Hi Carly!
Welcome to planDisney! Thank you so much for reaching out to us hEAR. I'm happy to be your planEAR today! This is a great question because there are many different ways to plan and pay for your Disneyland Resort Vacation.
I think that there are some really great
Disneyland Vacation Packages out there sold by some really reputable companies who you already know and trust, like AAA or even
Costco's travel deals. (My fellow panelist
Kamini has been wowing our Disneyland team all weekend with all kinds of neat info about the packages offered through Costco.) However, often times with the not-so-great third party bookings, if there's a delay or misstep anywhere (like a missed flight connection, for example) you typically bounce around between who's to help you. And in this age of not knowing what will happen in the world between now and your travel dates, I personally would feel better
booking my vacation directly with Disney where there was a strong
cancelation and refund policy built-in for both the
resort hotel room and the
theme park admission tickets than be stuck with something I might not be able to rebook within a specific time frame.
As far as some budgeting tips and tricks go, I'm happy to report that
Disney's Good Neighbor Hotels also participate in room + ticket packages that are sold directly by Disney and offer the same policies and assistance should it be needed. Keep your eye to the
Disney Parks Blog or follow the official
planDisney Instagram page as these two sources will be some of the first to announce any new ticket, room, or vacation package
Special Offers & Discounts as they become available. But my favorite 'Disney travel hack' is to purchase
Disney Gift Cards locally where I reside. Some big box retailers sell these cards with slightly more value loaded on them than their sticker price. And if you have a Target red card, Disney Gift Cards receive the five percent savings at check out. You can use Disney Gift Cards, as many as you need, to pay for your entire Disneyland Resort Vacation, from your room + ticket package (even a Good Neighbor package!) to your meals and souvenEARs once you've arrived.
I hope that this helped turn your Disneyland vacation dreams into a planning reality, Carly. And if you have any more Disneyland Resort questions, We're All Ears!
~Kristen