Disneyland Vacation Package Discounts

LAST UPDATE: 3/12/13

Some Disneyland vacation packages are actually a good value for the money — particularly the specially-priced seasonal package offers. (Generally the regular vacation packages are not discounted and you may save more by booking each component separately, in order to create your own “package.”) On this page you’ll find details on the standard Disneyland packages, as well as any current offers for Disneyland vacation package discounts.

Most of the packages listed below can be booked online at Disneyland.com. However, I find the online reservations system to be confusing and clunky and the pricing inconsistent. Also, you really have to dig around online to find out the restrictions and cancellation fees, etc.

If you’re going to spend the money to buy a vacation package, I strongly recommend using a travel agent who specializes in Disney travel.It costs you nothing, and you can sit back, relax, and have all the vacation planning and hassle taken care of by someone else.

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New!Spring Offer: Save up to 20% for Arrivals April 7 – May 22!

Save up to 20% on the room portion of your Walt Disney Travel Company vacation package most Sunday-Thursday night stays, and save up to 15% most Friday and Saturday nights, at the Disneyland Hotel, Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa or Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel, for arrivals 4/7/13-5/22/13. A two-night minimum stay is required.

Book this offer by 4/27/13. Travel on this offer must be completed by 5/24/13.

*Savings based on the non-discounted price for the same room at the same hotel for a 2-night stay between April 7, 2013 and May 22, 2013 when booked between March 12, 2013 and April 27, 2013; 20% savings based on most Sunday through Thursday nights and 15% savings based on most Friday and Saturday nights. Travel must be completed by May 24, 2013. Offer is not valid on suites or with previously booked rooms. Excludes applicable taxes and fees. Advance reservations required. Check for offers on different lengths of stay. Subject to availability as the number of rooms allocated for this offer is limited. Limit two (2) rooms per reservation and five (5) people maximum per room. Not valid in combination with any other hotel discounts or offers. Subject to restrictions and change without notice. Separate theme park admission required to enjoy the parks.

  • To book this discounted Spring Offer on a Disneyland Resort Hotel Vacation Package, please contact a travel agent who specializes in Disney vacations. Small World Vacations gives you full service, including a personal travel agent you can contact by phone toll-free, and best of all, it costs you nothing to use them!

2013 Disneyland Resort Hotel Vacation Package

The standard 2013 Disneyland Resort Hotel Vacation Package includes these benefits:

Thanks to Small World Vacations for info.

  • To book a 2013 Disneyland Resort Hotel Vacation Package, please contact a travel agent who specializes in Disney vacations. Small World Vacations gives you full service, including a personal travel agent you can contact by phone toll-free, and best of all, it costs you nothing to use them!

2013 Disney’s Visa Card Vacation Package

If you book and pay with a Disney’s Visa card, you can buy a slightly different Disneyland vacation package that adds a FREE backpack. The standard 2013 Disney’s Visa Card Vacation Package includes these benefits:

Thanks to Small World Vacations for info.

  • To book a 2013 Disney’s Visa Card Vacation Package, please contact a travel agent who specializes in Disney vacations and charge the vacation to your Disney’s Visa card. Small World Vacations gives you full service, including a personal travel agent you can contact by phone toll-free, and best of all, it costs you nothing to use them!

2013 Good Neighbor Hotel Vacation Package

The standard 2013 Good Neighbor Hotel Vacation Package includes these benefits:

Thanks to Small World Vacations for info.

  • To book a 2013 Good Neighbor Hotel Vacation Package, please contact a travel agent who specializes in Disney vacations. Small World Vacations gives you full service, including a personal travel agent you can contact by phone toll-free, and best of all, it costs you nothing to use them!

2013 Adventures by Disney

Adventures by Disney is a family tour program offered by Disney, in which guests travel in small groups limited to 40 participants, and are led by two Disney-trained Adventure Guides. Each adventure is filled with immersive, interactive experiences you might never have tried if you were traveling on your own.

One of the 2013 Adventures by Disney vacation packages, the “Backstage Magic” Hollywood Family Vacation, includes a stay at Disneyland as well as visits to Disney’s El Capitan Theatre, The Jim Henson Company Studios, Walt Disney Imagineering and lots of other Southern California fun. The Hollywood Family Vacation is a 5-night/6-day vacation that focuses on Southern California, with 3 of those nights spent at the Disneyland Resort.

This package would be ideal for first-time visitors to California who want to see more than just Disneyland. It is especially suitable for those who are not comfortable with driving the California freeways, since all of the ground transportation from place to place is provided by Disney.

Thanks to Small World Vacations for info.

  • To book a 2013 Adventures by Disney Hollywood Family Vacation including a visit to Disneyland, please contact a travel agent who specializes in Disney vacations. Small World Vacations gives you full service, including a personal travel agent you can contact by phone toll-free, and best of all, it costs you nothing to use them!

Package Add-ons

There are two types of add-ons that can be included with Disneyland vacation packages. One type includes overnight stays in Orange County or San Diego, thus extending the length of your vacation. Another type has you continuing to stay at the Disneyland hotels, but taking day trips to enjoy extra tours and attractions outside of Disneyland.

  • The add-ons are complex. If you would like to include add-ons, I strongly recommend booking your vacation through a Disney specialist agency such as Small World Vacations. Small World Vacations gives you full service, including a personal travel agent you can contact by phone toll-free, and best of all, it costs you nothing to use them!

Packages for Disneyland Annual Passholders

Disneyland Annual Passholders can purchase Disneyland Resort packages without purchasing tickets. Packages may include accommodations and other exclusive items that make your visit to the Disneyland Resort truly magical, including a Walt Disney Travel Company collectible pin, lanyard and luggage tag (one per person).

Expedia Packages

Some of the last-minute Expedia packages are a good value, especially if you need airfare. Sometimes it costs less to buy one of these packages than it would to buy the airfare alone. Definitely worth a look if you’re interested in a low-cost getaway to Disneyland.

Expedia has rules and requirements that can be confusing. If you decide to use Expedia, be sure to read all the small print very carefully, and click on any “terms and conditions” links and read those carefully.

Southwest Vacations Packages

If you live in or near a city served by Southwest Airlines, you may be interested in checking Southwest Vacations for Disney packages that include airfare on Southwest. (Note that Southwest Vacations is not actually operated by the airline itself, but rather by a third party licensed by the airline.)

When Disney offers discounted packages, Southwest Vacations may offer those same packages, but with airfare added. Sometimes the deals are quite good, but be sure to check the cost of the airfare and/or tickets included with the package: sometimes either or both may be inflated. Do the math and don’t rely on marketing statements such as “kids go free” without checking the bottom line price. If you do your homework, you may find it’s cheaper to book discounted airfare directly with the airline and get your vacation package (room and tickets) elsewhere, such as through a Disney Specialist travel agent.

Membership Discounts

If you belong to AAA or Costco, it may be worthwhile to check their prices on vacation packages. However, don’t expect much service, and be aware that you may not get the best price in the long run.

In my experience, the big membership organizations employ “generalist” travel agents who often know little or nothing about Disney vacations and are frequently clueless about promotional packages and discount codes. You will usually have to do your own monitoring to make sure any better package offers that come out are applied to your booking. They almost never do this for you, unlike a Disney specialist agency.

Be aware that AAA offers a room discount that applies ONLY to full price packages. If a better promotional package comes out (and it frequently will), you can switch to the new promotion, but you lose the AAA discount. You can only pick one or the other.

Canadian Packages

You can visit Disney.ca and click on the Special Offers tab to see any current deals specific to Canadians, but 99% of the time the offers are the same as those distributed in the US. Sometimes the Canadian offer will have a different discount code, but otherwise it will be identical to the US offer.

Canadians can book the US offers as well.

Trip Insurance

It is especially important to buy trip insurance for a vacation package, because you have to pay the entire cost in advance and you won’t get a refund if you have to cancel right before your scheduled departure. With hundreds or even thousands of dollars at stake, it’s worth it to protect the investment.

Perhaps the most important coverage included in a trip insurance policy is trip cancellation and interruption insurance, which can protect your investment if you have to cancel your vacation at the last minute (or come home early) due to illness or injury. Depending on the policy, you may be covered if you cancel for other reasons, such as jury duty, terrorism at your destination, or even unemployment.

Emergency medical coverage and medical evacuation insurance are very important if you become ill or injured during the trip. Otherwise you’re on your own as far as booking very expensive last-minute airfare to get home. And if you’re too ill to travel by commercial jet, you may have to pay for treatment in California (which your personal insurance may or may not cover) or for evacuation on a medically-equipped jet, which is incredibly expensive.

Delayed baggage insurance will help you pay for replacement clothing if the airline sends your suitcase to Timbuktu and you need something to wear in the meantime. Supplemental baggage insurance will pay a predetermined amount if an airline loses your luggage completely. (Some higher-end credit cards provide extra baggage insurance, so check with your card issuer before paying extra for this coverage.)

Disney sells trip insurance, but it’s expensive and it has major exclusions: it doesn’t cover pre-existing conditions or delays (even weather delays) on air travel you arrange yourself. (Air travel arranged through Disney is covered.) You can almost always get better insurance than Disney provides, and at better rates, by buying it elsewhere.

Be aware that in most cases, trip insurance will provide slightly less coverage (usually by adding exclusions on pre-existing conditions) unless you buy it within about 14 days of paying your DEPOSIT on the vacation package. So be sure to purchase it right away, once you’ve committed to the trip.

Where to Buy Trip Insurance

If you have kids under 18, consider using Access America for your trip insurance. Kids are included FREE in the Access America Classic policy, which is a rare and valuable benefit. If you buy that policy within 14 days of making your first payment/deposit on the package, it will also cover pre-existing conditions, unlike Disney’s coverage.

If the Access America policy isn’t a good fit for you, a great place to comparison-shop for trip insurance is InsureMyTrip.com, where you can see side-by-side policy information and rates for major, reputable insurance companies. I have used InsureMyTrip.com myself to buy trip insurance for several trips. I saved a substantial amount and got much more comprehensive coverage than Disney’s policy would have provided.