Planning a trip to Disneyland? On a budget? The good news is that there are lots of ways that you can avoid paying top dollar and still have a wonderful Disneyland trip with your family.
My family visits Disneyland every year or two and it's one of our favorite family vacations. But costs add up quickly if we aren't careful! I have either used these tips myself or have enough first-hand experience at Disneyland to know that they work. Several of these tips could save you hundreds of dollars.
BUT… Just because you can save money in all these ways doesn't mean that you should.
Disneyland is worth doing right. Upgrades like Genie+, Park Hopper, Character Dining, a princess makeover, or staying at a Disneyland Resort hotel can be worth every penny. I'm hoping that by saving money on things that are less important to you, you'll have more to spend on the extras that will make your trip special.
Here are my tips for doing Disneyland on a budget.
Tickets
Book with Get Away Today – I'm usually a DIY travel planner, but for Disneyland, I always book my hotel and tickets through Get Away Today. They offer ticket and hotel discounts, a low-price guarantee, and expert customer service. Save an extra $10 on your vacation package when you use my exclusive coupon code Tips10Trips at www.getawaytoday.com.
Buy tickets in advance – Does anyone still buy tickets at the gate??? You will save a few dollars and ensure that you'll get into the park (reservations are still required) when you buy your tickets from Get Away Today or another authorized seller. I recommend buying your tickets and making reservations at least 3 months in advance.
Buy early – The price of Disneyland tickets goes up every year, and you can buy tickets a year or more in advance to beat price increases. Price increases are often announced at the first of the year, so Black Friday is often a great time to buy – and then surprise the family with next year's Disneyland trip for last year's price.
Related: 5 Fun Ways to Gift Wrap a Disney Vacation
Watch for sales – Get Away Today regularly has Disneyland ticket sales. Adults at Kids Prices or 5th Day Free sales happen a few times each year. Keep an eye out for free hotel nights and other package deals. Don't forget Black Friday!
Beware of scams – If you find a Disneyland ticket deal from eBay, Craigslist, a friend of a friend, or anywhere else that seems too good to be true, it probably is. Partially used tickets are linked with the first owner's photo and are not transferable. If you try to use a fake ticket at Disneyland, you'll lose the money you paid for it and have to buy full-price tickets at the gate. Buy only from authorized sellers like Get Away Today.
Consider layaway – Avoid high credit card interest fees with Get Away Today's layaway option. You can lock in your price for $200 down (includes a fee) and pay off your trip on your schedule – as long as it's fully paid nine days before you leave. Plan to pay it off sooner to make sure you get park reservations! Learn more at www.getawaytoday.com/layaway.
Skip the Park Hopper option – Park Hopper tickets are nice to have because Disneyland and California Adventure are just steps away from each other. However, they aren't essential and your family can save hundreds of dollars with the 1-Park-Per-Day ticket option. You can easily spend 1-2 full days in each park and save up to $50 per person on tickets. If you are going to splurge on one ticket upgrade, choose Genie+.
Don't get Genie+ every day – If you want to ride popular rides without waiting in long lines, I recommend that you buy the Genie+ ticket upgrade every day. However, this upgrade currently starts at $30 per person per day, and if you have little children, motion sickness, or don't want to ride a lot for any other reason, it may not be worth it. You can buy tickets without Genie+ and then buy the upgrade each day through the official app once you are in the parks. This allows you to try it on the first day and then decide if it's worth it for other days of your trip.
Related: Tips for Using the Official Disneyland App
Save other theme parks for another trip – Resist the temptation to combine Universal Studios Hollywood, LEGOLAND California, or SeaWorld with your Disneyland trip. I love these parks, but it only costs about $25 to upgrade your Disneyland ticket from 3 Days to 4 Days. It'll cost 3-4 times that much, plus travel, for one day in any other park. Make those parks the focus of a future San Diego or Hollywood trip if you know you'll be back.
Bundle admissions – If you still want to visit other theme parks, you can save money on all of them by bundling admission. Get Away Today sells a variety of ticket bundles that include Universal Studios Hollywood or Knott's Berry Farm.
Take young children – It may never be cheaper or more magical to visit Disneyland than when your kids are little. Children under age 3 get in free and can ride more than you might expect. Kids who are ages 10+ pay adult ticket prices at Disneyland, so you'll save if you can go sooner rather than later.
Related:
Hotels
Go at off-peak times – It can be tricky to find an off-peak time at Disneyland, but you'll likely pay less for your hotel if you visit midweek in January, February, August, September, or early November. Be aware that the convention center is near Disneyland, and a big event can turn off-season into peak season for hotels.
Stay off-property – Disneyland has three on-property hotels, and a few off-property hotels are just as close to the park gates. Disneyland Resort hotels come with some nice benefits like early entry to the parks, but you'll save hundreds of dollars by staying off-property.
Look for extra-large rooms – Family-sized rooms with extra space and extra beds are easy to find near Disneyland. Many hotels include two queens, plus bunk beds. Our room at the Courtyard Marriott Theme Park Entrance had bunkbeds and two showers! These rooms typically cost more than a standard room, but less than two rooms.
Watch for extra fees – Resort fees and parking fees are becoming more common at hotels near Disneyland. Make sure you know what's included and what isn't before you book. Some hotels waive certain fees for guests who book through Get Away Today.
Stay farther from the park – A hotel across the street from Disneyland might be double the cost of a comparable hotel a few miles away, and will probably charge fewer extra fees. You can save hundreds of dollars if cost is a higher priority than convenience. But it could take an hour or more to get into the park each morning with traffic, parking, shuttle, security check, and ticket check – even if you only stay 2-5 miles away.
Pick a hotel with a free shuttle – A few hotels have free Disneyland shuttles. Some are close to the park (within 2 miles) and others… not so much. Make sure the schedule will meet your family's needs. Don't give up precious park time for a restrictive shuttle schedule or traffic delays.
Related:
- Tips for Picking a Hotel Near Disneyland
- Review of the Disneyland Hotel
- Review of Disney's Grand Californian
Transportation
Do the math – With every one of my transportation tips, the option that saves my family money might not be the best option for your family. It depends on where you're traveling from, the ages of your family, the size of your family, and more. Research your options and do the math before you commit.
Walk – I prefer to book a hotel across the street from Disneyland and walk to the parks every day. It's so convenient. And it costs nothing.
Drive instead of fly – My family of four usually takes two days to drive to Disneyland from Salt Lake City. Even with the extra gas, food, and hotel, it costs less to drive to Disneyland than to fly. And it's convenient to have a car when we get there.
Shuttle vs. Disneyland parking – In general, I recommend using a shuttle from your hotel because it's more convenient and often less expensive. If you park in a Disneyland lot, you may end up on a shuttle anyway. However, if you have a group of older kids and adults, Disneyland parking may cost less than per-person shuttle fees. Disneyland parking currently costs $35 per day.
Skip the rental car – If you'll be spending your whole trip in and around Disneyland, you probably don't need to rent a car. Shuttles, Uber, Lyft, and Anaheim Resort Transit (ART) are all good alternatives.
Skip the airport shuttle – Lyft/Uber is probably less expensive for a family than per-person shuttle fees from the airport to the Disneyland area.
Related:
Food
Eat breakfast at your hotel – Most hotels near Disneyland offer complimentary breakfast or an in-room fridge where you can store your own food. This will save you money, but more importantly, it will save you time. Morning is the least crowded time at Disneyland.
Pack your own food into the parks – Disneyland allows you to bring snacks, sandwiches, and drinks into the park in a day pack or stroller. Disneyland dining is fun, but not cheap, so this is an easy way to save money. Grocery stores and grocery delivery are available near Disneyland.
Schedule Character Dining for an off-park day – Character meals are a splurge, but many families LOVE them! Most of Disneyland's character meals are located in its hotel restaurants, so you don't need a park ticket to do a character meal. If you leave the park to go to a character meal, you're paying twice for those hours! Instead, sleep in and schedule your character meal for late morning so it will fill you up for both breakfast and lunch. Then spend the rest of your day exploring Downtown Disney and relaxing by your hotel pool.
Related: Tips for Charater Dining at Disneyland
Get free ice water – You can ask for a free cup of ice water at any counter-service restaurant in Disneyland, with or without a meal.
Order a kids' meal – Guests of any age can order kids' meals at Disneyland's counter service restaurants. Kids' meals are smaller and less expensive and generally include fresh fruit and vegetable options.
Share snacks – I'm not squeamish about sharing food and drinks with my husband and kids. When we share, we can sample more of Disneyland's fun treats throughout the day without getting too full or buying multiples of everything.
Eat family style – When my husband, my sister, and I tried Disneyland's famous Monte Cristo sandwiches at Cafe Orleans, we ordered two entrees, an appetizer, and an extra plate and ate family style. The entrees were large, so ordering less food and sharing it was just right.
Limit your snack budget – Give each member of the family a snack/souvenir budget at the beginning of your trip and let them decide how to use it. That way, when Mom wants a Dole Whip, you don't have to buy for everyone. Putting it on a Disney gift card is an easy way to keep track, but we like cash better because you don't have to spend it all before the end of the trip.
More Money-Saving Tips for Disneyland
Apply for a Chase Disney Visa Card – We have done this for two different Disneyland trips – four years apart – and saved hundreds of dollars. Most recently we received a $250 credit when we used our new Disney Premier Visa Card to buy tickets to the Oogie Boogie Bash. Then we saved 10% on food and shopping inside the parks.
This card has an annual fee, so cancel it after your trip unless you love the rewards. We pay our balance in full every month to avoid paying interest. See current offers at chase.com/disney.
Buy Disney gear outside the park – Disneyland has a fantastic selection of good quality souvenirs that you won't find anywhere else, but you can buy a lot of Disney gear outside the park for less. Here are a few fun items you may want to buy in advance from Amazon, Walmart, Target, Etsy, the dollar store… even the Disney Store may sell them cheaper.
- Disney t-shirts
- Princess dresses
- Star Wars costumes
- Autograph books and pens
- Pins for trading
- Glow-in-the dark toys for parades and fireworks
Watch the weather forecast – If rain is forecast or you want to avoid getting soaked on Grizzly River Run, it's a lot cheaper to pack a rain poncho than to buy one in the park. Same with jackets or hoodies for cold weather. Rain and cold will keep the crowds down, so you'll be glad if you are prepared to stay.
Don't rent park strollers – I recommend a stroller for all kids under age 6 at Disneyland. On our first trip, my 3-year-old napped in our stroller every day, even though he hadn't taken a regular nap at home in a year. If you don't bring a stroller, rent one from an agency outside the park so you can use it outside the park. Rentals outside the park are generally less expensive.
How I do Disneyland
Here's where I save and where I splurge on a typical Disneyland trip…
- Book my tickets and hotel with Get Away Today and get their low-price guarantee and up-to-date expert advice.
- Buy the Genie+ upgrade
- Skip the Park Hopper upgrade
- Book an off-property hotel across the street from the park entrance. I like Best Western Park Place Inn. Del Sol Inn also worked for us when we wanted to keep costs down with a no-frills hotel. Location is a top priority for me, and worth a splurge.
- If I feel like splurging, I stay on property for good locations, early access to the parks, great pools, and Disney magic around the clock.
- Drive instead of fly
- Get groceries for the hotel room. Eat simple breakfasts and dinners in the room. Buy fun snacks and drinks too so you don't need to buy them in the parks.
- Buy lunch and some treats in the park
- Limit souvenirs. I like to browse the shops, but I usually don't buy.
Conclusion
Disneyland is an extraordinary destination that keeps fans coming back year after year. It's never a cheap trip, but knowing where to save money can keep you from overspending – and help you afford the splurges that matter to you.
I hope these tips will make this magical vacation more affordable for your family. If you have a question or a great money-saving tip, please share it in the Comments section below!
Happy travels!
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Evie Wyatt
Your post is just wonderful – useful and helpful tips. I’m now planning a trip to disneyland and wil definitely use your tips.
Allison
Thank you! I hope it’s a great trip!!