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Mommy Convos

How to Plan Your Disneyland Trip for Large Groups on a Budget

in Disneyland, Travel on 12/12/18

Disneyland is magical and busy and stressful and awesome and a place where all the childhood dreams can come true. One of the best parts about being a parent is introducing the magic of Disney to your kids and then- and then seeing the magic unfold right in front of their eyes. Sigh- it’s the best!

That woman in a costume isn’t a character she is THE Cinderella. And that man walking around isn’t in a costume holding a shield that is THE Captain America! The first two times my husband and I took our children to Disneyland it was magical! Each time our family left, I would dream of the next time we could attend Disneyland. I knew returning to Disneyland would be on a tight budget as our family continued to grow. Through the years of planning our next visit, I have done a lot of research. And I do mean a lot! For those of your that don’t want to read a seven page document on all of the research I have done- I have divided up the blog post in shorter segments with their own blog posts.

Watch for these Future Posts:
  • Mom’s Guide to Enjoying Toddler in Disneyland’s Toon Town
  • A Mom’s Guide to Enjoying Disneyland with a Toddler
  • Mom’s Guide to Enjoying Disneyland California with a Toddler
  • How to Make Disneyland Souvenirs Affordable with Fairy Gifts

You could say I’ve been a little busy writing down all the tips I’ve learned and researched through the years. I consider myself nearly an expert on trying to make Disneyland affordable for our growing family. I can’t wait to share all the tips!

(Note- Some of the items included in this post were gifted, while many other items I purchased. The opinions included below, are however all my own.)

 Five Essential Ways to Enjoy Disneyland on a Budget with a Large Group

1.) Get Away Today

  • I cannot sing enough praises of Get Away Today. They always have great deals throughout the year for vacation packages. I saw a deal I couldn’t pass up and booked the trip… a year and three months in advance (yes, I am that big of a planner). GAT has a fantastic program where you can layaway your vacation plans with a small down payment and you need to pay off the trip fourteen days before the trip begins.  Seriously- when you have a whole year to pay for your vacation- the wait is long- but the reward is well worth it!
    • If you haven’t checked out Get Away Today’s website for their vacation deals- check it out here! Don’t worry, because Mommy Convos is your friend, we’re keeping tabs on all of GAT’s great deals and will send the good ones your way! Save any extra $10 using our “mommyconvos” code to save even more!
  • Find a hotel that is big enough for your group. This time when we went to Disneyland there were three families, a total of twelve people traveling. Our hotel had kid suites available and we were fortunate to get a themed room. Our kids were thrilled with the Star Wars room.

  • Utilize the shuttle.  Good gravy it is $20 to park at the Disneyland parking lot, a day… BUT if you purchase the shuttle through Get Away Today it is $15 for five day travel for adults and get this- kids ride the shuttle for free.
  • Hotel includes breakfast. Yippee one less meal you have to buy while on your vacation!

2.) Packing list– Free printable

You’ve seen our packing list before for vacations here:  BUT this is our Disney related packing list that is expanded into more items that include: fairy gift ideas that will hopefully save you some money and possible headache of forgetting something too.

3.) Fairy Gifts:

If you are a parent you know how difficult it is to go grocery shopping with kids without them begging for something from the store. Now, imagine the exhaustion of walking through multiple Disneyland gift shops after certain rides and those kids begging all day for certain bank-breaking souvenirs?  After several hours of patiently telling your child no, it’s enough for any parent to snap at their child at the end of the day. Insert the solution… The Santa Boot Company.

I have heard of others that call it, Fairy gifts or Fairy Godmother gifts- but the point? Small gifts magically show up in the kids room in the morning before heading out to the Disneyland park.  The kids get new and little Disney gifts they are excited about and now they know- they don’t have to ask for anything else in the park. Kids are happy and so is your pocket book,  win- win!

What did we gift the kids? Soo many things:

The advantage of booking our trip a year out- means I collected items, some even on clearance all through the year. The Fairy gift list is a HUGE list- and required it’s own post- watch for our future post for the ultimate list of Fairy Gift ideas here.

4.) Saving Money Inside The Park

  • Bring a backpack of food and snacks.  Disney is known for their delicious foods, but Disney food is also incredibly expensive especially when you have lots of mouths to feed! To save money inside the park, our family brought a ton of foods from home and purchased only the Disney treats we had to have.  In the article about Fairy Gifts I mention gifting unique treats (like Mickey suckers) to my kids.  For the record- we took a backpack that was filled entirely with packed lunch snacks like: fruit snacks, bagels and travel jam (don’t forget the plastic knife!), carrots, chips, drinks and lunchables to hold the kids between meals.
  • Disneyland Giftcard.  If you have a Target card- you can use the Target card to get 5% off of purchased items. Including gift cards, like a Disney gift card that you can use at the park.
  • FREE: Did you know you can ask some dining areas for a fountain water?
  • FREE Pixie Dust: Have a daughter that is obsessed with Princesses? I did! When we went to Disneyland for the first time when my daughter was three I learned out about the Bibbidi Bobbity Boutique. The special young lady can magically be transformed into any princess! It is such a magical production with lots of makeup, glitter, professional hair and an outfit to boot.  Now, you wanna guess how much it is?  Head to their site to find out, but fair warning- it’ll cost an arm and a leg! 🙁

So, I started thinking… how can I give my daughter the same experience without the cost? I realized I could do my daughter’s hair on my own, buy her a special outfit AND get the sparkles for the hair at the fraction of the cost. But guess what? You can get the magical pixie dust for free! Yes, you read that right, something magical for free at Disneyland.  The catch- the boutique can not be busy. If there is a “receptionist” at the front of the boutique- you know they aren’t too busy to sprinkle some pixie dust on your little one. Yippee for a little sprinkle of magic, for free!

5.) Have a Game Plan for the Day

One of the biggest challenges this trip was the size of our group, as well as the diverse ages. We had three babies who were limited on their rides and restricted when it comes to naps and meal times not to mention the lovely toddler tantrums we all love… Chatting with your group before the trip about expectations are essential, especially if you are limited on time or the park is extremely busy. Here are a sampling of questions you should ask your group:

  1. Will you choose Characters vs rides?
  2. What are your top 4-5 “must dos” for the day?
  3. Which adult is with which child?
  4. How do we utilize rider switch?
  5. Who’s in charge of getting fast passes and in what order do we ride which ride?
  6. Does everyone have a map of the park? Or downloaded the Disneyland app?
  7. Will we pay the $15 for the Maxpass?

PHEW- you guys- lots of questions and believe me all of these questions need to be answered by the group before the big magical day. There are too many outside forces that will change your opinion once you enter the park- plan ahead!

What we learned:
  • We discovered that it was unrealistic for all twelve of us to stick together. It wasn’t fair to waste my time waiting with the stroller of babies when we could have gone exploring. Or to make all others in our party wait for one person to go on a ride. So we split up. HOWEVER this meant that I was separated from my older kids for most of the day. Between you and I- that was kind of annoying. Especially when the big kids would come back and tell me all they thing that they did and I wished I could have seen. What would I change? A lot actually- watch for a future posts on how and where to entertain your toddler at Disneyland and Disneyland Cali Adventure.
  • Where or what do you want to eat in Disneyland? We were always eating on-the-go plus making a reservation for a party of twelve was near impossible. Make your party reservations weeks before and you’ll have success!
  • Take advantage of the “mobile ordering” feature available through the official Disney App to save yourself time! I ordered the Dole Whip a few times while waiting for our group. Ice cream is the perfect distraction for toddlers and exhausted mamas.

Rider Switch

Utilize the “rider switch” however, Disneyland’s website says “your entire party needs to be present”.

This does not mean your entire group needs to stand in line. This mean, the whole group goes to the beginning of the line where crew members are standing (usually the ones that are making sure the short kids stay off the big kid rides). You present to the crew members the babies (yes, even if they are sleeping they need to be present- which is not cool) and then you show them who is staying behind and who is going on the ride. They only allow one rider switch per group.

Solution:  If you have a big group- split yourself in half and then present yourself to the crew member. Sometimes they wouldn’t let us have two rider switches because two adults didn’t need to stay behind with three toddlers… hmmm yes they did! So some cast members were sticklers on the rules while others were not.  So, be on the safe side- present all the babies in two separate (unrelated) groups and you shouldn’t have any problems. Good luck!

MaxPass

Pay an extra $15 per ticket holder to reap the benefits of reserving your Fastpass ticket on your phone. Head to the website to further understand the perks here.  Did our group buy this? A few of us purchased the Maxpass and it was worth the cost to get the professional pictures from the day. I only purchased the Maxpass for one ticket for one day. My sister in law purchased the Maxpass for the day for her family and loved how quickly they hit all the big rides. Lots of walking though!  SO if everyone in your party purchases the Maxpass. And, IF everyone in your party can ride the rides that include the Fastpass- the Maxpass is worth the cost.

Well my friends if you’ve made it through this entire post- you are amazing! Have you been to Disneyland? If this post doesn’t encourage you consider visiting Disneyland soon, head to this post to learn about all the Halloween fun at Disneyland.  Want tips on how to save money on your Disneyland souvenirs? Head to this blog post for Disney Fairy gift ideas.  If you wonder what you’ll do with your toddler at Disneyland head to this post here sharing all tips you’ll need for both of your sanity and fun. Also, 2019 is the year to visit Disneyland- head to this post to learn all the juicy details.

Happy dreaming, planning, booking and hopefully traveling soon!

Morgan

About Morgan

Morgan is a domestic goddess in the Dewey household. Wife to her fourteen year college sweetheart and mother to four: a performer, soccer player, Mario obsessed and baby designated daredevil. Morgan keeps busy on her toes with musical theater performances, soccer games and secretly snarfing chocolate down in her closet. Morgan's passion in life is family and faith, belting Broadway songs while cooking, closet quilter, reading fantastic books and writing her own. She loves her four pumpkin heads and most days truly loves being a mother.

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Christmas is less than a week away. And if you hav Christmas is less than a week away. And if you haven’t read any of these adorable books – I highly suggest all of them. “But it’s too late!” You might be thinking and slightly panicking.... nonsense! ⠀
•⠀
•⠀
In fact, this post is perfectly timed to prepare you for your final purchases this weekend or even, Christmas book clearance time. 🥳 When Christmas is over I’m certain many of these books will go on sale. (Insert happy deal shoppers dance here! 💃🏼 🛍) •⠀
•⠀
So, I suggest you look for these books today to add to your library for the next holiday season. 🎁🎅🏻 ⠀
•⠀
•⠀
Head to our stories to see Morgan talk about some of her favorites, click the link in our bio for the Christmas book article or to shop all of our fav books- click on the Amazon link. ⠀
•⠀
• What holiday book is your favorite to read with your kids?
Morgan here- I’m all about planning ahead, espec Morgan here- I’m all about planning ahead, especially for the biggest holiday of the year, but I forget one small detail... the stockings. 🙈😑 Please tell me i’m not the only one? 
•
•
Last night the hubby and I finished our Christmas shopping and I can finally put the wallet away. I’m certain we’re done- I hope. I should probably check my stash to be sure! 🙈
•
•
Sharing today our list of fun non-toy stocking stuffers you can snag before it’s too late! Head to our @mommyconvos bio for the details! 
•
•
So, here’s the next question: do you Christmas shop for the family by yourself? (❤️) Or do you team up with your spouse? (❤️💚) Leave the colored heart that best describes you- below!
Hi friends! We hope that you are having an amazing Hi friends! We hope that you are having an amazing week and are having a blast gearing up for the holidays ahead. With 2020 coming to an end, we can all relate to how tough this year has been. However, the initial tendency as a parent might be to overspend in an effort to compensate for whatever did or didn't happen in 2020. ⁣
⁣
LET ME GIVE YOU THIS REASSURANCE, MOMMAS- it is NOT necessary to buy more during the holidays in order to compensate for whatever you feel your children lacked this year. ❤ ⁣
⁣
Instead, we highly suggest minimizing your Christmas stress by implementing a minimalistic mindset each year, but this year in particular. This year has blessed us with the specific opportunity to tune in and be more mindful of those you love, just like our Savior does for us. So take this time to BE more present instead of spending extra cash on gifts. We promise it will be absolutely worth it. ⁣
⁣
If you are looking at enjoying a more minimalistic holiday, be sure to check out the latest from the blog for some great tips and tricks for finding balance and peace this year. Just click the link in our bio @mommyconvos ⁣
⁣
How are you prepping for the holidays that are a little different than in previous years? 🎁🎄
Recently, my social media feed is full of #givetha Recently, my social media feed is full of #givethanks gratitude posts Oh how I love the change of focus! My list of gratitude is oh so long, my faith and my family are the top of my list, but also is good literature. Goodness, life is so much better with good books!  I love discovering new holiday books, and this year I found several now books to add to our collection. 
•
•
“Thanksgiving is here”- playfully illustrates the joys and chaos of large families gathering for Thanksgiving dinner. And when company leaves- how exhausted the hosts feel. Something as a mom I totally sympathize with. 😂
•
•
Another delight Thanksgiving book addition to our library this year is, “T-is for Thankful”. @babylit has done it again! Creating the cutest illustrated book centered around all the alphabetical great and small things to be thankful for this year.
•
•
Last year I shared our review on “Bad kitty does not like Thanksgiving” and this book is hilarious! Check out our Insta-stories for the awesome video review on this and other of our favorite Thanksgiving books.
•
•
Do you have a favorite thanksgiving book? Please share below so we can continue to learn from each other! Happy holidays friends. 🦃 🥧 Morgan and Tiffaynee
Today I’ve felt anxious. I know i’m not the on Today I’ve felt anxious. I know i’m not the only one feeling this way with the impending presidential announcement... so how do we handle feeling off, anxious or depressed? One of the best things you can do -right this moment- give a hug. Cuddle close to a loved one and hold one another. Breathe deep. And hug for another breath. And hopefully you’ll slowly feel that anxiety release. And feel free to cuddle longer. 😘
•
•
Sending a warm hug your way friend. 
❤️Tiff.
“When my daughter passed away unexpectedly at 10 “When my daughter passed away unexpectedly at 10 months old, my heart shattered. I was beyond broken… I was shattered beyond repair.⁣
⁣
They say it takes a “village” to raise a child…⁣
⁣
At that moment my “village” is what kept me alive…”⁣
•⁣
•⁣
@momma.hutch is 1 of every 4 women in the United States alone, who are affected by infertility or infant loss, or both. Mallory shares her brave story of dear Mackenzie’s passing and the journey she and her family are still going through. In this article Mallory  offers 10 invaluable and thoughtful ways to help a grief-stricken friend and we couldn’t agree more with her list. ⁣
•⁣
•⁣
To read her article- click @mommyconvos link in our bio. If you are a mother currently going through the grieving process- our deepest condolences and a virtual hug sent your way. We encourage you to check out Mallory‘s amazing supportive Instagram group: ... ⁣
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•⁣
When you are sad what is the one thing that cheers you up? I’ll give you a hint what mine is in the comments. 😍
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Christmas is less than a week away. And if you hav Christmas is less than a week away. And if you haven’t read any of these adorable books – I highly suggest all of them. “But it’s too late!” You might be thinking and slightly panicking.... nonsense! ⠀
•⠀
•⠀
In fact, this post is perfectly timed to prepare you for your final purchases this weekend or even, Christmas book clearance time. 🥳 When Christmas is over I’m certain many of these books will go on sale. (Insert happy deal shoppers dance here! 💃🏼 🛍) •⠀
•⠀
So, I suggest you look for these books today to add to your library for the next holiday season. 🎁🎅🏻 ⠀
•⠀
•⠀
Head to our stories to see Morgan talk about some of her favorites, click the link in our bio for the Christmas book article or to shop all of our fav books- click on the Amazon link. ⠀
•⠀
• What holiday book is your favorite to read with your kids?
Morgan here- I’m all about planning ahead, espec Morgan here- I’m all about planning ahead, especially for the biggest holiday of the year, but I forget one small detail... the stockings. 🙈😑 Please tell me i’m not the only one? 
•
•
Last night the hubby and I finished our Christmas shopping and I can finally put the wallet away. I’m certain we’re done- I hope. I should probably check my stash to be sure! 🙈
•
•
Sharing today our list of fun non-toy stocking stuffers you can snag before it’s too late! Head to our @mommyconvos bio for the details! 
•
•
So, here’s the next question: do you Christmas shop for the family by yourself? (❤️) Or do you team up with your spouse? (❤️💚) Leave the colored heart that best describes you- below!
Hi friends! We hope that you are having an amazing Hi friends! We hope that you are having an amazing week and are having a blast gearing up for the holidays ahead. With 2020 coming to an end, we can all relate to how tough this year has been. However, the initial tendency as a parent might be to overspend in an effort to compensate for whatever did or didn't happen in 2020. ⁣
⁣
LET ME GIVE YOU THIS REASSURANCE, MOMMAS- it is NOT necessary to buy more during the holidays in order to compensate for whatever you feel your children lacked this year. ❤ ⁣
⁣
Instead, we highly suggest minimizing your Christmas stress by implementing a minimalistic mindset each year, but this year in particular. This year has blessed us with the specific opportunity to tune in and be more mindful of those you love, just like our Savior does for us. So take this time to BE more present instead of spending extra cash on gifts. We promise it will be absolutely worth it. ⁣
⁣
If you are looking at enjoying a more minimalistic holiday, be sure to check out the latest from the blog for some great tips and tricks for finding balance and peace this year. Just click the link in our bio @mommyconvos ⁣
⁣
How are you prepping for the holidays that are a little different than in previous years? 🎁🎄
Recently, my social media feed is full of #givetha Recently, my social media feed is full of #givethanks gratitude posts Oh how I love the change of focus! My list of gratitude is oh so long, my faith and my family are the top of my list, but also is good literature. Goodness, life is so much better with good books!  I love discovering new holiday books, and this year I found several now books to add to our collection. 
•
•
“Thanksgiving is here”- playfully illustrates the joys and chaos of large families gathering for Thanksgiving dinner. And when company leaves- how exhausted the hosts feel. Something as a mom I totally sympathize with. 😂
•
•
Another delight Thanksgiving book addition to our library this year is, “T-is for Thankful”. @babylit has done it again! Creating the cutest illustrated book centered around all the alphabetical great and small things to be thankful for this year.
•
•
Last year I shared our review on “Bad kitty does not like Thanksgiving” and this book is hilarious! Check out our Insta-stories for the awesome video review on this and other of our favorite Thanksgiving books.
•
•
Do you have a favorite thanksgiving book? Please share below so we can continue to learn from each other! Happy holidays friends. 🦃 🥧 Morgan and Tiffaynee
Today I’ve felt anxious. I know i’m not the on Today I’ve felt anxious. I know i’m not the only one feeling this way with the impending presidential announcement... so how do we handle feeling off, anxious or depressed? One of the best things you can do -right this moment- give a hug. Cuddle close to a loved one and hold one another. Breathe deep. And hug for another breath. And hopefully you’ll slowly feel that anxiety release. And feel free to cuddle longer. 😘
•
•
Sending a warm hug your way friend. 
❤️Tiff.
“When my daughter passed away unexpectedly at 10 “When my daughter passed away unexpectedly at 10 months old, my heart shattered. I was beyond broken… I was shattered beyond repair.⁣
⁣
They say it takes a “village” to raise a child…⁣
⁣
At that moment my “village” is what kept me alive…”⁣
•⁣
•⁣
@momma.hutch is 1 of every 4 women in the United States alone, who are affected by infertility or infant loss, or both. Mallory shares her brave story of dear Mackenzie’s passing and the journey she and her family are still going through. In this article Mallory  offers 10 invaluable and thoughtful ways to help a grief-stricken friend and we couldn’t agree more with her list. ⁣
•⁣
•⁣
To read her article- click @mommyconvos link in our bio. If you are a mother currently going through the grieving process- our deepest condolences and a virtual hug sent your way. We encourage you to check out Mallory‘s amazing supportive Instagram group: ... ⁣
•⁣
•⁣
When you are sad what is the one thing that cheers you up? I’ll give you a hint what mine is in the comments. 😍
FOLLOW ON INSTAGRAM
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Error: API requests are being delayed for this account. New posts will not be retrieved.

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