A Disneyland ticket is expensive – on busy days, you can expect to pay over $200 for a Park Hopper! The Southern California Disney Park offers free admission for children under three and discounts for children under ten, but things add up quickly for a family vacation.
Related: Do Children Under 3 Need to Reserve a Disney Park Pass?
TikToker Emily Canela (@emmilycanela) recently boasted about her money-saving hack online. She hid her four-year-old child in a stroller, pretending that the young girl was a baby instead of purchasing a Disneyland ticket:
@emmilycanela messiCAN things 😂🇲🇽 sorry mickey !!
The video was instantly controversial, much like a viral incident last year when another Guest caught a family pulling a hidden elementary school out of a stroller after entering Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort.
“My son is 2 and they always ask me for a ticket. It gives me anxiety,” said @flahwers318. “But it’s because of people like you who abuse the honor system.”
“I don’t think she got the response she thought she was going to get from this,” @haileyfriton agreed. “Yikes.”
“Then y’all are going to get mad when Disney starts charging for lil kids,” @elizzzzzzzz1 wrote.
But others said they’ve gotten away with the same thing. “My kid was 2 for his 5th bday,” @elissssalepe claimed.
“Someone asked my daughter how old she turned for her birthday and she asked me ‘do I still have to say I’m 2??’” @reinageonetta recalled.
Some claimed that Canela was bluffing, but she shared another video from her trip corroborating her story:
@emmilycanela my free spirited wild child 🫶🏻✨
So how can you actually purchase Disneyland tickets? Though saving a buck can be tempting, buying tickets directly from Disneyland Resort or an authorized third-party seller like Costco is always best. Many hopeful Disneyland Resort Guests have been scammed out of hundreds of dollars trying to purchase cheaper admission to Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure.
Is hiding or lying about a child’s age for a free Disneyland ticket acceptable? Share your thoughts with Inside the Magic in the comments.
Please note that the story outlined in this article is based on a personal Disney Parks Guest experience. No two Guest experiences are alike, and this article does not necessarily align with Inside the Magic’s personal views on Disney Park operations.