Disneyland has made announcements about how it is working to attract new young families this year. We spoke to the President of Disneyland about how important the specific bucket of young families is to the future of Disneyland and learned more about how he is approaching the offerings for this group.
We also discussed the general affordability at the parks and then got into a couple of specific new offerings. At Mickey Visit, we report on all breaking Disney news, like the new permits filed for changes at Hollywood Studios and more rides added to the Disneyland refurbishment calendar.
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Disneyland’s Focus on Expanding Affordable Options
We sat down with Disneyland leadership yesterday to learn more about their upcoming plans for the business. Mickey Visit was one of about a dozen outlets invited to the event. During the event, Disneyland President Thomas Mazloum shared details on his priorities for the growth of Disneyland and how they are focused on expanding their audience. At the event he also announced a change to park hopping policies and the delay of a permanent ride closure.
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He discussed how every business over time loses a few customers and that there needs to be a constant focus on looking for new audiences. He emphasized that it is critical for businesses to keep growing to remain healthy in the mid and long term.
From this angle, he tasked the team with finding new ways to bring in more new customers. One key area that they are focused on is young families. He acknowledged that, like a lot of other things in the world, a Disney vacation costs more today than it did years ago.
They have heard that families need more time to plan and save for a trip now. He doesn’t take lightly that a Disney vacation is an investment of time and money. He addressed the new rides and expansion happening at Disneyland, saying that those new additions require investment and a return on tickets, but that it is still important to offer valuable ways for people to visit Disneyland.
He tasked the team with “harmonizing” all the different groups coming to Disneyland to ensure that as many people as possible could visit the park. They ended up with a couple of key value-oriented deals for this year. They have kept the lowest tier one-day ticket at $104 for the past seven years and expanded the days it is available, focused on the expanded California Resident ticket savings, debuted an easier way to access ticket discounts for active military, and launched the expanded kids’ $50 summer ticket.
Now, we have further details on what they are doing this year for young families. Disney is acknowledging that they need to keep these young families coming to the parks to build future repeating habits and lifelong fans.
New Affordable Disneyland Kids Meal
While discussing the value for families at Disneyland, Mazloum announced that there will be a new kids meal for just $5.99.
The new meal will be tied to the launch of “Bluey’s Best Day Ever” as detailed below. The meal will include a mini all-beef hot dog, Cutie orange, and milk or water for only $5.99. The meal will be available at Troubador Tavern next to the new Bluey experience. While that is the only announced location, the meal may be offered at other locations including Disney California Adventure in the future.
This is meant to let you make a day visit with children even more affordable. This helps guests with children save money on food at the parks, which is often a big expense for any vacation budget.
Disneyland $50 Kids Ticket
Disneyland shared that they are proud of the value they are offering young families this spring with the $50 kids ticket. Children ages 3 through 9 can visit a Disneyland Resort theme park for as low as $50 per child with this 1-Day, 1-Park ticket. These tickets can be used May 22 through September 7, 2026, and tickets may be used on nonconsecutive days.
This ticket also offers a variety of options and flexibility. You’ll be able to choose from 1-Day, 2-Day, or 3-Day park tickets. Park hopping is already included with these tickets which makes them an even better value.
The President of Disneyland emphasized this saying you are basically getting each park for $25. You also have the option to add on Lightning Lane Multi Pass.
Renewed Focus on Training Around Young Families
At the event we also heard from Brenai De Haro, Director, Operations & Integration, who manages guest feedback and cast member training. She and her team read and handle all guest feedback and cast comments that come into the resort. She is deeply focused on hospitality at the resort.
She shared that as part of this specific focus on servicing young families they are rolling out refreshed training to cast members in key areas to be able to best serve these guests. She said that guests come to Disneyland for the human connection. They want to help make cast members realize that every thing they do can help bring hospitality for guests. She said that every time there are anticipated shifts in guest dynamics, like this upcoming Bluey launch and kids focus, they roll out additional training and reminders for teams. For instance, she said that if a cast member sees a family juggling trays, how do you help service them? A cast member could jump in and help bring the food over for them. She said that the small hospitality touches are really what makes this place special.
While describing her goals around training, she mentioned a specific story. She said that she was walking through Fantasyland and saw a little girl crying because she didn’t want to get out of a stroller. She was pleased to see a cast member working at the entrance of an attraction bend down, pull out a Rapunzel sticker and give it to her. It completely deescalated the situation with the child and brought a smile to her face. She said she also saw the parents silently word thank you to the cast member when passing. These are the experiences that Disney wants to create even more of with their teams.
Disney released this prepared quote from De Haro for our inclusion; “Hospitality is at the heart of everything we do. We know that when guests plan a trip to Disneyland Resort, they are looking for a truly magical experience—and it’s our privilege to make them feel welcomed, cared for and valued so these special moments with our cast members become cherished memories that last long after their visit ends.”
Bluey Experience Coming Soon
One of the most anticipated offerings for young families is the new Bluey experience, called “Bluey’s Best Day Ever!” which will debut on March 22, 2026, and continue through the year.
This family-friendly show will transform Fantasyland Theatre into the grounds of Bluey’s school. Throughout the day, Bluey and her sister Bingo will appear live on stage, along with a group of comedic actors and musicians who will bring to life the popular music and games of the Bluey episodes.
This is the #1 streamed show in the United States, and Disneyland expects the show experience to be very popular.
Monsters, Inc. Ride Remaining Open
When they looked at some of the attractions that young families really love, they went back to their plans to close Monsters Inc., Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! ahead of the construction for the new Avatar-themed land in Disney California Adventure.
The Disneyland President pushed the teams to find a way to rearrange the order of their project milestones in order to keep this attraction open as long as possible. The ride is now reportedly able to stay open without impacting any of the timelines of the ongoing projects. No more specific date or closure timing has been shared at this time. Previously, Disneyland announced the attraction would close permanently in early 2026.
Disneyland is delaying the permanent closure of Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! to continue to focus on young families and offer more options for younger children in Disney California Adventure. These four elements help to complete the full package for young families. This group is really important to Disneyland because when you come as a child, you typically will come as an adult in the future. You can see the specific details on this ride staying open here.
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