Disneyland on a Dime
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You can’t live or travel in California without a trip to Disneyland. Sooner or later, I think a trip to Disneyland, the original Disney theme park, is in order. Yet, the tricky part is finding a way to afford it.
Amusement parks are never cheap. And while Disney, in my opinion, is the creme de la creme of theme parks, it also has the price tag to go with being cream of the crop.
A few weeks ago our family headed to Disneyland, taking our six kids for the first time. I grew up going to Disneyland at least once a year, and FishPapa, though not as often, went regularly. But, our kids had never been, due in part to living in Kansas for five years, waiting for “the right time,” and wondering how to swing it on a tight budget.
This year we decided to make it part of our vacation fund. And while, we certainly weren’t able to go for free, we were able to cut some corners to make it more affordable than many Disney vacations.
Preplanning is Key
I asked friends and readers about what they did to make their Disney days a success.
Amy told me about Disney trading pins, something I’d never heard about. Alyssa gave me the heads’ up on Disney apparel for cheap. Jessika clued me in about the cheapest souvenir in the park.
And my readers told me about all the tips and tricks they could think of as well as shared their Disney adventures.
What a help that was!
Here are some of the things I did before our trip:
:: Reading Research – First, I purchased the book, The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland. Great book! It made me laugh and it gave me a much-needed reality check about how to maximize our day at the park and set realistic expectations for Disney with kids. I highly recommend it. Read my more in-depth review for more ideas.
Cost = free with SwagBucks
:: Tickets on a Discount – This is probably the hardest pill to swallow. We missed out on the Give A Day, Get a Day Promotion. Instead, we bought our tickets from FishPapa’s work where he gets a discount on Disneyland tickets, $68.50 for adults and $60.50 for children.
Cost for two adults and five children = $447.50
:: Dressing the Part – I logged onto the Disney store and ordered tshirts for me and the kids at a discount. I went through ShopAtHome so that I could get an extra 5% back from my purchases. I only bought shirts that were on low sale, about $5-6 each, so that we could dress the part of Disney tourists. Not a necessity, but fun, nonetheless. Next time, I’m buying all red Disney tshirts in order to keep better track of everyone. Counting six heads in a crowd is kinda tough. Cost = $43.00
:: Geeking Out with Waist Pouches – Remember fanny packs? Well, the Unofficial Guide recommended getting them for the kids and I’m so glad I did. I shopped around and found some on Amazon. Don’t worry about getting “kid size” bags, just cut the straps to make them fit. The point of the waist pouch is to let your kids stuff them full of snacks, like granola bars, fruit leathers, and crackers, so that they can snack whenever they want. This worked like a charm. Loved it and we will be doing it for more outings in the future.
Cost = free with SwagBucks
:: Ordering Trading Pins – These are a phenomena that have been around for about ten years. Disney sells pins that you can trade. They’re quite cute and quite expensive. Instead of paying $15 a pin (which I would never do), I ordered a lot of 20 from Ebay (via Ebates for 3% back) and split the pack 5 ways. Each kid got to choose four and they had a great time trading them with castmembers at Disney. It was an economical way to have souvenirs and participate in a Disney tradition without breaking the bank.
Cost = $20.00
:: Packing Snacks and Lunch – Since I have two great cooler bags, I packed those full with cold drinks, water bottles, cheese sticks, and sandwiches. In my backpack I had some cookies and crackers. We grazed throughout the park and since the kids had their waist pouches full, they weren’t hounding me every five minutes for a snack.
Cost = same as it would be if we ate lunch at home
Saving Money At the Park
Since we were treating this day as a vacation, we didn’t want to go without fun stuff. But, since the kids already had snacks, Disney tshirts, and trading pins, there wasn’t a whole lot that they wanted. We did splurge on a few things.
:: Free Coffee Refills – We were pleased to see that the coffee shop on Main Street offers free refills all day long. Just keep your receipt. I don’t know about other coffee locations throughout the park, but Main Street isn’t too far of a walk from anywhere, really.
Cost for coffee for the Resident Caffeine Addict = $3.00
:: Yummy Frozen Lemonade – I knew that we would want a cool afternoon pick-me-up, so I had mentally prepared myself for a splurge later in the day. We found the Frozen Lemonade near Haunted Mansion to be the perfect thing.
Each cup was $4. Yikes! But, it was vacation! We ended up getting 8 cups for a whopping $32. More than I would spend on dinner! As it turns out they really were big enough for two people to share. So, next time we would buy 4 and split them. We made a sweet memory, nonetheless.
Cost = $32.00
:: Dinner at Downtown Disney – To browse the Disneyland menu options is to have a minor attack of sticker shock. Heaven help my bank account! Thanks to my sister’s iPhone, we were able to check out the offerings at Downtown Disney.
We found the best deal at the Jazz Kitchen Express. Just hop the monorail and it practically drops you at the front door. Nine of us (my sister included) ate dinner and dessert for less than $45 by sharing large orders.
Cost = $43.00
:: Cheap Souvenirs – My friend Jessika always has wise ideas. She suggested that the kids bring two quarters and a penny for a fun souvenir of the day. Two quarters and a penny – you know what I’m talking about…. Those penny squashing machines were just the ticket. The big boys bought them while me and the littles met Tigger and Winnie the Pooh.
Cost = $1.53
Sweet Memories are Priceless
We had a fantastic day and we didn’t spend as much as we could have. Certainly, we could have scrimped a little more. But, considering what Disneyland costs, I think we did pretty well:
Total Cost for day at Disneyland = $590.03
Memories made with FishKids and Auntie Jamie = priceless
What have you done to make to make Disney Parks more affordable?
For more budget ideas for California fun, check out my series, California on a Budget.
One idea that works for us is to buy souvenirs before going to the park. Don’t show the kids and pack them separately. Go to WalMart, Target, etc. and find Micky and Minnie t-shirts, sweatshirts, toys, etc. on sale or clearance. When on your trip, break out the goodies over the stay of the trip and surprise them at different times! Don’t forget to remove the tags! Example, cute pink Minnie Mouse t-shirt at WalMart on clearance $3.00 similar at Disneyland $30.
Yep, great idea! We’ve done this with pins and tshirts. So great!
So how in the world did you get such amazing prices on tickets??? I looked online to start planning our trip and tickets (3 day park hopper) are 250.00 EACH! That’s over 500.00 for the 7 of us for 1 DAY! OUCH! Any tips????
We only buy 1-day tickets to 1-park. That is a big price difference right there. I can’t imagine doing three days. We’d all be fried. This post is a few years old, so I’m not sure how the tickets stack up now. I know Disneyland jacked up the prices a couple months ago. 🙁
Thank you for this. It is feb 2013 and I am looking to go summer of 2014, so i am planning ahead and starting a spreadsheet and word file of lots of advice people have given to cut the budget!
We just spent 5 days, family of 7 at Disneyworld after 3 weeks in the US from Australia..yes the trip of a lifetime..yes alot of $ but our stay in DW averaged $80 per person per day incl quick dining @ meals, accomodation , park entry to 4 parks (not hopping)..I shopped around for quotes and halved the original quote here in Australia by comparision shopping. The chn all saved, ebayed and took newspaper throwing jobs for 2 years to make this trip…we paid cash and had the experiences of a lifetime and so enjoyed our time as a family..yes expensive..yes priceless….just a reminder that when you live in the States you dont have the international fares! so find a way and with thorough planning and research its a wonderful place to go…Thanks to all the links and blogs that helped me make discisions and choices
We love Disneyland too and have been twice with our kids. Our biggest expense is getting there from Canada. We drove the last time and made it a bigger vacation by visiting Grandparents in Palm Springs. We were able to get 3-day Park Hopper tickets for free by using our Air miles points. We collect them any time we shop at certain grocery stores, gas stations etc. so they automatically add up. If you have any reward programs like that in the U.S., it is worth checking them out. We stayed at a cheap motel across the street from the Entrance and grocery shopped as soon as we got there. We would eat breakfast in the room and then go early in the morning to the park. By the afternoon we were hot and ready for a break so we would head back to the hotel for a swim in their pool. We would sometimes eat dinner at one of the inexpensive restaurants across from Disneyland and then head back to the park in the evening when it was the most magical. I still get a chill thinking about the first time my kids walked into the park after dark and saw how magical everything looked all lit up! We would watch the parades,the fireworks and do some more rides.Also, I’m not sure how it is now but you used to be able to rent a Disneyland stroller for super cheap and even when my kids no longer needed it we would get one to load all our jackets and bags on. We just left it outside the rides and not once was anything ever stolen. All this reminiscing makes me want to go back soon!
I love my stroller just for hauling all our stuff around. We park it in one spot and then come back to it later. Hehe.
Thank you for the tips! We are planning a trip in July- hubby is a teacher so we our only option to go during summer break. Lovve the fanny pack idea- I’ll have to do that for our kids. The price of admission is pretty hefty and we are going for 3 days- ouch! But we think it will be worth it.
Are you in state? Some school districts offer admission discounts. See if yours does.
Just to add to your ticket information.. if you are Military , current or ex you can get heavy discounted tickets.. we are going again in March of 2012 and we can get a 3 day park hopper for $99. per person..
Also another park freebie… go to city hall and they will give you free large buttons to commemorate your trip to the park, ie.. wedding, birthday, first trip. etc.
Dont wait in line at the main st entrance for photos with Mickey etc..
Toon town doesnt open until 10am. so if you go straight to Toon town you can get all your photos in under 30 minutes..
We got to Toon Town at 9.50am waited for the gates to open and by 10.15 we had photos with Mickey , Minnie and was in line for Pluto.. went on the roller coaster then got Goofy… when we made our way back to main st,, the lines for Mickey were crazy…
Hope some of these tips help…
Thanks for the great tips!
How do you find such discounted tickets? We have 4 kids: 11, 8, 4 & newbaby, so that will be 3 adult tickets & 2 kid tickets for all of us. By my count that’s over $800 for our family to walk in the door! (Big swallow) Where should I be looking to find such deeply discounted ticktes? I think we will be going Sept 2011. We went when my third was 7 mo. and did the whole princess thing with my girls, it was amazing and SO worth it but that was on Grandma/pa’s dime! I need to find a way to do this frugally before my girls get “too old” (in their eyes) for this kind of family fun!
@Cathie, many employers within Southern California offer these tickets.
@Jessica Fisher, oh gotcha! Well we live in WA state, so I guess that option is out. LOL I will look around and see what else I can find. 🙂
Dinner at the Park is insane. Right out of the Gate at Disney land is I-hop where kids eat Free with paying Adults. We go every Year and we Now have a system down where we Eat a good Breakfast out of the park, pack snacks and water bottles and when Hunger starts in after snacks are gone we go out of the Main gate to I-hop.