Are you looking to get to Disneyland on a budget? Don’t get discouraged. Young and old can find joy and wonder at Disney. Below, find some Disneyland one-day ticket discounts that will allow you to celebrate at the happiest place on earth inexpensively.
How to save on those tickets might not be what you think. One of the hardest discounts to find is the Disneyland one-day ticket discount.
Disneyland One-Day Ticket Overview
In 2020, Disneyland changed its 1-day ticket pricing system to tiers. This includes prices adjusted based on the expected attendance of that day.
A calendar showing the prices for each day is available on the official Disneyland site where you can buy tickets. If you are only planning on visiting the parks for one day? This is the first place to start when looking for your cheapest options.
There tend to be cheaper tickets in September, January, and February. Basically, offseasons in general, as well as on weekdays.
As a rule, Disney gives increasingly discounted tickets based on how many days you are visiting. That means that staying for three days will mean cheaper tickets when calculated per day.
Sites like Get Away Today, (which you’ll hear about in more detail below), promise discounts on all types of Disney tickets. But you have to buy tickets for at least two days in order to benefit.
But that doesn’t mean it isn’t possible at all to find a discount on a single-day ticket. You just might have to get a little creative.
Children under three always get into the parks for free. Children ages 3-9 get in with a child ticket, and 10 and up need an adult ticket.
Table of Contents
Rare Discounted Tickets
First off, it’s generally quite hard to find a discounted Disneyland ticket. If you are only looking for direct discounts, there aren’t many available.
But if you are a member of certain key groups of people, you might just be able to save some money on your tickets. Some of these groups are students, teachers, corporations, government employees, and the military.
Some government jobs, including teaching, may offer you deals.
Govx.com also offers discounts to Disney parks and attractions to teachers.
If you are an educator in California, you could highly benefit from joining the California Teachers Association. In the case of a Disneyland ticket, you can save up to $26, but there are plenty of discounts on other travel available with this membership. Visit the TSA/First Financial Credit Union website or call (800) 537-8491 to inquire.
For students, check with your college. Schools in Southern California may offer discounts at their student unions. The discounts range from $1 to $6 off the ticket price, depending on how many days you are planning to stay, but any discount is worth looking into. This is also one of the only situations listed here that would have discounts on 1-day tickets.
Military Salute
Disney “Military Salute” tickets to active or retired members of the US Military. They may purchase either a 3-Day or 4-day Disneyland Park Hopper Ticket.
The tickets expire, so pay attention to that.
These can be purchased at a military base, at military sales outlets, or at a Disney ticket counter. You must show a valid military ID to be eligible.
Employees of certain government agencies, including NASA, are able to purchase discounted tickets at the same price as the military. They must be ordered in advance from exchange shops.
Disneyland One Day Ticket Discount for Corporate
For corporate discounts, you may be able to get a discount through your company or through a professional union.
You can find discounted Magic Kingdom tickets through companies, including Tickets at Work and Working Advantage, which provide discounts to large organizations.
If your company has any sort of professional relationship with Disney, you may qualify for significant discounts as well.
Southern California Resident
At certain times of the year, Southern California residents can access a discount on Disneyland park tickets. If you can show proof of residence, Disneyland and Disney California Adventure typically discount their tickets from January through May.
Right now, Disney is selling discounted tickets for Southern California residents within ZIP codes 90000-93599 and Northern Baja California residents within ZIP codes 21000-22999.
SoCal residents can also save on the Southern California Select Annual Pass. This is a heavily discounted annual membership– the downside is it can be used only 225 days out of the year, with most holidays excluded.
As you can see, a lot of these direct discounts also involve having to purchase tickets for multiple days in order to save money. Mousesavers is a great resource to help you out, providing further in-depth information on these discounts, as well as other tips and tricks.
Discount Brokers With Ticket Deals
There are a variety of discount brokers that offer discounted tickets to Disneyland that you can buy online.
Just to highlight once more, there are never any discounted one-day tickets. Given it can be hard to see everything Disneyland has to offer in one day, it’s always worth considering buying a two-day or longer ticket, and these sites offer amazing deals.
GetAwayToday
An authorized Disney ticket seller, GetAwayToday can save you over $100 on park hopper tickets. They regularly update news on ticket prices and discounts for tickets, hotels, and transportation.
For tickets, they have information about discounts on regular, Park Hopper, and Park Hopper Plus tickets, as well as tickets for all of the individual parks, including two water parks.
They sell tickets to both Disney World and Disneyland.
You can also purchase tickets for special events on this website, and you will find deals on hotels and car rentals as well.
They update the website each day with “daily deals,” so make sure to check regularly. You can find a variety of different packages on this site–some with Genie+, some Park Hopper, and some not, and, of course, varying day lengths.
You can also find a 2-Day, 1-Park per day package that allows you to check out both of California’s parks on a compact trip.
More on Get Away Today
As mentioned earlier, Get Away Today is your best option for discount tickets to Disneyland.
Pluses include electronic delivery, and every ticket for longer than three days also includes Magic Morning. These are the same type of tickets you could get from Disney directly and are Genie+ enabled.
Get Away Today offers discounts on park tickets, hotels, cruises, and transportation. They offer Disneyland plans that include free dining and discounts on hotel rooms and tickets. These are all great options if you are planning an expansive Disneyland vacation.
This is also a great resource if you are looking to save on bundled vacations.
For example, they currently offer discounted pricing if you bundle together a ticket to Knott’s Berry Farm and Disneyland. These ticket bundles start at $272 for a 2-day ticket to Disney plus a 1-day ticket to Knott’s Berry Farm.
Get Away Today is a great resource to look for full packages that allow you to save on food and lodging as well as tickets, taking away the time and stress of planning.
Other Ways To Save Money On A Disneyland One Day Ticket
If you belong to a credit union in California, you may be eligible for a small discount through the organization. Check with your credit union to see if you qualify for a discount; though fair warning, Disney has significantly reduced the deals on tickets they have with organizations.
Disney Visa
Another way to save on your Disneyland vacation is by signing up for a Disney Visa credit card or debit card.
This gives you discounts at parks and gets you cash back on regular purchases, as well. For the credit card, new card members can earn a $200 statement credit if you spend $500 within the first three months after opening the card.
Other benefits of both cards include 10% off shopping and dining at select locations throughout Walt Disney World and Disneyland, as well as many other perks.
This might not seem like much at first glance, but 10% off can add up to a lot of savings during a trip to Disneyland. And there’s no annual fee!
Memberships
Another way to find discounts is through your AAA (American Automobile Association) or CAA (Canadian Automobile Association) membership, though discounts are different in each region. You may be able to buy discounted tickets in advance at the AAA building.
The Automobile Club of Southern California sells advance purchase multi-day discount Disneyland tickets, though these must be purchased in person at an Auto Club branch.
The closest AAA office to Disneyland is at 420 N Euclid Street, about 4 miles from the parks. You may also be able to find discounts at other Central and Northern California AAA offices or in neighboring states like Arizona, Oregon, and Washington.
Outside of the box thinking to get the Disneyland One Day Ticket Discount
I know personally how even just a one-day ticket to Disneyland can blow your budget out of the water. I myself am looking to buy 4 for this upcoming trip. With just one income, how can I make that a reality?
As a travel agent, I see this all the time. The ideal vacation is just out of budget. At that point, I start showing my clients how to make extra money and possibly make their one-day Disneyland tickets free.
One way to save money that can then be used for your Disneyland tickets is through sites that help you through online shopping and cash-back programs like Rakuten (previously known as Ebates) and Swagbucks.
How Swagbucks works is that you earn points over time through shopping online, watching videos, taking short surveys, or other deals.
The points add up and then can be redeemed as gift cards, options including Paypal, Amazon, and Walmart. At Rakuten, their program is based on getting cashback from online purchases.
They also have some in-store cash-back deals, and if you join right now, they’ll give you a bonus of $10! The money goes into your account on their site and can then be sent to your Paypal!
It’s a super-easy way to get extra money for shopping you already do! If you take advantage of these two alternative ways to make money, you can set a goal amount and use that money directly on Disneyland tickets.
Cheap Disneyland Tickets 1 Day
With Disneyland being one of the most popular amusement parks in the world, it’s no surprise that tickets can be quite expensive.
But fear not; there are ways to get discounted tickets and make your visit more affordable.
Let’s recap some of the options:
- Military
- Residents
- Federal Employees
- Corporate Options
The most popular to save money on Disneyland tickets is by purchasing them through an authorized Disney ticket seller. They often offer packages that include transportation, hotel accommodations, and park tickets at a discounted rate. This option can save you a lot of money, especially if you plan on staying overnight in the area.
If you’re a student or a veteran, you may be eligible for additional discounts on Disneyland tickets. Make sure to check their website or contact them directly to see if you qualify for any special offers.
Lastly, keep an eye out for any promotions or special events that Disneyland may be offering. They often have seasonal promotions or events that include discounted tickets or special deals on food and merchandise.