Tips for visiting Disneyland in 2024: 17 ways to save money and have more fun

07.06.2024 - 12:51 / thepointsguy.com

Disneyland in Southern California is known as the Happiest Place on Earth, but the experience is a whole lot happier for visitors who come prepared. Visiting a Disney theme park can be complicated, confusing and expensive. With the right strategy, however, you can dodge a lot of lines and spend less than the average guest.

After spending thousands of hours in the two theme parks in Anaheim over the years, I've picked up quite a few Disneyland tips and tricks. Here are the essential tips you need to know to get the most for your money, spend less time in line and have a more magical vacation experience.

Earlier this year, Walt Disney World in Florida eliminated its theme park reservation requirement for most guests. Disneyland did not. If you want to visit the parks in California, you'll still need a reservation for the park you plan to enter first each day.

When buying a theme park ticket directly from Disney's website, you'll be prompted to make park reservations automatically. If you buy from a third-party reseller like Get Away Today or Undercover Tourist (which can be smart to do, as you may save money by purchasing multiday tickets this way), you'll need to complete the reservations step on your own. It only takes a minute or two to link a ticket and make the selections, but you'll want to make sure you don't forget about this task until it's too late.

How far ahead do you need to plan? Thankfully, many dates at Disneyland are no longer completely booked up for regular ticket holders. That said, if you plan on visiting during a busy time, like the week between Christmas and New Year's Day, you'll want to make sure you reserve at least a few weeks in advance to be safe.

Disneyland sells both single and multiday park tickets that are good for up to five days. If you are going to visit for two or even three days, it may surprise you to find that purchasing a multiday ticket isn't always the best deal.

It's counterintuitive, but it's a function of Disneyland's set price for multiday tickets and variable pricing for single-day tickets. There are seven different price tiers (Tier 0 to 6) for single-day tickets. Two or even three of some of the cheaper single-day tickets (Tier 0, Tier 1, etc.) can cost less than their multiday ticket equivalent.

Related: These are the best times to visit Disneyland

There is no need to do the math if you are going during peak periods, such as a school holiday when single-day tickets are expensive. However, if you are purposely visiting during a less popular time when shorter lines are common, you may be pleasantly surprised to find you can save money, too.

Just be aware that one-day tickets are a little less flexible than multiday tickets, as the cheaper ticket tiers