In light of my posting yesterday, I thought that it was only fitting that I post tips on how to save money at the Disneyland Resort. Some of these I’ve posted before and others I grabbed from my site.
Here are my top 5 ways to save some green at the Disneyland Resort:
1. Don’t buy bottled water
Bring your own water bottle and refill it throughout the resort from the filtered water spigots. The city of Anaheim has award-winning water and considering the fact that the resort exclusively sells Aquafina watered (which is filtered water from a municipal source!), you may as well save the $3 per bottle. Click here for more info on water at Disneyland. (Including a list of locations inside Disneyland.)
2. Bring lunch and/or dinner from home
Food is a very expensive part of any Disneyland visit. While large ice chests are not allowed inside of Disneyland (there is a clean picnic area outside of the park with lockers large enough for ice chests and shaded tables), small coolers are. While it is not a practice adored by Disneyland, outside food is permitted inside of the Disneyland Resort. We bring sandwiches, fruit, juices, snacks, and the like and rarely have to purchase food. When you load up, just keep in mind that glass containers are not permitted inside the resort. For more dining tips, click here.
3. Consider the least expensive souvenirs
The Disneyland Resort has an amazing selection of souvenirs and merchandise throughout the park. One of the cheapest souvenirs is the pressed penny. Pressed penny machines are found throughout the parks and cost only 51 cents. Arrive at the resort with lots of quarters and pennies, and you will certainly have fun hunting for penny machines throughout the resort. Click here for more information on pressed pennies at the resort.
Other inexpensive souvenirs include the red Mickey Mouse head sucker that sells at the Newsstand (by the park exit) and other various locations for 48 cents and postcards, which can be found throughout the park.
If you want more substantial merchandise for souvenirs, but want to save some serious dough, consider visiting the Disney Character Warehouse where the Disneyland Resort sends all of its clearance merchandise. The outlet is located at 243 Orangefair Mall, Fullerton, CA 92832. The phone number is (714) 870-9363. The outlet is less than 4 miles from Disneyland (about 10 minutes by car) and is open 9-9 Monday through Saturday and 9-8 on Sunday.
4. Get the Disney Visa
The Disney Visa offers a host of discounts throughout the year for shopping online, theater experiences and travel packages. It also offers a 10% discount on some merchandise purchases at the Disneyland Resort and FREE stroller rentals (up to 2 strollers per day). (This changed some time in July or August 2009. The credit card now gets you 50% off of stroller rental. I’m probably going to cancel my Disney Visa and get something with a better cash back/points model. Without the free stroller rental, it’s just no longer worth it.)
5. Market House Coffee (NO LONGER OFFERED)
(Visited 509 times, 7 visits today)
Thank you for the tips!
Oooh.. the coffee tip is a good one. Thanks!
There’s also a Character Outlet store in Las Vegas at the LV Outlets (previously Belz Outlet).
That’s awesome, Lori. Talk about saving money and time–if you live in Vegas you can buy your souvenir t-shirts before your trip and wear them at the park! I believe there also may be a Disney Character Outlet in Pomona, CA.
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I love the Character outlet. I have found everything from Mickey hands to Disneyland Hoodies. It’s a great place!
Great tips by the way!
wow, love to save money. What great tips. And as far as using reusable containers to save money, but it also helps the environment too. It’s a win-win. Great ideas and tips!