Easy Ways to Save Money at Disneyland!

Planning a Disney trip and want to save money?? We just did a Disney trip this past week and wanted to share a few ways that we saved some money and just a few tips in general!! Disney is always somewhat of an expense but saving some money can be done!

Plane Tickets:

We live in Colorado so while it’s possible to drive we only had a fews days so we chose to fly! I was able to book for FREE because I used my points earned from Southwest Rapid Rewards Credit Card! I chose the best nonstop flights that cost the least amount of points. If you don’t have points try to fly on days that aren’t as popular and you can usually find better prices. Southern California has a lot of airports too so you can see which one happens to be cheapest on your days. We chose SNA (this is closest to Disney).

Park Tickets:

It is hard to find discounts on Disneyland tickets. I went on Sam’s Club website and bought Disney Gift Cards at a tiny discount (it saved me maybe $40 but hey that is a few Churros!) I then turned around and bought my tickets with those cards. You could also buy gift cards to use in the park on food and treats. Getawaytoday is a great resource too! If you have the VentureX card you can earn 100K bonus when you meet the spending requirements and that can be used for a $1000 of Disney tickets too! The bonus goes down soon so don’t wait!

Lodging:

We chose to stay in Irvine which is about 15 minutes from Disneyland (with traffic ;)). We were doing other things while in the area and wanted to be in a quieter area AND the hotels are cheaper. We booked at the Staybridge Suites. It had 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a kitchen and living area. They also served a free hot breakfast each morning which saved us money. We have 4 kids so being able to spread out and have space was amazing. I also used the Vacation Credit from VentureX to take $300 off my hotel total which made the room around $100 a night!!

Ditch the Car:

We rented a car because of other plans but if you want to stay near the park you can easily walk to Disneyland and just take an Uber to and from the airport.There are so many stores and restaurants to walk to as well. That will save A LOT of money.

Tips:

Download the Disney App and use Mobile Ordering if you are eating in the park. This will make it so much easier on you!
Genie+ is worth the money. It is $20 per ticket per day.
Pack water if nothing else. Small water bottles are $4.00 each! I also packed granola bars and fruit snacks for waiting in lines.
Split food. My family wanted to try so many things at Disneyland that we just ordered one or two of the thing they wanted to try and shared it. We got to try a lot of new things and didn’t waste any food or feel sick. (favorites were the Mickey Beignets, Corn Dogs, Churros, and Tacos in CA Adventure)
If you are using Genie+ you need your phone charged so bring your cords and travel charger.
Use a Fanny Pack! I know it’s silly but I loved having my hands free!
Masks are not needed in the park but you will need one if you are planning on taking parking shuttles.
Have fun! It most likely will be busy but always fun!

Check out how we booked SIX tickets to Hawaii for this Summer for just $66.00!