Suzanne O’Connor’s Bargains LA

Tips on Saving at Disneyland

Mr. Suzanne reporting here. We are back from our excursion and what a time was had by all. We have been Disneyland fans from infancy. Love the immersion and attention to detail that the Magic Kingdom offers and that no other park can pull off. We won’t go for years and then each time we go back, we say “these guys got it right”. Through all of those years (not telling you how many), we have never stayed more than one day….until now. Suzanne and I have never felt the need or the resources to do it.

An adult ticket at Disneyland is now $97. Can you believe it? If you don’t have discounts a family of four is dropping almost $400 before they even eat a churro. I also felt I could never stay in Disneyland for 4 days without losing my mind. California Adventure and Downtown Disney take care of that. I must say that staying there for 4 days was great. We didn’t feel the need to get 20 rides in one day (though our daughter did, and did) because we had enough time. So we went through D-land at a fairly leisurely pace, which is something to be savored.

I have always had two main problems with Disneyland: long lines and horrible food at exorbitant prices. These problems have now been broached by the Fast Pass and better food. I actually saw a cart with FRUIT on it!!!! Apples were $1.59. Pineapple spears were 2 bucks. It seems Disney has raised quality and reduced prices. I remember going 10 years ago and ordering french fries and cokes for 5 people. The bill was over $40!! Not now.

So over the course of the next couple of weeks I am going to share some of the things we did to enjoy the Disney experience without mortgaging the house and/or losing our minds. Let’s start with the big ticket item: the pass.

There are deals to be found allover including AAA and the internet but the easiest one I found was at Costco. This is not a year-round thing. It pops up every now and then, but has been around for at least 2 years. What you get is a 4 day park hopper pass, which is good for one year. You can go between both parks on the same day. You do not need to use the 4 days all in a row. You can go one day now and one day in two weeks. The year begins on the first day you use it, not when purchased (though there is a time limit on how long you have to activate it). Total cost 200 bucks….but wait that also includes a Disney gift card of $50. That brings cost of the pass down to $38/day…a significant drop from $97.

You may ask: what can I do with a gift card, “I don’t want mouse ears”. That card is good for anything in Disneyland or California Adventure that has a cash register, i.e. souvenirs and food. I used the card to purchase bottled water in Frontierland and a Heineken in California Adventure (Yes, California Adventure serves alcohol). The card is not good at most restaurants in Downtown Disney as these are not affiliated with Disney, like Patina Group and Pucks. The food is pretty good and not outrageously over priced. Come dinner time we walked out of Disneyland and into California Adventure and I ordered braised short ribs on white beans with a sauce reduction from the Wine Country Trattoria. Dinner for 4 including 2 glasses of wine was $84 a far cry from “fries and some cokes” for $40.

Of note: we always used to book reservations at the Blue Bayou Restaurant in New Orleans Square for dinner. This time we actually cancelled once we realized the service and quality in California Adventure and Downtown Disney. Some restaurants in Downtown Disney actually offer Happy Hours with cheaper appetizers and drinks. Look for specials. Cheers

Next: how to upgrade the pass for little or no cost.

Check out pictures at our flickr account