Disneyland Vacation Deals? Here’s How…

Planning to go to Disneyland? Are you curious to see if you really can find any Disneyland Vacation Deals? Well here’s some helpful tips and tricks that you can use to get a Disneyland Vacation on a shoestring budget.

Tip number 1: Do your research in advance - Plan ahead and learn about all your options when it comes to tickets, lodging, transportation etc. A great place to start is the “Free Disney Discount Guide For Newbies” in the planning section right here in this site. This will help you get you moving in the right direction for sure.

Tip number 2:  Go during off-season - Taking your Disneyland vacation during the off-season may mean missing that big event happening at Disneyland, but it could very well mean saving alot of money on lodging, tickets and other expenses. Another added benfit of choosing to go during off-season is the amount of time you’ll save having to wait in those long lines at attractions and restuarants.

Disneyland Resort and major hotel chains have been known to drop their prices during the off-season to boost sales.

Decide if it’s worth going during off-season by checking out Step 2: Decide When To Go… inside the ‘Disney Discount Guide for Newbies’. There you will find all the special events for the year plus the Disneyland attendance history to find out when is the cheapest time to go.

Tip number 3: Get Maps, Charts & Guides for your trip - This will speed up your time tremendously and give you peace of mind while your on your Disneyland vacation. This can add up to saving time and money which would other wise be spent needing an extra day at the parks to see everything you really wanted and another day of rest because of the added stress…believe me I’ve been there. You can get your maps, charts , & guides to Disneyland Resort inside the Planning section too.

Tip number 4: Get a Disney Discount Savings Guide - There are two major Disney savings guides that I highly recommend investing in. These guides are priceless when it comes to getting to Disneyland vacation deals.

The tips, discounts and resources inside these guides will save you a minimum of hundreds and even thousands of dollars depending on the size of your family and the length of your trip. When you compare that to the thirty to forty bucks you’re investing in one of these babies then it’s really a no-brainer for sure.

You can check out my full reviews on both Disney Savings Guides here >>

Tip number 5: Get Disneyland ticket discounts when you buy in advance - If you can avoid buying your Disneyland tickets at the gate and buy them in advance online you will enjoy some pretty decent savings. The trick is, the more tickets you buy and the more days you get the more you will save. You can check out all your options for Disneyland vacation deals and cheap tickets at… disneyland.com/tickets

Tip number 6: Are you a local? Take advantage of locals only savings - If you live in the right zip code in California (90000-93599) then you qualify for any Disneyland Resort specials, discounts, and exclusive offers that are going on during the year.

You may even qualify for discounts from your job or college if it’s near Disneyland, just ask and see. On the flip side of this is if your an out of towner and have family or friends that qualify for this discount then have them purchase the tickets for you.

Tip number 7: Eat your meals and Book your Hotel outside the Disneyland Resort - Eating within the Disneyland Resort can get pretty expensive and adds up quick especially if you have a large family.

So eat as many meals outside the Resort as much as possible. Also staying in a nearby Hotel can save you a ton if you book through online travel agency’s like Orbitz, Travelocity, Expedia, Priceline, or Hotels .com.

They usually get rates that are not available when going direct. They also provide ratings from other users that will tell you if your getting a real deal or not.

Keep on a lookout for special deals that these travel agencies run frequently throughout the year.

You can find the deals on your favorite travel site below >>

Travelocity.com

Expedia.com

Hotels.com

Priceline.com

If you’ve enjoyed this post and feel it’s helped you in finding some great disneyland vacation deals then consider sharing this post with others by bookmarking it on your favorite site below...I recommend Propeller or digg below.

Thanks and Enjoy!

Anna

Disney World Resort - Attendance Chart

Disney World Resort Attendance Chart

Yearly Attendance

Although special events and promotions may influence Theme Park attendance levels, the following list highlights historic attendance trends throughout the year:

Lowest Attendance History Throughout The Year

• January (except New Year’s Day) until just prior to Presidents’ week in February
• The week following Labor Day until just prior to Thanksgiving week (except Veterans Day weekend)
• The week following Thanksgiving until Christmas Eve

Moderate Attendance History Throughout The Year

• After Presidents’ week in February through early March
• Late April through early June (except Memorial Day weekend)
• The first part of Thanksgiving week

Highest Attendance History Throughout The Year

• Presidents’ week in February
• Mid-March through Late April (”Spring Break”)
• Memorial Day weekend
• Mid-June through Labor Day
• June 4-7 Gay Days
• Thanksgiving Day and weekend
• Christmas week through New Year’s Day

At A Glance - Dates to Avoid if You Don’t Like Crowds

February 15 - 18 - President’s Day weekend.
March 21 - 24 - Easter weekend.
March 31 - April 4 - Spring Break for the local schools.
May 23 - 26 - Memorial Day weekend.
June 4 - 7  - Gay Days
June 30 - July 6 - Independence Day/4th of July week.
August 29 - September 1  - Labor Day weekend.
November 7 - 11 - Veteran’s Day weekend.
November 21 - December 1 - Thanksgiving break for schools.
December 24 - January 1 - Christmas week to New Years Day.

Weekly Attendance

Special events and promotions may influence Theme Park attendance levels.

Busiest and Slowest Days of The Week

• Slowest days of the week: Thursday, Friday, Saturday
• Busiest days of the week: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday
  • The busiest day: Wednesday
  • The slowest day: Thursday

During regular attendance periods the Theme Parks tend to be the busiest on the following days:

• Magic Kingdom: Monday and Wednesday
• Epcot: Tuesday and Friday
• Disney’s Hollywood Studios: Sunday and Wednesday
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom: Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday

Important Tips For Slow Times

If you go when the Walt Disney World Resort is less busy here’s some things to consider…

Positives

• The Weather may be cooler
• There’s less crowds
• Shorter lines and wait times
• You can get discounts on hotels and sometimes tickets
• less stress

Negatives

• The park hours are shorter
• More rides may be closed for renovation
• Fast Passes may not be offered
• Some stores may be closed

Disneyland Resort - Attendance Chart

Disneyland Resort Attendance Chart

Yearly Attendance

Although special events and promotions may influence Theme Park attendance levels, the following list highlights historic attendance trends throughout the year:

Lowest Attendance History Throughout The Year

• January (except New Year’s Day) until just prior to Presidents’ week in February
• The week following Labor Day until just prior to Thanksgiving week
• The week following Thanksgiving until the week prior to Christmas

Moderate Attendance History Throughout The Year

• After Presidents’ week in February through early March
• Late April through early June (except Memorial Day weekend)
• The first part of Thanksgiving week

Highest Attendance History Throughout The Year

• Presidents’ week in February
• Mid-March through Late April (”Spring Break”)
• Memorial Day weekend
• Mid-June through Labor Day
• October 3rd through the 5th Gay Days
• Thanksgiving Day and weekend
• Christmas week through New Year’s Day

At A Glance - Dates to Avoid if You Don’t Like Crowds

January 18 - 21 - Martin Luther King Jr. weekend.
February 15 - 18 - President’s Day weekend.
March 21 - 24 - Easter weekend.
March 31 - April 4 - Spring Break for the local schools.
May 23 - 26 - Memorial Day weekend.
June 30 - July 6 - Independence Day/4th of July week.
August 29 - September 1 - Labor Day weekend.
October 3 - 5 - Gay Days Anaheim.
October 10 - 13 - Columbus Day weekend.
November 7 - 11 - Veteran’s Day weekend.
November 21 - December 1 - Thanksgiving break for schools.
December 19 - January 4 - Holiday break for schools.

Weekly Attendance

Special events and promotions may influence Theme Park attendance levels.

Busiest and Slowest Days of The Week

Weekends are  twice as busy as weekdays, and 3-day weekends can be jammed packed. Another important factor is schools have random Fridays off and half-days which can impact attendance. Check the Anaheim City School District’s Calendar before your trip. You can check it out here >>

• Slowest days of the week: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
• Busiest days of the week: ,Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday
  • The busiest day: Saturday
  • The slowest day: Tuesday

During regular attendance periods the Theme Parks tend to be the busiest on the following days:

Disneyland Park: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
Disney’s California Adventure Park: Friday, Saturday, Sunday

Important Tips For Slow Times

If you go when the Disneyland Resort is less busy here’s some things to consider…

Positives

• The Weather may be cooler
• There’s less crowds
• Shorter lines and wait times
• You can get discounts on hotels and sometimes tickets
• less stress

Negatives

• The park hours are shorter
• More rides may be closed for renovation
• Fast Passes may not be offered
• Some stores may be closed

Unofficial Guide to Disney…What You Need To Know

Bob Sehlinger and Len Testa have come together to create an amazing tour book called… “The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2009.”

They set out to make this a complete A-Z Disney tour guide to make sure your Disney Vacation is an awesome event.

But is the “Unofficial Guide to Disney” the Ultimate resource for those wanting more then a tour and information guide; like how to get Disney discounts and deals on tickets, hotels, travel, etc?

The simple answer to that is no.

But what the unofficial guide to disney does do, it does it right and like no other Amazon guide out there.

The Unofficial Guide to Disney is loaded with pictures and information and Testa and Sehlinger are straight-forward in giving out their opinions and the majority of the people out seem to agree with their opinions and choices making this a trust worthy source of great info.

Here’s what you really need to know….

Most people want to know how to get the deals and how to save time and money.Your simply not going to find that kind of info at Amazon, Barnes n Noble, or Borders books stores. Basic info is what you get at these book stores.

If your searching for Disney Insider Secrets and short cuts to the Disney deals then you need to find the premium resources that will walk you through in detail where and how to get all this secret stuff. For example one of these premium guides was written by an Ex-Disney Employee who tells all…

I won’t go into detail about these two Disney insider guides but you can check them out here for more info.

Check out the Disney Insider Secrets Guides here >>

No matter which one of these insider savings guides you choose they are the real deal when it comes to Disney Insider Secrets… and they are worth every penny.

You’ll invest a few bucks more, but in this case you do get what you pay for.

As for The Unofficial Guide to Disney, is it worth it?

Heck, yeah!

If you want an A-Z Disney resource at your disposal with down-to-earth advice, tips and opinions then this is as good as it gets.

Combine this with one of the Disney Insider Guides I suggest getting, and together you will have the Ultimate Disney Insiders Secrets Guide which = The Ultimate Disney Dream Vacation for half the price.

So what inside the Unofficial Guide to Disney?

Basically 848 pages of good stuff like…

* Trip Planning Tips & Tricks
* Detailed Resort information
* Attraction overviews, reviews, and ratings by age group
* Touring Plans which offer step-by-step guidance even by the day
* Addresses for all your family needs

The only major down turn to this guide is that the organization is a mess. It’s a Disney Encyclopedia that could take weeks to go through. Finding what you need to know is a chore and some of the comments are a bit cynical. So if you can get past what I feel is a small flaw then you will be satisfied.

Here’s the features of the The Unofficial Guide to Disney from Amazon…

Five Great Features and Benefits offered ONLY by The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World:

1. Exclusively patented, field-tested touring plans that save as much as four hours of standing in line in a single day
2. Tips, advice, and opinions from hundreds of Walt Disney World guests in their own words
3. Almost 250 hotels rated and ranked for quality and value, including the top non-Disney hotels for families
4. A complete Dining Guide with ratings and reviews of all Walt Disney World restaurants, plus extensive alternatives for dining deals outside the World
5. Every attraction rated and ranked for each age group; extensive, objective, head-to-head comparisons of the Disney and Universal theme parks

You can get your copy below…

Get The Unofficial Guide to Disney here >>