to DisneySea starting in January.
 
If you're staying at MiraCosta, yes, but for DisneySea only. If you're staying at any other hotel, no. Ambassador will also allow check-in day Happy 15 entry to DisneySea starting in January.
I am thinking of staying at Ambassador in July. This is great news! Thanks!! :flower3:
 
Are the rides open during early 15? Or does this access just allow you to be "first in line" at the most popular rides at 9 am?
 
As of December 8, according to TDR Explorer, Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters is the only attraction that opens at Tokyo Disneyland for Early 15 whereas Toy Story Mania! and the Tower of Terror are the only attractions opens at Tokyo DisneySea. The attractions open for Early 15 may change without prior notice.

https://tdrexplorer.com/101-best-tips-tokyo-disneyland/
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the extra info, I've been wondering how this works! It seems like a good idea to book a participating hotel then, even if it is only 15 mins? I read that there is some crazy lining up just to get into the park. We've only been to DLR and I've never found it too bad, even at rope drop. We will be coming at the end of September this year.
 
I feel like Happy 15 usually works out to approximately 2 extra major rides compared to someone who arrived 60+ minutes before opening. Whether the extra rides and lowered need to wake up early is worth the hotel premium will depend on what you value.

Today, I arrived 38 minutes before park opening to rope drop Big Thunder. Waited 18 minutes and when I got off, all the major rides were over 100 min and I picked up a 3:20 PM Monsters Inc fastpass. It is technically busy season so the crowds would be lower on weekdays in September.

For a DLR comparison, I arrived approximately 40 min before park opening at Anaheim DL during spring break last year and was the 3rd group on Peter Pan. I also got Storybookland, Space Mountain and Alice in Wonderland done within the first hour. That day didn't have EMH though.
 
If you're staying at MiraCosta, yes, but for DisneySea only. If you're staying at any other hotel, no. Ambassador will also allow check-in day Happy 15 entry to DisneySea starting in January.

Are you saying that Disneyland hotel guests don't get Happy 15 at TDS? I don't believe that's correct.
 
Last edited:
Are you saying that Disneyland hotel guests don't get Happy 15 at Miracosta? I don't beleibe that's correct.

She was talking about check in day. It's only when staying at the Miracosta (and now the Ambassador) that you get the early 15 at DisneySea on the check-in day.

For all 4 Disney hotels, you then get the early 15 at both parks the day after you've checked in.
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Latest posts


Top