Updated on May 1, 2024
Disneyland Tips to Save Time and Money. Helpful information to make the most of your trip and your budget. Time-saving tips for smaller wait times.
Around this time last year, we planned a trip to Disneyland to celebrate my son’s 10th birthday. I wanted to get the best deals possible on tickets. I also wanted to make the most of our time there as we were only going to be able to go for two days.
We wanted to make sure to go to both Disneyland and Disney California Adventures. After doing a lot of research, I was able to plan a trip that was more affordable and made the most of our time.
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Disneyland Website
The official Disneyland website has a wealth of information. You can purchase tickets and dining reservations, see a calendar of events for when you will be visiting, get pre-arrival tips, and so much more.
You can also download the mobile app on Android or iTunes that allows you to buy tickets, see wait times, browse maps, locate Disney characters, and more while you are in the parks.
Get Away Today
Once you decide to go to Disneyland, you must choose where to stay. I did a lot of research and compared prices over the Internet for hotels and tickets to the park. I was unable to beat the prices I found on Get Away Today.
We have visited Disneyland three more times since 2016, and every time, we book through Get Away Today.
Where to Stay
We decided not to stay at any Disneyland hotels since we planned a packed two days at the parks and knew we would not be in the hotel much.
If we were planning a more extended vacation, I may have opted for one of the official resort hotels, as they offer perks to their guests. This is something to consider when booking your trip.
We stayed at the Hyatt Place at Anaheim Resort, within walking distance of the park. The hotel was beautiful, and the beds were very comfortable.
Our stay included a delicious, hot breakfast. The options changed each morning, which was a really lovely surprise! Parking was also free at our hotel.
We walked to the parks each morning, but we were utterly exhausted in the evenings. We spent $10 each night on a cab to take us back to our hotel. It was well worth the extra money. There is also a shuttle available for $5.
Helpful Tip: When you book your hotel, factor in parking and resort fees. These can quickly add up to the price of your stay, especially the longer your trip.
Layaway Plans
Another great feature of booking your trip through Get Away Today is their layaway plan. The Layaway Lock-In plan allows you to hold your vacation (Southern California only) for as low as $125 down. This can be a great way to help pay for your trip a little bit over time.
Get Away Today Layaway Details:
- This option allows you to make as many payments as you would like on your vacation up to eight (8) days before your departure date for a one-time, non-refundable $99 fee.
- Your first payment requires a minimum payment of $200, which includes the $99 Layaway Plan fee.
- Please note that if your tickets increase in price before your Layaway Plan is paid in full, you can pay off your Layaway Plan to lock in your current pricing. Otherwise, we will automatically update your package to reflect the new pricing for your convenience.
Discount: Get Away Today offers my readers an exclusive $10 off any Southern California vacation package of 2 nights or more and tickets! Use promo code: CraftyLife10
RELATED: More Disney Fun!
The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland Book
After securing our hotel and tickets, I purchased the latest version of The Unofficial Guide Disneyland book.
We purchased the 2016 version, but you should purchase the current version. The book is inexpensive (under $20) and contains a wealth of information.
The book shares information about:
- Timing Your Visit
- Where to Stay
- Making the Most of Your Time
- Touring Plans
- Dining and Shopping
- Food and Dining
- Disneyland Park
- Disney California Adventure (DCA)
- Universal Studios Hollywood
It was great to get an idea of what we wanted to do, where we wanted to stay, and how to use our two days at the park best.
I used the book to read about all the attractions, shows, and rides at each park. We made a list of our must-see attractions and also the ones that would be nice to visit if we had time. This helped narrow down our focus on getting the most out of each day.
Touring Plans
I wanted to be sure we saved time waiting in lines. There were a lot of attractions we wanted to see at both parks. A subscription to TouringPlans.com helped me take the guesswork out of what we wanted to do and when. The subscription is only $9.97 for a full year.
Discount: Purchase your Unofficial Guide to Disneyland Book first. Owners of the current year’s edition receive an additional discount on their Touring Plans subscription.
Crowd Calendar
We were lucky that although we were planning a trip shortly after we decided to go, we had a range of dates to choose from over about 2 months. The Touring Plans Crowd Calendar helped us decide exactly when to go.
The Resort, Disneyland, and DCA are all rated on a scale of 1 to 10. 1 is when it is the least crowded, and 10 is when it is the most crowded.
Some times were less busy than others. We were going on a weekend, which always tends to be busy. The calendar also lists any holidays or activities for those particular days.
The crowd calendar also helped us decide which day to go to each of the two parks.
Touring Plan
A touring plan creates an idea of when you will visit each particular attraction or show throughout the day.
This site offers 30+ pre-made plans based on whether you go with small children, adults, or the whole family. They also have two-day plans and one-day plans for adults.
You can also personalize a plan based on what you want to do and see. It factors in the Genie+ system, wait times and showtimes.
We started with the whole family plan and personalized it based on the list I wrote from the Unofficial Guidebook. The day before we left, I printed out our plans for each park.
I would also recommend downloading the Touring Plans app to use in the actual park.
Rides can unexpectedly be down or have maintenance, and you can’t always plan how the kids will do, etc. This way, you have your printed plan to follow, but you can update your plan in the app as you go, and it will reschedule when you should do what.
Using TouringPlans.com to plan our Disneyland trip meant we did not wait in line for longer than 30 minutes on either day. Most waits were under 15 minutes.
We rode every single ride we wanted to and even managed to ride a few twice—like the Tower of Terror before they changed it to the new Guardians of the Galaxy ride.
Disneyland Tips to Save You Time and Money
- Do your research!
- Check out the official Disneyland website
- Purchase Disneyland website
- Purchase a TouringPlans.com subscription (good for one year)
- Book your hotel and tickets through Get Away Today
- Download the Disneyland app and TouringPlans.com app before you go
- Be flexible in changing your plans throughout the day
What other tips have you used to save time or money for your trip to Disneyland? Tell us in the comments.
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