When Is The Cheapest Time To Go To Disneyland? 2024

We’re all looking to save money in all aspects of our lives, and vacations are no different! Many people are wondering: When is the cheapest time to go to Disneyland? Visiting Disneyland can be an expensive vacation, but it doesn’t have to be. There are cheaper times to visit Disney theme parks. In this post, I’ll talk about the cheapest time to go to Disneyland and give you some other money-saving ideas for your Disneyland vacation. I’ll also give you information on how you can save money on your Disney park tickets and hotels. Please don’t pay the full price!

Cheapest Time To Go To Disneyland

There are two seasons at Disneyland. Peak season and off-season. There are pros and cons to visiting during each season. The cheapest time to go to Disneyland is during the off-season. It’s usually more expensive to visit during the peak season.

The pros to visiting during peak season are longer park hours, special events, and entertainment. Plus, all the rides are usually open.

The cons to peak season are higher crowds. Peak season is really anytime kids are out of school. All holidays, spring and summer breaks, and most weekends usually have higher crowds. Avoid spring break, New Years, and summer break(all the summer months really) if you’re looking for the cheapest time to visit Disneyland.

The pros to visiting during the off-season are lower crowds and you may be able to find better deals on hotels. Whenever you can find a great deal on a hotel is the cheapest time to go to Disneyland.

The cons to visiting during the off-season are shorter park hours, rides may be closed for maintenance and there might not be as much entertainment available. The slower season at Disneyland is mid-January through early March, mid-September, and the week after Thanksgiving.

Whenever you decide to visit, you will find lower crowds if you visit midweek. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday are the least busy days to visit Disneyland. The cheapest days to stay in hotels is mid-week as well. So, for the cheapest time to go to Disneyland try to stay during the middle of the week.

I have a full guide to Disneyland for each month of the year that will help you decide on the best time to visit. Each guide includes a crowd calendar, a list of events, what to expect, the average weather, and more. Check it out here.

Park tickets

Ticket prices for Disneyland don’t change based on the time of year you’re visiting unless you’re buying a one-way ticket. A one-day ticket is the most expensive ticket you can purchase per day.

There are lots of different options when it comes to Disneyland park tickets. One of the most important things to know is that Disneyland’s tickets go down in price per day the more days you purchase. So, you pay less per day the more days you stay.

1-day tickets will cost you the most per day if you’re visiting Disneyland. The only place to buy 1-day Disneyland tickets is through Disneyland and there are no discounts available on one-day tickets. Disneyland sells its one-day tickets in tiers or levels. Tier one is the least expensive and tier 6 is the most expensive. The tier is determined by the projected crowd levels for the day. So, if you visit Disneyland on a Tuesday in February, your single-day ticket tier will be lower. If you visit Disneyland on New Year’s Eve(the most crowded day of the year), your single-day ticket tier will be higher and the ticket will cost more. So, for the lowest price, try to visit on low-tier days if you’re only going for one day.

Of course, I recommend visiting for more than one day to experience Disneyland Resort.

You can save more by purchasing multi-day tickets. The more days you go, the cheaper the Disneyland ticket is per day. Don’t book a multi-day ticket through Disneyland! This will cost you extra money. Buy your Disneyland tickets from Get Away Today. Their Disneyland tickets are always discounted off the gate price. They often have a buy 4 days get the 5th-day free ticket option!

There are two different Disneyland ticket options. The one park per day and the park hopper. The one-park per-day ticket means you select a park(Disneyland Park or Disney California Adventure Park) and stay in that park for the entire day. I love the one-park-per-day ticket option. There’s plenty to see and do in each park and you can easily spend an entire day in either one and still not see and do everything. I always recommend this option, especially if this is your first time visiting Disneyland.

Or, you can purchase a park hopper ticket. The park hopper ticket allows you to “hop” between both parks. You’ll select a starting park when you make your reservations. Then, after 1 pm, you’ll be able to hop over to the other park. Getting from one park to another is very easy. You just take a 3-minute walk across the esplanade and you’re at the other park! Park hopping is more expensive, but the park hopper option is great for lots of families. Especially if you’ve visited Disneyland a lot or if you have older kids or teenagers.

Whatever type of ticket you decide to purchase, please don’t pay full price for them! My partners at Get Away Today have the very best deals on tickets and hotels. Their customer service is top notch and they even have layaway plans. You can find them here or call 1-855-GET-AWAY. Make sure you tell them Melissa from Mix In Some Magic sent you for the best deal! If you book a package with park tickets and a hotel room you can use my code MIX10 to save an extra $10. That’s more churro money, friends!

Please keep in mind that a theme park reservation and a park ticket are both required to enter Disneyland at this time.

Hotel Deals

Getting a great deal on a hotel is really one of the best ways to save money on your Disneyland vacation. The cheapest time to go to Disneyland is whenever you can score a great deal on a hotel! I always book my hotels for all my Disneyland trips through Get Away Today. They partner with all the major hotels in the Disneyland area to bring you the very best deals! I won’t book my hotels anywhere else because they have the best hotel prices. They partner with over 40 hotels in the Disneyland area to bring you the very best prices.

They have great perks to go along with their awesome hotel prices! Depending on which hotel you choose, it could come with free breakfast, free parking or free ART shuttle passes. You can often find stay 3 nights and get the 4th night free! Combine a great deal like that with their discounted park tickets and you are on your way to a great Disneyland vacation and a great deal!

Whether you’re looking to stay at one of the Disneyland Resort Hotels, a property across the street, or a cheaper option a little farther away, I have a bunch of hotel reviews that might be helpful for you if you’re still trying to decide where you’d like to stay. 

Saving Money For Your Disneyland Vacation

Over the years I’ve done a lot of different things to save money for our Disney vacations. Whether we were traveling to Disneyland or Walt Disney World, I have done a lot of creative things to help us scrape together enough money to have a fun family vacation.

I have a post that has 20 creative ideas to help you save money easily and quickly for your Disney vacation. I’ve used every single one of the ideas in that post and they have all been helpful to me. You can check it out here.

Saving Money At Disneyland

Once you get to Disneyland, you might be panicking a little bit. You’ve found the cheapest time to go to Disneyland, but now you’re a little worried about the prices for things inside the parks! Don’t stress. I know exactly how you feel. I can be incredibly cheap on Disney trips. It costs a lot to get my family there, so if I can save money when I’m inside the parks it really can help with the overall bottom line.

I bring in lots of our own food into the parks. This has been a sweet spot for me to save money. Food for our family can cost well over $100 per meal! That’s $300 plus per day just on meals. Adding in snacks raises the total even more! Luckily, Disneyland has a very flexible policy on bringing food into the parks. Bringing in your own food is a great way to cut down on the cost of a Disney trip. You can find out more info here.

I’ve got a whole post on my website about different ways you can save money once you’re inside Disneyland. I’ve used them all! Check it out here. Don’t stress, you can still have a great time even if you’re being frugal inside the parks.

Most Expensive Time To Go To Disneyland

Because we’re talking about the cheapest time to go to Disneyland, I thought we should probably talk about the most expensive time to go to Disneyland. The most expensive time to go to Disneyland is when crowds are the highest. Major holidays and school breaks bring large crowds and long lines, but they also bring more expensive prices.

When the parks are projected to be busy, the park tickets will be more expensive(please buy them at a discount here) and hotels will raise their prices too. It’s not just tickets and hotel rooms that cost more. Airline prices and a rental car will also be more expensive.

So, as a general rule, you can expect the most expensive time at Disneyland to be when it’s also the most crowded.

I’ve got bunches of information on planning a Disneyland trip that will be so helpful for you! Start with my complete guide to visiting Disneyland. It’s a step-by-step guide for planning your vacation that will be helpful. Check out my top 10 Disneyland tips and my guide to when to visit Disneyland to help you pick the best time for your vacation! I’ve also got a post on rope dropping at Disneyland that’s very helpful.

Make sure you check out my downloadable touring plans if you’d like a step-by-step guide to the parks! 

I have a planning phone call that’s super popular! In this phone call, I can answer all of your Disneyland vacation questions and give you lots of tips and info tailored just to you and your group!

I hope this guide to the cheapest time to go to Disneyland was helpful to you. It’s a good idea to check the crowd calendar before your visit. If you see a red date, you can bet it will be a more expensive time to visit. The cheapest times to visit Disneyland will be the green or yellow days. No matter when you choose to visit the happiest place on earth, I know you’re going to have a good time!

The bottom line though is this: The cheapest time to go to Disneyland is when you can find a great deal on a hotel. So keep your eye on prices and if you see a great deal, grab it!

Make sure to check out my podcast for lots of Disney planning information! You can find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Just search for “Mix In Some Magic” Follow me on Instagram for more Disney tips and lots of Disney tips and fun!