Disney Travel Archives - Gather Lemons

Honest Reviews of all the Hotels we’ve used around Disneyland

Christy — Sun, 14 Sep 2025 16:20:26 +0000

We have taken over 50 trips to Disneyland and we’ve stayed at a number of different hotels around the Disneyland resort. I am sharing my honest thoughts on all the hotels we have stayed at over the years. When it comes to booking the hotel for our Disneyland trips I always check the package deals through Get Away Today, because they always seem to have the lowest prices. I highly recommend checking Get Away Today for package deals or tickets only.

I often get asked if I think staying at a Disneyland hotel is worth the extra cost. I think it’s fun to stay at a Disneyland hotel at least once or twice, but we mostly choose the good neighbor hotels around the resort for a couple of reasons. One, we don’t really spend much time in our hotel, we prefer to hang out at the Disney Parks or at the beach. Second, the prices of the Disneyland hotels are substantially higher, we prefer to go for a less expensive hotel which leaves extra money for Disney treats, meals and souvenirs. We can also make more trips to Disneyland each year by choosing hotels that are less expensive.

When we started our Disney trips we had a family of 7, since some of our older kids have headed off to college we don’t need large rooms anymore. Plus, many of our trips have just been my husband and I (Yes! We do take kidless trips to Disneyland). You will find that many of these hotels have room options that work well for large families. My favorite hotel that fits 8 is the Grand Legacy (3 room suite). My favorite hotel for 5 is the Fairfield Inn or Tropicana Inn & Suites.

If I had to narrow down my top hotel choices, it would be these hotels, most of which are within very close walking distance. It really is a huge plus not to have to drive, park or ride a shuttle into the parks.

Grand Californian Hotel & Spa – If it’s in the budget, this is such an amazing hotel to stay at, the location can’t be beat and we love the perk of getting into the parks 30 minutes before everyone else.
The Westin Anaheim Resort – This hotel is absolutely stunning! They have some amazing rooms with views of DCA.
Grand Legacy at the Park – The walking distance from this hotel is super easy, they have family suites which are great for large families and they have one of the nicest pools of the hotels on Harbour Blvd.
Fairfield Inn – We love this location for it’s proximity and the fact that there is a Panera Bread in the parking lots which makes breakfast super easy. We also love the fact that it’s a Marriott hotel and we can use our Marriott rewards to get free stays.
Tropicana Inn – This is a great hotel that is fairly easy on the budget and it is one of the closest hotels to the entrance to Disneyland.
Courtyard by Marriott Anaheim Theme Park Entrance – This is a great hotel with plenty of room for everyone. The rooms also have a microwave which is really handy. Kids will love the waterpark and pool!

Disneyland Hotels

Grand Californian Hotel & Spa (5 times) – This hotel is amazing as far as location and ambiance. I love the huge open lobby and the atmosphere with the fireplace and the Craftsman decor. The restaurant selection is great! We love the Craftsman Grill for quick meals and Storyteller’s Cafe for sit down meals. The pool is wonderful. The rooms are lighter and brighter since the remodel and I really like them. The showers are amazing! Each room has a refrigerator and you can find a microwave on each level near the ice machine. Many rooms have amazing views of California Adventure from the balcony, but you will pay extra for those. This hotel is an amazing option if you have the funds and if you have small children, taking them back to the room for a nap is so easy. Keep in mind this hotel does not have tubs, they only have showers. The customer service is great, everyone was very friendly. The pool was only open until 8pm when we visited in January, which is a bummer, because we were hoping to sit in the hot tub after a long day at the parks. I know the pool hours are extended in the summer, but it’s something to check when you are visiting. This is probably my absolute favorite hotel around Disneyland, but the price is often a deal breaker for me. I’d prefer to stay at a less expensive hotel to allow for more trips.

Disneyland Hotel (4 times) – This hotel is completely magical! The rooms are stunning! I love all the little Disney touches you can find around the room and though out the entire hotel. This my favorite of all the Disneyland hotels as far as the rooms and the grounds. The floor to ceiling windows give you a great view and let in a lot of light. In addition to the property being amazing, the restaurant selection here is great too. We love Goofy’s Kitchen for character breakfast and Tangaroa Terrace is a great option too. The only drawback that I see (and it won’t be a drawback for everyone) is the fact that the pool is only about 4 feet deep. This is great if you have little ones, but we were traveling with 4 teens and they weren’t all that impressed with the pool.

Villas at Disneyland Hotel (once) – We stayed in a Deluxe Studio, which had a queen bed and a pull down queen bed and a little kitchenette. The decor and amenities of the room are gorgeous! They also have 1, 2 and 3 bedroom villas that include full-size kitchens and sleep quite a few people. You get access to an exclusive pool and cute Steamboat Willie splash pad. I love the fact that everything at this hotel is new and pretty. Even the walk down the hallways is gorgeous! The staff at the Disneyland hotel is always top notch.

NEW! Pixar Place Hotel (once/twice when it was previously Paradise Pier Hotel) – The theming throughout the hotel is so well done! The rooms include some truly stunning artwork and the service we experienced from cast members was exceptional. One of our favorite things about this hotel was the private entrance into Disney’s California Adventure. This park entrance is exclusive to guests of the Pixar Place hotel which means you most likely won’t wait in any lines at all. We literally walked right through security! It’s less than a 10 minute walk away lets you in right next to Goofy’s Sky School. Majorly convenient! However, it’s important to note that you can only enter through here before 12:00 pm. You can exit through here any time of day though. They also have a great pool area! It’s situated on a rooftop on the third floor and includes a snack shack, plenty of lounging area, and a decent sized pool! The only major downside is the elevator situation. You cannot access the stairwell from the first floor and the elevators run on a unique system that means you’ll likely be waiting a while. It was a common gripe amongst all guests. We bonded with a few strangers in the lobby over how long it takes to grab an elevator.

Super Easy Walking Distance

We have found that we love staying within walking distance so we don’t have to bother with parking. The hotels with an easy walking distance to Disneyland are always the hotels I check first. These hotels are located on Harbour Boulevard across the street from the entrance to the Disney Parks.

Courtyard by Marriott Anaheim Theme Park Entrance (once) I have been wanting to stay at this hotel for awhile, I have heard so many great things from other people. The rooms are very nice with plenty of room. You can find either a king bed or two queens & then most rooms also have bunk beds for the kids. There are also two showers in the rooms too!. We have a room with a view and could actually see the Disneyland fireworks from our balcony. The service was great, and there is a Bistro restaurant open for breakfast, lunch and dinner within the hotel. We love to take advantage of the Panera bread that is super close by, we just order our breakfast and stop by before we head to Disneyland. The pool and waterpark is still by reservation only and that’s a little difficult because it’s not always easy to plan pool time on your Disney days. We wanted to go in the hot tub after a day in the park and unfortunately there wasn’t any openings. If you are driving, valet parking is the only option at this property. This hotel is still a super option if you are looking for something a little nicer than most of the hotels on Harbour Blvd.

Fairfield Inn (7 times) – This is probably the hotel we like the best and use the most. The location is great and the rooms have 2 queen beds and one fold out loveseat so it makes it super easy to sleep 5 people. Many rooms at other hotels only sleep 4. The showers at this hotel are nice, too many other hotels have very low water pressure. There is a Panera Bread in the parking lot (this is a huge plus for us)! We have a Marriott Rewards/credit card so we can often times stay here with our points. There are 2 different rooms at this hotel. You can get a standard room or a deluxe room with a view (the photo above is a deluxe room). Save your money and just go for the standard room. I don’t feel the view is really worth the extra cost.

Best Western Park Place Inn (2 times) – The rooms aren’t over the top amazing, but they are comfortable and there is plenty of space. The staff here is amazing and super friendly. My husband had to make a copy for something business related and he went down to ask if they had a business center so he could make copies. They did not, but they said they would be happy to make the copies for him on their copier. Every time we walked by the desk they would greet us with a great big smile. I am so impressed with the employees here! One drawback is the pool is teeny tiny. If we know we are going to want to swim, I usually skip this hotel because of the pool. Breakfast is free here, but honestly it wasn’t all that impressive and I mostly just stuck to a granola bar in our room.

Grand Legacy at the Park (7 times) There are a couple of reasons we really like this hotel, one of which is they have great options for larger families. Twice now we have stayed in the three room suite, which fits our family of 7 perfectly. The pool at this hotel is a nice size too, it’s much bigger than the other hotels within walking distance. They also have a free snack in the morning, they give you a piece of fruit, granola bar, crackers & a water bottle in a lunch sack.

Tropicana Inn & Suites (5 times) – We recently stayed at the Tropicana Inn & Suites and we will be adding this to our list of Disneyland hotels we will use on a regular basis. The room had a refrigerator and a microwave in the room. It’s not common to find microwaves in hotels near the Disneyland resort. Our room had a King bed and a sleeper chair. They do offer 2 queen beds and a sleeper chair, which makes it a great option if you have 5 members in your family. This hotel is just across the street from the main entrance to Disneyland. I love that it is super close, which is a huge perk. The pool was a little on the small side, so keep that in mind if your family wants to do some swimming.

Anaheim Desert Inn & Suites (once) – This location is fantastic! Just a stone’s throw from the entrance to Disneyland, this is a great place to stay if you enjoy taking breaks in the middle of the day and don’t want a long trek back to your hotel or dislike waiting for a shuttle. While this place may have a coveted spot on Harbor Blvd, the room itself wasn’t exactly top-tier. The shower was old and lightly stained and the beds left much to be desired. Not only that, but the pool was small and located indoors, which definitely feels strange for a place like California. But at the end of the day, this hotel is on the more affordable end, and you get what you pay for. Besides, most of your day is probably spent in the parks anyways, so if you want a great location for a great price, and are willing to give up some of the “luxuries” associated with hotels, this is a good spot! Also, worth noting they have some family suites that can sleep 8-10 people.

Howard Johnson (once) – We finally booked a stay at the Howard Johnson! We’ve been wanting to try this hotel for awhile. The staff was very friendly, We stayed in one of their newly updated rooms and we loved the decor and the layout of the room. The room had a refrigerator and a microwave which is very handy. If you have small children you will love having access to the Pirate’s Cove water playground that is included with your stay. The pool is decent size compared to some of the other hotels that are within walking distance. The one problem we experienced during our stay was the fact that the internet was really bad, most of the time we couldn’t get it to work at all. I did love the fact that we could place on online order for breakfast from Panera & pick it up on our walk to the park.The walk to the parks is about 8 minutes, so not bad at all.

Moderate Walking Distance

The Westin Anaheim Resort (once) – This hotel might be my all time favorite stay at Disneyland, the hotel is stunning! It’s great to have a luxury hotel near the Disneyland resort. Our room had a balcony with an absolutely amazing view of Disney California Adventure. This hotel really felt more like a resort destination. The pool area has plenty of loungers. If you are one that loves to workout even while on vacation you will love their exercise room, they have thought of everything! They have a cool roof-top bar. You can add “club level” at this hotel for the fee of $150 a day, which gives 4 people access to the club lounge which serves breakfast, snacks and more. You also gain access to the patio where you can view the the nighttime fireworks at Disneyland. This hotel is about a mile away from Disneyland, so it’s not a super easy walk, but totally doable!

Four Points by Sheraton (2 times) – I was very impressed with this hotel. The rooms were nice and the walking distance wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. It’s a straight walk on the sidewalk (over the freeway overpass), you are already on the side of Disneyland, so you won’t need to cross over Harbor Boulevard. One of the things I liked the most about this hotel is that the pool was open 24 hours. Often times when you get back from Disneyland the kids want to swim in the pool (no matter how late it is) or you want to sit in the hot tub and at other hotels the pool is closed. This was a great feature! This hotel has an on-site restaurant too.

Candy Cane Inn (once) – There are three different room options at this hotel, Standard, Deluxe and Premium. We stayed in the standard room and it was a little on the small side. This hotel includes a deluxe complimentary breakfast with your stay, which is basically cereal, oatmeal, pastries, hard boiled eggs and fruit. Once again the pools is small, but the property is pretty. It does have a Disneyland shuttle from the hotel, but it only leaves every hour and a half during park hours.

Anaheim Marriott Convention Center (once) – We are quite fond of most Marriott properties. This hotel is beautiful and we received excellent service. The beds were super comfy. The wi-fi at this hotel is not free unless your are a Marriott Rewards member. There is a shuttle running to Disneyland, but it is not free. This hotel is very close to the Disneyland Toy Story lot parking lot so you can just walk over there and use the Disney shuttle to take you to the parks. The pool is nice, but it is little shallow. It’s about a 15 minute walk to Disneyland.

Drive or Take a Shuttle

Anaheim Majestic Garden Hotel (once) – This hotel has great prices. The further you get from Disneyland the less you will pay. It’s not too far away and the hotel has a shuttle that leaves every 30 minutes, which was super convenient. The shuttle ride takes about 5 minutes. The pool was great and a nice size too. I thought the rooms were spacious, but they weren’t the cleanest I’ve seen. I enjoyed the nice little garden areas around the hotel. The service was great. I enjoyed my stay, but wasn’t wow’d. I would stay here again if it was an amazing rate and the closer hotels weren’t available.

Sonesta ES Suites (formerly Staybridge Inn & Suites) (2 times) – If you have a large family, I highly recommend this hotel. We booked a 2 bedroom suite which comes with 2 bathrooms (which is really handy when you have 7 people in your family). The rooms here come with a fully equipped kitchens, which is another big plus. The breakfast here is top notch, they give you more than just cereal and bagels. In addition to breakfast there is also an Evening Reception that serves food on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. This hotel is next to an Anaheim Resort Transit stop so you can use that for transportation instead of driving your car and dealing with parking.

Cortona Inn & Suites (once) – For the first time ever we are adding a hotel to the list that we wouldn’t actually recommend. This hotel states that is has free breakfast, free wi-fi and free parking, but they charge a $16 resort fee, so these items aren’t technically free. The room we stayed in had damaged furniture, the sink didn’t have any hot water, I could only find one open outlet (and it wasn’t near the bed). The room does have a microwave (which is rare) and a mini fridge. The pool is on the small side and the breakfast wasn’t all that impressive, mostly cereal, yogurt, sausage patties and square shaped scrambled eggs. This hotel is located near the Toy Story lot so you could walk over and catch the shuttle from the Disney lot. We did get an amazing rate on this hotel, but I think it’s mainly because it doesn’t come with many amenities and because it’s a little further away from the parks.

Hyatt Anaheim Orange County (once) – We love this hotel! It’s gorgeous, there is more than enough room for even our large family. The only drawback is it’s not that close to the parks and you will have to drive in or take a shuttle. We also have a Hyatt Rewards/credit card which is another reason why we like the Hyatt properties. This hotel offers exclusive shuttle service to Disneyland Resort for guests going to and from these theme parks for a daily fee.

ALO Hotel by Ayres (once) – This best feature about this hotel is the price! If you are looking for a budget-friendly hotel near-ish to Disneyland, this might be a great option for you. It’s actually about 3 miles from Disneyland, so not super close compared to most of our hotel recommendations. We really prefer to stay closer to Disneyland, so we probably won’t choose this one again, but overall we were impressed with the hotel in general. I loved the fact that parking was free (you will find free parking at more hotels the further you drive away from Disneyland). There is a free hot breakfast buffet every morning. It’s even a pet-friendly hotel.

NEW! SpringHill Suites Anaheim Maingate (once) – We stayed in a Queen Suite and I couldn’t believe how spacious it was! It comes with a massive closet and plenty of space in the bathroom. The rooms come with both a microwave and mini-fridge. The hotel provides free continental breakfast (which is always a win when the rest of your meals that day are going to be pretty expensive! They also have an outdoor pool, hot tub, fire pit, and patio area. This is a great option if you’re looking for something a little more affordable with tons of space!

Hotels We Want to Try

While we are happy with so many of the hotels on this list we are always open to trying new properties. Here are a couple we are looking forward to trying in the future.

SunCoast Park Hotel Anaheim – This is a newer hotel that looks like it would be a great option. It gets great reviews, has free breakfast and it looks like the pool is awesome too.

JW Marriott Anaheim Resort As far as Disneyland area hotels go, this is more on the luxurious side, it would be great for a kid-free trip to Disneyland (which we enjoy)!

If you have a Disneyland trip planned don’t forget to check the package deals through Get Away Today, they consistently offer the lowest prices I have seen. We have used them on more than 1/2 of our Disney trips and I am always pleased with the service. If you book a package deal you can use the the code THRIVING10 to save an addition $10 off the package price. I’d love to hear about your favorite Disneyland hotels. Do you use the same one every time, or do you like to switch it up? If you have questions about any of these hotels don’t hesitate to ask. I am happy to help!

We have plenty of other Disney posts to help with your vacation planning. Check them out!

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Costco Disneyland Tickets 2025

Shelley — Fri, 30 May 2025 14:57:59 +0000

Great news for Disney fans! You can buy Disneyland tickets at Costco and save big! Costco is selling 3-Day Park Hoppers which includes Lightning Lane Multi Pass for all 3 days and a $30 Disney Dining card for $449.99! Look for these on sale at your Costco.

Bring the card to a register to purchase the amount of tickets you need (limit up to 20 tickets per person)
Visit StartYourDisneylandExperience.com to reserve your theme park dates, reservations must be made in advance.

Tickets are valid for ages 3+ and are good through 12/19/25. If you don’t currently have a Costco membership, check out the amazing Costco membership deal at Groupon right now!. Buy a $65 membership and get a $50 Costco Shop Card. There is also an offer for an executive membership too. And if you are looking for another great way to save on Disneyland tickets and hotel stays make sure you check out Get Away Today. I highly recommend them!

Here are some Disneyland posts to help you plan for your trip:

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Disneyland Price Increase – Pay 2024 Prices for Travel in 2025

Christy — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 17:42:09 +0000

Have you heard the news? Disneyland ticket prices – along with Lightning Lane Multi Pass prices – just went up! Generally, ticket prices are raised every year so this is nothing new, but it can still be difficult to keep up with year after year! I do have some good news though! You can still get Disneyland Resort tickets at 2024 prices via Get Away Today through October 21, 2024. These prices will be even better than Black Friday so it’s the absolute best time to book!

You can save up to $125 per ticket with Get Away Today when you purchase by October 21, 2024 at 11:59pm MT. If you book a 2-night stay with at least two tickets and use the code Thriving10 at checkout, you will save an extra $10 off the discounted rates. Every little bit helps when it comes to saving on Disney trips, right?

If you plan on visiting Disneyland Resort this year or next, NOW is the time to book and save yourself some money! You don’t even need to know the exact dates of travel, you’ll just need to enter a general date to purchase your Disneyland Resort tickets. The date that you enter will be the date that Get Away Today will send you reminders to make theme park and dining reservations. The tickets can be used until January 12, 2026. All tickets are sent electronically. Here are the savings you receive when purchasing your Disneyland tickets through Get Away Today. (I highly recommend booking a hotel and ticket package together to save even more.)

5-Day Tickets: Save $56 – $125
4-Day Tickets: Save $29 – $67
3-Day Tickets: Save $30 – $56
2-Day Tickets: Save $22 – $46

We are big Disneyland fans and even though there has been an increase, it probably won’t keep us away! If you are planning a Disneyland trip, make sure you check out all our Disneyland posts to help you make the most of your vacation.

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Adults at Kids Prices for Your 2024 Disneyland Trip!

Allie — Mon, 29 Apr 2024 16:48:34 +0000

If you’ve got your eye on a Disneyland trip this year, you’ve probably noticed that there always seems to be some new price increase that you have to keep up with, but it’s not too late to lock in a great price! You can purchase adult tickets at kids prices when you purchase 3-day (or more) passes. This sale is valid only when you book through Get Away Today by May 1st, 2024! This is their biggest sale we’ll see this year so it’s the absolute best time to book your trip!

If you’re itching to book a trip, but aren’t ready to nail down exact dates, you can still purchase your tickets at this great price! You’ll just need to enter a general date you have in mind to purchase them. The date you enter will be the day that Get Away Today reminds you to make theme park reservations. (Which are now required.) The date you enter today will not be tied to a reservation and will allow for flexibility in choosing your specific dates when you are ready.

If you do know the dates you want to travel I highly recommend booking a hotel and ticket package with Get Away Today, it will include the discounted ticket rates and will also save you some money on your hotel too! Use the code THRIVING10 at checkout to save an additional $10.

Here are the exact prices based on each ticket type:

3-Day Tickets – 1 Park Per Day: $365 (reg. $390)
3-Day Tickets – Park Hopper: $435 (reg. $460)
3-Day Tickets – 1 Park Per Day (with Genie+): $455 (reg. $480)
3-Day Tickets – Park Hopper (with Genie+): $525 (reg. $550)

If you’ve been considering a trip to Disneyland sometime between now and the end of 2024, these are the BEST prices you will find. Book or pre-buy your tickets now!

We are big Disneyland fans and even though there has been an increase it probably won’t keep us away! If you are planning a Disneyland trip make sure you check out all our Disneyland posts to help you make the most of your vacation.

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What to Know About Visiting Disneyland in 2024

Allie — Tue, 30 Jan 2024 19:55:53 +0000

It’s an exciting year to visit Disneyland! Okay, that’s pretty much true every single year… but Disney recently released their exciting line up of festivals and events taking place at both parks in 2024 and I for one, can’t wait to experience them! Here’s a quick look at what’s in store for us over the next 12 months, along with everything else you need to know about visiting the parks this year!

2024 Happenings:

Jan 23 – Feb 18: Lunar New Year, Disney California Adventure Park

This multicultural celebration is a tribute to Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean traditions. They are celebrating the the Year of the Dragon with Asian-inspired food and beverages, vibrant décor and “Mulan’s Lunar New Year Procession” featuring Mushu.

Feb 17 & 24: Celebrate Gospel, Disneyland Park

Celebrate Gospel is an annual tribute to Gospel music that brings together award-winning music artists and community choirs from across Southern California. This years concerts will be headlined by Marvin Sapp (Feb. 17) and Tasha Cobbs Leonard (Feb. 24).

March 1 – April 22: Food & Wine Festival, Disney California Adventure Park

Food & Wine is always one of our family faves, if you haven’t been before, I highly recommend you visit sometime in the future. Food booths in California Adventure serve creative foods and beverages, cooking demonstrations and family-friendly entertainment inspired by the diverse cultures and cuisines of the Golden State. During the festival the popular attraction, Soarin’ Over California, will return for a limited time.

April 5 – June 2: Season of the Force, Disneyland Park

Are you a Star Wars fan? You will probably want to visit during Season of the Force, we’ll see the return of Hyperspace Mountain (I love this version of Space Mountain). It will also bring specially themed food and beverage, merchandise and more. During the celebration, you’ll also be able to embark on new adventures aboard Star Tours – The Adventures Continue. Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will provide fresh perspective on the fireworks above Disneyland.

April 26 – Aug 4: Pixar Fest, Disney California Adventure Park

It’s exciting to see Pixar Fest returning to the Parks. During the festival you’ll see colorful décor and themed menu items with a fun Pixar twist. During this festival you’ll see some fun entertainment featuring Pixar stories. There is a brand-new daytime parade happening at California Adventure, called “Better Together: A Pixar Pals Celebration!”. Over at Disneyland park, the emotional “Together Forever – A Pixar Nighttime Spectacular” will return with some brand new scenes. If character meet and greets are your thing, there will be new characters like Ember and Wade from “Elemental,” Red Panda Mei from “Turning Red” and more.

Aug 23 – Oct 1: Halloween Time, both parks

Halloween time at Disneyland is always a ton of fun. Disneyland resort is filled with autumn décor, characters dressed in Halloween outfits and uniquely themed attractions.

Aug 23 – Nov 2: A Celebration of Coco, Plaza de Familia, Disney California Adventure Park

Celebrate the bonds of family and Mexican traditions of Día de los Muertos through a cultural experience featuring storytelling and music from Pixar’s “Coco.”

Begins Nov 15: The Holidays Begin Here, both parks

Nothing quite beats the holidays at Disneyland, you can celebrate the magic of the holiday season with the lively Disney Festival of Holidays at Disney California Adventure. You’ll also find seasonal overlays on beloved attractions, holiday spectaculars and festive decor all around the resort.

SPECIAL TICKETED EVENTS

On select nights Disneyland offers some after-hours events in 2024. These themed nights require a separate ticket than a regular park ticket. These events include pre-party park mix-in, shorter wait times for select attractions, unlimited select Disney PhotoPass digital photo downloads from the event, and more.

Disneyland After Dark (select nights from January through June): Disneyland park will host four themed nights, which will include unique entertainment, rare character encounters and special menus of sweet treats and savory snacks. Specific details on this year’s Disneyland After Dark themes and events will be announced soon, so stay tuned!

Oogie Boogie Bash – A Disney Halloween Party (Returning in 2024): Disney California Adventure park will once again throw some family-friendly Halloween parties. The even includes immersive treat trails, rare character sightings and unique entertainment. This is the one time of the year when you are encouraged to dress up in costume (both adults and children.

If you’ve got plans to visit the Happiest Place on Earth this year, here’s what you need to know! In recent years, the process for booking your trip has gotten a little more complicated, so if you haven’t visited recently, here’s the steps you need to take:

Purchase Disneyland Tickets:

We love using Get Away Today to book everything! You can purchase tickets directly from their site, either by themselves or as part of a package to help you save even more! In fact, if you purchase a package and use the code THRIVING10, you will save an additional $10. When purchasing tickets, you’ll need to make a decision about whether or not you want Park Hoppers or 1 Park Per Day tickets.

Disneyland Resort has two different parks: Disneyland Park and Disney’s California Adventure Park. If you choose ‘Park Hopper’ tickets, you will start you day in one park, but 11:00 am, you will be able to move over to the other park. You will then be permitted to go back and forth between the two parks as much as you want for the rest of the day. This ability costs an extra $60 per ticket, regardless of how many days you will be visiting the parks.

The alternative is ‘One Park Per Day’ tickets. These are the baseline Disneyland tickets, and if you purchase these, you will spend your entire day at the park you start out at.

Make Park Reservations:

To ensure the parks don’t become overpopulated on any given day, guests are now required to create reservations. You will be prompted to choose which days you are planning to visit the parks. On each day of the calendar, there will be an icon, indicating which park still has availability for your desired day. You can only make these reservations 120 days in advance. You’ll make your park reservations over at Disneyland.com.

During the process, you’ll be prompted to choose your starting park for each day. If you selected ‘One Park Per Day’ tickets, you will spend the entire day in the park you choose. If you selected ‘Park Hopper’ tickets, this is the park you will start your day in.

Make Restaurant Reservations:

Most sit-down restaurants at the parks require a reservation to accommodate their growing interest. Reservations open up 60 days in advance and some tend to fill up quickly. I recommend setting a reminder on your phone for the day they open up so you can try and nab those spots in time! To make your reservations, go to Disneyland.com, hover over ‘Things to Do’, and select ‘Make Reservations’ under ‘Dining’.

While your park tickets and dining reservations will be handled ahead of time, there are a few tools that you can use during your time in the parks that will help make your day go even smoother! You will need to download and login to the Disneyland app to access these features.

The first feature is Mobile Ordering! The lines for quick service food stands can get very long. Fortunately, the Disneyland app has a free feature that allows you to order your food ahead of time and pick up at a special window, skipping the line altogether. You can place these orders on your mobile phone via the Disneyland app by clicking the plus sign on the bottom of your screen and selecting ‘Order Food’.

All About Genie+

You can also utilize a feature called Genie+. This is similar to the old MaxPass system, if that is at all familiar to you. Genie+ is a paid service that allows guests to select specific return times for a ride. When you make a Genie+ reservation, you will be able to bypass the standby line and enter a Lightning Lane that has a capped capacity, ensuring a faster wait time. This service costs an additional $30 per person per day, but I believe is well worth it if you are going during peak season! You also have the option to purchase Genie+ at the same time you purchase your tickets.

You can also purchase access to an Individual Lightning Lane. These apply to one specific ride and are a separate, additional charge for some of the most popular rides. Guests can purchase a Lightning Lane pass for up to 2 attractions per day. You do not need a Genie+ service to purchase these.

Individual Lightning Lanes can be purchased for Rise of the Resistance, located in Disneyland Park, as well as Radiator Springs Racers and WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure, located in California Adventure. Price and availability will range by date and attraction, but will land somewhere between $15-$28 per ticket. You can purchase your Lightning Lane passes upon entering the theme park on the day you intend to use them. To do so, open the Disneyland app, click the plus sign at the bottom of the screen, and select ‘View my Genie Day and Tip Board’.

Have a Magical Day!

I know that our first (and subsequent) family trips were incredibly memorable, and I can only imagine the same will be the case for you! If you’re ready to book your trip, click here to get started! Get Away Today is how we have booked the majority of our Disneyland trips. Get Away Today has several money-saving packages available, as well as discounted Disneyland park tickets too! If you book a package, use the code THRIVING10 to save an additional $10.

For even more Disney magic, tips and tricks, check out the following posts:

The post What to Know About Visiting Disneyland in 2024 appeared first on Gather Lemons.

Discount Disney World Tickets & Packages

Christy — Wed, 24 May 2023 16:17:56 +0000

You know we are huge Disneyland fans and try to visit a couple times a year, but we are also fans of Disney World too. In fact, my husband and I took our honeymoon to Disney World in combination with a cruise. We love to visit Disney World every year around our anniversary in November. We love visiting at this time of year because we get to enjoy Food & Wine at Epcot and usually visit one of the first Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas party’s of the year. I’ve compiled several different ways you can get discounted tickets to Disney World. The discounts may not be huge, but every little bit helps when it comes to a Disney vacation.

Here are several ways you can save on Disney World park tickets and hotel packages:

Get Away Today – Get Away Today offers discount tickets to Disney World (and other Orlando theme parks). I have used Get Away Today nearly a dozen times for our Disneyland trips, so I am thrilled that they also offer discounts to Disney World. Their customer service is top notch, I highly recommend them.

Right now, there is a super deal where you can get a day at each Walt Disney World Resort Park with huge savings on a 4-Park Magic Ticket from Get Away Today! June 1 – September 29, you can spend a day at Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios and save big! No theme park reservations required; blackout dates of July 1-4 and September 1-4, 2023 apply.

If you are looking for a longer stay Get Away Today is offering 7 days for the price of 5.

Undercover Tourist – Another place that sells discount tickets to Disney World is Undercover Tourist. I have personally purchased our Disney World tickets from this company on several occasions and have been very pleased with the service (and savings). Head over to Undercover Tourist to check out their prices, they have so many different options. They have great hotel discounts too.

Sam’s Club – Sam’s Club has recently added travel services to their lists of offerings and you can get a nice discount to Disney World as well as other great travel destinations. You can even save on Disney World’s special ticketed events like Disney After Hours, Mickey’s Halloween Party, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas party and more (when they are available). I would check out their prices and see if signing up for a Sam’s Club membership is worth the discounts on travel alone.

Costco – You can’t buy individual park tickets from Costco, but they have nice discounts on package deals that include hotel and park tickets together. I love the discounts and extra’s Costco offers for Disneyland vacations, but their offerings for Disney World are a little different (not bad, just different). Each hotel package offers different items and perks. With your package you may get a Costco cash card, complimentary hotel parking or other benefits, you will have to read the details on each hotel package. They do not offer all the Disney World hotels, but you can book the Disney World Dolphin or Swan which will give you all the benefits of staying on property at Disney World.

Disney Visa – This is a different way to save a little on your vacation or possible earn some money for your Disney vacation. The Disney Rewards Visa will pay you cash back in the form of Disney Rewards that you can use at Disney locations. It may take you awhile to rack up some rewards, but it is a simple way to save some money for a Disney trip. You may not earn a ton, but you can earn enough to buy one Disney ticket or get yourself some Disney treats. Disney will often offer incentives if you sign up for a Disney Visa, right now they are offering a $300 or $150 statement credit. If you already carry a balance on credit cards that isn’t paid off on a monthly basis I don’t recommend this as an option. There is a standard card (no fee) and a Premier card ($49 annual fee).

Discounted Disney Gift Cards – Your savings with this method will be small, but like I said every little bit helps. If you have a Target REDcard you can purchase Disney gift cards and save an extra 5%. You can get a $100 Disney gift card and pay only $95, when you pay with your REDcard. I personally would purchase my Disney tickets via Get Away Today or Undercover Tourist and save the discount Disney gift cards for Disney food or souvenirs.

Military Discount – Military personnel can get promotional prices on Disney World Park Hoppers. You can get all the information via Disney’s website.

Make sure you always purchase your Disney World tickets from a reputable seller, like the ones I have mentioned above. I do not recommend buying Disney tickets off of Ebay. Let me know if you have any questions, I am always happy to chat Disney!

I’m sharing some tips and money saving advice for those that have a Disney World trip planned. When it comes to Disneyland, I am all about the off-site hotels, they are a great way to save money. However, when it comes to Disney World there are more benefits to staying on property. Staying at a Disney hotel also give you Extra Magic Hours, where you can enjoy the parks before regular opening or closing times. We love these perks! There are so many different price levels for the Disney World hotels you are sure to find one in your price range.

Before you purchase tickets you need to decide if you want one-park per day tickets or Park Hoppers. I would recommend skipping the Park Hopper option, going from each park at Disney World is not as easy and convenient as it is at Disneyland. Plus, skipping the Park Hopper will save you some money, which you can spend on Disney souvenirs or treats. I would just dedicate one day to each park you plan on visiting and if you decide you really want to hop to a different park you can add the option to your tickets while at Disney World. You won’t be able to add the Park Hopper option for just one day, it will be added to all the days on your ticket. Keep in mind there are four different theme parks at Disney World.

Check out other other Disney related posts:

One of our favorite events is EPCOT Flower & Garden
See our review of the Caribbean Beach Resort at Disney World
Find out how you can save big of official Disney Parks souvenirs
Check out the highlights from our trip to Disneyland Paris
Check out our Ultimate Guide to Disneyland Snacks
I share honest reviews of all the hotels we’ve used near Disneyland

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Disney World Epcot Flower & Garden 2023

Christy — Wed, 01 Mar 2023 16:41:38 +0000

We crossed something off our Disney bucket list! We finally attended the EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival last year. It was completely magical! The EPCOT International Flower & Garden festival starts in the spring and includes bright blooming gardens, fresh flavors, lively entertainment and more. This year the festival runs from March 1 – July 5, 2023. There is no extra fee to attend the Flower & Garden Festival, it is included with.your regular admission to EPCOT.

Here is a peek at what you can expect at the Flower & Garden Festival. All throughout EPCOT you will see gorgeous gardens and living sculptures of some of your favorite Disney characters.

Similar to the Food & Wine festival you will find outdoor booths with yummy food dishes, desserts and drinks. Here is a peek at just a few of the yummy food and drink choices we sampled. You can view see all the food options that are available this year in the 2023 Epcot Flower & Garden Foodie Guide. I highly recommend checking out the foodie guide before you go and making a list of some of the things you want to try. You can also pickup a handy festival guide when you get there. Here are a few things we sampled when we attended previously:

Violet Lemonade (non-alcoholic)

Strawberry Mousse with chocolate-crisp pearls

Tostada de Cochinita

In addition to all the fun food options, there are so many pretty floral and topiary displays to enjoy. This was one of my favorite parts about the festival, it was so colorful and beautiful.

Beauty and the Beast

Lion King

Lady and the Tramp

Kermit the Frog

You can also enjoy concerts that take place at the American Gardens Theater with their Garden Rocks Concert Series, again this is included in your admission to Epcot. They do offer Garden Rocks dining packages to guarantee you get a seat for the show. You can check out the 2023 Garden Rocks line up to see a complete list of all the shows and dates. There are performances by Daughtry, Smash Mouth, Jo Dee Messina, Casting Crowns and more.

I highly recommend a visit to the EPCOT International Flower & Garden festival. if you want to book a Disney World or Disneyland vacation I suggest booking through my friends at Get Away Today, their service is top notch and their prices can’t be beat.

We recently stayed at the Riviera Resort which has super easy access to EPCOT via the Disney Skyliner. Other hotels that offer Skyliner service are Disney’s Caribbean Beach, Art of Animation and Pop Century resorts. Watch for my review on the Riviera Resort coming soon (hint: we LOVED it). For even more Disney tips and information, check out these posts as well.

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Everything You Need to Know for Visiting Disneyland in 2023

Allie — Thu, 26 Jan 2023 20:26:06 +0000

Disneyland has evolved a lot over the years. While all of the new reservation systems can feel overwhelming, armed with some important knowledge, your trip can still be a magical time for you and your family! While the learning curve is definitely challenging at first, I have found that when you lean into the new technology, it can actually make your trip run a lot smoother! Here’s everything you need to know to make your to Disneyland trip feel both seamless and magical!

2023 is a great year to visit, because Disneyland is celebrating 100 years of the Walt Disney Company which means there are some new festivities and fun food available at Disneyland. You can book a discount Disneyland vacation through my friends at Get Away Today, they always have the best package and ticket prices for Disneyland vacations. Right now they are offering an EXTRA day free at Disneyland, you’ll get five days at the Disneyland parks for the price of four. Plus, while I am visiting the parks Get Away Today is offering double the usual package discount. Use the code THRIVING20 on your discounted Disneyland package to save an additional $20 off, code is valid 3/29-4/1. Here are some of the events and happenings at Disneyland for 2023 that you don’t want to miss:

2023 Happenings:

Lunar New Year Celebration: January 20 – February 15, 2023

Disney100 Celecbration: January 27, 2023 Disneyland is celebrating 100 years of the Walt Disney Company. This celebration will bring new entertainment like the World of Color One & Wondrous Journey Fireworks Show. And food…there are always new treats when Disney celebrates. So fun!

Opening of Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway at Disneyland: January 27, 2023

Disneyland’s French Market Restaurant and the Mint Julep Bar will close: February 17, 2023: They are expected to reopen later this year, after having been re-themed around “The Princess and the Frog”.

Magic Happens Parade returns: February 24, 2023

California Adventure Food & Wine Festival: March 3 – April 24, 2023 – A family fave!

Toon Town Reopens: March 19, 2023

Grad Nights at Disneyland: (May 12, 14, 17, 19, 21, 24, 25, 30 & 31 and June 2, 4, 7, 9, 14 & 16, 2023)

Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort: TBA (Usually 2nd week in Sept – October 31). Halloween time also bring the Oogie Boogie Bash at California Adventure select nights (these sell out quickly)

Holidays at the Disneyland Resort: TBA (Usually 2nd week in November – first part of January).

Below you will find everything you need to know to make your trip to Disneyland as easy and as magical as possible. If you have any questions along the way, don’t hesitate to ask!

At Home: Making Reservations

In previous years, visiting Disneyland was as simple as purchasing tickets and showing up at the gate. Now, there are a few additional steps to take. To ensure the parks don’t become overpopulated on any given day, guests are now required to create reservations. When purchasing your tickets online, you will be prompted to choose which days you are planning to visit the parks. On each day of the calendar, there will be an icon, indicating which park still has availability for your desired day.

You will then be prompted to choose your starting park for each day. If you selected ‘One Park Per Day’ tickets, you will spend the entire day in the park you choose. If you selected ‘Park Hopper’ tickets, this is the park you will start your day in.

All About Park Hopping

Disneyland Resort has two different parks: Disneyland Park and Disney’s California Adventure Park. If you choose ‘Park Hopper’ tickets, you will start you day in one park, but after a certain time, you will be able to move over to the other park. You will then be permitted to go back and forth between the two parks as much as you want for the rest of the day. January 1 – February 3, that time will be 1:00. Starting February 4, it will change to 11:00. This ability costs an extra $60 per ticket, regardless of how many days you will be visiting the parks.

The alternative is ‘One Park Per Day’ tickets. These are the baseline Disneyland tickets, and if you purchase these, you will spend your entire day at the park you start out at.

At Home: Restaurant Reservations

Most sit-down restaurants at the parks require a reservation to accommodate their growing interest. Reservations open up 60 days in advance and tend to fill up quickly. I recommend setting a reminder on your phone for the day they open up so you can try and nab those spots in time! To make your reservations, go to Disneyland.com, hover over ‘Things to Do’, and select ‘Make Reservations’ under ‘Dining’.

At the Park: Mobile Ordering

At the Park: Lightning Lanes & Genie+

You can also utilize a feature called Genie+. This is similar to the old MaxPass system, if that is at all familiar to you. Genie+ is a paid service that allows guests to select specific return times for a ride. When you make a Genie+ reservation, you will be able to bypass the standby line and enter a Lightning Lane that has a capped capacity, ensuring a faster wait time. This service costs an additional $25 per person per day, but I believe is well worth it if you are going during peak season! You also have the option to purchase Genie+ at the same time you purchase your tickets.

Individual Lightning Lanes can be purchased for Rise of the Resistance, located in Disneyland Park, as well as Radiator Springs Racers and WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure, located in California Adventure. Price and availability will range by date and attraction, but will land somewhere between $7-$20 per ticket. You can purchase your Lightning Lane passes upon entering the theme park on the day you intend to use them. To do so, open the Disneyland app, click the plus sign at the bottom of the screen, and select ‘View my Genie Day and Tip Board’.

At the Park: MagicBand+

MagicBand+ is another unique service, designed to create more convenience during your visit. This is a service that has been available at Walt Disney World for a few years now, but has just recently made its way to the west coast park. However, only MagicBand+ is supported at Disneyland. MagicBand and MagicBand 2 are only usable at Walt Disney World. Your MagicBand+ is a wearable band that allows you to:

Scan into the parks
Check in at Lightning Lanes
Link PhotoPass Photos to your account

All of these functions are accomplished simply by tapping your wrist against the reader. (Instead of scanning either physical or virtual park ticket barcodes.) Another unique ability of the MagicBand+ is to enhance your experience during select nighttime spectaculars. Your band will glow and pulse along with the show.

MagicBand+ designs can be purchased either online at shopDisney.com or in select shops located at Disneyland Resort, with prices starting at $34.99. After purchasing, you will link them to your account through the Disneyland app. This is an added expense that isn’t necessarily needed, you can just as easily skip the MagicBand+ and use the app.

Have a Magical Day!

For even more Disney magic, tips and tricks, check out the following posts:

The post Everything You Need to Know for Visiting Disneyland in 2023 appeared first on Gather Lemons.

Disney Cruise BOGO Deal

Christy — Thu, 08 Sep 2022 18:59:18 +0000

If you have been thinking about doing a Disney Cruise, we have an amazing deal to share with you! Starting today, September 8th, 2022, Disney+ subscribers can score the 3rd and 4th passengers for FREE when you pay for 2-full fare guests! The special offer is available on select dates and destinations. This is a super deal you don’t want to miss! This will sell out! Here are all the details on how to get your quote.

Head to Get Away Today and click on the yellow bar at the top of the page in order to fill out the form to get your no obligation Disney cruise quote.

With this special offer Disney+ subscribers, 3rd and 4th guests will sail FREE with 2 full fare guests who are in the same stateroom on select Disney Cruise Line voyages.
This exclusive offer is available only for select staterooms & sailings on Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy and Disney Magic that departs January – April 2023.
Keep in mind this offer does not include taxes, port expenses or any additional fees for each guest. These are all due at the time of your final payment.
There is a limited amount of staterooms available for this offer. Guests can book up to 2 staterooms using this offer.

These select sailings are NOT eligible for this special offer:

Disney Magic ~ January 2nd and March 13th, 2023
Disney Dream ~ January 2nd and April 10th, 2023
Disney Fantasy ~ March 11th and March 25th, 2023

If you have been on a Disney cruise before, I would love to hear your thoughts! We actually had planned on doing a Disney Cruise next year, so this sale has us getting a jump on the planning!

The post Disney Cruise BOGO Deal appeared first on Gather Lemons.

Big List of Disneyland Hotels for Large Families (Sleep 6+)

Christy — Tue, 23 Aug 2022 05:56:33 +0000

There’s no denying the magic of taking your kids to Disneyland, especially for the first time, but finding a place to stay where everyone fits comfortably can be a challenge if you have a large family. We have a Disney-loving family of seven, so we have tried out lots of hotels for large families. We know it’s not an easy task finding a hotel room that will fit a large family, so that’s why we’ve rounded up all the hotels near Disneyland that work for large families, Whether your family is large on it’s own or the grandparents want to come along on the trip, these hotels we’ve listed will sleep 6 or more people. I always recommend checking the package deals through Get Away Today, because they always seem to have the lowest prices. You can save an extra $10 off their low package price by using the discount code THRIVING10 at checkout. You’ll save the most when you bundle your room with Disneyland tickets.

Here is the list of Disneyland hotels that will sleep large families of 6 or more. The hotels on this list are listed in regards to proximity to Disneyland, the ones listed first are the hotels that are closest to Disneyland.

If you are interested in our personal reviews of some of the hotels on this list you can check out our post with our honest reviews of the hotels around Disneyland Park.

Grand Californian Hotel (4-star hotel)
One to Three Bedroom Suite, sleeps 6-12 people.
Distance from Disneyland: Attached to Disneyland California Adventures
Breakfast: None
Parking fee: $25
Features: In-room refrigerator. In-house restaurants like Napa Rose and Storytellers Cafe. Contains its own park entrance.

Best Western Plus Park Place Inn (2-star hotel)
Sofa Bed Mini Suite, sleeps up to 6 people.
Distance from Disneyland: .3 miles
Breakfast: Grab n Go
Parking fee: $15
Features: In-room refrigerator and microwave.

Camelot Inn & Suites (2-star hotel)
One Bedroom Suite, sleeps up to 7 people.
Distance from Disneyland: .4 miles
Breakfast: None
Parking fee: $20
Features: In-room refrigerator and microwave. In-house video game room.

Del Sol Inn (2-star hotel)
Kids Room with Bunk Bed, sleeps up to 6 people
Distance from Disneyland: .4 miles
Breakfast: None
Parking fee: $16
Features: In-room refrigerator and microwave. Family suites have two bathrooms.

Courtyard Anaheim Theme Park Entrance & Waterpark Resort (4-star hotel)
One Bedroom Suite, sleeps up to 6 people.
Distance from Disneyland: .5 miles
Breakfast: None
Parking fee: $26
Features: In-room refrigerator and microwave. In-house restaurant and Starbucks.

Disneyland Hotel (4-star hotel)
One to Three Bedroom Suite, sleeps 6-14 people
Distance from Disneyland: .5 miles
Breakfast: None.
Parking fee: $35
Features: In-room refrigerator. On-site spa and a variety of shops and restaurants, like Trader Sam’s Tiki Bar and Goofy’s Kitchen. Hotel includes 2 pools, 2 water slides, and 2 whirlpool spas.

Grand Legacy at the Park (3-star hotel)
One to Three Bedroom Suite, sleeps up to 10 people.
Distance from Disneyland: .5 miles
Breakfast: None.
Parking fee: $17
Features: In-room refrigerator and microwave. Large pool and splash pad. On-site restaurants, like The Fifth Rooftop Restaurant & Bar.

Castle Inn & Suites (3-star hotel)
One Bedroom Suite, sleeps up to 6 people.
Distance from Disneyland: .6 miles.
Breakfast: None
Parking fee: Free
Features: In-room refrigerator and microwave.

Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel (4-star hotel)

One to Three Bedroom Suite, sleeps up to 13 people.
Distance from Disneyland: .6 miles
Breakfast: None.
Parking fee: $35
Features: In-room refrigerator and microwave. Rooftop pool with waterslide.

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Anaheim Resort Area (3-star hotel)
One Bedroom Suite, sleeps up to 6 people.
Distance from Disneyland: .6 miles
Breakfast: Full Breakfast
Parking fee: $20
Features: In-room refrigerator and microwave. $5 shuttle available.

Desert Palms Hotel & Suites (3-star hotel)
One Bedroom Suite, sleeps up to 6 people.
Distance from Disneyland: .7 miles
Breakfast: Full Breakfast
Parking fee: $9
Features: In-room refrigerator and microwave.

Hyatt House at the Anaheim Convention Center (3-star hotel)
One Bedroom Suite, sleeps up to 6 people.
Distance from Disneyland: .7 miles
Breakfast: Grab n Go
Parking fee: $22
Features: In-Room Refrigerator and Microwave, $5 Shuttle Available.

Portofino Inn & Suites (3-star hotel)
One Bedroom Suite, with Bunk Beds, sleeps up to 6 people.
Distance from Disneyland: .7 miles
Breakfast: None
Parking fee: First vehicle free.
Features: In-room refrigerator and microwave. $5 shuttle available.

Residence Inn at Anaheim Resort Convention Center (3-star hotel)
One to Two Bedroom Suite, sleeps 6-8 people.
Distance from Disneyland: .7 miles
Breakfast: Full Breakfast
Parking fee: $12
Features: In-room refrigerator and microwave. In-house restaurant.

Springhill Suites at Anaheim Convention Center (3-star hotel)
One Bedroom Suite, Sofa Bed or Bunk beds, sleeps 6-7 people.
Distance from Disneyland: .7 miles
Breakfast: Grab n Go
Parking fee: $12
Features: In-room refrigerator and microwave. $5 shuttle available.

Wyndham Garden Hotel (3-star hotel)
One Bedroom Suite, sleeps up to 6 people.
Distance from Disneyland: .7 miles
Breakfast: Full Breakfast
Parking fee: Free
Features: In-room refrigerator and microwave. In-house restaurant.

Clementine Hotel and Suites (3-star hotel)
One Bedroom to Bi-Level Suites, sleeps 6-8 people.
Distance from Disneyland: .8 miles
Breakfast: Full Breakfast
Parking fee: Free
Features: In-room refrigerator and microwave. $5-7 shuttle available.

Anaheim Cortona Inn & Suites (2-star hotel)
One Bedroom Suite, sleeps up to 6 people.
Distance from Disneyland: 1 mile
Breakfast: Full Breakfast
Parking fee: Free
Features: In-room refrigerator and microwave. $6 shuttle available.

Best Western PLUS Raffles Inn & Suites (2-star hotel)
One Bedroom Suite, Sofa Bed or Bunk Beds, sleeps 6-8 people.
Distance from Disneyland: 1 mile
Breakfast: Full Breakfast
Parking fee: Free
Features: In-room refrigerator and microwave. 5$ shuttle available.

Cambria Hotel & Suites Anaheim Resort (3-star hotel)
One Bedroom Suite, sleeps up to 7 people
Distance from Disneyland: 1 mile
Breakfast: Full breakfast
Parking fee: $15
Features: Mini kitchen with microwave and refrigerator. Hotel features a 30,000 square-foot water park. On-site restaurants include The Habit, Jersey Mike’s Yogurtland and Starbucks.

Clarion Hotel (2-star hotel)
One Bedroom Suite, sleeps up to 6 people.
Distance from Disneyland: 1 mile
Breakfast: Full breakfast for extra charge
Parking fee: $5
Features: In-room refrigerator and microwave. $6 shuttle available. In-house restaurant and video game room.

Element Anaheim Resort Convention Center
Kids Room with Bunk Beds, sleeps up to 8 people.
Distance from Disneyland: 1 mile
Breakfast: Full Breakfast
Parking fee: $15
Features: In-room refrigerator and microwave, $6 shuttle available.

Hampton Inn & Suites Anaheim Resort Convention Center (3-star hotel)
Bunk Bed Suite, sleeps up to 6 people.
Distance from Disneyland: 1 mile
Breakfast: Grab n Go
Parking fee: $20
Features: In-room refrigerator and microwave.

Homewood Suites by Hilton Anaheim Resort Convention Center (3-star hotel)
One Bedroom Suite, sleeps up to 6 people.
Distance from Disneyland: 1 mile
Breakfast: Grab n Go
Parking fee: $22
Features: In-room refrigerator and microwave. Outdoor pool, wading pool, and hot tub.

Hyatt Place at Anaheim Resort (4-star hotel)
One Bedroom Suite, sleeps up to 6 people.
Distance from Disneyland: 1 mile
Breakfast: Full Breakfast
Parking fee: $22
Features: In-room refrigerator. $5 shuttle available.

Doubletree Suites by Hilton Anaheim Resort – Convention Center (3-star hotel)
One Bedroom Suite, sleeps up to 6 people.
Distance from Disneyland: 1.1 miles
Breakfast: None
Parking fee: $21.06
Features: In-room refrigerator and microwave. $6 shuttle available. In-house restaurant, cafe, and video game room.

Stanford Inn & Suites (2-star hotel)
Two Bedroom Suite, sleeps up to 6 people.
Distance from Disneyland: 1.3 miles
Breakfast: Full Breakfast
Parking fee: $7
Features: In-room refrigerator and microwave. $5 shuttle available.

Hampton Inn & Suites Anaheim/Garden Grove (3-star hotel)
One Bedroom Suite, sleeps up to 6 people.
Distance from Disneyland: 1.4 miles
Breakfast: Full Breakfast.
Parking fee: $10
Features: In-room refrigerator and microwave. $6 shuttle available.

Springhill Suites Anaheim Maingate (3-star hotel)
One Bedroom Suite, sleeps up to 6 people.
Distance from Disneyland: 1.4 miles
Breakfast: Full Breakfast
Parking fee: $7
Features: In-room refrigerator and microwave. $5 shuttle available.

Embassy Suites Anaheim – Orange (3-star hotel)
One Bedroom Suite, sleeps up to 6 people.
Distance from Disneyland: 1.5 miles
Breakfast: Full Breakfast
Parking fee: $15
Features: In-room refrigerator and microwave. $5 shuttle available.

Embassy Suites Hotel Anaheim South (3-star hotel)
One Bedroom Suite, sleeps up to 6 people.
Distance from Disneyland: 1.5 miles
Breakfast: Full Breakfast
Parking fee: Free
Features: In-room Refrigerator and Microwave, and In-House Restaurant and Video Game Room.

Sonesta ES Suites Anaheim Resort (3-star hotel)
Two Bedroom Suite, sleeps up to 8 people.
Distance from Disneyland: 1.5 miles
Breakfast: Grab n Go
Parking fee: Free
Features: In-room refrigerator and microwave. $5 shuttle available.

Residence Inn Anaheim Resort Area (3-star hotel)
One to Two Bedroom Suite, sleeps 6-8 people.
Distance from Disneyland: 1.6 miles
Breakfast: Grab n Go
Parking fee: $24
Features: In-room refrigerator and microwave. $5 shuttle available.

Hyatt Regency Orange County (3-star hotel)
One Bedroom Suite, sleeps up to 6 people.
Distance from Disneyland: 1.7 miles
Breakfast: None
Parking fee: $15
Features: In-room refrigerator and microwave. $5 shuttle available. In-house restaurant

Anaheim Marriott Suites (3-star hotel)
One Bedroom Suite, sleeps up to 6 people.
Distance from Disneyland: 1.8 miles
Breakfast: None
Parking fee: Free
Features: In-room refrigerator. $5 shuttle available. In-house restaurant and video game room.

Anaheim TownePlace Suites by Marriott (3-star hotel)
Two Bedroom Suite, sleeps up to 6 people.
Distance from Disneyland: 2.2 miles
Breakfast: Grab n Go
Parking fee: Free for first vehicle. $10 for additional vehicles.
Features: In-room refrigerator and microwave. $6 shuttle available.

All hotel photos are courtesy of Get Away Today or Del Sol.

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Ultimate Guide to the Best Disneyland Snacks

Christy — Tue, 28 Sep 2021 18:02:44 +0000

There’s nothing quite like a trip to Disneyland! I love the magical feeling you get once you walk through the turnstile and head towards main street. We have our favorite attractions, our favorite shops and our favorite Disney food!! Treats are probably one of the things I get most excited about when we take our Disney vacations. We are sharing over 20 best Disneyland snacks that you can buy at Disneyland and California Adventure. There’s something for everyone, whether you love your treats sweet, salty or Mickey shaped.

Many of the snacks we feature can be purchased with Mobile Ordering. You simply open the Disney app, click “Order Food” and select the location, time and items you want to purchase.

If you are visiting Disneyland during a busy time (or anytime really), I highly recommend using Mobile Ordering. Now, on to the fun stuff…the best Disneyland snacks you can get in the parks! I’d love to hear about your favorite Disney snacks too, let us know your faves or if there is anything you think we’ve missed. I’m always up for a new Disney snack!

Choco Smash Candy Bar – This new candy bar can be found at Avenger’s Campus at Pym’s Test Kitchen. The Choco Smash Candy Bar is made with Dark Chocolate, Peanuts, Caramel, Nougat and Chocolate Brownie. And it’s divine!! Definitely big enough (and rich enough) to be shared.

Dole Whip – One of our favorite snacks is the Dole Whip and I am super excited that you can now get the pineapple Dole Whip swirled with flavors like Raspberry and Orange. The Pineapple Raspberry Swirl is my new fave! You will find these new flavors just down from the regular Tiki Juice Bar at the Tropical Hideaway.

Loaded Dole Whip – This crazy version of the Dole Whip can also be found at the Tropical Hideaway and it is so good! I finally tried it for the first time recently and I think it may be my new “go-to” when I visit Disneyland. It has pineapple/orange swirl (you can choose whatever flavors you want though) then it’s loaded with tropical fruits, shredded coconut, crystallized Hibiscus and Pocky sticks. (This unfortunately is no longer being served, I’ve left it on the list because they have different versions of the loaded Dole Whip on the menu that you should check for while you are there)

Matterhorn Macaroon – This classic treat is basically a big coconut macaroon that is topped with melted white chocolate and sugar sprinkles. It’s a fun representation of the iconic Disneyland Matterhorn attraction and can be found at the Jolly Holiday bakery.

Mickey Pretzel – When you want a savory snack, look no further than the classic Mickey Pretzel. We love to add the cheese dip. They also have cinnamon and sugar Mickey pretzels too. You will find Pretzel carts throughout the parks.

Asada Fries – We’re giving two big thumbs up for the Asada Fries at Award Wieners in DCA, especially if you like your food a little spicy! These fries are topped with marinated Carne Asada, cheddar cheese, cilantro, onions, Salsa de Arbol and Guacamole! Yum!

Corn Dog – Nobody makes a corn dog quite like Disneyland! You’ll find the Little Red Wagon selling corn dogs on the end of main street on the right hand side just before you get to the Plaza Inn. In California Adventure you’ll find the corn dogs sold at the Corn Dog Castle.

Strawberry Hand Pie – This is a fairly new addition at Jolly Holiday and I hope it sticks around, it’s a good one! It’s pretty much a glorified Pop-Tart, emphasis on the word glorified, because it’s really good. The crust is flaky and butter and the filling is just right. I recommend giving this one a try!

Hand-Dipped Ice Cream Bars – These hand-dipped ice cream bars are divine! You can choose your flavor of ice cream, chocolate coating and toppings. My personal favorite is Raspberry Sorbet, with Milk Chocolate and Popping Pearls (basically Pop Rocks). Find these at Clarabelle’s at the end of Buena Vista Street in California Adventure.

Mickey Beignets – These unique Disneyland snacks are golden fried dough tossed in powdered sugar. So yummy! You can also order Mickey Beignets from the table service restaurant Cafe Orleans where they also come with dipping sauce and they are divine! If you do head to Cafe Orleans I highly recommend the Monte Cristo sandwich (I also recommend sharing it).

Soft-Serve Cones – You have to love a classic ice cream cone on a hot day. My favorite is the chocolate and vanilla twist. These cones can be found at the Cozy Cone Motel. If it’s a busy day, this line can get kind of long, there is usually only one cast member working the booth.

Turkey Leg – These huge cured, smoky Turkey legs can be found at several stands throughout the park and at Edelweiss Snacks in Disneyland and Poultry Palace at California Adventure.

Pretzel Bites with Cheesy Sauce – The Pretzel Bites are a kid fave! You’ll find them at the Cozy Cone Motel. They come with a cheesy dipping sauce.

Chili Cone Queso – Another Cozy Cone snack that is one of our family’s favorites is the Chili Cone Queso. It has Beef Chili, Cheddar Cheese and Corn Chips served in a Bread Cone. Yummy!

Jack Jack Cookie Num Num – These warm, gooey, chocolate chip cookies are not to be missed. They are so thick and gooey you’ll need to eat it with a fork. You will find this cookie stand at the exit of the Incredicoaster on the Pixar Pier.

Mickey Caramel Apple – The Mickey Caramel Apples have always been a favorite. I love that these are treats you can take home with you too. Just let the cast member know you are traveling and they will box it up for you. You can find these cute treats at the candy shops in both parks at at Marceline’s in Downtown Disney.

Pixar Pier Frosty Parfait – All the treats at Adorable Snowman Frosty Treats are great but we really like the Pixar Pier Frosty Parfait. It’s Lemon Soft-serve with Blue Raspberry Swirl. The tartness of the lemon and sweetness of the blue raspberry is the perfect combination. This treat is large and sweet enough to share. The line here can get extremely long on super hot days.

Mickey Ice Cream Bar – The classic kid treat is the Mickey Ice Cream Bar. Vanilla ice cream with chocolate coating. These ice cream bars are sure to make anyone smile.

Popcorn – Popcorn is one of our favorite treats for when we are waiting in line for an attraction. You don’t have to worry about it melting and it’s super easy to share. You’ll find popcorn stands all over the Parks.

Chieftain Chicken Skewer – The Chieftain Chicken Skewer is one of my favorite Disneyland snacks when I need something small (mainly so I can do more snacking). This skewer has grilled chicken covered in a sweet, slightly spicy chili sauce. While here I also recommend trying the Safari Skewer which is bacon-wrapped Asparagus. Both of these treats are found at the Bengal Barbecue in Adventureland.

Churros – Churros are a must when you visit Disneyland. You can stick to the classic cinnamon and sugar Churros or try one of the many different flavored churros that Disneyland offers. They always come out with seasonal varieties and they can really get creative. Churros stands can be found throughout the Parks.

Macarons – Stop by Jolly Holiday bakery for huge Macarons. The flavor options will sometimes vary with the seasons and celebrations. The Raspberry Rose Mickey Macaron has been one of my absolute faves. These aren’t tiny macarons, these are big and can easily be shared. These are so good! I recommend using mobile order or getting one early in the day because they do often sell out.

Churros Toffee – This is a new treat for us. The Churros Toffee is toffee covered with cinnamon and sugar just like you would find on a churros. This one is super sweet and great to share. It also travels well, so you can enjoy some Disney goodness at home. We found the Churros Toffee at Bing Bongs Sweet Shop.

Chocolate Covered Pineapple – Stop by any of the locations selling candy and treats and pick yourself up a Chocolate Covered Pineapple Skewer. These are so good. The pineapple has always been fresh and flavorful and in my opinion chocolate goes with just about anything, but it’s really good with pineapple.

Giant Dill Pickle – Disneyland has been selling pickles for a very long time. The pickles are a great snack if you need a break from all the sweets. They are tasty and I love the fact that they are chilled on ice, so they are cool and crisp. The pickles are one of my son’s favorite snacks.

Corn on the Cob – The corn on the cob is another great option. You can choose buttered corn or Chili-Lime. You’ll find the corn at Edelweiss snacks at Disneyland at the Poultry Palace in California Adventure.

Mickey Sourdough Bread – Swing by Pacific Wharf Cafe to pick up a big Mickey Sourdough Bread. You will find the loaves & shapes of bread being sold just outside the cafe. We bought this treat on our most recent trip to Disneyland. I will admit we always passed by this treat because I thought it was going to be super expensive, but it was reasonably priced and it was something our whole family could snack on. I’m a fan! If you plan ahead of time you can pack in some fruit and cheese and you have yourself lunch with the bread. For a free treat, head inside for the bakery tour and they will give you a small sample slice of sourdough bread.

Mickey & Minnie Donuts – These cute donuts can be found outside of the parks! Get these at the GCH Craftsman Grill at the Grand Californian Hotel. They come in either Mickey or Minnie and they are as tasty as they are cute.

If you are planning a trip to Disneyland to try out some Disneyland snacks, I highly recommend checking the prices on package deals from Get Away Today, they always offer some of the lowest prices. You can either purchase a hotel and ticket package or buy your park tickets individually from Get Away Today. If you purchase a package, use the code Thriving10 at checkout to save an additional $10 off their low rates.

We have a ton of other Disney related posts if you are looking for even more Disney information:

We’ve got a complete guide for visiting Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge
Check our our Guide for the Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival
Your complete guide to Pixar Pier
I share honest reviews of all the hotels we’ve used near Disneyland
10 of the BEST places to eat breakfast at Disneyland
10 of the BEST places to each lunch at Disneyland
Great tips that will help you to do Disneyland (and California Adventure) in a day.
Another great way to save on Disneyland package deals is through Costco Travel
See our review of the Caribbean Beach Resort at Disney World
Find out how you can save big of official Disney Parks souvenirs
Check out the highlights from our trip to Disneyland Paris

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Disney FastPass Retired, Replaced with Disney Genie+

Christy — Mon, 23 Aug 2021 16:14:09 +0000

Disney Parks have retired FastPass, FastPass+ and MaxPass. They are gone for good! Replacing this service is Disney Genie and Disney Genie+. The new Disney Genie service will be available at both Disneyland and Disney World sometime this fall. So, what does all this mean? I’m going to break it down for you!

Disney Genie

Disney Genie is a free planning tool that will be available inside the Disneyland and Disney World apps. You can select what you want to do and it will let you know the best time to do it. You can also use Disney Genie to join a virtual queue at certain attractions, like Rise of the Resistance. You can also use Disney Genie to make dining and experience reservations and mobile order food.

Disney Genie+

Disney Genie+ service is available to purchase and will cost $15 per ticket per day at Disney World and $20 per ticket per day at Disneyland. You simply choose the next available time to arrive at a variety of attractions and experiences. You can using the Lightning Lane entrance when it’s your time to enter the attraction (Fast Pass lanes are now called Lightning Lanes). You can make one selection at a time, throughout the day for rides like Haunted Mansion, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run and more. (just like previous Fast Pass selections, attractions subject to limited availability). Disney Genie+ will also include Disney PhotoPass downloads from your day if you are visiting Disneyland. Disney Genie+ is very similar to the retired MaxPass at Disneyland where you pay a daily fee that offers skip-the-line benefits via your smartphone.

A La Carte Options

Select rides will be considered an “a la carte” purchase, they will not be included with your Disney Genie+ purchase. This means popular rides like the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Radiator Springs Racers will have an additional fee per ticket if you want to use the “lightning lane”. The fee will vary depending on how busy the parks are that day. Rides with virtual queues will also have an “a la carte” purchase option. You are limited to a maximum of 2 purchases per guest per day.

There will still be free virtual queues, but there will also be a paid option if you miss out on nabbing the free virtual queue option. There will not be stand-by lines for rides with virtual queues. When Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure opens up at Epcot it too will have a virtual queue. You do not have to buy Genie+ in order to buy the a la carte options, they are a separate purchase.

How do you purchase & book Genie+

You can add Disney Genie+ to the purchase of your ticket (once it’s available in the fall) or you can purchase it the day of your visit. If you are visiting Disneyland you can purchase Genie+ once you’ve entered the park gates. Disney World hotel guests can book Genie+ and a la carte options at 7am each day. Guests not staying at a Disney World hotel can book Genie+ and a la carte options at park opening time.

Additional info.

Disneyland Genie+ will grant you access to over 15 attractions
Disney World Genie+ will grant you access to over 40 attractions
You can book Genie+ for multiple parks if you have plans to park hop.
You can not add Genie+ as and “add on” to a Disney Magic Key (annual pass)
The start date is not known yet, we just know it will start sometime this fall.

My thoughts

I am bummed the free FastPass option is gone, our family took advantage of that service on every visit, we very rarely waited in a stand-by line. Other parks like Universal have been using a pay to “skip the line” service for years and I figured it was only a matter of time before Disney adopted the same plan. I will have to hold off on my thoughts until I actually see the service in action and get a feel for if it’s a necessary thing in order to skip waiting in long lines. I do think the option for the a la carte purchase is a decent idea if you only have one day in the park and you weren’t able to get on the virtual queue for rides like Rise of the Resistance. I probably won’t ever use it, but it may be handy for some. We are heading to Disney World in the fall when this new service should be in use. I’ll take one for the team and try it out to let you know all the ups and downs.

If you are planning a trip to Disneyland (or Disney World) I highly recommend using Get Away Today to book your hotel and ticket package. You can also use their services to just purchase Disneyland tickets as well. They offer some of THE BEST discounts around and I have used them on multiple occasions. You can add their “peace of mind” plan for fee and that will allow you to change or cancel your trip without any additional fees. Their customer service is the best! Even better, if you book a 2-night or longer hotel and ticket package and use the code THRIVING10 you will get an additional $10 off the package price. Every little bit helps when it comes to saving money at Disney! Make sure you check out our honest hotel reviews of all the hotels we have used around Disneyland. For even more Disney tips and information, check out these posts as well.

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Disneyland Open to Out of State Guests

Allie — Thu, 27 May 2021 01:48:03 +0000

Happy day!! We finally have the news so many of us have been waiting for…Disneyland will be opening to out of state guests starting June 15th!! Visiting the parks looks a little different than it used to, so I”m going to walk you through all the steps to help you secure your tickets and your park reservation! To visit the parks this year, a ticket isn’t enough, you have to buy a Disneyland ticket and then make a reservation for the days you want to visit the parks. You will also need to choose which park you plan to visit for the day, either Disneyland or California Adventure. Park hopping looks a little different right now too! If you purchase Park Hoppers you will make a reservation for your starting park and then at 1pm or later you can hop over to the other park as long as they aren’t at maximum capacity.

I’m all about saving money where every I can, and when it comes to saving on my Disneyland vacations and my favorite place to purchase Disneyland park tickets and vacation packages is through Get Away Today. Their prices can’t be beat!! Head on over to Get Away Today and select the dates you want to visit and they will give you a quote on what the cost would be with several different hotel options. You will first want to make sure that there are reservations available for the dates you plan on visiting before purchasing your tickets and hotel.

Once you’ve purchased your Disneyland tickets and or hotel package they will send you an email with your Disneyland ticket numbers. You will use those number to enter on the Disneyland website. Tip! You can save an additional $10 on your package when you book a 2-night or longer stay and use the code THRIVING10 at checkout.

You must make a park reservation for each day of entry prior to visiting Disneyland. I highly recommend making your park reservation as soon as your travel dates become available. Theme park reservations can now be made up to 120 days in advance. Here’s how to secure your reservation once you have your tickets.

Go to StartYourDisneylandExperience.com
Sign In or Create a Disney Account.
Create your Party by linking your tickets
Select the Day and Theme Park you’d Like to Visit
Review and Confirm Your Visit

We have our trip planned and booked for September! I can’t wait! I’m excited that we will also be trying a different hotel that we’ve never used before! We’ll be staying at the Courtyard by Marriott Theme Park Entrance. Here are a few things worth mentioning about the Disneyland Resort this year:

Avenger’s Campus – The all-new land at California Adventure will be opening June 4th. One of the highlights is the new attraction, WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure.

State of California Guidelines – The State of California strongly recommends that all Guests be fully vaccinated or obtain a negative test prior to entering the theme parks. As always, our procedures may change as we continue to update our health and safety processes based on guidance from the state of California and local health officials.

Disney hotels – Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa has begun a phased reopening. Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel will plan to reopen on June 15, 2021 with reduced capacity. The Disneyland Hotel will plan to reopen on July 2, 2021.

Limited Capacity & Availability – Certain parks, hotels, restaurants, attractions, experiences and other offerings are modified or unavailable, will have limited capacity and are subject to limited availability or even closure, and park admission and offerings are not guaranteed.

If you are looking into planning a Disneyland trip, here are a few posts that will help you make the most of your trip:

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Save Big on Official Disney Parks Souvenirs

Christy — Sat, 08 May 2021 03:12:27 +0000

Confession time! I love to save money and I am a frugal person by nature, but I have no problem buying the official souvenirs on our Disney trips. You might think I would be one of those people that buys Disney merchandise on sale ahead of time, but I’m not. Nope! We go for the full-priced in park merchandise and love every minute of it! I think Disney souvenirs are part of the fun and it’s something we budget for on our trips. Ok, that the fact that I pay full price isn’t totally true, on occasion we’ve had a Disney Annual Pass which gets us a discount and I also have a Disney Visa which saves me 10% on purchases of $50 or more. However, I have found a way to get our official Disney merchandise AND save a ton of money.

Whenever we take a trip to Disney World we also make a stop at the Disney Character Warehouse. These stores are filled with official Disney Parks merchandise at super low prices. You can find Disney Character Warehouse stores at the following locations:

Orlando Vineland Premium Outlets, 8200 Vineland Ave #1252, Orlando, FL (closest to Disney World)
Orlando Premium Outlet 4951 International Drive, Orlando, FL

Because capacity is limited in the store, you will need to enter a virtual queue to enter the store. You start by telling them how many people are in your party and giving them your cell number. They will text you when it’s your turn to enter the store and you have 15 minutes to return (they are not flexible with this time, so be on time)! We had to wait an hour before we were allowed in the store. We killed time by checking out a couple of the outlet store and eating lunch at Panera.

I am sharing some of the deals we spotted on our most recent trip to Disney World. The inventory at these outlets will change quickly, but it’s always fun to see what new things you can find.

There were a couple of different sets of Minnie ears priced at only $3.99. This is a great way to add to your collection. A lot of our Minnie ears have come from the Character Warehouse or the Disney Outlet Stores.

They also had some different hats priced at only $3.99/. This is a super deal for this Star Wars had, especially since it’s a 9Fifty brand.

My husband and I took a kidless trip to Disney World so we picked up this shirt for our son. It was marked down to $12.99 + it was an additional 30% off. The final price was only $9.09. The regular price on the shirt was $36. Such a great deal!

There were a bunch of Otterbox phone cases on sale for $7.99. This is a screaming deal for these phone cases because they retail for $59.99.

Another great deal were these Disney face masks for only $1.75.

If you have a Disney World trip in the works, I recommend using Get Away Today to book your vacation, it’s a great service that will save you money. We have booked over 1/2 a dozen Disney vacations with them and I have been pleased with every single one. Here are some of my other Disney posts:

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Disneyland Vacation Booked Totally with Credit Card Rewards

Christy — Wed, 03 Feb 2021 16:10:05 +0000

Current Rewards Card offers:

Disney Rewards Visa – $150 credit when you get a card with no annual fee, $300 credit with the premier card with annual fee of $49.

IHG Rewards Card: up to 80,000 bonus points, $95 annual fee

How we planned our vacation:

I love family trips to Disneyland and I love saving money, but when I can combine the two and take a “free” trip to Disneyland, that’s completely magical! We recently took a quick 2 night/3 day trip to Disneyland and paid for the entire thing with credit card and reward miles. This “free” trip wasn’t an instant gratification thing, it took us several years of saving our rewards. I also didn’t set out to book this trip with our rewards, it just kind of happened that way.

I am sharing this information with you to let you know that a free or inexpensive trip to Disneyland is completely possible. You may not be able to book an entire Disney trip with rewards, but you certainly can use some of these techniques to make sure you pay less out of pocket for your trip. Here’s a peek at how we took advantage of our rewards to take a trip to Disneyland that didn’t cost us anything out of pocket.

Please note, booking a trip with rewards is only a good deal if you pay your credit card off in full every month. I do not recommend putting anything on a credit card and making payments. When it comes to credit cards, we pay for all of our expenses with credit cards and the total amount due is automatically subtracted from our checking account when it’s due, this way we never pay interest. We use our credit cards for pretty much everything, medical bills, auto repairs, utilities, groceries, travel and the list goes on.

Flights

First up, we had to get to Disneyland! We booked our flights using our Alaska Airlines miles. Fortunately, my husband has quite a few airline miles accrued because of his job. I don’t recommend just using miles when you want to go somewhere, I suggest you still watch for low fares. Usually when fares are low the amount of miles you need is lower too. Flying from Seattle to California isn’t that expensive and it’s easy for us to find deals. This is one of the reasons why it’s easy for us to take quick trips to Disneyland. If you have an airline that you frequent, look into the credit card for that airline, they will often have bonuses when you sign up. Alaska is currently offering 40,000 bonus miles. As an example, our flights to California were only 7500 miles each. You could easily send 2 people round-trip somewhere with 40,000 miles.

Hotel

Next up we booked our hotel using our Marriott Rewards. One of the main reasons we opened the Marriott credit card is because we had a trip planned for Tokyo that was a couple of years out and we wanted to save up some points so we could get a few free hotel stays on that trip. We have enough points for 3 nights in Tokyo so we used some of the extra points for this stay. We scored two free nights at the Four Points Sheraton, one night stay was free with our anniversary reward and the second night we booked using 25,000 reward points.

One of the perks of signing up for the hotel rewards credit cards is they give you bonus points for signing up, which makes it a fairly quick and easy way to save on a Disney trip, it will take only a few months to earn this bonus reward.

Both my husband and I have Hyatt Rewards cards too, the offer when we signed up were 2 free nights at ANY hotel. We used both our free nights when we went to Paris. If you are looking to maximize your rewards, sign up fo the rewards cards separately instead of adding your spouse onto you credit card. You will get double the bonus sign-up rewards! Decide on your favorite hotel chain and sign up for that card.

Park Tickets

Once we had our flight and hotel booked, we needed to take care of the Park tickets. Both my husband and I have an annual pass so we only needed to buy a ticket for our youngest (the older kids are off at college). I have a Disney Visa and I used the rewards from that card to pay for his 2-day Park Hopper ticket. I know what some of you are going to say…if you have annual passes than the trip wasn’t actually free. Guess what??? I actually paid for the passes last year with credit card rewards!! See how fun this is? I have seriously been saving my rewards for nearly 10 years and we are now reaping the rewards.

We also bought tickets for all three of us to attend the Oogie Boogie Bash and those tickets were bought with the rewards from my Disney Visa too.

Food

Since this was a short trip there wasn’t a huge food expense, the items were paid for with my Disney Visa Rewards. Another general money saving tip is to share meals and just drink water from the restaurants. You can ask for a cup of ice water from any restaurant, you don’t have to buy bottled water or soda, it’s a great way to save. Because of our annual pass, we also save 20% on our meals. We ate breakfast at Panera one morning and I paid for that with a Panera gift card I earned from ibotta.

Lightsaber building

This trip happened during our son’s birthday and we knew that he would love making his own lightsaber at Savi’s Workshop. We gifted him with a new wallet (he lost his old one) and we put a note inside telling him he had an appointment to make a lightsaber at Savi’s Workshop. My husband built one on our last trip and the whole experience is completely magical, especially if you are a die hard Star Wars fan. My son absolutely loved the entire experience, he went on and on, all day long about how it was one of the coolest things he’s ever done. This experience was paid for with my Disney Visa Rewards (I’m starting to sound like a broken record, aren’t I?)

Rental Car

The last expense we had on this trip was our rental car. We always book a rental car through Costco, it is often times cheaper than it is to pay for a shuttle. The trick is to book your car and keep checking back every week to see if the price drops. If the price is lower you can book the new car at the lower rate and cancel your old one. I find that I can usually get the best deal about 3 weeks prior to our departure date. Sometimes, I find 2-3 days before I pick up the car there is a major drop in the price too. I paid for the rental car with the rewards from my Costco Visa (you thought I was going to say Disney Rewards, didn’t you?). The Costco Visa is probably the rewards card I used most now, because the perks are the best. With the Costco rewards, you will get a rebate check once a year, the check can be redeemed at Costco or you can get cash back. I opted for cash and used some of the money on our rental car and the cost of parking at the hotel. Booyah!

Whenever we take our trips to Disneyland we usually always incorporate one or two credit card rewards in some way. This was the first trip we took where I actually used rewards to pay for the entire trip and it was kind of exciting. Unfortunately, this trip used up a lot of our rewards so I am going to have to start saving again.

I hope this encourages you to come up with some creative ways to save on your next Disney trip, whether it’s with airline miles, credit card rewards or just basic money saving tactics like sharing meals or ordering free water.

Another great way to save on a Disneyland vacation is by booking your trip through Get Away Today. I have found Get Away Today has some of the best deals! When we aren’t using rewards for our hotels or tickets I usually always book my Disneyland trips through Get Away Today. If you book a package for 2 nights or longer, you can use the code THRIVING10 to save an additional $10 off the package price. You can also purchase discounted Disneyland tickets through Get Away Today too.

Once again, here is the rundown of how we used our rewards to get this trip for free:

Flight – Alaska Airline miles
Hotel – Marriott Rewards
Park Tickets – Disney Visa Rewards
Lightsaber Building Experience – Disney Visa Rewards
Food – Disney Rewards Visa & gift card from ibotta
Rental Car – Costco Visa Rewards

It’s worth mentioning that we planned our stay with the minimum hotel nights as possible. We flew in Thursday morning, went to Oogie Boogie Bash that evening, spent Friday in the parks all day, we then spent 1/2 the day on the park on Saturday and flew home late Saturday night. Since we made our arrival and departure days park days, less hotel stays were required. This may not work for everyone, but we live fairly close to California and we visit on a regular basis so we don’t feel the need to fit everything in all in one trip. Just another tip your might try when booking your trip.

We visit Disneyland on a regular basis and we have a bunch of posts to help you with your trip planning, check them out below:

I don’t recommend signing up for all the credit cards at once, just pick one and start with that, maybe a couple years later add another one. If you have experience with traveling with rewards I’d love to hear what your favorite cards are, let me know!

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