Disneyland on a Budget Travel Guide

Disneyland on a budget. Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse in front of Cinderella's Castle
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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!

crowd taking pictures at iconic disneyland station with mickey mouse

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 Get Away Today, I was a little skeptical, but when their package pricing came in cheaper than my normal go-to vacation package site, Costco Travel, I went ahead and booked. I couldn’t deny the great price we were getting with Get Away Today, and as you know from following this blog, I’m all about finding quality travel solutions that don’t break the bank.

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 Get Away Today but we were trying to do Disneyland on a budget, so we kept the package cost low by booking a cheaper hotel.  Which leads me to my next tip…

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!

Experience Disneyland on a budget by staying at the Disneyland Four Points by Sheraton (exterior)
The Disneyland Four Points by Sheraton

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.

An autograph book and glow sticks purchased from the Dollar Store for an easy Disneyland hack
$3 at the Dollar Store, $30 at Disneyland.

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 Shipt or InstaCart (Target, CVS, Ralphs and Vons to name a few). You can also order online directly through stores that offer delivery service like Von’s. 

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 these 5% off gift cards to pay for all of your expenses while in the park for immediate cost savings!

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 I instead of the regular-priced meals. 

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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Disneyland: Money saving tips for staying on budget pin for pinterest with castle
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