Best ways to save money at Disneyland | Fresh Baked Top 10 

Briam Benson is that what you did

yes that's what I did, I highly recommend it lol

The more expensive way to not save is marry a Disney freak... I went to Disneyland once when I was a kid. In the last 7 years since getting married, I’ve been there about 5 times...that and collecting Disney Funko, pins, ears, etc...

Super 8 is off the 5 and off of Ball/Disney Way. Decent price and they offer continental. Don't think they are part of "Good Neighbor" one's though. DO NOT go to Days Inn! No parking, odd rooms (hear the one about the bed covers?) and their continental is no such thing!

@Wakkosgirl: I've stayed at the Super 8 on the NW corner of Ball and Disneyland Dr., and unless they have changed in the last two or three years, they are still part of the "Good Neighbor" hotels and still sell slightly discounted multi-day passes to Disneyland. You can often find a better discount online, especially if you start price hunting a couple months in advance, but the Good Neighbor hotel discount passes are still better than paying full price at the ticket counters near the park. Be sure to only buy tickets from reputable vendors and websites (check the thousands of reviews on sites like Tripadvisor for names of the good ones). Back in the mid-2000s, Super 8 was very inexpensive, quite nice quality for the price, and a decently short walking distance from a side entrance to Downtown Disney (remember that it is a Super 8, not a Marriot or Four Seasons, so keep expectations in check.) However, from 2010 onward, they significantly increased their nightly rates (50% increase in my estimation), making it less of a bargain. They did make some minor, cosmetic improvements to the breakfast area and lobby, but the rooms are basically the same quality prior to the rate increase. Additionally, with the new security bag check requirements at Disneyland, anyone walking south along Disneyland Drive can no longer access Downtown Disney via the side gates along Disneyland Drive and now must make a detour west on Magic Way and then south to the very tail end of Downtown Disney, near the ESPN building (this requires the walker to now walk the entire span of Downtown Disney, from ESPN to the tram exits). It may not seem like much just viewing a map, but the distance from Super 8 to the Disneyland turnstiles essentially doubled, and that can really add up when doing it before and after three days of walking the parks. Also note that security will also prevent those not actively staying in the Grand Californian Hotel from entering to use the Downtown Disney connection (there is a bag check/metal detector station checking people moving from the hotel to Downtown Disney, and they likely place the bouncer outside the hotel to try to keep that line less crowded for actual Grand Californian guests.) All in all, the Super 8 was an awesome deal in the previous decade, still an okay deal in this decade (if lowest price within technically reasonable walking distance to the park is the greatest concern), but it isn't as great a location or bargain as it once was. These days, I stay further from the park, in a nicer hotel for a bit more (in my opinion, an extra $50-$75/night to have a clean, spacious, and well-decorated room with a fully stocked kitchen, oven, microwave, dishwasher, and full-sized fridge PLUS include a hot breakfast every morning is worth it while on vacation) and just pay for the shuttle ride to the park on my schedule.

Starbucks is a better choice than breakfast at Disneyland.

I usually would get breakfast from home and have lunch at the park and snack the rest of the day. However, before this (semi-fake) pandemic, I would bring my own sandwiches with me and get a complimentary/free water cup at the park, and have dinner later. I would save upwards of $30-$40, it worked and I'll continue to do it when the park reopens

Evan Marquez I bought a small French fries for like 6 dollars and ate it in like a minute

NO WAY!

$5 lemonade? 🍋 No lemon is worth $5 no matter where you are.

Mr. Charmander yes we can spend an entire day in California Adventures

I can spend an entire day just in Animation Academy

SAME! i love those:)

Jenni M And you can hot glue gun pin backs to them at home and wear them around next time. Pin traders might think they're useless, but you'll have style. B)

I always get those for those suviners there the best.

Best souvries in my opinion

Jenni M yes I always carry clean pennies when I go

I think I'd order a small item with a side at the Blue bayou, just so sample the ambiance, which is really what that place is all about. Unless you possess an extroardinarilly sophisticated palate I think you'll find that food is food, and you took in a very nice place on the cheap

I Strongly Agree with you Every Time When I go to Disneyland I love Shopping for My Souvenirs and Buying 8x10 Photos of My Disney Trip so Sorry I had to Disagree with this Video

Ya I don’t get it some of the savings. You will lose a ton of time outside the park.

That's not really true. Directly across the street are numerous, more affordable eateries - including McDonalds. If you stay at a "maingate" motel, you can have breakfast there, walk to the park, come back for lunch and a rest, then return to the park for the afternoon/evening. No time really wasted.

dangler1907 i do include downtown Disney as part of the park. I’m to old to do MacDs lol. But enjoy whatever works for you. I think the bread bowl with steak chili or clam chowder is the same amount of money but whatever works. I don’t have children anymore either so might be the difference

Isaiah Williams I have the exact same state of mind when it comes to the parks. I live in New England, so Disney world is closer than Disneyland, but it's still a haul to get there. I want to be able to fully immerse myself in the magic of the parks and not have to worry about running low on funds. I'd rather go less frequently, but be able to go for a week, stay on property (and thus do extra magic hours), park hop, and buy whatever souvenirs and food that I want. To me, that seems more enjoyable and less stressful than staying for a short time off property and worrying the entire time about how much money is left. (Disclaimer: I am 100% aware that not everyone is able to do that financially and if that is how you can manage to get you or your family to Disney, then that's amazing! It's something that everyone will enjoy and should be able to experience at least once, even if it's a bare minimum trip)

Isaiah Williams , the food's exorbitant LOW quality and cardboard presentation ugliness, is destroying the "full" magic. Not eating it at least saves you the negatives of that destruction..... (unless you never ate real food, anywhere in the world, because in the world of the blind, the one eyed is king... lol )

redique I think magic kingdom and animal kingdom are full day parks. Epcot and Hollywood are more of a half day park for me.

EPCOT is only a Half day park if you dont really go and explore the World Showcase, if you actually take the time to just go in a bit and look at each Country and it is absolutely a full day park, hollywood studios is nearly a quarter day park, thats how empty it is, but until Pandora Opens Animal Kingdom is also more of a half day park.

It all depends on what your interests are. I went to WDW the first time in August 2016 for 4 days, lots of planning beforehand, 1 park/day. I found plenty to see and do every day. My favorite Disney movie is The Lion King. So, for me, Animal Kingdom was great. The theming there is the best, most detailed. It's like you are really in Africa and Asia. I thought Hollywood Studios was the most fun overall. The back half of Epcot (World Showcase) is more fun for adults than the front half. The Magic Kingdom didn't interest me as much, since it's similar to Disneyland. California Adventure is great for adults and older kids. Disneyland/Magic Kingdom is geared more toward younger kids/nostalgia/Star Wars fans.

redique , Animal Kingdom is a 2 day park, unless you go to an ANIMAL park, and have no interest in animals at all ... lol

I have a friend whose significant other is from a military family -- they got 40% off on their stay at the Grand Californian! That seems crazy to me.

Truth. At WDW, there is no AP discount; you have to get the "Dining in Wonderland" card, which itself is an extra expense (or so I understand).

Yes, but they're still exactly the same price, both at these two places as well as the Corn Dog Castle in DCA.

Well the only good things are the Cars ride, and the Frozen show.

and tower or terror, california screamin, ferris wheel etc.

+Mackenzie Kin don't forget Soarin' !

Elvia Roman true i love soarin!

Another plus if you're of age, alcohol! Lol

I think you're right about this, but do check how many days you are going for vs an AP, you could still save w/one - given the food/merchandise discounts

The slices of pizza are waaaay too expensive! I always get the pasta!

Brittney Anne if you are in California Adventure there is a burger shop next to California Soarin and you can get a burger, fries, or 2 sides and a drink for $10

Walt has nothing to do with it. If Walt was still alive and at the steering wheel, EVERYTHING would look different... At the steering wheel is Disney CO multinational, remember...

If Walt was still alive, he'd be 116 years old, so not likely to still be at the steering wheel... and just for reference, 116 is the longest documented lifespan for a human male at this time, so if Walt had made it this far, he would definitely be at the end of the road... But yeah, the multinational conglomerate that bears his name is kind of an evil empire that has figured out how to get every last dollar from your wallet without necessarily giving you your money's worth.

😱

I do that at any park or zoo in general. I carry a Yeti around with me.

Literally, I do this at restaurants. I NEVER order a drink other than water.