I consider myself a major Disneyland fan and survivor. I've been to Disneyland once a year since the age of one until 1995, and back to once a year starting in 1999 to present. There's no place I'd rather spend the day. My parents grew up in Southern California and were both around to see the opening. Now that I'm grown up the kids always have so much fun. (or at least, that is my excuse so far)
My latest trip was last Saturday. I decided I'd share my tips for Disneyland on the Cheap.
Not much is truly cheap at the Disneyland resort, but if you can plan ahead you'll be saving yourself some serious cash. I hope my tips help someone out there who plans to visit.
If you want to see Disneyland and try both parks in one day, (I would not try it) Disneyland always has a 2 for 1 deal that comes up once during the year. This deal saves a lot of money and you get to go to two parks for the price of one. If you can't visit during that promotion, you can still save plenty by planning your trip for the slower season, if you plan on staying in a Disney Hotel this is a must.
(January, February, last three weeks of October, first three weeks of November, and first three weeks of December is the least expensive and least crowded time.)
How much you can save depends on availability and any promotions. It's possible to save almost half off the full price rates at the "Disneyland Resort" hotels. The savings can even add up to hundreds of dollars. My opinion is do not try to buy a one day park hopper ticket. If you are going to do both parks, make sure you buy a two day ticket at least.Otherwise you just won't have the time to enjoy it all.
If you are flying in, of course try the packages deals, and check priceline.com and cheaptickets.com first. Then upon arrival use one of the shuttle buses, they make stops at all the hotels, and will cost you a lot less than a taxi. Once at your hotel, use the free shuttle buses and trams to get to and from the park. If you must rent a car, check all of the companies for rates before booking.
Another big (in-park) expense is souvenirs. One place to get these for A LOT less
is buying ahead on Ebay. The local Anaheim Park Shopping Center has a Walmart (gasp) where you can shop and save on Disney merchandise with their large Mickey & Co. section.
The best way to save money, is to stay at one of the off-site hotels that offer a free breakfast. They usually start serving early so you will have time to grab a bite before heading over to the Park. Since these are "all you can eat" buffets you can fill up fast for free!
Another thing to look for in a hotel is a way to help with the other meals. Some hotels have a microwave and/or a refrigerator that will help you keep the costs down.
You'll probably want to eat something to keep you going in the morning. Eat breakfast before entering the park, even if you think your not that hungry.
For breakfast this trip I ate at Coco's Restaurant in Anaheim, just down the street from Disneyland. I ordered oatmeal with fruit, (that came in large bowl with brown sugar, a muffin or toast and cantaloupe slices) for around five dollars.
You can enjoy the biggest savings by bringing your own soft cooler or backpack to the park. The shaded picnic area located to the left of the Disneyland entrance area offers its own locker area as well as another locker area nearby. If you must bring a cooler, make sure to use a smaller cooler.( as there are only a small amount of extra-large locker units.)
Even if you're staying at one of the nearby hotels or parking nearby, you are not going to want to walk back to the parking area or hotel to eat lunch or snacks. Trust me its further than you think. Bring a backpack at the very least. While your at it bring along a few refillable water bottles.It warms up fast and everyone will be thirsty with all that walking around.
When visiting Disneyland bags and purses are searched, but a few items like sandwiches, crackers, snack bars, juice boxes or bottles of water are allowed in. Any glass containers are not allowed in the park. I brought a backpack with juice boxes, granola bars, peanuts, cashews, fruit roll ups, and a few sandwiches. (Snacks for the day,while we still ate meals)
Look for coupons online before your visit for area restaurants and club member discounts. (AAA for example has discounts for a few Disneyland eateries.) If you can find one Purchase a Refillable Disney Mug. I did not see any, but I have heard buying one gets you free refills all day.A few places that are fairly good bargains within the resort are Rancho del Zocalo in Disneyland, Whitewater Snacks in the Grand Californian Hotel and Tortilla Jo's Takeout Window in Downtown Disney. But I'm mainly talking about Disneyland itself, if you have anywhere to recommend please post it in comments.
In Tommorrowland, next to Space Mountain ,Red Rockett's Pizza Port has pizza, pasta, and salad, again at fairly good prices. You can also get free refills. You may want to eat inside, it's a lot quieter.
Carnation Cafe in the middle of Main St has good home style entrees.
The prices are on the high side of cheap, but not bad for small items (Chicken pot pie is one example of a home style entree, and they have peanut butter sandwich's on a palette that comes with peanut butter on one side of the bread, and another slice of bread, with little cups of jelly, chocolate chips, raisins, marshmallows, and a couple strawberries with banana slices.It has always been a favorite of my daughter.
For those who aren't big junk food fans (like me) for lunch order one double cheeseburger combo meal, and order an extra bun (cost me .50 cents). This worked great for me at the Hungry Bear restaurant in Critter Country.
I'm not that fond of greasy french fries and the cheeseburger alone was more than enough. Yes, I know a cheeseburger is fast food, but I limited it to lunchtime.
Or you can substitute an appetizer for your entree. (Don't forget you can order anything you want "a la carte", even if full meals are all that's listed on the menu.)
My overall favorites are the next three places.
At Royal Street Veranda in New Orleans Square, you can buy a sourdough bread bowl full of clam chowder, or either vegetarian or steak gumbo for 6.99.
(I had the clam chowder bowl for dinner)
Spicy beef and chicken skewers can be found at Bengal Barbecue in Adventureland, next to Indiana Jones.On this visit I also saw they had a "turkey leg" cart open on Big Thunder trail.
I am happy to report I found many healthy options this trip to Disneyland.They actually have fresh fruit stands. There are now at least three fruit stands in Disneyland. One on Main Street, one at Liberty Square Market and another in Mickey's Toontown Fair. If I missed one let me know.
Don't forget to bring a camera, an extra memory card or pick up extra film so you don't get stuck paying triple for film or a disposable camera inside the Park!
Select attractions offer Fastpass, a free service that saves your place in line. Slip your ticket into the attraction kiosk and get a time to return. I will make my last tip a ride one, hit the Matterhorn first as it does not offer a fast pass. And last of all, just have fun!
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