The Ultimate Guide to Saving Money at Disneyland Resort: Top Tips and Tricks
Disneyland has a certain lure and magic that honestly can’t be duplicated. The moment you pull into the parking lot the energy shifts and magic is in the air. You are instantly teleported back to being a child, whether it is childhood memories or memories of those Disney VHS tapes in the puffy white case. Main St. hits you with the smells of popcorn and fresh baked goods while people line up waiting to take pictures with characters. As a childless millennial those are the vibes that hit me every single time, and I can only assume that if you are a parent and someone that enjoyed these visits as a child, it is only natural to want your children to have the same experience you once did. But let’s be clear; it is no longer the 1980s and inflation is REAL. With the average single day Park Hopper ticket costing $225 on average, a trip to the Happiest Place on Earth is most certainly a luxury, so I decided to give you a few tips and tricks that can hopefully help making a trip to the parks not feel so expensive.
Now, I am no magician so it will still be pricy, however, let us not waste money because there IS a difference. Now, if you are the type where you have saved up for a long time and decided not to follow any type of budget on your trip, then this isn’t the article for you. There are some people that live very much in the moment and handle it when they get home. As an avid planner with anxiety, I preplan EVERYTHING, even though I am a passholder. Where will I eat? Am I buying anything from World of Disney? Do I NEED a churro on this trip? (Note: the answer will always be yes.) Hopefully this article will give you small ways to save a little bit of coin.
When Is the Best Time to Go?
Studies show that the most inexpensive times of the year to go are mid- January- mid February. The beginning of January still has the holiday decorations and Presidents Day is usually one of the last Mondays in February with Spring right on its heels. During the week will be cheaper with Tuesday – Thursday with single day tickets with Disneyland being around $104. Most weekdays in September are also at a lower cost because school is starting back. With Halloween décor in full effect by the end of August, this is a good way to see seasonal decorations at a lower cost.
Getting There
When it comes to purchasing theme park tickets at a discount price, PLEASE MAKE SURE IT IS AN AUTHORIZED SELLER. I am talking about the AAA locations and Costco, etc. There are others, but this is very, VERY important. I have heard many stories about people walking up to the gate and their barcode not being active because the seller was not authorized. Don’t be that person/ family. Usually, they have multi-day tickets available at a discounted rate so definitely look into that as an option. Visiting from out of town? Disney has partnered with a number of hotels in the area they call “Good Neighbor Hotels.” These hotels in the area can also offer discounts on multiday tickets, shuttle service to and from the park and free breakfast.
In the Parks
Now that we are all scanned into the park let us discuss the small thing that in my personal opinion adds up: food and snacks. In my personal opinion I would rather spend money on junk food and souvenirs. As a single person I find it expensive to eat all my meals in the park so I can’t even begin to imagine with families go through. A few suggestions I have on saving money on the food front:
Starbucks
If you are a Starbucks person, do NOT get it in the parks. Mobile order to the one in Downtown Disney. It is owned by Starbucks Corporation, so they take your Starbucks card, prices are consistent to what you are used to, you get to use your card and points. Starbucks inside the parks is licensed but owned by Disney which means not only is every extra pump of anything a charge (usually a flat rate no matter how many pumps) it is significantly higher and price and honestly is not as good. Take it from a former barista of 12 years. There IS a difference.
Meals and Snacks
Eat a hearty breakfast before heading to the park or, if you are not a breakfast person, grab a Subway sandwich or something along those lines on the way. Something you don’t need to heat up or keep very cold. Make sandwiches at home or bring snacks that need no refrigeration. I personally do not like stopping so if it can’t fit in my backpack, it doesn’t make it. If you know you or someone in your party gets hangry, pack chips or small grab and go snacks and a juice. If you do not plan on purchasing the Lightning Lan Multi Pass, you will be in line for a while (more on this later). There is no hopping out of line to go grab a churro really quickly. It is a headache. If you plan on being there all day, consider getting a locker to store your food, and if this is the case I suggest some type of insulated bag to keep the food cool. I am a snacker and lean more towards sweets, so I would rather get the junk.
There are a lot of places to have lunch and dinner at the parks so this is where I would spend money on a full meal if that was my plan. Breakfast places leave a lot to be desired in my opinion, and many food locations do not open until 10am. If you rope drop on an empty stomach, you are setting yourself up for failure and if you are rope dropping, unless you have breakfast dining reservations, food shouldn’t be your business. There are rides that need to be raced to or limited-edition merch you are there for. You need fuel. Lastly and most importantly, bring a refillable water bottle. You stay hydrated, balance out the sugar you will or should be consuming and there are many refills’ stations located throughout the park. Check your My Disney Parks app and search for Bottle Filling Stations. Many quick service locations will also allow you to fill up your water bottle with ice water.
This view is worth $20 each and every time.
Lightning Lane Multi Passes and Single Pass Experiences:
Alright now I know what you are going to say; Cocoapixi how are you telling me ways to save money but want me to spend $30 USD on this feature? Well, the answer is simple to me. You did not spend all this money to be in lines all day. Point blank. There are shops to hit, shows to see and pictures to take. Why stand in line for 90minutes at Space Mountain if you can just book a reservation? Now there are some caveats. If you are traveling with smaller children or plan to spend the majority of the day in Fantasyland, this is not something you should really look into. Hardly any ride in that area has Lightning Lane as of the writing of this blog, only standby. If you are traveling with older kids and adults and like attractions, then this is the way to go. Another contradiction but work with me: if you plan to ride any ride where they offer Single Pass Experiences, and do NOT have the ability to rope drop said ride, just pay for it. I did the whole rope drop experience in Walt Disney World for almost all of their rides that offer that over a 7 day period and my average wait time was 20minutes. If you walk into Disneyland at 9:30am and plan to hop on Rise of the Resistance, you are looking at on average a 2 hour wait. Rise is the best attraction I have ever been on and in my opinion worth every penny and I am a passholder. I would NEVER wait that long for a ride if I didn’t have to. Time is money and if $20 can save me on average 3 hours of my day then charge it to the game. This goes for Cars Land as well. Even at rope drop these rides quickly rise to over an hour wait 20minutes after opening. If you plan correctly with a LLMP you can get a pass for Space Mountain while walking on Indiana Jones (if it hasn’t broken down by 8:30am IYKYK) Pirates and maybe waiting 20minutes for Thunder Mountain before redeeming your LLMP for Space then heading over to Rise for your reserved time, in the 2 hours you would have been standing in that one line. If your group decides this is the way to go, research the most up to date information on the inner workings of the LLMP.
Souvenirs
This is honestly where I feel like money should be spent. Yes, you can amazon things before hand, make a target run, etc., however there is nothing like park merch. Mementos from your visit that you really can’t get anywhere else, not even Shop Disney. I love a good hoodie or sweatshirt. Themed merch, Christmas ornaments are all available year round that you can wear over and over. A money saving tip that I actually do still as a passholder when I plan on taking my niece and nephew is Disney Gift Cards. Plan your budget and start buying them overtime, on Amazon or a local retailer. Load them onto Disney Gift Card website and you can combine them all into one. If you want to make a statement, you can order a specialty one off Disneystore.com with your favorite character. Label it MAIN or something to that effect and as you buy more at the grocery store or wherever, transfer the money to your main and overtime you will have a good amount. If You are planning a trip in advance, I would highly suggest this but also have money ready on the good ole debit card, because a hand full of food locations that are NOT owned by Disney will not accept a Disney gift card. Keep in mind that LLMP is purchased with your My Disney account which is also linked to a debit card. As of the writing of this article, there was no way to load a Disney gift card to the My Disney app once you are inside the park.
Not everyone does a Disney trip the same way, but we can all agree that we want the most bang for our buck. Maybe you are more of a foodie and not a shopper, or you don’t really snack a lot but have a shopping habit. Whatever your vice is, hopefully this article gave you tips and tricks to be fulfilled and leave no stone unturned. Bookmark this article as a reference while you plan your trip as you research ways to make the most out of your Disney Day!