Six Ways to Save Money on Your Disneyland Vacation

We’re all looking to save a lil coin when planning out a Disney vacation, so I present to you, dear reader, a list of some lesser known A+ money saving tips (and maybe a more common tip or two, but they actually work so I’m sharing again).  Just promise you’ll use all your spare cash to enjoy more churros.

1. Renting DVC points

The Disney Vacation Club (DVC) is essentially a Disney resort themed timeshare, with room options at all Disney resorts across the world. The nice thing about DVC is you don’t have to be a member to enjoy their A+ room pricing. If you plan on staying on-property (aka at one of the many Disney hotels and not off-property at a Hilton, etc.), you can buy another person’s DVC points and stay on-property, saving hundreds of dollars. 

For instance, a room at the Grand Californian booked directly through the hotel’s website is currently listing a two-bed room at $600+/night. The same type of room booked through the DVC system is around $300/night. Keep in mind the prices fluctuate depending on time of year, crowd levels, conventions, and new ride or land openings at the parks, but there’s generally a pretty sizeable price discrepancy between the standard room price and the DVC room price. 

The rooms booked through the DVC request site are set aside for DVC members, but since it’s all the same hotel, they’re just as nice as the standard hotel rooms. Typically, there’s also different room sizes and suites available depending on your party’s needs. 

It’s not guaranteed there will be available DVC rooms at any given point, but it’s worth checking out early into the planning process and allowing your trip dates to be flexible so you can nab a premium room at a solid deal. 

You can check out https://dvcrequest.com to look at room availabilities and book your room, just like you would through any other booking site. It’s a life saver. 

2. Attend a Disney Vacation Club Pitch

It’ll cost you in some time, but you can be rewarded with some pretty sweet incentives (as long as you’re okay with saying “no” to actually buying into the timeshare).  

It’s not guaranteed which incentives are being offered at any given point, but in the past, DVC has offered up gift cards and other perks (like fastpasses or food credits) to participate in a DVC tour and pitch. There’s a DVC info center in California Adventure, next to Grizzy River Rapids, one inside the Grand Californian, and one in Downtown Disney. Check in with a cast member working one of the booths, and they might be able to let you know what the current incentive is. You might find it worth your time! 

3. Bring in >some< of your own food/snacks and water bottle

A huge part of visiting Disneyland for the three of us is the food. It’s worth it to figure out what snacks or meals are a no-miss for you, and then you can fill in from there. 

It surprises a lot of people when they learn you can bring your own food into the parks. You can bring in a small soft-sided cooler packed with meals, snacks, and drinks (just no booze and no glass). There’s a nice picnic area with tables to the left of the Disneyland park entrance, surrounded by ivy covered walls, so you can spread out. And as a bonus, there’s a secret trove of extra large lockers lining the picnic area, and it’s more than worth it to splurge the $10 for a locker to store your cooler, bags, souvenirs, and extra coats.

So while it’s always important to get a Disneyland churro, it’s also worth it to bring in your own snacks so while you’re raging hungry waiting in line, you can bust out a snack and not have to drop $5-$10 just to tide you over. 

It’s also VERY worth it to bring in your own refillable water bottle. Water can run you up to $4 a bottle in the parks. There are multiple bottle filling stations around both parks, so you can same some $$$ and spend it on cookies instead of water (a much better investment in my opinion). 

4. Share Food and Go For Filling Snacks

For the meals you do end up buying, you can be strategic about where you go because there are some spots that have extra large portions perfect for sharing.

The Plaza Inn (the very end of Mainstreet on the right as you’re walking toward the castle) has a fried chicken meal that’s one of my absolute favorites at the resort and it’s HUGE. Two people could easily share and have the perfect amount of space left for a treat. Other good spots for sharing a meal are Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta in DCA, Rancho Del Zocollo in Frontierland, and Hungry Bear in Critter Country.

Along with sharing a meal, you can grab some “snacks” that are less expensive, but super filling. The Ronto Wrap in Galaxy’s Edge is definitely meal-worthy. The snack shack by Mickey and the Magical Map has baked potatoes!!! And they’re so good! Corn dogs, which can be found in both DCA and Disneyland are massive and very filling. The everything bagel twist at Maurices in Fantasyland is large and in charge and will take care of your belly. The skewers at Bengal Barbecue in Adventureland are good for a quick and filling protein or veggie option. Dole Whips are big and good and are not to be missed. Chimichangas and turkey legs in Frontierland are both comically large and very filling. The chili fries at Golden Horseshoe might be a scourge to fine cuisine but the portion is big and you’ll walk through that pain in no time. 

There are tons more large and filling snack options, be on the lookout! Don’t be fooled by thinking proper sit down restaurants are the only way to get a good meal.

5. Buy gift cards at Target Using Your Red Card

If you have a Target Red Card, you get 5% off all Target purchases. And while it might not seem like a lot, for a Disneyland trip it all adds up. You can use your Red Card to buy Disney gift cards and you can utilize your Red Card discount. You can use Disney gift cards at all Disney properties.

Buying gift cards in advance also works as its own budgeting system. If you’re going with kids, instead of having them constantly asking for all the glories of the gift shop, you can give them their own Disney gift card preloaded with money so they’re in charge of their own buying decisions.  

6. Visit the Parks on Non-Peak Days

Disneyland now has fluctuating ticket prices, so peak days, holidays, and weekends having a higher ticket price than say, a weekday. It’s worth looking into different ticketing prices beforehand, rather than waiting until you get to the parks to get the best deals. Also it will save you so much time buying your tickets ahead of time rather than waiting until you get to the parks. You can also always buy tickets through the Disneyland app, so even if you wait last minute, you never have to wait in that Godforsaken ticket line.

✨And there you have it. If you have some more money saving tips, please share in the comments below !✨