Trip pass · Not transferable · Gladly so

Ten days,
one page.

AKL
Auckland
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LAX
Los Angeles → Anaheim
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Anaheim now
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Home in Auckland
13 – 22 August 2026 · Anaheim then Las Vegas · Ultimate Fan Pass 3 Day
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Schedule

The days

Gold rows are the things you came for. Red rows are booked, paid, or unmissable. Tap a date to jump, tap a card to tear it open.

13ThuArrive and D23 DayCall it on the day▾
1:20 pmLand at LAXPrivate transfer to the hotel
3:30 pmCheck in, shower, repack a small park bag
4:00 pmWill call: collect and activate your D23 badgeHilton Anaheim, Level 2, Event Services. Bring passport, confirmation barcode, D23 login. Thursday hours not yet published, watch email. Fallback: Friday at opening
4:30 pmRide to Disneyland, about ten minutes1.7 miles. Never walk it on landing day
5:15 pmStitch's Interplanetary Beach Party BashTomorrowland Terrace, ends 6:00. You catch the tail of it
6:00 pmDinner on Main Street, D23 photo wall at Town Square
7:30 pmDisney+ Hulu Throwbacks Dance PartyRuns to 11:30, which reads as lunchtime to your body clockAdd to calendar
Tonight: lightest tee and shorts, sunscreen before leaving, power bank. Disneyland bag rules are generous, so this is the one relaxed evening. The free ear hats go out at park opening and will be long gone by five. Leave whenever you have had enough.
14FriD23, day oneOrientation▾
5:55 amAlarm for the 6 am shopping virtual queueBody clock says 1 am. The hardest ask of the trip
8:15 amWalk up Harbor, left on Convention Way25 minutes. Morning sun shifts the body clock the right way
9:00 amOne fast lap of the floor, then Archives: UncratedEverything before 4 pm is full day badges only, so mornings are the quiet hours
11:00 amBeauty and the Beast: A Tale as Old as TimePremiere Stage
12:00 pmLunch, Mundo Pixar, the Mickey F1 car
1:30 pmThe Simpsons: Stories from SpringfieldPremiere Stage
2:45 pmMaking Disney Magic with Ron ClementsArchives Stage. Join standby by 2:15
3:45 pmDay bag into bag check, Arena or Grand Plaza
4:30 pmShuttle from Transit Plaza
5:00 pmDoors open. Eat, charge, sit stillTwo seated hours in cold air. This is the daily rest block, use it on purpose
7:00 pmDisney Entertainment ShowcaseHonda Center · Sec 410, Row A, Seat 5 · ends 9:00Add to calendar
Today: technical or merino tee, cap, bottle, blister plasters, foldable tote. Backpack is fine at the hall and banned at the arena, so pockets carry the evening. Walking home, reach Harbor before ordering a car: you are already a third of the way.
15SatD23, day twoThe big one▾
6:00 amVirtual queue, round two
8:35 amRide in today and save the legsWorst jet lag day of the three. About $12
9:00 amShow floor before the panels start
10:30 amLegends in Conversation, ArchivesOr Mousequerade on Premiere at 10:00 if cosplay appeals
11:30 amEat early and beat the midday crush
12:30 pmFloating Mountains: a conversation with Joe RohdeArchives Stage. The Imagineer behind Animal Kingdom. Queue by noon
2:15 pmScrubs on Backlot, or Zootopia on Archives at 2:30
3:45 pmBag check, then shuttle by 4:15Busiest shuttle queue of the weekend, so leave earlier than feels necessary
5:00 pmDoors open. Rest block
7:00 pmHorizons: Disney Experiences ShowcaseSec 410, Row A, Seat 5 · the parks announcements, hosted by Neil Patrick HarrisAdd to calendar
Today: fresh shirt, refill the bottle rather than paying hall prices, an electrolyte tablet after heavy sweating. Saturday draws the heaviest arena crowd of the three nights.
16SunD23, day threeRuns backwards▾
8:30 amWalk or ride, decide on the morning
9:00 amFinal shopping. Shortest lines of the event
10:15 amHUZ: Drawn to Life, ArchivesOnly if the shopping is done
11:15 amCheck your bag NOW, not at 3:45Today inverts. This is the easiest mistake of the weekend
11:30 amShuttle to the Honda Center. Eat at the arena
1:30 pmDisney Legends Award CeremonySec 410, Row A, Seat 5 · ends 3:45, hosted by Ryan SeacrestAdd to calendar
3:45 pmShuttle back, land near 4:40, collect the bag at once
5:00 pmJoin the Menken standby queue, Premiere StageGive it the full hour. Plenty leave after the ceremony, which helps. Kept in because it is worth it, not because it is a must
6:00 pmA Whole New World of Alan MenkenEnds 7:45. Him, a piano, and every song he wrote for all of it
7:50 pmOrder the car during the encore
8:30 pmRSP meeting at the hotelAdd to calendar
9:30 pmAdmin and downtimeAfter the meeting, an hour on hotel wifi to close the day: laundry check, confirm tomorrow, watch the shopping queues, then wind down
17MonRecoveryDeliberately empty▾
MorningNo alarm. Sleep as long as your body wants
Late amPool, and get laundry goingHalves the shirts you need for the second half
1:00 pmDowntown DisneyShort ride, free to enter, no ticket or reservation
3:00 pmOutlet shopping, 3 to 5Outlets at Orange, 10 min, indoor and air conditioned. South Coast Plaza if you want the full scale version
6:00 pmAdmin and downtime, 6 to 9Dinner in, or GardenWalk nearby, then a long wifi block: laundry done, full repack, confirm the OBB plan, screenshot tickets, calls home. The one wide evening of the week
Four straight days near 20,000 steps needs one flat day, and tomorrow finishes at 11 pm. Keep the shopping optional, the point of today is rest. If the legs are gone, skip the outlets and go straight to the admin block.
18TueOogie Boogie BashOpening night of the season▾
MorningLie in. Tonight runs to 11 pmDo not fill this morning, you will want it back
11:00 amAdmin and downtime, a long blockToday's admin lives in the day, since the party owns the evening. Full wifi session: repack progress, confirm the CA Adventure and Disneyland reservations, watch the shopping queues, calls home
3:00 pmCostume on, and eat properly firstThe only night all trip adults may wear one. Skip the 3pm mix in, you are banking that time as admin instead
4:00 pmRide to California Adventure, arrive 4 to 4:30Party ticket only, no day ticket or reservation needed. Ride a little while day guests are still clearingAdd to calendar
6:00 pmParty opens. Villains Grove and the treat trails firstDay guests clear out. Villains Grove builds the longest line of the night
EveningMadame Leota's Swinging Wake, a Haunted Mansion street partyNew for 2026, replacing the retired Frightfully Fun Parade
After 9Guardians: Monsters After Dark, Radiator Springs RacersWaits collapse in the last two hours. Ride late, queue for trails early
11:00 pmParty ends. Ride homeEveryone leaves at once, so walk toward Downtown Disney first
PhotoPass is included with the party ticket, so shoot freely and download in the app. Costume rule: nothing that could have you mistaken for an official character, faces uncovered for adults. Collect a treat bag at the first trail, they are free.
19WedCalifornia AdventureLate start, on purpose▾
NoteNo rope drop, but an earlier start than yesterdayThe party already gave you the night rides, so today is a relaxed morning at the park then admin
MorningPool and breakfast, then ride to the parkToday's reservation still stands
10:00 amThe daylight things the party could not give youSoarin', Toy Story Midway Mania, Pixar Pier in the sun. Beat the afternoon heat
1:30 pmLeave the park by 2, back to the hotelOut before the hottest hours
2:30 pmAdmin and downtime, 2:30 to 5Cool room, hotel wifi. Serious Vegas repack, confirm the AC Hotel and the JSX flight, watch the Backstreet Boys resale open, calls home
5:30 pmRest, then early dinnerNap or pool, whatever the legs want, before heading back for the night's one big thing
8:00 pmRide back to the park for the evening
9:00 pmWorld of Color, Paradise BayThe one big thing the party does not include. Confirm the time in the app
If you wake up wrecked, skip the morning park and go in at 8 pm purely for World of Color. The admin block in the middle is the day's real backbone now, the rest flexes around it.
20ThuLast park day, then VegasTwo states in one day▾
7:30 amRide to Disneyland for rope dropYour last park morning. Make sure the park reservation is on today, the 20th
OpeningRope drop Rise of the ResistanceGalaxy's Edge. Single rider on Millennium Falcon and Indiana Jones after
9:00 amCheck out first, leave bags with the hotelDo this before the park or on a mid morning dash back. Bags stored, not in a car
12:00 pmPirates and Haunted Mansion, one last churroThen leave the park by about 1, out before the heat and the rush
1:30 pmAdmin at the hotel, 1:30 to 3Collect bags, cool room, hotel wifi. Final repack for Vegas, confirm the AC Hotel and RuPaul, book Esther's, watch the Backstreet Boys resale. Start the admin here where it is comfortable
3:00 pmRide to John Wayne, SNAAbout 20 min. JSX flies from a private terminal, not the main airport
4:00 pmAirport, admin continues19301 Campus Dr, turn up 30 min before. Carry the admin list from the hotel straight into the terminal wait, then the flight wifi
6:10 pmJSX XE311, SNA to LAS, has wifiLands 7:20 pm at 5616-A Haven St. In a rideshare by about 7:35. Finish the admin list on boardAdd to calendar
7:35 pmRideshare to the AC Hotel Symphony Park, about 15 minCheck in on the Bonvoy app during the drive, use the digital key, skip the desk. Confirmation #98592943
8:25 pmRide to the Flamingo, quick dinner at LINQ PromenadeOff the Strip serves until 11 pm
9:30 pmRuPaul's Drag Race Live, Flamingo ShowroomBalcony, Row A, Seat 40, enter via Balcony Reserved. 90 min, late seating allowed. Skip it only if JSX lands badly lateAdd to calendar
11:05 pmEvel Pie on Fremont East, then the canopy light show508 Fremont St, open to 2 am. Light show on the hour, under cover. Home by 1
Heat from here on: Vegas runs 40°C plus by day, mid 30s at night. Walking any distance outdoors is out, so rideshare every move. This is a full day: a park at dawn, a desert city by dark.
21FriVegas, the big daySphere twice over▾
8:30 amBreakfast, at the hotel or the cafe downstairsThe AC continental is paid unless your Bonvoy status covers it. The shared ground floor has a cafe either way
9:30 amPool, the only comfortable window all tripTake it before the heat tops out
12:30 pmRide to the Venetian, lunch on the plazaBRERA osteria, or a big sandwich at All'Antico Vinaio in Via Via
1:40 pmWalk the indoor bridge to SphereAir conditioned the whole way
2:00 pmThe Wizard of Oz at SphereSec 407, Row 6, Seat 5, Upper Gallery. 75 min, no late seating, so be seated by 1:45Add to calendar
3:15 pmSphere Atrium, then the Grand Canal Shoppes
4:40 pmRide home, then a hard napNon negotiable after two late nights
5:30 pmA drink in the AC Lounge before dinnerThe AC's signature gin and tonic. Paid, not a free pour, but a good wind up to the evening
6:00 pmDinner at Esther's Kitchen, Arts District1131 S Main St, 5 min away. Book ahead, request a bar seatAdd to calendar
7:15 pmRide to Sphere, allow 25 min for Friday traffic
8:00 pmBackstreet Boys, Into the Millennium at SphereDecide your resale walk away price by 4 pm. Buy through Ticketmaster official resale only, it transfers instantlyAdd to calendar
10:15 pmOne drink at the Venetian, let the surge fall, then home
If resale never drops below your price: Friday reverts to old Vegas, no booking needed. The Mob Museum runs to 9 pm with a basement speakeasy, or the Atomic Saloon Show at the Venetian at 9:30, decided as late as 8 pm. If you switch, move the Mob Museum off Saturday and brunch at Esther's instead, which opens 10 am Saturdays.
22SatMob Museum, then fly homeVegas to LAX to Auckland▾
8:00 amBreakfast at the hotel
9:00 amThe Mob Museum, 300 Stewart Ave5 min away. Two hours covers the three floors comfortably
11:15 amBack to the hotel, pack, check out
11:45 amRideshare to LAS, about 15 minGive the driver the terminal from your boarding pass, American uses Concourse D by tram
12:10 pmBag drop, security, tram to Concourse DBudget tram time on top of the line
2:34 pmAmerican to LAX, lands 3:54 pm1h20m nonstopAdd to calendar
3:54 pmLand at LAX. Reclaim your bag, this is the catchThe American and Air NZ tickets are separate, so the bag is NOT checked through. Collect it at the American carousel yourself
4:45 pmMove to the Tom Bradley terminal, TBITAmerican lands at Terminal 4, Air NZ leaves from TBIT. Connector walkway airside, or the shuttle. Allow 30 min
5:30 pmAir NZ check in and bag drop opensLong haul desks open about 4 hours out. Re-drop the bag here, then security
7:00 pmDinner airside, then the lounge if you have accessThree hours to fill. You have earned a slow one
10:10 pmNZ5 to Auckland, lands 6:00 am on the 24thBooking ref IE6UNH. The long one homeAdd to calendar
The separate tickets are the thing to get right. Because the LAS to LAX leg and the Auckland leg are on different bookings, nobody through checks your bag. Collect it at LAX, walk or shuttle to TBIT, and re drop with Air NZ. Build in that half hour terminal move, it is the tightest real risk of the day. Everything after check in is easy: you have hours, so make them restful.

Reference

Rules that bite

The five things most likely to go wrong, and how not to let them.

The arena bag limit

Honda Center allows nothing larger than 5 by 9 by 2 inches, which is 22.9 by 12.7 by 5.1 cm: the footprint of a paperback, half as deep. Backpacks of every kind are banned, including clear and mini ones, and the arena has no bag storage at all.

The answer you settled on is the right one: pockets. Phone, one card, hotel key, slim power bank, lip balm. A zipped pocket holds the phone, and a person with no bag walks straight through screening.

Bag check runs backwards on Sunday

Free at Arena Plaza and Grand Plaza, open until 90 minutes after the Honda Center shows end on Friday and Saturday, and until 8 pm Sunday. The Lobby A and B desk shuts at 8 pm daily and is no use on showcase nights.

Friday and Saturday: drop the day bag at 3:45 pm before the shuttle. Sunday: you leave at 11:30 am, so drop it at 11:15 and collect it at 4:40 the moment you are back.

Virtual queues run the shopping

They open at 6:00 am and 1:00 pm daily in the D23 app, and only work within 90 miles of the Convention Center. Friday morning has the deepest stock. The Walt Disney Company Store runs a virtual queue on Friday only, then standby.

Standby, since the lottery sailed

Most Convention Center panels run standby, and a good share of reserved holders never turn up. Everything before 4 pm is limited to full day badges, so morning picks face a smaller pool.

Arrive 30 minutes early for daytime sessions and give Menken a full hour. Staying on one stage means a missed session leaves you already in position for the next. Talent signings rarely crack on standby, so let those go.

Getting home at night

The rideshare zone is the Toy Story Parking Area, 1976 South Harbor, already a third of the way home. Walk there first, then look at the surge.

From the Honda Center, cars collect only at ARTIC, seven minutes on foot. On showcase nights take the free shuttle back to the hall instead and decide from there, because twelve thousand people hit the apps at the same moment.

Vegas: the Backstreet Boys call

The plan is day of resale, hoping for a cheaper single. That is sound, since the downside is a worse seat, not a missed show, and singles are the cheapest inventory anywhere. Temper it though: Friday is the strongest night, these are billed as final summer dates, and the residency sells out. A realistic saving is 25 to 35 percent once fees return, and the cheap seats sit 400 level where the wraparound screen is less immersive.

Buy through Ticketmaster official resale only, never a third party, since official transfers land instantly. Set a walk away price and a hard 4 pm Friday decision. Do not pre book a paid backup, that is the flexibility the whole plan rests on.

Vegas: the two flights

In: JSX from John Wayne, SNA, a private terminal at 19301 Campus Drive. Turn up about 30 minutes before, bags are handed over at the aircraft, no carousel either end. You are in a Vegas rideshare by roughly 7:35 pm.

Out: American from LAS, which uses Concourse D, a satellite reached by tram. Guides disagree on whether check in is Terminal 1 or 3, so read the terminal off your boarding pass the night before and give the driver that exact one. Budget tram time on top of security.

Wayfinding

Maps

Every route you will actually need. Each opens in Google Maps with the mode already set.

WALKHotel to the Convention Center1.2 mi · about 25 min · left on Convention WayOpen WALKConvention Center to the rideshare zoneToy Story lot · homeward alreadyOpen WALKHonda Center to ARTIC7 min · the only rideshare pickupOpen RIDEHotel to Disneyland and California Adventure1.7 mi · always ride, never walkOpen RIDEHotel to Downtown DisneyFree entry, no ticket neededOpen RIDEAC Hotel to SphereVegas · allow 25 min Friday trafficOpen RIDEAC Hotel to the FlamingoVegas · RuPaul, about 15 minOpen RIDEAC Hotel to the Mob MuseumVegas · 5 min, Saturday morningOpen RIDEAC Hotel to LAS airportVegas · about 15 min, SaturdayOpen RIDEAnaheim hotel to the Outlets at Orange4 mi · about 10 min · indoor, Monday 17Open RIDEAnaheim hotel to South Coast Plaza7 mi · the full scale version, Monday 17Open RIDEAnaheim hotel to JSX at John WayneAbout 20 min · Thursday 20, private terminalOpen

The walking route, said plainly

North up Harbor for 0.85 miles, then left onto Convention Way, which runs straight to the hall. Do not carry on to Katella and double back, that is the wrong turn everyone makes. Flat, continuous sidewalk, no shade worth the name, so sunscreen goes on before you leave the room.

Craft

Park tactics

Four habits worth more than any single ride.

Single rider is your superpower

Travelling alone, the single rider queue is the biggest advantage you have, and almost nobody uses it properly. It regularly turns an hour into fifteen minutes.

Look for it at Radiator Springs Racers, Incredicoaster, Millennium Falcon, Matterhorn, Indiana Jones and Goofy's Sky School. Availability changes daily, so check the app or ask at the entrance.

Mobile order everything

Order quick service food in the Disneyland app and skip the counter queue entirely. Book the slot an hour or two ahead, because popular windows sell out by midday.

Free ice water, everywhere

Any quick service counter hands over a cup of ice water for nothing, no purchase required. Across six days in August heat, this is worth real money and keeps you upright.

Ride indoors at the hottest hour

Between two and five, choose the dark, seated, air conditioned attractions over anything with an outdoor queue. Pirates, Haunted Mansion and the theatre shows let you recover while still doing something.

Practicalities

Money and phone

Get connected before you land

You will live in the D23 and Disneyland apps all day: wait times, mobile orders, virtual queues, show times. Sort an eSIM or roaming pack before you fly, because the airport is a bad place to solve it and the parks are worse.

Park wifi exists but buckles under crowds, and the Convention Center wifi will not survive thirty thousand people.

Tipping, since it is not a New Zealand habit

Sit down restaurants expect 18 to 20 percent. Counter service, none. Rideshare drivers, a few dollars in the app. Housekeeping, a couple of dollars a night if you like. It is not optional the way it is at home.

Cards and fees

Contactless works nearly everywhere, including both parks. Tell your bank you are travelling, and check the card's foreign transaction fee, since two or three percent across a trip this size is real money. Carry a little cash for tips only.

Preparation

The kit

Tuned for someone who runs hot, arriving from a New Zealand winter, completely unacclimatised. Tap to tick. Ticks clear on reload, so treat it as a working list.

0 of 15 packed

Countdown

Before the flight

0 of 17 done

Late nights

Show the driver

For the 10 pm moments when pointing beats explaining. Tap the card to fill the screen. It shows tonight's hotel automatically.

Take me to

Anaheim Marriott Suites

12015 South Harbor Boulevard

Garden Grove, CA 92840

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Care

If things go wrong

Emergencies

Police, fire or ambulance is 911, free from any phone. Inside the parks or the convention, tell any cast member or staff member: they are trained for it and faster than your phone.

Feeling the heat

Dizzy, headachey, or you have stopped sweating in the sun: that is a signal, not something to push through. Get indoors, sit down, drink, give it thirty minutes. In the Anaheim parks, free ice water is at every quick service counter and first aid is air conditioned and judgement free.

Vegas is a different order of heat, 40°C plus by day and mid 30s at night. Treat the outdoors as transit only: rideshare door to door, never walk a block to save a fare. Casinos, the hotel, and every venue are cold, so carry the packable long sleeve for indoors, not out.

Smaller disasters

Phone dying is the real risk, since your tickets live on it. The seat screenshots plus the power bank cover it. Lost something: each park, the convention centre and the arena run their own lost and found, so ask at guest services before leaving the building. Card declined: the bank travel notice on the checklist prevents this.

Take me to

Anaheim Marriott Suites

12015 South Harbor Boulevard

Garden Grove, CA 92840

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