Planning a trip to Disneyland. Any tips on how to save without being cheap?

[Lowprofile]

yeah...you go to Magic Mountain for the thrill rides...you go to Disneyland for the 'experience'.

and what experience is that? Getting financially raped by a 5ft Rat? Corporate Greed has long since ruined that "experience" you so fondly speak of. IMHO

[Ponch ®]

yeah...you go to Magic Mountain for the thrill rides...you go to Disneyland for the 'experience'.

and what experience is that? Getting financially raped by a 5ft Rat? Corporate Greed has long since ruined that "experience" you so fondly speak of. IMHO

pretty much. but then again, what does a little kid know about that? All they care about is seeing Mickey Mouse in person.

[Lowprofile]

Your right ,bro.

I forgot to look at it from the kids point of view. 





I think Truly Nolan should finally take that rat out.

[Ponch ®]

Your right ,bro.

I forgot to look at it from the kids point of view. 

simpler times, man. I remember that period of my life between becoming fully aware of my surroundings (age 3 maybe?) and when I became a teenager. My biggest worries were whether I should take my He-Man or my Transformers lunch box to school or whether or not I'd be home in time to watch The Racoons.

then you turn 12, discover jacking off, start to get zits, figure out that girls dont really have the cooties, and your life turns into a living hell.

[psykicpup]

Your right ,bro.

I forgot to look at it from the kids point of view. 

simpler times, man. I remember that period of my life between becoming fully aware of my surroundings (age 3 maybe?) and when I became a teenager. My biggest worries were whether I should take my He-Man or my Transformers lunch box to school or whether or not I'd be home in time to watch The Racoons.

then you turn 12, discover jacking off, start to get zits, figure out that girls dont really have the cooties, and your life turns into a living hell.

lets face it if the guy was just going by himself or with the gf it would be a whole different thread & prob locked by now lol

my tips& I have never done Disney but most of the UK parks is....

1, try to get a good night sleep even if the kids dont YOU will need to keep your temper/cool
2, do take your own food..try to find out if the park has 'lockers' you can keep it in(we went a park once left the food in the car when we went  back the food was gone along with the radio!)
3, ,plan breaks! kids ket unruly when overstimulated/tired (one of my fav parks kept its 'small animal farm' actually still had shire horses from the 'real' farm days)
4, take a pck of 'babywipes' (u know those thing for babysoft bots') usefull fot cut grazes dirty hands & faces- you know what happen if you dont lol
2nd  most important ' remember why you came'

[Ponch ®]

2, do take your own food..

I don't blame you. I wouldnt wanna eat english food either. 

[bull]

yeah...you go to Magic Mountain for the thrill rides...you go to Disneyland for the 'experience'.

and what experience is that? Getting financially raped by a 5ft Rat? Corporate Greed has long since ruined that "experience" you so fondly speak of. IMHO

Yea, the kids don't care. But if my girls could choose between Disneyland and a Townsville theme park (Powerpuff Girls) they'd choose Townsville in a heartbeat if there was one. I tried convincing my wife to tell them that the local Disney store was actually Disneyland to save us a bundle but she wouldn't go for it.

[bull]

We're getting suited up. Looks like the end of February is a tentative go and we're taking advantage of an Alaska Airlines "Kids Fly Free" special paid for with a federal tax return. We're going to pump some Oregon money into the SoCal economy so one of those Disney employees can finally buy the 22" spinners he's been wanting for his Fraud Taurus.

Until then we will be carefully studying the advice given here. And from what I've been told here and by friends we'll probably be skipping Universal Studios during this trip. We're getting a 3-day D-land/DCA park hopper. Iceman, ever stay at the Clarion Hotel in Anaheim? Kids eat free.

Speaking of food, are there any normal grocery stores within walking distance of the Clarion (2 blocks from D-land entry) so we can put together some snacks?

[BB1]

Have fun Bull; might want to grab fast passes to avoid some lines. It's a ticket at the beginning of a rides line.
I like to fast pass the popular rides, Pirates, Ghost H, Thunder M, Space M. 
Maybe Mojo can give you a 06 Charger ride. 

[Old Moparz]

Maybe Mojo can give you a 06 Charger ride. 

Post pictures if that happens. 

[bull]

Maybe Mojo can give you a 06 Charger ride. 

Post pictures if that happens. 

I never said I wouldn't ride in one, I just said it was a mistake calling it a Charger. Of course I would never buy one but I'm sure it would make for a fine (rental) car.

[69bronzeT5]

I dont really know of any. But my school band is going to Disneyland and its 1000CAD a head to go on a bloody bus in the hot sun for 2 days. Im not going because well, Im going to Mexico around the same time. And also, you can fly down to Disneyland in 2-3 hours for 800CAD a head.

[skip68]

We're getting suited up. Looks like the end of February is a tentative go and we're taking advantage of an Alaska Airlines "Kids Fly Free" special paid for with a federal tax return. We're going to pump some Oregon money into the SoCal economy so one of those Disney employees can finally buy the 22" spinners he's been wanting for his Fraud Taurus.

Until then we will be carefully studying the advice given here. And from what I've been told here and by friends we'll probably be skipping Universal Studios during this trip. We're getting a 3-day D-land/DCA park hopper. Iceman, ever stay at the Clarion Hotel in Anaheim? Kids eat free.

Speaking of food, are there any normal grocery stores within walking distance of the Clarion (2 blocks from D-land entry) so we can put together some snacks?

We stayed at the " Holiday Inn-Anaheim-at the Park" hotel a couple years ago. (There are three holiday inns, so that's why I'm clarifying) And I have to say, for just being a Holiday Inn, I was really impressed with the service. We arrived in the lobby and it seemed that in ten seconds my son had a balloon in his hand. Also they would hold the shuttles for us and give us courtesy calls when it arrived! This hotel is owned by a Japanese hotel chain and I have heard good things about Japanese owned hotel chains before,... now I know it's true.! We did the three day hopper passes, but, I had also reserved the "Character Breakfast" for one of the mornings. This by far was soooo sweet! As our son was eating Mickey Mouse waffles, Piglet and Winnie the Pooh, came in and started feeding him blueberries! Our boy was in shock!! It was a PRICELESS moment to see the expression on his face! I would highly recommend the Character Breakfast! (Especially since your kids are still young!) It's not that expensive and there are two or three places around the park that offer this event. Ask at the ticket booth for info. Hope you have a wonderful time! Say hi to Goofy!
Mrs. Skip68