Ang Sails The 7c's: 10 Tips That Will Save You Time and Money For Your Disneyland Vacation

If you are planning a magical trip to Disneyland and feel overwhelmed by the amount of money it takes. Well I have some tips to help you out and hopefully get you to enjoy your vacation more. We have traveled to Disneyland 3 times, and you really learn how to utilize your time and make the most out of the days you are there. With park tickets at such a high price, you have to get your monies worth, and try not to spend a fortune inside the gates. Disney is the happiest place on earth, my tips will make it even happier for you since you'll be saving some money and time. These tips worked for us on our trips to Disneyland and Disney California Adventure and they will work for you too.

1. Stay in a hotel with a shuttle, that way you are saving money on parking and you can avoid the traffic when it's time to leave.

2. Arrive early. You will get inside the gates before the huge crowd arrives and your chances of getting on a few rides without huge lines are very good. You may want to ride the rides that don't use the fast passes at this time, such as Toy Story Mania at DCA, or Indiana Jones in Disneyland. Toy Story Mania is a huge hit and the lines are always long since you can't use the fast pass on it.

3. Pack a lunch, snacks and plenty of water. The food and water inside the parks are very expensive. With the extra money you saved take your family to a restaurant or buy the kids a souvenir.

4. Rent a locker. Inside the park, lockers are $7 and $10.

5. Bring a backpack for your money, sunscreen and other items you may want. Keep it in your locker. Then you won't be carrying a bulky bag on the rides. Some rides don't allow you to take on bags. You have to store them in lockers and hope you return with your bag still there.

6. Download the Magic App. This was one of the biggest time savers for us. We were able to see how long the lines were, and if they were not long we would head to that ride and get right on without having to wait.

7. Utilize the FAST PASSES. This is huge. These will be your best friend at Disneyland and DCA. Go to the ride that offers the fast pass and put in your tickets, your fast passes will come out and it will tell you when you need to be back to get on the ride. You will have the extra time to go on another ride or go see the characters in the park. When it's time for you to return to the ride, you just go through the fast pass line and get directly on the ride. You can redeem another fast pass as soon as you have returned for your ride at the scheduled time. That is for each park, so you can have one at Disneyland and one at DCA.
*If you are wanting to attend World Of Color, the first thing you need to do when you arrive is get your fast pass at Disney California Adventure for the World Of Color event, they line you up based on color and you will want a front row viewing of this show. It's breathtaking!

8. The characters will be all over the park, but we found most of them on Main Street USA. If you are heading across the way to DCA, be sure to stop and get some pictures with the characters.

9. Instead of purchasing all those photos that are taken of you on the rides. When you get off the ride take a quick picture of the photo on the computer screen. You won't have the real photo, but it's just as good and you didn't spend any money to get it.

10. If you don't care to watch the parade, it's a great time to go jump on those rides. Main Street is full of people watching the parade and the lines won't be as long.