Not only did we survive, but we actually enjoyed it! Now, I know some of you are going to think that we SHOULD be enjoying a trip like that to Disneyland and obviously, we should, but 3 days in an over-crowded theme park with over-tired kids surrounded by over-priced snacks and toys is enough to make even the most Positive Patty go a bit Negative Nancy.
So, I’d like to share how we survived and enjoyed a weekend trip to Disney and did it UNDER budget!
1. Find discounts.
I know this one is a bit tricky, but we’re military and we save BIG on park tickets. I know credit unions and wholesale clubs like Costco offer discounts so make sure you check there!
2.Buy ANYTHING you can buy on Amazon before you go.
We bought lanyards, Disney pins, Mickey Mouse ears, ponchos, and an autograph book… Seriously, if you can buy it before you go vs inside of the park, it will be MUCH cheaper. Granted, Disney quality can’t be beat, but I’d rather get a $2 poncho on Amazon that will rip after a few uses than a $12 poncho at Disney that will last longer, but will have to be carried around. Mickey/Minnie ears are fancier and much better quality at the park, but they’re $30 after taxes. Maybe save those for the adults who will care for them and not lose them/break them!
3. I cannot stress this one enough: BUY YOUR SNACKS BEFORE AND PACK THEM INTO THE PARK!
This one saves us TONS every time we go to a theme park! Disneyland (and World and Universal) will let you bring in all sorts of snacks as long as you aren’t bringing alcohol or glass (If you’re looking for alcohol, that’s the next tip!). We spent about $200 buying Cheez-Its, Grapes, Popcorn, Fruit Leathers. Granola Bars, Uncrustables, and Cotton Candy before we went and we just stuffed the backpack full of them to snack on throughout the day! This saved us so much money and, when the kids saw the Mickey cotton candy or popcorn bags, we had our own that was like 1/10th of the price!
4. Plan for Adult Drinks too. 
For those looking for a “grown-up” drink, the only ones we found were in Downtown Disney or at Disney California Adventure. Be prepared to pay $10+ for a beer or specialty cocktail, but they’ll do to refresh you and maybe take the edge off a bit. Hubby likes trying the specialty beers that aren’t really served anywhere else.
5. Speaking of food/drink purchases, make sure you download the Disneyland app.
Not only will it give you information on character appearances and ride wait times, but you can use Mobile Order to get your food and drink at several locations throughout the park WITHOUT WAITING IN LINE. No joke, I got my Dole Whip twice with no wait! The line was like 30 minutes long, but I ordered on my phone, walked right up the front where it said “Mobile Order Pickup” and walked away happy!
6. A little more about eating: We REALLY enjoyed going to Pizza Palace in Tomorrowland.
You can buy a slice of delicious, doughy pizza for $8 OR you can buy a whole pizza that was $50. I know you’re thinking that’s nuts, but that’s just the kind of money you’re going to spend if you’re eating in the park. We did breakfast at our AirB&B and then pizza for lunch and then fast food after we left the park. Not ideal or healthy, but it worked. All counter-service restaurants at Disney will give you free water cups and Pizza Planet always had plenty of seating, so it became our go-to. Since Tomorrowland also had most of the rides we wanted to ride, it was nice to get a pizza and waters and get the kids eating that plus snacks while one parent went and got a fast pass. It was also our stop when the kids were being moody and we needed a place to just sit down and take a breath.
7. If you’d like to buy souvenirs like Tshirts or shot glasses or hats, go to a local WalMart.
They have TONS of Disney stuff for MUCH cheaper! Just remember that you’re in California and will be charged for plastic bags ??
8. Minimize wait times.
Going with a large family (we have 4 kids and a baby) to any theme park can mean lots of time spent waiting in lines. We found a couple of ways to minimize this. First of all, use those Fast Passes. It’s a pain in the butt to get them since you have to walk to the ride and go to the designated area to receive them (not like Disney World where you reserve them via your app) and that takes time and then, once you’ve gotten a Fast Pass, you may not get another for 2 hours. So you can’t just get them all first thing when you get to the park; you must plan your route through the park with them in mind, but they are worth it. Some rides offer a rider switch so both parents can enjoy the ride. They can offer 3 total switch tickets. So for example, I would get a fast pass with 2 of the kids for a ride. I would approach the cast member and say we’d like to do a rider switch and the cast member would scan my husband’s ticket+up to 2 more. So I would ride with the 2 kids and, once we were done, my husband would take the other 2 through the fast pass line. It made it so we didn’t all have to get Fast Passes. The system needs a little work, but it was a nice timesaver. Another option they offer is the “Buddy Pass” system. If Fast Passes are confusing, this one is even trickier. Basically, if you are a group of 1,2, or 3 people OR would otherwise only take up 1 row on the ride, they will give you a special pass at some rides to enter through the exit and skip most of the line. You will still have to wait for some depending on the ride and, if your party is bigger than 3, you will get split up and have to wait on each other, but it was a HUGE timesaver and got us on rides we wouldn’t have gotten to ride otherwise. To give you an example of how we utilized it, we missed the Fast Passes for Toy Story Mania which is easily one of the most popular rides at California Adventure. Because we have a 7-year old (the Magic age for riding alone) we were able to go through the exit and ride in 3 groups: 7-year old alone, Dad with 2 kids, and Mom with a baby and a kid. We waited for a total of 20 minutes for a ride with a 2-hour wait and no available Fast Passes!!!
9. Regarding Fast Passes, again:
If there’s a ride you MUST ride, get your Fast Passes ASAP. We didn’t do this and almost missed out on what ended up being our favorite ride (Toy Story Mania)
10. A couple of notes on parking….
It is $25 a day. There’s no way around this. 2 days, we parked in the Simba lot next to the Paradise Pier Hotel and loved it! We had to walk through Downtown Disney to get to the park, but we loved stopping at the Lego store, so that was ok. The 3rd day, we got there earlier and parked in the Woody lot and had to ride a shuttle. It dropped us right by the gates and was still ok. If you’re going through Downtown Disney and a)don’t want to walk all the way to the end or b) don’t want to wait in long lines at the entrance, catch the Monorail in Downtown Disney near the entrance and skip the lines. It drops you off at the Tomorrowland Station so you can start your day in the park without long entry lines!
11. Spending money. 
As far as cost goes, this is obviously very different family-to-family, but we took $500 on gift cards and spent every dollar. We spent about $300 in gas ( I won’t go into the drive there and back ?). Our tickets were much cheaper due to military pricing and we found an AirB&B that slept 6 for about $150/night that was a few blocks away. Overall, after snacks and pre-trip purchases, we spent a little under our $3k budget for a 3-day trip!
12. A few last quick tips.
Go at opening to get on the big rides faster, the rainy day parade is just like 12 characters in a trolley car and absolutely not worth it, keep your eyes peeled for characters all throughout the park and not just at their designated places, and if you’ve dreamed of seeing the castle your entire life, make sure it isn’t under construction ???♀️??♀️
Overall, the trip was fantastic! The car ride was 17 hours there (we hit a blizzard) and 20 hours back (we HAD to stop to sleep), but it was cheaper than flying and the kids did ok with movies and singing and snacks. We enjoyed our time so much that we’re considering a Legoland trip soon, but then again, we’re a bit insane!!!
Want some ideas for making the road trip? The Truth About Roadtripping With Kids
