We saved at least $400 on our Disney Vacation!
Feeding our family of 5 ain’t cheap, and neither is a Disney Vacation! So let me share with you how to save money on your Disney vacation! we saved at least $200 a day by booking Club Level for our stay at Disney’s
Grand Californian Hotel
When our son Bryce asked to stay at a Disney Hotel for his 7th Birthday I rolled my eyes and chuckled! I mean, I’ve never stayed at a Disney Hotel. But when it occurred to me that it would be more affordable and less stressful than throwing a birthday party, I began my mission of trying to grant him his birthday wish while trying to find how to save money on your Disney Vacation. So here’s my honest review and how to save money on your Disney Vacation.
So What is "Club Level?"
When you upgrade your reservation to Club Level, guests are provided exclusive access to some amazing perks which include:
Exclusive Views
After a full day of adventure at the park, the last thing you want to do is fight with the crowd to watch the magical shows. Club level gets you access to a private deck for hotel guests to enjoy the fireworks and the World of Color show. What I enjoyed the most is that you’re close to your hotel room so you can really relax and enjoy the show.
Access to The Veranda
The Veranda Room is the hotel’s concierge lounge, which is key on how to save money on your Disney Vacation. Take a look at what this gives you access to here ➷
Welcome to The Veranda
The Veranda Room offers breakfast, afternoon tea, lunch, evening appetizers, a dessert reception, and champagne, beer, and wine are served from 6:30 am to 10:00 pm. It’s almost all-you-can-eat and drink for that matter!
The best part is, the hotel informed me our Club Level privileges began the day of check-in, starting with breakfast, and ended at 6pm the day we checked out. I could not believe it.
That’s almost TWO full days of meals, snacks, and drinks for the price of a one-night stay. So, for our family of 5, it made sense to upgrade. This added about $200 more to our expensive room fee BUT it far exceeded expectations.
If you’ve followed along on any of our family travels, we tend to stay in spacious suites. But surprisingly, the two queen beds set up plus a day bed worked for us as we were hardly in the room anyways. We took advantage of the walk-on entrance to DCA and were at the parks, swimming or eating in the Veranda room for a majority of the trip. And we all slept hard, cozy, and soundly at night. We arrived at the hotel at 10 am, and guess what? Our room was ready! Disney customer service is truly unparalleled. For a recap of our trip, you can check out my reel here and follow me for my Disney content, family travel and food art and recipes kids and the family will love!
My last tidbit of advice when looking for how to save money on your Disney vacation, is to book by phone and ask about special rates for military or AAA, if that applies to you. You can also try checking online for deals like their current SoCal resident ticket offer that provides 3-days of magic for only $73/day! If you plan on visiting Disneyland in January, here are some
Upcoming Celebrations Taking Place
➺Disney 100 kicks off January 27th to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Walt Disney company.
➺In honor of the Disney 100 celebration, Disneyland’s new attraction, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, will also open that same day.
➺Disney 100 will also bring a new World of Color and fireworks show AND the “Magic Happens” parade.
➺Starting January 20th will be the Lunar New Year at Disney California Adventure! There will be shows, activities, and delicious Asian-themed eats and treats.
We had an absolutely magical vacation celebrating our son’s birthday! Disney had done it again, our first hotel experience was a dream come true. If you’re looking for Disneyland outfits, you can find details about our outfits linked here in my LTK shop and stories.
And if you”ll be visiting Disneyland with your kids, here are 8 Tips for Having the Best Disney Experience with Small Kids (even newborns.)
I saw your stories about The Veranda and the amount of food blew me away!
These are AMAZING TIPS! Thanks for sharing. This looks like loads of fun!!
Oh, I’m definitely doing that Club Level thing next time around. Thanks for that great piece of info!!
Looks like a whole lot of fun! My family and I learned a lot from your experience. Thank you!
These are such great tips! Thank you! I’m planning an upcoming trip for my family to Disney and this is super helpful!
These are such great tips! Thank you! I’m planning an upcoming trip for my family to Disney and this is super helpful!
I saw your video on Instagram! Love that you made a blog post. Me & my husband will be booking a trip soon (:
Ohhhh my goodness,,,seemed like loads of fun! After I read this, I contacted Disney directly about staying there soon,,, can’t wait!! The lady I spoke with was incredible. A+ customer service!
Ohhh my goodness…. Seemed like loads of fun!! After I read this, I contacted Disney directly. I can’t wait to stay there. The lady I spoke with was incredible. A+ customer service!