Disneyland is called “The Happiest Place on Earth” for a reason. Every aspect of the park is carefully configured to be as enjoyable and fun as possible. That type of leisure comes at a price, though. A serious price. The cost of visiting Disneyland continues to skyrocket every year with no relief in sight. Fortunately, there are a few ways you can trim those expenses and a few helpful bloggers are dedicated to helping you do just that.
In the interest of saving you some time and effort, we have gone ahead and researched a number of blogs and selected 10 strategies you can employ to save some cash the next time you go to Disneyland. Leave a comment below if you have any other tips to add.
Don’t Pay Full Price for Tickets
Let us start by saying this, it is all but impossible to get a huge discount on Disneyland tickets, unless you know somebody that works for Disney. Always be cautious if you hear of a deal that is too good to be true. Scam artists love selling fake Disneyland tickets on Craigslist, eBay and the like. That said, there are a few different ways to legitimately get discounted Disneyland tickets. If you belong to AAA, you can get tickets at a reduced rate and some companies offer discounted tickets to their employees. There are also discounts for active and retired military. As Fun Cheap or Free so aptly puts it, “Understand ahead of time that the discounts aren’t earth shattering. But hey, every dollar counts right?”
Lodge Outside the Park
Disneyland is very different than Disney World. Unlike Disney World, which is absolutely massive and includes multiple parks and tons of hotels within its gates, Disneyland is much smaller in scale. This makes it much easier to find a convenient off-site hotel. There are tons to choose from that are a short walk from the main gate and those that are slightly farther out usually offer complimentary shuttle service to and from the park. Hotels around Disney are very competitive and you can get some fantastic deals if you shop around, especially in comparison to the official Disneyland Resort hotel prices. As Undercover Tourist says, “With only three resort hotels at Disneyland, these hotel rooms are harder to come by and cost considerably more than what you would pay for offsite hotels.”
Buy Souvenirs Ahead of Time
Disneyland does an outstanding job of making it really tempting to visit the stores inside the park and buy a bunch of super expensive items that cost significantly more than they would anywhere else. The best way to avoid the trap? Just don’t go in the stores at all. Purchase all of your Disney merchandise ahead of time and pack it in your luggage. If you have kids and want to give them an extra thrill, while skipping the stores, then wrap all of the pre-bought stuff as gifts and hand them one each day. They’ll get just as big a kick out of that. As Alissa from Chip & Company writes, “Little items from the Dollar Spot at Target or other similar places work really well.”
Steer Clear of the Hopper Passes
The sales pitch is quite convincing and makes a lot of sense on the surface. Considering how expensive Disneyland admission is, why not spring for the hopper tickets at an extra $40 and gain access to the bordering California Adventure? Well, the reason is quite simple when you think about it … there’s not enough time in the day to do both! Disneyland itself has plenty of attractions that easily take up a full day, if not more. Likewise, California Adventure also has at least a day’s worth of amusement. If you really want to do both, you are better off giving each park a full day and saving the extra $40. As Keri from The Coupon Project notes, “We had more than enough time to spend in each park without going back and forth in the same day.”
BYOW (Bring Your Own Water)
This tip is an absolute no-brainer. It’s very basic, but can save you quite a bit of cash, especially over the course of a few days. When you consider that buying a bottle of water at the park can set you back $3 or more, it quickly becomes apparent how pricey a proposition is not to pack your own water. It’s also necessary to keep in mind the importance of remaining hydrated. You’ll likely want to drink more water than usual due to all the walking you’ll be doing and the fact Southern California is typically very dry and sunny. Plus as Jeannett from Life Rearranged explains, “You can refill them at water fountains throughout the park.”
Keep Your Camera Ready
Most Disneyland visitors these days have smartphones with nice cameras, so this is not necessarily as crucial as it used to be, but it’s still worth remembering. If you rely on the Disneyland PhotoPass Cast Members to snap all of your family photos and then buy them from the park, you can expect to pay a pretty penny. Taking your own photos with your camera or phone is way cheaper, but that’s not your only option. The PhotoPass Cast Members will usually be happy to take a picture with your phone or camera at key locations after they have taken their own. As Lisa from Babes in Disneyland notes, “You’ll get nearly the same photo, which is an excellent way to save a few dollars as well as have additional photos to document your trip.”
Shop With Gift Cards Instead of Cash
This tip can help you save money in a couple of different ways. First of all, it will help you stick to your daily budget. Set aside how much you’d like to spend each day and then buy that amount of gift cards. Before you head over to the park in the morning, take out all of your cash and credit cards and leave them behind, only taking your gift cards. That way you won’t be able to exceed your budget. The second way this helps you save money is that you can get these gift cards ahead of time at a discount. As Tara from Tourist Meets Traveler says, “If you are a savvy saver, you purchase Disney gift cards through stores that offer discounts on the purchase of gift certificates, like Target’s REDcard holder 5% discount.”
Don’t Wait Until Your Kids Turn 3
Many tourists don’t realize this, but kids under the age of three can go to Disneyland for free. One of the worst possible financial decisions you can make is to take your child to Disneyland for his third birthday on the day he/she actually turns three. It’s well worth the $100+ you’ll save to take the kid one day before his/her birthday. Trust us, they won’t know the difference at that age. As Leslie from Trips With Tykes advises, “If you want to take a Disneyland trip when your little ones are still little, time it just before the crucial third birthday.”
Plan All of Your Meals Ahead of Time
Eating out at Disneyland might be fun, but it’s no laughing matter as far as your bank account is concerned. Disneyland restaurants have surprisingly good food by most accounts and are unique from the typical family restaurants you are likely used to visiting. They are also way more expensive than the typical family restaurants you are likely used to visiting. If you carefully organize your trip according to where you most want to dine, however, you can definitely save a few bucks. Disney Food and beyond put together an exceptional guide for which restaurants to go to and when for the best price. As the author of the post Kathleen says, “You really have to figure out how to get the most bang for your buck.”
Examine Your Receipts
The most obvious reason to look closely at all of your receipts is to make sure that no error was made. Disney has finely tuned its operations, but with how busy the park gets, it’s still possible that the cashier might have mistakenly charged you for something you didn’t buy or forgotten to apply the sale price. There is another lesser-known reason to check your receipts as well … You might just have a coupon! As Monet from Cashmere and Mint reveals, “The receipts from any purchase you make at the park will often have coupons for future purchases, so use those to your full advantage.”
