10 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.
Sally French
By Sally French 
Published
Edited by Giselle M. Cancio

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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.

Here's how to go to Disneyland for less.

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.

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 $65 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.

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 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.

8. Consider neighboring airports 

Many folks think that the best airport for Disneyland is Los Angeles International Airport — the fifth-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 2021 FAA data, LAX served 6.2 times more passengers than John Wayne Airport and 22.7 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, and 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.

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.


How to maximize your rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2024, including those best for:

Cards for Disney from our Partners
Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Card

on Chase's website

Chase Sapphire Reserve®
5.0
NerdWallet Rating
Rewards rate

1x-10x

Earn 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3x points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.

Points

Intro offer

60,000

Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

Points
Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card

on Chase's website

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
5.0
NerdWallet Rating
Rewards rate

1x-5x

5x on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases.

Points

Intro offer

60,000

Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.

Points
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card

on Chase's website

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card
4.2
NerdWallet Rating
Rewards rate

1x-3x

Earn 3X points on Southwest® purchases. Earn 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare. Earn 2X points on internet, cable, and phone services, and select streaming. Earn 1X points on all other purchases.

Points

Intro offer

50,000

Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

Points
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