Types of tickets available
E-tickets or mailed tickets with free shipping.
Offers refunds and returns?
Yes.
There's a 365-day cancellation window; Undercover Tourist will refund 95% of the total, with some exceptions. Hidden fees?
No.
11 Easy Ways to Do Disneyland on a Budget
Disneyland might not be cheap, but there are ways you can save. Discount ticket deals exist, and you may not need those Park Hopper tickets.
Many or all of the products on this page are from partners who compensate us when you click to or take an action on their website, but this does not influence our evaluations or ratings. Our opinions are our own.
Updated · 6 min read
Written by
Lead Writer/Spokesperson 
Edited by
Assistant Assigning Editor One-day theme park tickets to Disneyland Park in Anaheim, Calif., and its sibling, Disney California Adventure Park, start at $104 per person, so calling Disneyland cheap is about as believable as saying an elephant can fly. But at Disneyland, elephants do in fact fly (Dumbo, anyone?) — and successfully planning a trip to Disneyland on a budget isn’t as impossible as it might seem.
Disney raised ticket prices in October 2025, with the most expensive single-day tickets jumping to $224 (up from $206). Multi-day tickets, parking and annual passes also increased. However, California residents can take advantage of a stellar new deal: 3-day Park Hopper tickets for just $249 total — the best deal since 2013. And starting in 2026, families with young kids can snag summer tickets for as low as $50 per child.
Whether you're going for the Disneyland 70th Anniversary celebrations — or planning a trip for a year (or more) down the road, how to go to Disneyland for less.
On this page
- 1. Purchase discounted Disneyland tickets
- 2. Skip Park Hopper for multiday trips
- 3. Get there early (like, really early)
- 4. Bring your own food and drinks
- 5. Use mobile food ordering
- 6. Ditch your friends (for a few minutes) with Single Rider
- 7. Buy souvenirs elsewhere
- 8. Consider neighboring airports
- 9. Stay off-property
- 10. Spend on the right credit card
- 11. Book during the right time of year
- The bottom line
1. Purchase discounted Disneyland tickets
Authorized third-party sellers such as Undercover Tourist often sell Disneyland tickets for less than buying directly from Disney.
Some membership programs, including AAA and Costco, offer tickets or vacation package deals, though they typically command a membership fee to join. Other affiliations, such as employee or student discount programs, might similarly unlock discounts.
Disney also sometimes offers discounts to groups, including U.S. military members or Southern California residents.
Current California resident deal: Starting Dec. 3, 2025, eligible California residents (ZIP codes 90000-96199) can purchase a 3-Day Park Hopper ticket for just $249 total — that's $83 per day. These tickets can be used on any three days (they don't have to be consecutive) between Jan. 1 and May 21, 2026. This is the best deal Disneyland has offered since 2013, working out to less than half the cost of buying three separate tickets at regular prices. You'll need valid proof of California residency both to purchase and enter the parks.
Kids' summer ticket deal: Starting Jan. 21, 2026, families can purchase heavily discounted Park Hopper tickets for children ages 3-9 for summer visits between May 22 and Sept. 7, 2026, starting at $50 per child for a one-day ticket. That's a massive deal considering that one-day Park Hopper tickets for kids usually start at $189 on those days. Two-day and three-day tickets are also available with the option to add Lightning Lane Multi Pass for an additional fee.
To use one of these discounted tickets, you must have a theme park reservation. But keep in mind that park reservations for these discounted tickets are limited and allocated separately from regular tickets. Check reservation availability before purchasing tickets and make reservations as early as possible.
Current military discount: Disneyland Resort is offering promotional theme park tickets to active and retired U.S. military personnel for 2026 visits. The 2026 Military Salute Ticket Offer includes discounted 3-Day and 4-Day Park Hopper tickets valid for visits January 1, 2026 through Dec. 31, 2026:
- 3-Day Park Hopper: $314.
- 4-Day Park Hopper: $369.
- 3-Day Park Hopper with Lightning Lane Multi Pass: $416.
- 4-Day Park Hopper with Lightning Lane Multi Pass: $505.
Park reservations are required. These tickets are available for purchase Nov. 18, 2025 through Dec. 27, 2026 at participating U.S. military base ticket offices and via GOVX.com.
For the first time, single-day military tickets are also available via GOVX.com. A 1-Day, 1-Park adult ticket costs $104, while a 1-Day, 1-Park child ticket (ages 3-9) costs $98. These tickets are valid for visits Nov. 18, 2025 through Dec. 30, 2027 with no blockout dates, giving you significantly more flexibility than the multi-day tickets.
2. Skip Park Hopper for multiday trips
There are two Disney theme parks in Anaheim, and if you want to see both in one day, you’ll need a Park Hopper ticket. The problem? Park Hopper tickets cost between $65 and $75 more per person for a single-day ticket.
If your one-day trip will feel incomplete if you don’t see both, say, Disneyland’s Sleeping Beauty Castle and Avengers Campus across the way at Disney California Adventure, then you’ll need the pricier Park Hopper option. But if you’re there for multiple days, save by visiting one park per day. The best way to do Disneyland is by focusing on one park at a time, anyway.
Win Private Travel 'AMA' ($250 value)
Get the ‘cheat codes’ to using travel points and miles so you can spend less cash. 📥 Sign up for our free newsletter before Jan. 4 and enter to win a 1:1 travel rewards coaching session.
3. Get there early (like, really early)
The theme park turnstiles typically open for business slightly before official park opening time, and it’s likely guests will be waiting. By arriving early, you’ll be able to pass the security check and scan your tickets. From there, you’ll typically be able to linger within the first few hundred feet inside the park, browse the shops and be ready to power walk to the rides as soon as they open.
You can race to your priority experiences, like Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway. This new ride opened just in time for the Disney100 Celebration. By hitting your must-do rides early, you'll avoid the longest wait times. According to Disney trip planning website Touring Plans, which tracks ride wait times, lines are usually the longest from 1-2 p.m.
4. Bring your own food and drinks
When it comes to meals, the cheapest way to do Disneyland is to bring food from elsewhere. Disneyland explicitly allows outside food and nonalcoholic beverages, with just a few stipulations, such as no glass containers.
Pack nutrient-dense snacks like protein bars and nuts. Road trippers might stop at a supermarket along the way. Nearby cafes and fast food restaurants can offer similar-quality food for less money, and a few are within walking distance of the park. If you’re willing to venture out further, dine at Anaheim Packing District — a food hall in a renovated, historic 1919 citrus-packing house that’s a 10-minute drive away.
🤓 Nerdy Tip
Certain Disney credit cards may make you eligible for discounts on hotel rooms, souvenirs or dining at restaurants. 5. Use mobile food ordering
The official Disneyland app has many capabilities, including displaying GPS-enabled maps, live attraction wait times and — perhaps most useful — mobile food and beverage ordering.
This feature is offered by almost all quick-service restaurants, including the notoriously popular home of the Dole Whip, the Tiki Juice Bar. Budget your time and skip the lines by ordering and paying for your food and drinks in-app.
6. Ditch your friends (for a few minutes) with Single Rider
Another tip in the time-is-money vein: Single Rider. A handful of especially popular attractions, such as the Millennium Falcon at Disneyland and the Incredicoaster at Disney California Adventure, offer Single Rider queues, where folks willing to ride separately from their group fill unused seats.
The Single Rider line almost always gets you on board faster than the standard queue.
7. Buy souvenirs elsewhere
Forgo the expensive Disney gift shops inside the parks. Instead, purchase plushies or character garb from your local toy store or online retailer in advance. Then, hide "souvenirs" in your suitcase and spring them on the kids while you're on vacation. They likely won’t realize their new plushies aren't actually from Disneyland.
The "Disney tax" on food and souvenirs also applies to other items. For instance, the plastic poncho from the gift shop near Splash Mountain is likely far pricier than what you’d buy elsewhere.
And sometimes the third-party items are better anyway. For $10, you can find exceptionally cute Minnie Mouse ears themed to all sorts of characters, versus $35 for generic Minnie Mouse ears in the park.
8. Consider neighboring airports
Many folks think that the best airport for Disneyland is Los Angeles International Airport — the second-largest commercial airport in the U.S., according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
But LAX is actually close to 40 miles away from Disneyland, and that distance can equate to a couple of hours in traffic. Two smaller airports, John Wayne Airport and Long Beach Airport, are each about 15 miles away, which can mean a cheaper and faster trip to the park.
That said, according to 2024 FAA data, LAX served 7.2 times more passengers than John Wayne Airport and 22.3 times more passengers than Long Beach Airport. This suggests that if you opt to fly into LAX, which is further away, you’re more likely to find a direct flight or have more route options.
And if you can avoid a layover, you’ll likely save a little money on flight costs. A 2019 study from the MIT International Center for Air Transportation, a research arm of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, found that the cheapest nonstop flight is, on average, $31 less expensive than the cheapest flight with a layover.
9. Stay off-property
There are three Disney-owned hotels in Anaheim: Pixar Place Hotel, the Grand Californian Hotel and Spa and the famed Disneyland Hotel. They’re almost always more expensive than non-Disney hotels of similar quality nearby.
Unlike at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., where staying on-property usually has benefits like more frequent bus transportation to the parks, that’s typically not the case on the West Coast. In California, many off-site hotels remain within walking distance — and many can be booked using credit card points.
Though if you do want to stay on-property, at least book at a discounted rate. Disney is offering hotel discounts for multi-night stays at the three Disneyland Resort hotels (Disneyland Hotel, Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa and Pixar Place Hotel):
- Early 2026 (Jan. 1-May 21): Save up to 25% on stays of three nights or more. Book between Dec. 3, 2025, and May 7, 2026
- Summer 2026 (May 22-Sept. 7): Save up to 25% on stays of four nights or more. Book between Jan. 21, 2026, and Aug. 25, 2026
These offers apply to most room types except some concierge rooms and suites.
10. Spend on the right credit card
If you end up spending $13 on a turkey leg in the park, you might as well earn some rewards. Though the best Disney credit cards aren’t actually Disney-branded.
Instead, look to travel credit cards that earn bonus points on general travel spending and at restaurants. Some command high annual fees, but they typically offer even higher spending rewards, plus extras such as TSA PreCheck statement credits and airport lounge access. Consider holding a premium credit card as the plastic (or metal) equivalent of the royal treatment.
11. Book during the right time of year
Disney tickets are sold at variable prices, meaning high-demand days are more expensive than low-demand days.
Weekdays during times of the year when school is in session tend to be the cheapest times to visit Disneyland. January through February (aside from the long weekend holidays during those months) tend to be a good time to go. The lowest-priced ticket remains $104 — the same price since 2019 — and there are actually more calendar days at this price point through April 2026 than in previous years.
Prices swing wildly depending on where you go. The lowest-tier single-day ticket goes for just $104 (a figure that's been unchanged since 2019). Meanwhile, the highest-tier single day ticket is more than twice that, up to $224.
If you're seeking to maximize festive vibes, visit during one of the many Disneyland events in 2026. If you love the holidays, you might go during Halloween Time or ahead of Christmas. Disney also fills in slow seasons with fun festivals, such as the Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival which runs from March 6 to April 27, 2026.
The bottom line
Yes, Disneyland raised prices in October 2025, with peak days now hitting $224 per person. But strategic visitors can still experience the magic affordably:
- California residents should jump on the 3-day Park Hopper deal ($249, available Dec. 3) — it's the best value since 2013.
- Families with kids ages 3-9 should mark Jan. 21, 2026 on their calendars — that's when the $50 summer kids' tickets go on sale for visits between May 22 and Sept. 7. This deal is unprecedented, saving families with multiple children hundreds of dollars.
- Out-of-state visitors can save by visiting during off-peak times (the $104 ticket is still available on many weekdays), using authorized resellers and skipping Park Hopper unless it's truly necessary.
- All visitors benefit from bringing outside food, arriving early and staying off-property.
The key to budget Disneyland? Flexibility on dates, strategic use of discounts and recognizing where you can cut costs without sacrificing the magic.
How to maximize your rewards
You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are some of the best travel credit cards of 2026:
- Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
- No annual fee: Wells Fargo Autograph® Card
- Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®
- Luxury perks: American Express Platinum Card®
- Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
Article sources
NerdWallet writers are subject matter authorities who use primary,
trustworthy sources to inform their work, including peer-reviewed
studies, government websites, academic research and interviews with
industry experts. All content is fact-checked for accuracy, timeliness
and relevance. You can learn more about NerdWallet's high
standards for journalism by reading our
editorial guidelines.
On this page
- 1. Purchase discounted Disneyland tickets
- 2. Skip Park Hopper for multiday trips
- 3. Get there early (like, really early)
- 4. Bring your own food and drinks
- 5. Use mobile food ordering
- 6. Ditch your friends (for a few minutes) with Single Rider
- 7. Buy souvenirs elsewhere
- 8. Consider neighboring airports
- 9. Stay off-property
- 10. Spend on the right credit card
- 11. Book during the right time of year
- The bottom line
