How much does it really cost to spend a day in Disneyland?

[sheetz]

I can go either way with park hoppers, but I personally feel that if you're going to spend more than one day at the parks then you will want to splurge for a hotel room. Even a cheap one a few miles away is fine. You really don't want to have drive back and forth between Anaheim and Riverside every day.

 

[Winnowill]

I don't know about Universal Studios. I don't think Disneyland will let you take full on meals, but they will let you take snacks for sure.

DL will allow most food as long as it's assembled and not in anything glass. That is, you can't bring a loaf of bread and packages of lunch meat and cheese, but you can definitely bring a sandwich.

 

[sandrawendy1995]

I'm going to DL for the first time ever (and SOLO) and this thread helped a lot! Thanks y'all. I thought $100 a day should suffice

 

[whoever]

Hello everyone,

New member here
I'm considering to take my wife to Disneyland as a birthday gift, it's been almost 20 years since the last time I went there and I was 8 years old back then so at that age I didn't realize how much things cost, also, things are way more expensive nowadays.

So, straight to the point, I would like to know from someone who has gone recently: in average, how much does it cost to spend a day in Disneyland L.A.?

Don't hesitate in going into detail, I mean: What did you do? Besides the entry ticket, did you spend money in other kind of things?
Anything you can tell me so I can get an idea of how much money it is needed.

Thank you in advance =)

I can't tell you individually, but I can say we spend between 1200-1300/day for a Disneyland trip all-in for my family of 5 driving from AZ and staying onsite. If you divided that by 5, I suppose $250 is a good figure.

 

[KimberMama]

What a thoughtful birthday surprise

One thing I would consider is that while Riverside may be about 45-60 minutes from Disneyland with very little traffic, there are very few times when that works out. On weekdays, if DL opens at 8AM you'll still find traffic on the freeways at 6AM, and if they open at 9AM and you wait an hour to start out (leaving around 7), it's even worse. Even weekends can be bad. I'm a little farther out (about 10 minutes from the outskirts of Riverside), but if on Saturday we leave around 6:30 we almost never make 8AM rope drop, and that is using the toll lanes. 6AM on Saturday is when we have to leave for an 8AM rope drop (and sometimes that means changing plans and walking through DTD because security and trams lines are so long at M&F that even CMs advise walking in). On weekdays if you want to make rope drop I'd leave at 5AM and hope for the best (yes, there can be traffic at 5AM even on weekdays), and then if you are plenty early you can grab breakfast in DTD.

Coming home shouldn't be a problem if you are leaving after 7PM.

Speaking of breakfast, we usually choose not to eat that meal in the parks, either eating at home and bringing morning snacks, or getting something in DTD at Starbucks or Jamba Juice. Beignets at Jazz Kitchen Express would be a great breakfast and are a special treat that I wouldn't miss.

You absolutely can bring meals, they just ask that you use the picnic area right outside of the park. While some people don't care for it and choose to take up tables inside the parks, I actually love to use the picnic area when we take a meal, as it is quiet and lovely.

I see some recommendations for Blue Bayou as a special surprise, and I have to say that if you are on a tight budget, I would skip it. At the minimum, I would make the reservation for the last day of your stay so you can cancel it within 24 hours if your wife decides it isn't in the budget. One meal at BB could cost as much as QS for all three meals. The food is alright, but not something that will still with me as some of the best restaurant meals I've ever had. You have to accept that you are paying for the experience more than the food. If you do choose BB, go at lunch and have the Monte Cristo sandwich (but you can also get that at Cafe Orleans, for less, and it is still huge enough to share). I do think it is possible to pay a split plate charge and come away spending less.

I think one of the best value restaurants is Rancho Del Zocalo; you can split one of the bigger meals (like the half chicken) and still come away feeling like you had a full meal. Plus there are soda refills. Smokejumpers in DCA is also a good value as you can add as many burger toppings as you like, or even make a little salad to go with your burger. I can't eat the bun, so a CM suggested I order a hamburger patty as a side and then add toppings.

Flo's Cafe in DCA has one of the least expensive breakfast options, but honestly, it has been years since we had a good lunch or dinner meal there Even last month we had a bad experience.

I know everyone is going to have opinions. I just want to say that any day at Disneyland is a great day, whether we can afford Blue Bayou and expensive souvenirs, or have to bring a picnic lunch and choose a pressed penny to remember the day. Take a lot of photos and have fun!

 

[Angrose]

You are a wonderful husband to surprise your wife with his trip! I wish my DH would do that for me! You have already received a lot of great tips I can see. I wanted to let you know about LMTClub.com for discount Disneyland tickets. A two day, one park per day ticket is only $180 on their site compared to $199 direct from Disney. They will email you a voucher that you exchange for your tickets when you get there. You have to join their website and there is a fee to join, but you can often find promo codes online. I just found one for a free membership. The promo code is TRIVAGO1. They often have good hotel rates as well. I just booked the BW Stovall's Inn for $60/nt in mid-June and it includes breakfast!
I hope you have a wonderful trip!

 

[VandVsmama]

You've received a lot of great feedback so far! You're going to have a great time. For our family, we've found that budgeting for $50/person per day for food works out well. It gives you the flexibility of getting a treat/snack while you're there. Plus if you want to eat a sit down restaurant, you could do that without breaking the bank.

Go to http://allears.net/dlr/dining/menus.htm for a list of all of the DL menus and prices. You can eliminate ~$6/meal for the 2 of you by only drinking water and not getting soda or bottled water. Bring a water bottle with you into the parks (just not glass). Refill it by asking for cups of free ice water at counter service restaurants.

If this is a surprise birthday trip for your wife, I think that if you can, you really SHOULD factor in some money in your travel budget for souvenirs. You can do it on the cheap and figure $50 for the 2 of you combined...so, for example, that would get you a couple of pins and a set of silhouettes from the silhouette shop on Main Street.

Plus don't forget free souvenirs like getting your wife a "First Visit" button at City Hall.

I've driven to DL from Riverside before. In order to avoid sitting in bumper to bumper rush hour traffic, I left Riverside around 8:30-8:45 am. Arrived at the Toy Story lot at 10:00 am. By the time I got into the parks, it was about 10:20 am.

Driving back at night (not in rush hour traffic) will also take an hour once you get to the DL parking lot.

 

[BippityBoop]

I just want to add that we went on a budget trip once, got local fast food off the grounds for dinner, ate breakfast and sandwiches in our hotel that we brought, bought no souvenirs or ride photos.

It was our most miserable trip! We were just so bummed. The sweet smell of churros...none for us. That hilarious ride photo...had to pass. We didn't even bother going into souvenir shops because why bother. What we realized in hindsight is that ALL of that adds to the experience. Even just walking through the gift shops is an experience of itself.

So my advice to anyone (not necessarily OP) who is on a tight budget is to consider waiting and saving a litttle bit more so you can truly enjoy yourself. I wish we would have just waited.

 

[BippityBoop]

Also, to Jesus, there's something new (new since 1998) called the Disney PhotoPass that is like a plastic card that photographers and rides can link all your photos to for one flat price. Definitely a really cool souvenir. Google Disney Magic Shots, and if you get the pass, ask for them. Have fun!