Disneyland on the cheap

[Lenae]

Thanks again for all the responses. It's a little overwhelming right now, trying to figure everything out, but I really appreciate the advice and insight.

I'm already excited, and it's 2 years away, but I bet you folks can understand that. Thanks again!

 

[GrandBob]

Anyway my question is when is a cheap time to go hotel cost wise(need room for 5). This would be our 1st trip and we don't like large crowds but don't want to miss anything like the Matterhown due to refurbishments. we are open to going anytime from Jun-Aug or Oct., but would really prefer Nov.(would love to see some Christmas decor)

The best deal you're going to get is to book HoJo's when they offer their Retro Rates. 50% off, and it's a very nice hotel, with a fun water play area for the kiddies. It's our favorite. Take a look here for the dates it's available:

http://www.boards.hojoanaheim.com/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=29

 

[pixielizzie]

We have stayed at each of the onsite hotels !

 

[Brady's Mom]

We were thinnkig of doing DL next year but I priced out flights and it's only $1300 total for the 5 of us to fly from Philly to LA. this year instead. I assume that's a good price as it would cost me $1000 to take the autotrain back and forth to FL from VA to go to WDW(plus we have to drive to the station from PA.)
I can't decide if we should go to DL...wondering how my kids will do with such a long flight. Anyway my question is when is a cheap time to go hotel cost wise(need room for 5). This would be our 1st trip and we don't like large crowds but don't want to miss anything like the Matterhown due to refurbishments. we are open to going anytime from Jun-Aug or Oct., but would really prefer Nov.(would love to see some Christmas decor)

You could seriously consider the week AFTER Thanksgiving. It's still November (no Dec. crowds), crowds will be lower, hours will be somewhat shorter, Christmas/Holiday season will be in full swing, most (if not all) rides will be up and running and the parades and fireworks are (usually) shown every night. It's a great time to go. We are strongly considering going then. (I have hotel reservations....shhh...don't tell!)

 

[awdsmama]

The magic is in the moments you share together as a family, not in the souviners or expensive food!

So very true and I think that often gets lost..

(although the food and treats can add to the experience of course!)

 

[raftislander]

Thanks again for all the responses. It's a little overwhelming right now, trying to figure everything out, but I really appreciate the advice and insight.

I'm already excited, and it's 2 years away, but I bet you folks can understand that. Thanks again!

I looked around on the internet and so far it looks like this is the first year in many that Alaska Air is not doing a "kids fly free" promotion. I was hoping you could get a feeling for what one of these packages might cost. You are correct that for Disney a child is ages 3 to 9. My recollection was that that Alaska Air deemed you a kid until age 12, but I am a little foggy on that detail. I think you are wise to start looking at your options early while you are saving for the trip. Then when the time comes time to start booking reservations you will have lots of information about what is a good deal and what isnt.

 

[Midnightred]

My best tip and what I am so happy I did, was to buy a Disney Gift Card, and every paycheck I would load some money on it, anywhere from $50 to $100. This way, your tickets and all your food could possibly be paid for months ahead of time. Having a garage sale? Put the proceeds on the gift card. I had $350 spending money for three days which doesn't sound like alot, but it paid for dinner for 10 at the Plaza Inn, dinner for 3 at Blue Bayou, and breakfast at River Belle Terrace, desserts at Carnation Cafe, etc. And the best part is, I never missed it. I think it's also a good idea to purchase souvneirs the last day of the trip. I also brought my own paper plates, cups, water, and plasticwear to HOJO's which came in handy.

Midnightred

 

[taaren]

Adding my .$0.02 though you've already gotten some great advice ...

Is going in the off season a good idea? Why or why not?

We only go in "off season" though there isn't as much of an off-season as there used to be. We like the lower crowds despite the shorter hours, though if you do go off season make sure to include a weekend in your stay for the extra shows, etc. If I was coming from Alaska I'd aim for a winter trip to escape the cold. (My childhood best friend moved to Barrow 2 years ago ... she always comes to visit in the winter now!)

Staying on site... is it all that it's cracked up to be?

Yes, but ... if you're trying to do it on the cheap you can still have a fantastic trip off-site. The main advantage to staying on-site is that you never leave the Disney bubble. But it will still be substantially more than staying off-site and there are some cool off-site choices, especially if you are planning on a park-intensive rather than a resort-intensive vacation.

Family of four, what could we expect our costs to look like, off site vs. on site, off season vs. on season.

PPs have covered the ranges for off-site, but if you really wanted to stay on-site one of the cheapest ways to do it would be to rent DVC points and stay in a studio at the Villas at the Grand Californian. Off-season studios run 17 points/night and generally rent for $10-$12 per point, so from $170-200/night taxes/fees/parking inclusive, though the main drawback is you have to book really far in advance (11 months is best) and there's not a whole lot of room to cancel, particularly in the last 30 days before the reservation. There's points charts on this site as well as a sticky on the DVC rental board if you want to know more about the process (also feel free to PM me). This isn't me advertising, btw, even though I own since I never seem to have enough points for myself! Just a thought in case staying on-site is something that you think would make the trip extra awesome for you to be worthwhile to spend the extra $$ on.

I've been to Disneyland a few times. I was 5 years old the first time I went, and it was pure magic for me. We stayed off site and did everything as inexpensive as we could, and I never knew any differently. That's why I'm sort of leaning towards doing it cheaply. However, I know a lot of things have changed in the last 20 years, and if it is really worth it to spend the extra money and get all the extras, then my husband and I will definitely consider it. We live on a remote island in Alaska, and our flights are going to cost an arm and a leg as it is, so if we could keep it relatively inexpensive, that would be ideal. However, I don't want to feel like I cheated my kids out of the whole experience, you know?

Your kids will be ecstatic to be going to Disneyland. You'll remember where you stayed, but odds are good a few years down the road that they won't. I have fond memories of the trips my friends and I did "on the cheap" the first few years we went when were younger and couldn't afford the extras, and those trips were what inspired us to keep going back later on and spend even more time at Disney bonding.

 

[EKW]

I don't have a lot of experience, but I would strongly caution against going in the off season. In fact, the off season changes from year-to-year, so you need to be aware of show and parade schedules for the time you want to go. In 2005 they were running the summer schedule at the end of May. In 2009 the summer schedule didn't start until mid-June. I was very disappointed to find out that we weren't going to get to see shows...or even fireworks...during our visit.

As far as cost, we were in CA for five days...3.5 days at Disneyland Resort...and the total cost including plane fare, a day's car rental, our hotel, and park tickets...was about $1200.

My cheap tips: As others say, use the HoJo's Entertainment rate. Use Supershuttle...the Entertainment book usually has coupons for them, too. Contact both the Anaheim and Orange County Visitor's Centers. They may have coupon books to send you...and the Anaheim site had printable coupons. Things like 20% off at the McDonalds there on Harbor. Every little bit helps!

If you stay at HoJo's you'll have a fridge in your room. With small kids, you should be able to have them share a suitcase, and take your fourth suitcase with food from home. I take cereal, breakfast bars, summer sausage and cheese that can be left unrefrigerated during the travel time, cream of wheat and dry soups that can be reconstituted with hot water from the coffee pot, crackers, individual peanutbutter packets, juice boxes, and things like plastic utensils, cups, and bowls. On one trip I took aseptically packaged milk and bottled Carnation breakfast drinks. If you stay at HoJo's you can buy fresh fruit, yogurt, milk, etc. in their little shop. We ate breakfast in our room every day except the day we went to Goofy's.

If you aren't a member of Mimi's e-club, join it about 2 weeks before your trip. You'll get a coupon for a free appetizer...or, you did when we went the first time. Watch Mimi's for other sales that may be going on during your trip.

Check the websites for the restaurants at Downtown Disney. We got a great deal at the ESPN Zone when we went in 2005.

Also, when in the parks, know that ice water is free. I control costs by insisting that my kids have no more than one soda a day while we're in the parks. Not only is it healthier, at the crazy cost for soda, if you have soda twice a day it will cost your family nearly $50!

Finally, give each kiddo a Disney gift card to be used for their souvenirs of choice. My kids know I'll buy them a pair of ears each trip. I've always bought them a t-shirt each, too. After that, they have to spend their own money. I also make the rule that they can't buy anything on the first day of the trip. That way they have a chance to know what's out there and make an informed choice. I've been surprised at what they've chosen. Their takes have included a Peter Pan bow and arrow set, a pirate sword, popcorn, charms for a necklace, and a CD of park music. My kids never bug me for "stuff", and I know ahead of time how much we'll be spending on souvenirs!

 

[disneychrista]

It is much less expensive to stay off site. Try picking a hotel that has a fridge & microwave so that you can pack your own snacks & breakfast (if the hotel doesn't offer one).

If you really want to cut down on expensive you could bring in a sack luch for yourselves or at the very least bring in your own snacks. My daughter has a special diet so we bring in all her food.

Make sure the kids know in advance how much you are willing to spend on souvieners/extras. Wait until the last day to buy everything (except Mickey ears/hats since the fun is wearing them at the parks).

 

[Malcon10t]

Unless I want to stay at a specific place, I always use Priceline for hotel rooms, and I always get something good for incredibly cheap. For example, for this trip, we are going President's Day week- I got 3 nights at a 3 star hotel within a mile of the park for $50 a night doing the "name your own price option".

Just a warning, they only guarantee bedding for 2 people. So, if you have 5, you could run into problems if all the hotel had was a king bed. (Or like one place we did and it was 1 queen bed.)

 

[sasywtch]

As a single parent years ago, I wanted to go on the cheap. We still had the best time. We stayed at the Anaheim Plaza, it was 59 a night, now it's 79 a nite. It's on the next block so easy walking distance. They do not have a free breakfast but they do have a microwave and refrigerator, 2 large queen beds.
I agree with another poster, we pack one suitcase with cereal, granola bars, snacks and I made muffins and put them in a tupperware so they didn't get smashed. Bought milk and juice down there. While adults are getting ready, kids can eat and vice versa. I priced out the hotel/motels with breakfast and what I spent supplies. Most motels with breakfast were 25-30 more a night. I spent 5 a day for breakfast supplies so saved 20-25 a day.

I also took goldfish, peanut butter/crackers, package of cookies with ziplock baggies and each morning packed a treat for the kids. Oldest son had a backpack so they went in there. Each kid had a baggie with their treat.
I did budget for 1 treat each a day inside the parks because even though I say we won't buy one, they look too good not to. However, that is our splurge. Treats like that are important to us, whereas staying onsite is i46mportant to others. We are also counter service family so that saves us some money. I also had one of those bottle holder straps I had bought at WDW years before so carried around a water bottle and refilled it for free.
When budgeting today (going in July) I figure $24 for adults to eat a day (12 for lunch, 12 for dinner includes 2 sodas) and 5 for a treat so I round off to 30 a day per adult. $18 for kid to eat and 5 for treat so $23. 60 for adults a day +46 for kids a day 104 a day x how many days you will be there.

Since there is a McD's, you could buy a few McD cards at your local McD every 6 months to take with you. A few times when we left the parks in the afternoon, we stopped by there to get an ice cream or hamburgers to take back to the room. I know it sounds silly but I started doing it 16 years ago with Ronald dollars I'd take my kids to McD's had an extra 5 left so figured I'd never go deposit it in my vacation fund so I bought Ronald dollars and had a stack of them put away for vacation. I also bought my kids Disney Dollars (no longer available but gift cards are). I gave them to them for Christmas, birthday and Easter for their souvenir money. Now I give my grandkids a "note" and buy them a card and add $$ for their birthday, Christmas and then give it to them on Easter.

The place where I forgot to budget when we flew to WDW was for the snacks/food at the airport, parking at the airport and magazines we bought there. So don't forget that.

I take after my late father. We had $$ but he still went for bargains. I am like that to this day. I love going on the cheap but our downfall are the snacks and the little "gotta haves" in the souvenir shops.

You mentioned you were fearful your kids wouldn't have the experience staying offsite. My kids have gone way too many times as a child and as adults. We have stayed a few times in the Disney Hotel and to be honest, they have the same great experience on Harbor Blvd. They just want to get to the parks. The pool at Anaheim Plaza is nothing but a large pool but my kids just wanted to splash around anyway so they were ok with it.

I hope you do decide to go and have a wonderful trip. Since this got me in the mood, I'm going to go figure out my budget for my July trip and start buying my Chevron gas cards. Oh don't forget if you drink coffee like I do, you get refills at the store on Main St if you save your receipt.