We’re Always Sad to See These 10 Ways People Needlessly Waste Money at Disneyland Every Day

The cost of a Disneyland vacation can add up quickly, between hotels, dining, souvenirs, tickets, and more, and many visitors are looking to save money in any way that they can.

There are countless different areas you can put your money towards as you are planning your Disneyland vacation, but not all of them all worth it. Many visitors will spend money on certain aspects of their Disneyland vacation only to lament their decision later.

There are several ways that we frequently observe visitors unfortunately wasting money at Disneyland. Our Mickey Visit team visits Disneyland frequently, and we have found much better alternatives to everything we mention below that we will share with you. Keep reading for the top 10 ways people needlessly waste money at Disneyland!

Booking a Nicer Hotel During a Parks-Focused Trip

There are several great hotels that you can stay at near Disneyland, and our favorites include a variety of cheap and more luxurious options. Which type of hotel you should choose will ultimately boil down to which amenities you will take advantage of. Many visitors enjoy a strictly parks-focused trip and will be spending the entire day at Disneyland, only using their hotel to sleep and eat breakfast in the morning. For this type of trip, you really only need a clean, comfortable place to sleep between park days.

You could choose a nicer hotel with a variety of luxurious amenities, but if you are not going to be fully taking advantage of its offerings, it can be a significant waste of money. It's one thing if you choose a hotel with a nice pool and plan to spend some time at your hotel on a day off from the parks, but it's another to book a hotel with nicer amenities and not use any of them. This is especially true for the onsite Disneyland hotels which are the priciest options you can go with.

For a parks-focused trip, you're much better off staying at a cheaper hotel within walking distance of Disneyland. Better yet, staying at a hotel that offers free breakfast can help you save a bit of extra money.

Buying Tickets Directly From Disney

You can always buy tickets directly from Disney, but know that you're missing out on worthwhile savings that you should really take advantage of. There are a few different options you can explore to avoid paying full price for Disney theme park tickets and hotels, but our top recommendation is purchasing through the authorized Disney ticket reseller Get Away Today.

Get Away Today has been working with Disney for over 30 years, and they are the best option out there to save money on multi-day Disneyland tickets. Get Away Today even exclusively offers our Mickey Visit readers lower prices than what you'll find by going to their site directly. Get Away Today also offers any of the current Disneyland ticket specials that are running so that you can maximize your savings! CLICK HERE for best discount prices >

Paying For Water

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One of the biggest ways that people waste money at Disneyland is by buying water bottles, which tend to be very overpriced at the parks. Water bottles can be a sneaky expense that adds up quickly throughout the day, especially if you are trying to stay hydrated during the hotter seasons at Disneyland.

Many think that this is an unavoidable expense at Disneyland, but that's not necessarily the case with some extra planning. You can bring your own water bottle to refill at stations throughout the parks, or if you prefer, you can buy some as part of a grocery delivery to your hotel to bring with you. Even if you don't bring your own water to Disneyland, you can still take advantage of the free cups of ice water that you can get at counter service locations.

Not Making Full Use of a Park Hopper Ticket

There are certain scenarios where buying a park hopper ticket at Disneyland is very much worth the price. If you're only visiting for one day, for example, you'll want to get a Park Hopper in order to fit in all of the highlights of both parks.

However, it is a substantial extra cost to your Disneyland ticket, so it shouldn't be the default. For example, for a 3-day visit (a common trip length), it will be $505 per adult with a 3-day park hopper ticket vs. $415 for a 1 Park Per Day ticket. This is not a small difference, and in most cases, it is not necessary to spend that extra $90.

If you're visiting Disneyland for 3 days, it can make a lot more sense to get 1 Park Per Day tickets where you can spend time fully enjoying all of the highlights of each park. It can be a big waste of money to get a Park Hopper ticket only to spend the vast majority of the day at one park or not get to as many experiences as you hoped.

If you do decide to get a Disneyland Park Hopper ticket, make sure that you're making good use of it so that you're not throwing away the extra money that you spent on this higher-value ticket.

Visiting During Peak Crowds

It's one thing if you are only able to visit Disneyland during one of the most crowded times of the year. After all, a visit to Disneyland during peak crowds is better than no Disneyland visit at all! But choosing a busy time of year to visit could end up costing you a lot of extra money.

Several areas of your trip will be more expensive during peak travel times, from airfare to your hotel stay and beyond. If you're visiting for just one day, you'll also see the highest tier of 1-day ticket prices during the busiest times of year. Just one day at Disneyland during a peak time of year could cost you up to $281 for an adult park hopper ticket (vs. $104 for a 1 Park Per Day ticket on one of the lowest Tier 0 days of the year). Day-of Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Single Pass prices also surge during peak times of the year, and we've seen Lightning Lane Multi Pass cost up to $39 per person.

Though it's not quite fair to say it's necessarily a waste of money to visit Disneyland on a super crowded day, it is worth keeping in mind that you might not get to as much as you may have hoped when the parks are packed and all attractions have long lines. If you have the flexibility to visit during a less busy time of year, you'll generally get more value out of your ticket without crowds impacting your itinerary. Make sure to check out our Mickey Visit Disneyland crowd calendar and the best times of year to visit Disneyland we would recommend.

Forgetting to Set Souvenir Budget

One sneaky area of your Disneyland vacation that can add up quickly in cost is souvenirs! Overspending on souvenirs can easily be one of the biggest ways people waste money on their trip. The merchandise can be incredibly expensive at the parks, and anything you can do ahead of time to offset that cost is worth it. You may want to consider buying some items that kids will gravitate towards (like glow sticks sold at nighttime spectaculars) for cheaper at the dollar store, stock up on Disney apparel at locations like Walmart or Target, or order your Minnie ears for cheaper on Etsy.

Of course, it's reasonable to assume that you'll want to do some shopping at Disneyland, but make sure to set a souvenir budget so that you don't end up spending more than you intended. One of our best tips for doing Disneyland on a budget is to give your kids a gift card so they know how much they have to spend and understand when it will run out.

Renting a Car

There are certain scenarios where renting a car for your Disneyland trip could make sense. For instance, if you are enjoying a longer Southern California vacation and planning on visiting destinations like Universal Studios Hollywood or attractions in Los Angeles or San Diego, a rental car would be very much worth it so that you have the most flexibility for your travels. However, if you are just planning on renting a car to drive to and from the parks, this can be a significant waste of money.

Many of the best hotels near Disneyland are located within walking distance of the parks, so for these locations, there isn't a need to rent a car for the journey. You may also be caught off guard by the prices of Disneyland parking, which is $35 a day for standard parking and $55 a day for preferred parking. This will not only cost you money but also valuable time, as it takes a significant chunk of time to enter the parking lot and take the tram over to Downtown Disney.

When you're choosing your hotel, you might want to consider the advantages of staying closer rather than needing to take an Uber, which can quickly add up over the course of a multi-day trip with the trips back and forth from your hotel. This is especially true if you are going back to your hotel in the middle of the day for a break. Instead of wasting money on several Uber trips, you may be better off using the ART shuttle bus in this scenario.

Forgetting Essential Items

Another way that visitors commonly waste money at Disneyland is by forgetting to pack essentials. Whether you forgot your toothpaste or realize you didn't pack proper layers for the chillier mornings and evenings, these purchases can put an unwanted dent in your wallet as prices tend to be much higher in hotel gift shops and the parks. See our list of the most common items Disney visitors end up buying in a pinch because they are underprepared.

The best way to keep yourself from leaving behind essential items is by consulting a thorough Disneyland packing list. We recommend printing out our packing list and then checking off items as you pack them to ensure you don't forget anything.

Automatically Buying Lightning Lane Single Pass Entry

There is a time and place for buying Lightning Lane Single Pass entry, but treating this as an automatic choice can be a huge waste of money. I personally never purchase this for Radiator Springs Racers in particular because using the Single Rider line cuts down your wait time dramatically compared to the standby line. This is one of the best Single Rider lines we always recommend using.

We don't necessarily recommend jumping straight to buying Lightning Lane Single Pass entry for Rise of the Resistance, even though this purchase makes more sense. You could only end up waiting an hour (or less) for Rise of the Resistance if you time it correctly, and keep in mind that the wait times are almost always inflated (you can read more about why Disney inflates wait times here). Rise of the Resistance Lightning Lane entry is not cheap—usually $25-28 per person—so it can definitely be a waste of money to rush into this purchase, especially for more than one day of your trip. All of that being said, if you are tight on time or visiting for just one day, it may be worth it.

Not Listening to What Your Family Needs

There is a lot of pressure on the planners of a Disneyland trip to deliver the best experience possible for their family or group. There is so much to squeeze into one day, but getting to all of the highlights of your trip shouldn't come at the cost of your family's enjoyment. If skipping a mid-day break or insisting on rope drop results in a meltdown or an unhappy experience all around, this is arguably much more of a waste of money than failing to check off all of your to-do items.

Remember that you're visiting the Happiest Place on Earth to have a good time, and sometimes that means making some adjustments to the original plan. Ultimately, it's much better to take the time to reset and listen to your family's needs than miserably power through the day and have a negative experience.

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