It’s true what they say; Disney really is the happiest place on Earth. Kids of all ages flock to Disney parks year after year to soak in the magic and meet their favorite characters, be dazzled by high-quality shows, eat ice cream shaped like Mickey Mouse, see some of the best fireworks displays imaginable and ride thrilling rides that can only be found at Disney parks.
The theme parks aim to separate you from your money and keep you there as long as possible, but there are ways to get the most out of your trip to make it more enjoyable and affordable.
The Parks
Disneyland may not be a huge entity in size, but it makes up for it in awesomeness. With over 50 rides and attractions between Disneyland and California Adventure, there’s no shortage of things to hold your attention for several days at a time.
It’s also great that they are within throwing distance of one another and if you feel yourself dying of hunger on that long 100 yard walk between the two, you can veer into Downtown Disney to sit and refresh before journeying on.
Walt Disney World is a city unto itself. It claims to reside in Orlando, but in reality, Walt bought a plot of land so large that all of the resorts and theme parks belong to a “city” called Lake Buena Vista. It is virtually impossible to get around between the different parks and any non-Disney-owned hotels without a car here.
I wish it wasn’t true, but I’ve now done Orlando both with a car and without and without was a total nightmare. While there are free shuttles to the parks from each outlying hotel, they aren’t hotel operated and they only travel to and from each hotel once (or maybe) twice a day.
As far as acreage goes, Disneyland Paris (formerly known as EuroDisney) is very similar to Disneyland in California. They have some different rides and different takes on the same rides, like Space Mountain: Mission 2 where you actually go upside down.
You get Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril, which is also converted into a roller coaster (and awesome!) and Sleeping Beauty’s Castle, which is mostly the same, except for the giant animatronic dragon that breathes fire in the dungeon!
Instead of California Adventure and Downtown Disney, they have equivalents called Walt Disney Studios Park and Disney Village. Walt Disney Studios is more “Hollywood” themed and is closer to the feel of Hollywood Studios in Orlando. The rides and shows are a mash-up between Hollywood Studios and California Adventure and are enough to keep you entertained for most, if not all, of the day.
How to Save Money at the Parks
Purchase a Park Hopper ticket. These can save you money over buying individual day tickets and you can use the same one over the course of your visit. They just scan your fingerprint now, instead of the old school way they did it before where you needed to sign the back of the ticket and present ID each day. Much quicker. You still need your ticket for them to swipe and also to be able to use the FastPASS machines.
Save time by buying your tickets ahead of time. Don’t waste time in the ticket queue when you can go straight to the gate line! Like you really want to wait in one more line anyway. You can save money by buying your tickets online at various locations. Search online for promo codes, too.
I prefer to buy my tickets through the local AAA travel store, because I find they have the best deals, but you can also get Disneyland Park Hopper tickets through Costco and many credit unions sell discounted ones as well.
Carry snacks. I always recommend bringing snacks everywhere you go and Disney doesn’t mind. As long as whatever you bring isn’t in a glass container or alcohol, it’s okay by them. Bring in your own bottled water, too, and save $9 by not having to buy their souvenir cups.
Use public transportation. Disney shuttle buses are great and are much cheaper than the $12-14 it now costs to park in the Disney parking lot. Unless you have four or more people in your group, save the cash and gas. The shuttles leave every 15 minutes throughout the day until at least an hour before the park closes. There’s also the option of just walking, since there are so many hotels right across the street from the parks and main gate.
Once you get to the Walt Disney World parks, the shuttles between the other parks are very easy to use, but it is virtually impossible to get around between the different parks and any non-Disney-owned hotels without a car here on the off-season. The shuttles operate more frequently in the on-season (namely: Summer), but any other time, when it is cheaper to travel and less crowded, you are stuck to the schedule of each shuttle.
If you plan to leave before the park opens each morning and spend the entire day there and then leave right after closing, then the shuttles will work for you. If you like to be on your own schedule get a rental car. It will also end up saving you money over the cab/shuttle fee to and from the airport in the end.
Book a package deal at Disneyland Paris. The packages they offer are hard to pass up, because in between the hotel locations, free transportation to and from the parks and discount by bundling the hotel and park tickets together, you would be losing money if you stayed in Paris and took the Metro in each day, even if you had a rockin’ deal at a hotel in the city.
Normally, I’m not one to jump on the Disney hotel package bandwagon, but Disneyland Paris is really the exception. The exchange rate doesn’t impede on the bargain either and, since most resort rooms are equipped with bunk beds, it’s even better if you go as a family.
How to Save Time at the Parks
Use FastPASS. This can also save you much time and get you on more rides. The big and newest rides always have a line. Go first thing when you enter the park and get a FastPASS, even if there isn’t a line. If there isn’t a line, get on the ride, go do some other rides and then come back at your designated FastPASS time and do it again. If there IS a long line, go off and do some lesspacked stuff and then come back.
Get to the parks at least 30 minutes before opening. What’s the point? Well, there won’t be hoards of people waiting to get in yet and you’ll get first pick of the big rides when the gates open, freeing you up to do less popular rides in the middle of the day.
Make food reservations. Disney has a designated dining reservation number for each park (or you can do it online) to book a table anywhere that has waited tables. You can book up to 90 days in advance. This is especially important if you are dying to eat at a specific restaurant, because reserved tables get served before walk-ins, which means if you want to eat at Blue Bayou without waiting 45-50 minutes (when you could be doing other park activities), it’s best to make a reservation ahead of time.
Try to book your dining a little earlier than regular dining times, like lunch between 11-12 and dinner between 5-6. This will help you avoid the crowds, both while waiting to be seated and when you finish dining, because everyone will have realized they are hungry, too, and flee to a dining establishment. Woohoo! Shorter lines for you!
Avoid “Extra Magic Hour”. Guests staying at a Disney resort are entitled to the EMH each day at different designated parks. They get in an hour before the park officially opens to the public or get to stay an extra hour after the park closes to the public.
With a bit of planning, you can go to other parks instead and avoid the massive crowds at the EMH parks. You can find the EMH parks listed on the Disney website.
Go in the middle of the week. There will be fewer parades and you’ll have to schedule your day around special attractions, but the parks will certainly be less crowded during the week than on the weekends and you’ll have shorter lines and be able to do more.
Make sure you plan your visit to the parks in advance, so you can see all the shows and parades you don’t want to miss and get to all the rides at least once. Schedules go up on the Disney websites at least 6 weeks out, and usually you can find old schedules if you want to start planning further ahead of time.
You’ll want to have at least one day for each park and an extra day to go back and hit things you missed or enjoy a relaxed day of riding your favorites again and getting a good spot for parades and other shows you may not have had the time to catch. Plus, multi-day passes are always a better deal than single-day tickets.
Cover photo: www.blogs.disney.com
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