The Southern California CityPASS is a theme park bundle. Each option pairs Disneyland Resort, Universal Studios Hollywood, or both with one-time admission to two more attractions from a set list. CityPASS is an authorized seller for every park included.

We talk about theme parks with people every single day, so I’m acutely aware of the landscape and how things are priced. The savings are real with the CityPASS Disneyland packages if you can also visit at least one of the other included attractions in San Diego.

What Is the Southern California CityPASS?

Three packages are on sale, and you choose a headline theme park(s) first:

• Two days at Disneyland Resort
• One day at Universal Studios Hollywood
• Two days at Disneyland Resort plus one day at Universal Studios Hollywood

Note: Each Disneyland package comes in a one-park-per-day version and a Park Hopper version. The latter lets you enter both Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure on the same day.

Every package then adds one-time admission to two more San Diego theme parks from this list of four:

If you want to visit all four parks, which many of our families do, you’ll need to crunch the numbers to decide whether to buy individual tickets or consider a San Diego CityPASS plus discounted Disneyland or Universal Studios tickets instead.

You do not have to pick the last two parks at checkout. CityPASS lets you choose later and the My CityPASS app is where you plan your visits and make reservations.

Is the Southern California CityPASS Worth It?

Two questions decide whether the Disneyland packages are worth it.

1. Are you spending two days at Disneyland? Two days is the only Disneyland ticket length CityPASS sells. If your plans run one day, or three days and up, it’s not a fit.
2. Will you use two of the four attractions, and can you fit every visit into 14 days? The window is 14 consecutive days from your first visit, and you cannot pause or extend it. While this sounds like a long trip, we do have visitors from overseas who start in Anaheim, come down to San Diego, and head back up across longer than 14 days.

Two yeses, and the pass is the cheapest way to cover two Disneyland days plus two of those parks. One no, and the better fit is San Diego CityPASS if your trip is San Diego-focused (a slightly longer list to pick from), a Go City San Diego pass for a wider range of attractions, or individual tickets.

The Universal-only package pairs one Universal day with two attraction picks. Against what’s on the market right now, it breaks even at best, and it loses money whenever SeaWorld is one of the picks. I’m less of a fan of restricting yourself to a sightseeing pass in lieu of buying the parts separately when the savings aren’t deep (or there at all).

Southern California CityPASS Prices

One promotion is running now. The Kids’ Summer Ticket Offer slashes the child price on the Disneyland package and on the Disneyland plus Universal package, and CityPASS says those tickets are valid through September 7, 2026. That is a deadline for the visit, not just for the purchase, which matters on a ticket you cannot refund.

What the Two Attractions Cost

The pass costs a little more than Disney charges for the same two-day ticket. Yes, you can buy discounted tickets that widen the gap a bit, but we crunched the numbers, and it’s a great deal for Disneyland plus two attractions.

When the Pass Is the Wrong Buy

• You are adding Universal Studios Hollywood to Disneyland. Adding Universal inside the pass costs about what a Universal ticket costs on its own, so there is no discount. Take the Disneyland package and buy Universal’s BOGO separately, at the prices in my Universal Studios Hollywood tickets guide.
• Only one of the four attractions is on your itinerary. At one attraction the pass is close to break-even, so its restrictions buy you nothing. Get the Disneyland tickets and that one attraction ticket separately.
• You live in Southern California. Check the parks’ own resident offers and annual passes first. My Disneyland and Universal Studios Hollywood guides have the current ticket prices to compare them with.

How the Theme Park Entry Works

Disneyland

Every package with Disneyland includes a two-day ticket good at Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure. You choose between the one-park-per-day and Park Hopper versions at checkout, and that choice is final once you buy.

Park reservations are required. Your tickets arrive by email, and you enter the barcode manually in the Disneyland app before you can reserve your park days. Check the Disneyland availability calendar before you buy the pass, because holiday weeks and popular weekends do fill.

Lightning Lane is not included but is sold in the Disneyland app, subject to availability, and you need your ticket and park reservation in place first.

Universal Studios Hollywood

The Universal ticket is one-day general admission, including the Studio Tour, and it is date-specific. You pick your Universal date when you buy the pass, not later. CityPASS will move that date only if you submit a request form on its support site.

Universal Express and other upgrades are sold in the park’s app and on its website and are subject to dynamic pricing.

Reservations for the other attractions

LEGOLAND California reservations can be done through the My CityPASS app. SeaWorld, the Zoo, and Safari Park do not require one. Reservation calendars open at different times, generally 30 to 90 days ahead, so trying to book much earlier than that may show nothing available.

The Fine Print Before You Buy

• The tickets are non-refundable. Most CityPASS products refund unused tickets for a full year, and the Southern California pass is the exception in their refund policy. Once you buy, there are no refunds and no date changes, apart from the Universal Studios Hollywood date change.
• A reservation starts the clock, not just a visit. The 14 days begin on the first day you visit an attraction or hold a reservation for one, and you have a year from the purchase date to use the pass.
• One order covers one group. If people in your party plan to visit different attractions, or the same ones on different days, place a separate order for each group. Everyone on one order reserves together, and splitting an order later means contacting CityPASS customer care before anyone makes a reservation.
• Each attraction is one visit. Admission is one-time at each included attraction unless that attraction’s own details say otherwise.
• Parking is not included anywhere. Every park on this pass charges separately to park, and specially ticketed events are not covered either. If you are driving from Anaheim to San Diego and visiting three or four parks, budget for parking on top of the pass.

Southern California CityPASS Alternatives

If your trip is really a San Diego trip, the San Diego CityPASS is the better product from the same company. It is built around SeaWorld or LEGOLAND, and it differs from this pass in three ways.

• You choose one or both theme parks plus three attractions, not two.
• The choices include the USS Midway, Birch Aquarium, a harbor cruise, Old Town Trolley, and the Maritime Museum. None of these are on the Southern California pass.
• A child is ages 3 to 12, whereas Southern California CityPass stops at 9.

San Diego CityPASS Promo Code

Bundle SeaWorld and/or LEGOLAND California with three more top attractions, including the Safari Park, USS Midway, and Birch Aquarium.

Two ways to buy · pick one

Lowest price

Through my ticket store

Apply code SAVEMORE at checkout.

or

Buy direct

Straight from CityPASS

No extra code needed.

Go City San Diego covers 40+ attractions including Knott’s Berry Farm. I also sell discounted individual tickets for these parks, with promo codes for the Zoo and the Safari Park. For single parks, I keep discount guides with current pricing:

Southern California CityPASS FAQ

Does the Southern California CityPASS include Disneyland?

Yes. The Disneyland packages include a two-day ticket for Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure, sold as one park per day or as a Park Hopper. Park reservations through the Disneyland app are still required.

Do I need reservations for the parks on the pass?

Every park on the pass except SeaWorld, Zoo and Safari Park requires one. Disneyland reservations happen in the Disneyland app, your Universal Studios Hollywood date is set when you buy, and LEGOLAND California reservations run through the My CityPASS app.

Is the Southern California CityPASS refundable?

No. CityPASS refunds most of its other products within a year when unused, but its published refund policy makes its Southern California and Orlando theme park tickets non-refundable and non-transferable. The one flexibility is the Universal Studios Hollywood date change, requested before your selected date.

Can I buy a Southern California CityPASS at Costco?

I haven’t been able to confirm Costco is currently carrying it in warehouses (it isn’t online). If you spot one on the shelves or in the Costco app, let me know, and I’ll check what’s inside.

How is the Southern California CityPASS different from the San Diego CityPASS?

They are separate products. The San Diego CityPASS is built around SeaWorld, LEGOLAND, or both, adds three attractions from a six-option list, runs nine days, and prices children from ages 3 to 12.

The Southern California CityPASS is built around Disneyland and Universal Studios Hollywood, adds two attractions, runs 14 days, and prices children from ages 3 to 9. It is also the only one of the two that can cover both the Zoo and the Safari Park.