Depending on the number of people in your party, you can save on the double-digit cost of parking by leaving your car at any of the free lots that surround shopping plazas on Harbor Boulevard. The 43 OCTA bus runs the length of the street, or try the Anaheim Resort Transit (ART) bus that drops you at the theme park's entrance. Good parking spots include the Target store on the southeast corner of Chapman Avenue and Harbor Boulevard as well as the Harbor Town and Country Shopping Center where Harbor curves into Buaro Street. Don't risk overnight parking, however, and watch for signs about restrictions.
The Disneyland website warns against bringing food and drink into the park, but discretion can overcome this obstacle. Avoid carting in picnic baskets and large coolers of drink. Instead, hide small packages of edibles among the rest of your belongings, and Disney security will ignore them when searching your bags. You can check your food into paid lockers inside the park if you don't want to carry it around all day. Refill any water bottles at the drinking fountains by the restrooms.
Admission to the park is almost never discounted, though a year-round savings promotion is often available. For 2010, Disney grants you free, one-day admission to Disneyland if you volunteer for one day at an approved charity. You can also credit the price of this admission to a multi-day ticket or an annual pass, as long as you do it before the park closes on the day you use the freebie.
Sign up for a Disney Rewards credit card and get 1 percent of all your charge purchases refunded to you as Disney dollars. You can then spend these dollars at Disneyland for admission, food and souvenirs. In addition, when you sign up you get one-time bonuses that range from special merchandise to a starter cache of dollars. Finally, the card offers special perks like discounts on select merchandise and dining, tours and stroller rentals, and private character meetings in the park. You can sign up at the website or at booths located at Downtown Disney.
If you can forgo instant gratification, you can save money on souvenirs by avoiding purchases at Disneyland stores and browsing websites like Amazon.com for Disney merchandise that is frequently on sale and can be shipped free to your door when it's above a certain price. Preview the fun for your kids by letting them view the website before your Disneyland trip, and offer them a shopping spree there when you get home. EBay.com is another site for Disneyland collectibles. While you will need to pay for shipping, you can save on sales tax.
