While this is a great tip, please definitely do not just cut the line for this PLEASE I beg you. It is such an inconvenience for the cast members behind the cast behind the counter, and while they might still serve you, just because you can do sometimes does not mean you should. Lines are frustrating but that doesn’t mean we can disregard them when we think our inconvenience is minor enough.

They have waterbottle refill stations in the park also but if you don't know where they are I would recommend just going to the Starbucks on main Street and getting a water there they usually give large cups so you can get rehydrated for a couple of hours with one of those

@@llyamwaldron8582 I am curious where you are coming from. Were you a cast member who had to deal with this? I ask because I don't think something like this is a big deal. I have worked at numerous places where I didn't mind at all if someone asked for a water cup or napkins or whatever. Of course, I was a very fast worker and would consider multitasking among my strong traits.

Okay but what if you have a “nugget kid” *hides face in shame 😂😂

Yeah, but is it better or worse than the kids' food at Disney World? Kids food in general is usually bad, kids food at Disney World isn't too bad, is it really "absolutely terrible" at Disneyland? You know I feel like if I'm having to ask these questions, it's not a good review

We’ve never stayed there before. We’ll have to plan a visit in the future some time.

I always seek to give my honest opinion. I’m usually pretty positive with Disney because they are just the most efficient theme park out there. That, of course, doesn’t mean they are 100% faultless. SeaWorld on the other hand… 🙄

@@SoCalDisneyDad bravo 👏 subscribed!

@@thizzlemetimbrs8194 Thank you!

You’re welcome! Thanks for watching.

I’m glad you found it helpful and hope you have an amazing vacation!

Glad you’re enjoying them and hope you have a magical trip.

Awesome! Glad to hear this.

Glad you’re enjoying the videos. Thank you!

Hope you have a great time! Enjoy!

Great tip! They didn’t always have the second showing (park used to close at 9 PM instead of 10), so I’m not sure if this is a permanent addition, or just for World of Color ONE for the 100 years celebration. But definitely, as long as they have two showings, the later one is always better for less crowds (goes for Fantasmic too)

Hope you have such a great time! I was there again today and the crowd levels were really good. So hopefully it holds for you next week and doesn’t get too busy.

ftp nvm

Glad you found them helpful!

For sure! It was just a suggestion as a possibility if money were an issue but folks still want to enjoy the parks. We have never been longer than 3 days (before we became passholders) and felt (for us) 3 was plenty.

I have two videos up on my channel for those hotels! One published about a week ago (Hilton Universal), so if you check my recent videos, you’ll find it. Then in the description of that video, there should be a link to the other video (one for the Sheraton Universal)

I’ll have to check that one out. We have never actually seen Fantasmic. We usually leave before those shows start (we live an hour and 45 minutes away). But if we get a hotel and stay the night, usually we see World of Color. One of these days we will have to stay for Fantasmic.

@@SoCalDisneyDad Understandable that you need to leave at an earlier time with the little ones. If you do want to do Fantasmic, here’s some info. The meals at Hungry Bear are $35 for adults (I think $25 for kids) and include beef ribs, chicken or salmon, vegetables, potato salad, dessert and a drink. There is also a vegetarian meal which is surprisingly good. You can get reservations though the app and depending on when you eat will decide on which show you see. On the app you will need to be searching a particular time, if you just select “lunch” or “dinner” the option will not show up. River Belle is an appetizer, regular entree, dessert and refillable drink for $50/$35. You can make regular reservations through the app and just ask for the Fantasmic meal from your server when you get there. They do sell out of the first showing tickets, so you may want to do lunch there. I haven’t done Blue Bayou in about three years, but I think it is a similar situation there, but with higher prices and more difficult to obtain reservations. In either case you will get a ticket for the reserved seating area right on the river for the show. You will be seated on the concrete, so an inflatable cushion or some padding is recommended. The show can be a little loud, so if anyone is sensitive to that, you may want to consider ear plugs. As I said, I think Fantasmic is a significantly better show, and will blow the kids minds (especially if everything is working). After the show, it is also a great place to watch the fireworks. You just want to shift to the right towards Frontierland as far as possible or at least until you can see the top of Big Thunder. Oh yeah, make sure Fantasmic is playing the night you go. Right now it’s only on the weekends, but will eventually return to every night.

@@PorchPotatoMike Thank you! This is super helpful.

I didn’t even know you could do that, so I learned something too! 😂

For sure! The water one is huge. I’ll never understand why anyone buys water bottles. Maybe 1, but then refill that plastic bottle with a water fountain if nothing else. At least that’s what we do.

​@@SoCalDisneyDad😊0

Awesome. Thank you!

Thank you!

For sure, a lot of the money saving tips do tend to focus on the day trippers or the folks who go frequently and need a way to save where they can. I absolutely agree that if this is a once in a lifetime vacation or even a once a year vacation, you’ve saved and planned to splurge on your trip and definitely should. We do when we go to WDW. Money-saving is the last thing in my mind there. Doesn’t mean we go crazy and drain our bank account, but you get what I mean.

Places we will frequently split are Rancho Del Zocalo, Lucky Fortune, French Market, and the Pizza/Pasta locations in both parks. Sometimes we can split a burger, but it depends on how many snacks we’ve eaten/plan to eat (and how big the burger is whether it’s a specialty one or not).

Sure! It's not super complicated. You just speak to a cast member at the front of the line for the attraction you need a switch and ask about it. They'll scan the tickets of the adult waiting out as well as one other guest (perhaps another child who gets to ride twice) to accompany you. The first group waits in line like normal, and then when they get off, you swap adults and the guests who had their tickets scanned will return through the Lightning Lane entrance. It's as simple as that. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask. I'm always happy to help!

That’s a pretty tall order. 😂 For Disneyland any way. It’s got 34 rides. DCA is a little easier with 18. I’ve actually done it before without Genie+ at DCA. Disneyland. Hmm… that would be a tough one, but definitely something I could try to tackle this Summer!

You’re in luck! I have a video about that very topic already: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/e9ykYMiVmKvGj2Q.html We also did a Vegan day (very surprisingly tasty foods), though they aren’t necessarily Gluten friendly. That video is here: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/ird2nN2Vp7q5p4E.html Thanks for reaching out with requests!

That’s a tough one because it really depends on what deals Disney is running. They are often limited time offers with specific dates you have to travel between. September deals wouldn’t be available until around May/June. Usually we book a trip, and then if there’s a deal for our dates we have the travel agent apply the deal when it’s available. If you don’t fall in the dates, but you COULD, you can usually move your trip to fall within the dates without issue.

@@SoCalDisneyDad thats great info!! Ill be on the lookout come may!!

We’re going the middle of June for 3 day. If we do park hoppers do we have to do for the 3 days we are there or can we just do for the last day.

@@corinaquiroz2964 The hopper is a flat price for the duration of your stay. It’s $60/ticket for all 3 days. It’s actually $65/ticket for only a single day. You are way better off buying the hopper upfront for the whole trip.

@@SoCalDisneyDad so I could do just a single day?

That’s the best part! It’s how we do all our food videos without overeating. We have four mouths to eat them all. 😂 Disneyland has lots to delicious treats.

Fantastic! Hope you have a great time.

No, only the on-property Disney hotels do here (Disneyland, Paradise Pier, Grand Californian)

Actually, the $104 price is just their Tier 0 pricing. There are lots of dates with this price. The park closes early because of Star Wars Nite, but that’s not why your park ticket is cheaper. May 3rd is also $104 but Disneyland closes at 11 PM that day. The ticket is cheaper because it’s off season. But Disney never discounts tickets on nights with special events. You’re just out of luck if you pick one of those dates.

That is an odd one. We’ve used them twice in the past before we moved to San Diego and it was great. Got a third night free at the hotel we were staying at. It was just two of us at the time, though. I’m sure their packages are ideal with certain family make-ups. I know Disney itself tends to cater to the 2 adults, 2 kids (i.e. us) crowd with its deals and discounts.

There are actually two separate lines for all 5 Cozy Cones. They all take walk-up orders as well as mobile order.

No glass containers or large coolers, but you can take it most food. Not just prepackaged stuff. They do have scooters for rental just outside Disneyland’s gates to the right. I’m not sure on clothing requirements. It’s usually just offensive writing they don’t allow.

You can book for the whole party on a single app, provided all the tickets are linked to your account.

Thank you for the info.

I have a video like that in production. Should be out this coming Friday hopefully.

If you’re looking to save some money, sure. You can pack snacks or lunches and take them in. But usually if you’re visiting on vacation, you’ll want to enjoy the food they have there instead. Sometimes you’re more concerned about the rides and want to save however you can in other ways, so these items on the list are just options.

I just tried it out and SCDD10 is an active code. Some thoughts. It may be case sensitive? And if that’s still not working, then it might be you’re not booking a package? I don’t think it works on only hotel stays, or only ticket purchases, etc. I believe it has to be on a package. I selected a random date in July, chose 3 nights, did a ticket and hotel package at the Cambria and the code applied just fine. Let me know if you continue to have problems and I’ll reach out to my Get Away Today contact. Thanks for watching!

I messed around with it a bit more. It’s not case sensitive. Works whether you type SCDD10 or Scdd10 But it kicks back “invalid” if you’re trying to book hotel only. Applies just fine on ticket and hotel packages.

We always call travel day “Day 0” and never count it. 😂

@@SoCalDisneyDad Lol…I agree…

Before we were passholders we always went for 3 days. In that weird time before passes came back we bought the deal that allows you to visit 3 times over 3 months. On that string of visits only did we do one park a month. And so we did no park hopper, only Disneyland on the first visit. DCA on the second. And Disneyland on the third. I would recommend just doing Disneyland for you. There’s so much there in that park that a hopper would be unnecessary and almost a waste on a single day.

@@SoCalDisneyDad thank you so much! I appreciate the response. I'm taking your money saving tips and hopefully going for 2 days in a row. I'm also watching your legoland and Knotts Berry Farm videos because I want to visit those parks too😆 Your videos are really helpful.

@@stephaniethoms9991 I might be visiting Knott’s again next weekend. I haven’t made up my mind completely, but I’m leaning towards it. So there might be new videos up the following week. I usually only ever go for Boysenberry Festival.

@@SoCalDisneyDad awesome. Thank you so much. We will probably go in November or December. I know it's busier but we get the $20 military discount tickets and We just can't pass it up😅

It refers to the moment the park opens to the public at 8 AM. There are ropes that prevent guests from entering the various lands of the park. At 8 AM they “drop” the ropes. Really, the wrap them up nicely about a minute before hand. Don’t know where the “drop” part comes from.

Unfortunately, I’m not too familiar with what hotels offer airport shuttles. We’ve never had a need for them living semi-locally, so it’s not something I’m well versed in.

@@SoCalDisneyDadthank you, hope to see your family in LA😊

Fairfield Inn

Thank you!

Some of the crowd levels are actually pretty low right now because a lot of passholders are blocked out, but otherwise mid January until spring break time is decent (besides Presidents’ Day weekend) and then early November and early December are usually really good. The only downside of off season is there’s usually more rides down for refurbishment. We’ve had a great time in the past going the end of August.

@SoCalDisneyDad thanks for the info. We plan on going in December and hoping crowd's are not too bad.

Disneyland still accepts cash. Yes.

@@SoCalDisneyDad Thanks a lot

Thanks for the great suggestion!

Yep! Waiting at the bus stop now to go back to it where I parked free. Just be aware that it’s a public bus so if it’s late at night, it’s not as family friendly sometimes. But it’s cheap!

Weird. I have never had them refuse it.

@@SoCalDisneyDad maybe it was just that cast member 🤔

I will probably host a live stream at some point to talk about all the events. I have tickets to Oogie Boogie Bash and Halloween Horror Nights. I’ll also be going to SeaWorld’s Howl-O-Scream. Debating whether I add Knott’s Scary Farm to that list or not.

Yes 🙏 please I've never been to Disney and I got tickets for Halloween day ! I have no idea where to start I'm taking a 2 year old and 5 year old

My very first ever visit was only three days (we had a Park Hopper) and I thought it was just fine. This coming from someone who’d never gone to WDW less than 7 days.

@@SoCalDisneyDad Thank you!

Max Pass was a much better system. Everyone else still has free fastpasses, so it was pretty much and even 50/50 split in the lines and Disney still made money. Genie+ just feels broken. It’s completely unfair to have to watch them pull 9 guests from lightning lane for every 1 guest in standby. We almost never ride Monsters Inc now because that one is one of the worst rides for being standby.

Great question. There’s a ton of options on Harbor Blvd just a few steps outside the main gate. Lots of chains, but there are some non-chain places there too. The Garden Walk is not too far away as well and there’s loads more restaurants in that area. Easily walkable from the park.

@@SoCalDisneyDad None of those. I’m looking for a place SoCalDisneyDad would be proud to recommend to an out of state viewer. We’ll have a day off in between park visits and I have driving license. Lets say within a 30-40min drive from the park.

@@Sean-uh6te In full transparency, I haven’t eaten at very many places outside of the park itself. We like Fire + Ice in the Garden Walk and have eaten there a few times. It’s a Mongolian grill. Porto’s Bakery near Knott’s Berry Farm is one of the most popular places in the area. It’s so popular it’s making its way to Downtown Disney eventually replacing La Brea. Portillo’s comes highly recommended by a friend of mine for Chicago Hotdogs and Beef Sandwiches. He says the chocolate cake shake is to die for. I just haven’t made it there yet. Mimi’s Cafe, right outside Disneyland, is supposed to be really good too. They have 77 locations. But the Mimi’s in Anaheim is it’s founding location. I’m sure there are probably others, but we do so many food videos at Disneyland, we don’t have much opportunity for eating elsewhere.

@@SoCalDisneyDad perfect. Thank you

@@Sean-uh6te There is a place called PicoSmashes inside the Garden Walk that I would recommend. Really high quality beef and exceptional flavor.

Are you sure you didn’t pay $50 total? Or You bought Genie+ AND an Individual Lightning Lane? Genie+ by itself hasn’t ever gone that high. The highest anyone has ever seen it is around $30/person.

I just checked, and the cost for today is $25/person.

I’m so sorry to hear you had a bad experience with it. We’ve gotten it 4-5 times over the last year or so and have always been happy with it. It’s always felt hot and fresh to us. I don’t doubt that they do keep stuff like that under a heating lamp sometimes, we’ve seen it over at Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta too. It might have come down to time of day, or the busyness of Spring Break that they premade a lot of food. I don’t know. 🤷🏻‍♂️

Of the Mickey/Minnie ears? I can see that. We have a tradition of buying a T-shirt at Walt Disney World every year. Even if we buy 1-2 sets of matching shirts from Kohl's for wearing there, we'll still buy at least one new t-shirt during the trip. Usually on one of the last days after we've had a chance to peruse all the stores in all four parks. We aren't "ears" people. Amy has her same ears from 8 years ago and only wears them on occasion. We bought James a slinky dog set 3 years ago and he still wears the same ones. But I can totally be on board with setting aside funds to continue traditions if that's what you want to do.

You don’t need to spend money to really enjoy the experience.

Maybe a small souvenir like a fridge magnet would be great! Im.not planning to buy toys for my kids... I can buy a Disney toy at Walmart and give It to them the morning before going to Disney half the price.

When you have annual passes, I'm sure taking your own snacks and drinks is a better way to go.

Gay

There is no shame or anything wrong wity cutting cost. Disney trips are a luxury for many. Making it affordable by bringing your own snacks is a great idea. The experience isn't just about the food.