I’ve been to Disneyland several times as a mom, starting when my daughter was just four-years-old. And each time I am probably just as excited—if not more!—than my daughter for our trip. I always do a bunch of research and planning to ensure that we were planning a trip to Disneyland on a budget (to keep my accountant husband happy!) without sacrificing the magical experience of Disneyland. Keep reading to see everything I learned so that you can have an affordable, magical Disneyland vacation, too!
Disneyland on a Budget | Vacation Packages
The most expensive part of a trip to Disneyland will be your park tickets and hotel stay, so it’s imperative to purchase these together as part of a an affordable Disneyland vacation package instead of purchasing tickets separate from a hotel reservation. One great thing about Disneyland travel packages, beyond the cost savings, is that you can also include the flight in the package if you are not able to find affordable airfare on its own.
Hint: while researching cheap Disneyland vacation packages with flights, be sure to check out my Airfare Hacks for the Savvy Traveler post as you may be able to save money purchasing your flight separately from the vacation package, which is what my family did on our recent trip!
Cheap Disneyland Vacation Packages | Get Away Today
After doing a lot of research, I found the best cheap Disneyland vacation packages through Get Away Today. At first, being unfamiliar with
Our cheap Disneyland vacation packages included four-day park hopper tickets for two adults and one child. Our park hopper tickets meant we could go to both Disneyland & California Adventure on the same day.
Total cost? Only $1,500! Don’t get me wrong, there were more expensive package options through
Disneyland on a Budget | Cheap Hotels
Booking one of the affordable hotels near Disneyland is a key factor in doing Disneyland on a budget. There are currently 49 Disneyland Good Neighbor hotels, or hotels assured by to be both a minimum level of quality and close to the park. Granted, these hotels do range in quality, distance from the park, and price, but the point is, there are plenty of options regardless of budget, and a little research goes a long way in choosing the one that’s right for you and your family. Since I am married to an accountant, I went with one of the cheapest (if not the cheapest) options, the Four Points by Sheraton.
Disneyland Four Points by Sheraton | Hotel Review
On the Disneyland Good Neighbor site, this hotel is considered part of the “moderate” hotel category, which is the lowest hotel category on their site. Honestly, I have no idea why it’s only considered “moderate,” as it’s recently been completely renovated and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay there!
It’s located in Anaheim less than one mile from the park and within walking distance. (Even though we decided to take a cheap $6 Lyft ride each way since we were walking so much during our time at the park.) It has a large outdoor pool and hot tub, which even includes an outdoor bar, and you can see the Disneyland fireworks from the pool at night!
The hotel has an onsite café to grab coffee before a long day at the park, or you can walk to the Starbucks across the street to fuel up in the morning. There is also an on-site restaurant that does a breakfast buffet, lunch, and dinner, which is where my husband and I got yummy take-out nachos for lunch on one of the days while we were back at the hotel to give our daughter a much-needed nap.
I would stay at the Four Points by Sheraton on a future trip to Disneyland and definitely recommend it to anyone wanting to experience Disneyland on a budget!
Disneyland on a Budget | Four Hacks to Save Money
There are several Disneyland hacks that I discovered when planning our trip that definitely helped to keep our vacation affordable.
1) Shop the Dollar Store
Disneyland is full of magic for kids, and one of the easy ways to make sure your kids experience it without shelling out for it in the park is to cut down on accessory purchases you need to make within Disneyland itself. Before leaving on your trip, head to your local dollar store and stock up on glow sticks, necklaces, and bracelets so that your kids can be glowing in the park at night with the other kids who are there (without having to pay $10 for a single glow stick!) and look for a Disney-themed notebook to use as an autograph book, since those cost at least $10 in the park itself.
2) Grocery Stores Near Disneyland that Deliver
Both Disneyland and California Adventure let you bring in snacks and bottled water, so you don’t have to spend money in the park when you get hungry and thirsty. But the last thing you want to do at the start of your vacation is lug yourself and/or your family around grocery stores… am I right?
Luckily, there are grocery stores near Disneyland that deliver so upon checking in at your hotel, place a grocery delivery order with food, snacks, and supplies (i.e., sunscreen!) needed for your long days at the parks. If you’re stocked up from the grocery delivery, you won’t have to resort to paying for snacks and drinks in the parks. We also ordered milk and donuts to eat breakfast in our room every morning and even ordered beer for a much-needed adult beverage after a long day at the park!
There are several grocery stores near Disneyland that deliver through services like
3) Buy Disneyland Gift Cards with Target Red Card
Target Red Card holders (with both the credit & debit card options) can purchase Disney gift cards from Target and get 5% off the cost of the gift card when the Red Card is used for payment! These gift cards can be used for different purposes on your trip.
Option 1: if you do not have a mileage rewards credit card that you will be using for in-the-park expenses during your trip, then stock up on
Option 2: keep your kids from begging you to buy souvenirs, treats, etc., while in the park by purchasing a 5% off gift card that you give to them to buy whatever they want, up to the gift card value.
That’s what I did—I bought a Disney gift card with my Red Card and gave it to my daughter. She knew she only had $50 to spend on souvenirs and treats when we were in the park, and the gift card worked great to keep her Disneyland spending on a budget. The best part was that I only spent $47.50 on the gift card with my 5% Red Card discount!
4) Order Kids’ Meals
As much as we tried to avoid the high cost of eating meals in the parks by using the grocery stores near Disneyland that deliver, there were a couple of times when our schedule necessitated it. Luckily, we were able to keep costs low by ordering kids’ meals for my husband and
In general, kids’ meals were about $8 and included a sandwich/burger/chicken strips, fries, fruit, and a drink. Since so much food was included with the kids’meals, we had plenty to eat and didn’t leave hungry.
Savvy tip: if you feel sheepish about ordering a kid’s meal as an adult, use the Disneyland app to place a mobile food order and then no one will ever know that you used this Disneyland hack!
Related: Be sure to check out my Cheap Eats in Disneyland post for a detailed guide on 9 different places to eat on a budget!
Related: Now that you know how to save some money, check out my recommendations on the 3 Best Splurges at Disneyland!
Cheers!
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