24 Tips & Tricks for Your Next Disneyland Trip (if You're on a Budget)

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After going to Disneyland and DCA 3 times over the past 5 months, I have a pretty good list of tips and tricks you all can use on your next trip to Disneyland.

A few things to note, though:

1. This is not an end-all-be-all list of tips and tricks to use for your Disneyland trip - there are many other blogs and YouTube channels to turn to that have plenty of other tips & tricks
2. Since Disneyland California is the only Disney park I've visited, these are more Disneyland-esque/related (but I'm sure you can apply these tips in one way or another to other Disney Parks)

I have also done a YouTube video on the topic, which is linked below!

The first 19 (?) tips are the ones I talked about in the video, so I won't go into too much detail on those.

Tip 1: Get to the park as early as possible, preferably around rope drop.

Tip 2: Have a portable charger (or even 2, depending on the size of your group, or if you use your phone a lot).

Tip 3: Bring any hygiene products you need.

Tip 4: Have a change of clothes, even if it's just for comfort

Tip 5: Have extras of things

Tip 6: Rent a locker if possible/convenient

Tip 7: Plan regular breaks

Tip 8: Have a reusable/refillable water bottle from home

Tip 9: Remember to eat

Tip 10: Pack snacks from home

Tip 11: Bring a meal from home (optional, and if convenient)

Tip 12: Mobile order whenever possible

Tip 13: Have a rough idea of what you want to eat

Tip 14: Have a set budget, and then give yourself a grace window

Tip 15: Utilize Disney Genie + (I know, it sucks you have to pay for it)

Tip 16: Have something to do on your phone (games, ebooks, audiobooks, etc) for the longer wait times

Tip 17: Put your phone on low power mode

Tip 18: Have "Background App Refresh" & "Background Sounds" Off (iPhone specifically, go to settings & put those into the search bar)

Tip 19: Clear up as much space on your phone beforehand

The next 5 tips (Tips 20-24) I will discuss more, and they're specifically budget-friendly tips for if you're on a stricter budget. Tips 10, 11, and 13 can really help with this as well.

Tip 20: Put your budget onto Disney gift cards.

This can really help if you have a stricter budget. It gives you a more set monetary number of what not to go over unless absolutely necessary. And, if you have small children, give them a gift card of their budget (calling it "Disney Magic Allowance") for them to feel more responsible/"adult." Disney Gift Cards go up to 500 USD.

The only reason I recommend using Disney gift cards and not other gift cards, like Visa gift cards, is that for most other general/generic gift cards that can be used/applied anywhere, you have to activate them ahead of time, and you may not always have the time, space, or ability to do it at any given moment (especially if your Disney trip is less than 24 hrs. away).

Tip 21: Have "spare" cash handy just in case.

Yes, you'll have a majority (if not all) of your budget on the Disney gift card(s). However, having some spare cash can help if they're having trouble with the gift card or if you do need to go slightly over budget.

Tip 22: If you're eating at a fancier, pricier restaurant, map out what you (& your group, if paying together) would want to eat and get prices from the corresponding theme park app.

I get it: it can be stressful looking at prices and adding it all up. But if you're going to a restaurant like The Blue Bayou, it's pricey, even on a bigger, less strict budget. So adding up ahead of time the appetizers, meals, and drinks you (& your group) may want will make it easier to budget your remaining budget. As an example, the meal I had at Blue Bayou on the 18th was around $85, so that was $85 less I had to spend on other things (snacks, other meals, souvenirs, etc.) - and I knew this ahead of time by looking at the menu and (roughly) planning what I wanted.

Tip 23: When going through stores, hold off on buying everything you like.

You do not have to buy everything you like in the on-property stores. Limit yourself to 1-2 items from each store the first time you go through, and take photos of anything else you like. At the end of your day, go back to those stores (if you have enough remaining budget after the trip is done), and see if you really want it. You can also ask cast members if it's a seasonal item or if it'll be regularly restocked.

Tip 24: Limit yourself (& family/group, if applicable) to a certain amount of in-park-bought snacks.

I know it sucks to not be able to get that second Dole Whip or third churro, but this is why Tip 10 (packing snacks from home) and Tip 11 (bringing a meal from home) helps. As sucky as this is, if you have snacks from home, it's less money spent on snacks and more money for a meal or other souvenirs. And if you pack a meal, that's another $20-30/meal that can go towards one in-park-bought meal and more souvenirs.

YouTube video

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