…how do we make the trip affordable? What are your tips?
Here goes. Remember - your mileage may vary. My family has been travelling to Disney destinations for over a decade, in all stages of our lives. We like to go for as inexpensive as possible to maximize how long we can stay, and saving for the next Disney vacation or vacations to non-Disney locations. (*Gasp* there is more to the world than Disney?!) But that doesn't mean it's always "cheap" and "cheap" has a different meaning for everyone.
Travel to Anaheim from Washington takes about 18 hours. To
save the most money, break the trip up into 2 long travel days, and you’ll only
need 1 overnight on the way there and back. Stopping in Redding is the best
middle point. 2 rooms or 1 suite will probably be 100-150 dollars if you look
for the best bargain. You can also search for another stopping location that
might offer greater savings on a room, Sacramento perhaps.Once in Anaheim there are some options for places to stay, but it is recommended to stay within walking distance.
Shuttles are not as convenient as you have to wait on them and travel back to your resort takes longer than simply walking down the convenient pedestrian path any time you want. There should be something in the $150 range to accommodate a family of 6. You can try for 2 rooms on hotwire, but you won’t be guaranteed connecting rooms. For full flexibility, use Google maps to search for your accommodation. You can type in your destination (“Disneyland, CA”) and also type in “accommodations” or use the “search nearby” feature. Now zoom in to the area you want to stay at and mouse over the red dots. You’ll be able to find reviews and quickly find the hotel website this way and narrow your possibilities while giving yourself valuable location information. The road you want to stay on is S. Harbor Blvd. from Katella north to the freeway (the farthest North I would go is the Howard Johnson). All of those locations are within easy walking distance. Some will have suites, some not. The Desert Inn and is a place I have stayed at personally, and fits the bill for a Disney vacation when you just need a place to sleep. They have a parlor suite that will fit a family of 6. Make sure to check out tripadvisor reviews along with Google reviews. They are not always the same. You can look outside the area I mentioned but remember that there will be a parking fee of about 15 dollars per day. Check the parking at the hotel too. Some of them run 20 dollars a day, but most of the motels along S. Harbor Blvd in that block I mentioned do not charge.
Tickets into the park are expensive, and there aren’t many
discounts. It may be tempting to use craigslist or eBay, but I highly
discourage this. Most likely the tickets are good, but there really is no way
to tell. If someone has a ticket that has remaining days left on it, you won’t
know how many days are there till you swipe the ticket and it says it’s
expired…so you will have to trust it, but more than likely it will add more
stress to your vacation because you’ll always wonder. Plus…most Disneyland
tickets expire within 14 days after first use…so, unused days are worthless.
But most importantly, it’s against ticket policy to transfer tickets to another
user. They do use a fingerprint scanner that connects you to the ticket, so if
you were to try and use another ticket, it won’t allow you in. Big bummer to
your vacation if you get there and can’t get in, forcing you to buy another
round of tickets. So…enough with the warnings, just don’t do it. Buy tickets
from Disney, or a ticket broker. Mousesavers.com has information on known
ticket deals, and sometimes has a link for another discount for using the link,
usually 1 or 2 dollars per ticket savings, not a lot. Sometimes you can get a
discount at a Wal-Mart or other type store in Southern California. If you can’t
find substantial savings, you can always wait till you arrive to buy. One other
source of discount is AAA. If you already have it, give them a call, and
usually you can get 5-10% off. If you don’t and you’re driving, and you’re
concerned about break-downs…the cost of membership and savings on tickets may
break even on the purchase. Just check all the sources, Disney, ticket brokers,
Costco, and AAA. Disney does run their own specials at times, sometimes
everyone at kids’ price, or one day free, or discount for advance purchase.
Eating in the park doesn’t have to be as expensive as one
might think. Kids’ meals at the counter service restaurants are reasonable.
Research menus to educate yourself on prices and servings and you will know
where to eat and what the cost will be. I would use allears.net – the menus are
listed in the dining section. Eat the hotel breakfast or get some granola bars
and fruit at a store to have for breakfast each morning, pack snacks, and eat at
counter service areas. Turkey legs are big and fun, but messy, and still
expensive (about 7 dollars-which is about the price of a meal at some locations).
I recommend them as a novelty, one of those things that make Disney special. I would suggest the baked potatoes near the
princess meet and greet, the bakery, and cups of chili, gumbo or other soups as
big snack items or light lunches in the park. There is a Target with some food
stuff just south of Katella. Snacks and bag lunches are allowed in the park,
you just can’t bring in a cooler.
With gas, an overnight on the way there and the way back,
tickets, hotel and food, about $3000 dollars. My figure for flying is just about
the same including airport transfer. Check airfares from Seattle and PDX to
LAX, SNA and LGB. You’d need to put the littlest as a lap child.
Some more Disney tips coming up.
Resources:
This is wonderful info, thank you so much!
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