Tens of thousands of people visit the twelve Disney parks every day, and too many of them pay full price. Let\u2019s take a magical trip across the Disney park universe and look at the top ways to save and earn with credit cards at each park.<\/p>\n
Page Contents<\/p>
- The U.S. Disney Parks: Disneyland, CA & Walt Disney World, FL<\/a><\/li>
- Saving on Flights to Overseas Disney Parks<\/a><\/li>
- How to Save at Disneyland Paris<\/a>
- Disneyland Paris Admission<\/a><\/li>
- Disneyland Paris Lodging<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Japan Tokyo Disneyland & DisneySea<\/a>
- Tokyo Disney Admission<\/a><\/li>
- Tokyo Disney Lodging<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Hong Kong Disneyland<\/a>
- Hong Kong Disneyland Admission<\/a><\/li>
- Hong Kong Disneyland Lodging<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Shanghai Disneyland, China<\/a>
- Shanghai Disneyland Lodging<\/a><\/li>
- Shanghai Disneyland Admission<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Conclusion<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n
The U.S. Disney Parks: Disneyland, CA & Walt Disney World, FL<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n
My husband and I grew up on the West Coast visiting the original Disneyland often, so when our own kids reached elementary school age, we found we wanted to visit the Anaheim parks more often than our budget allowed. That\u2019s when we began our credit card points and miles journey to fund flights, lodging, admission, and more. Eventually, we added in trips to Disney World in Florida, using many of these Disney tips<\/a> to make the U.S. parks more affordable.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\nOver the past year, I leveled up my Disney dreams and aimed to join the Six Castle Club, starting in October 2022 with the two parks in France \u2014 Disneyland Paris and Walt Disney Studios \u2014 and culminating in October 2023 with a trip to all three Asia parks: Tokyo, Shanghai, and Hong Kong Disneyland.<\/p>\n
The following tips will help you visit Disney\u2019s overseas parks while making the most of credit card points and miles along the way.<\/p>\n
Saving on Flights to Overseas Disney Parks<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n
Points and miles make overseas travel more affordable, and lots of flexible points currencies transfer to dozens of international airlines, giving travelers numerous options.<\/p>\n
My personal favorite way to use miles to fly to Europe or Asia for a Disneyland trip involves both AAdvantage miles and Alaska miles, two airlines in the Oneworld alliance<\/a>. I\u2019m happy anytime I don\u2019t have to transfer miles, and both of these airlines offer cobranded personal cards you can open to use easily redeemed miles. Earn AAdvantage miles<\/a> or Alaska miles easily by opening one of several personal and business cards from Citi, Barclays, and Bank of America.<\/p>\n
Related:<\/strong> Which Citi American Airlines AAdvantage credit card is right for you?<\/a><\/p>\n
Because they\u2019re in the same alliance, you can redeem AAdvantage miles<\/a> and Alaska miles to book the same flights on their separate platforms.<\/p>\n
For instance, when we took our daughter to London and Disneyland Paris, we booked two economy tickets on American Airlines using AAdvantage miles. Then we booked one economy ticket on the same American Airlines flight — but with Alaska miles through Alaska\u2019s website.<\/p>\n
For Asia, I used 60,000 Alaska miles through Alaska\u2019s site to fly business class on Japan Airlines from SFO-HND for only $19 in taxes and fees and 60,000 AAdvantage miles to book the same flight back through American Airlines for under $50.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\nFor Hong Kong and Shanghai Disneyland, it\u2019s often easier to find award flights in and out of Tokyo than Hong Kong or China. Budget carriers operate short flights between Tokyo, Hong Kong, and China. So, one economical way to include all three Asia parks in one trip involves positioning yourself in Tokyo to get back and forth across the Pacific and booking cheap cash flights to Hong Kong and Shanghai.<\/p>\n
How to Save at Disneyland Paris<\/span><\/h2>\n
The romantic castle with a dragon underneath will knock your socks off, and Crush\u2019s Coaster at Walt Disney Studios is unique to that park, but a lot of the other rides are repeats, making the parks in France doable in a day for seasoned U.S. park veterans.<\/p>\n
Save money by purchasing park-hopper tickets and reducing Disneyland Paris to a one-day, two-park outing. Buy $32 Navigo Passes and take public transportation around Paris and all the way out to the parks (a 45-60 minute train ride from the city).<\/p>\n
Disneyland Paris Admission<\/span><\/h3>\n
Like the other overseas parks, Disneyland Paris tickets can cost as little as half as much as U.S. admission, averaging only $88\/day. Purchase admission through a third-party site like AttractionTickets.com, and your purchase will code as \u201ctravel\u201d on your Capital One card<\/a>, making the cost purchase-eraser eligible with Capital One miles. (FYI: Disneyland Paris offers a superior military discount online and also a generous disability discount at the gate).<\/p>\n
The Bilt Rewards travel portal offers Disneyland Paris tickets; with Bilt Rewards worth 1.25 on portal redemptions, you\u2019ll increase your rewards by 25% booking through Bilt.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\nDisneyland Paris Lodging<\/span><\/h3>\n
If you decide you want multiple days in the parks, staying on property adds convenience but only gains 30 minutes of early entry. Our early arrival morning at the Paris parks didn\u2019t pay off — queues for the most popular rides remained long in the morning, single-rider lines didn\u2019t save time, and (of course) rides broke down.<\/p>\n
With most of the tired Disneyland Paris resorts needing updates, it makes more sense to book with IHG One Rewards points<\/a> at the new Holiday Inn Express Marne-la-Vall\u00e9e Val d'Europe or use Marriott points<\/a> at the Moxy Paris Val d\u2019Europe just a train ride away.<\/p>\n
Using points for airfare, treating the parks as a day trip, and taking advantage of reduced admission make Disneyland Paris affordable for many travelers. Now, let's turn to the Asia parks and consider the multiple ways to save.<\/p>\n
Japan Tokyo Disneyland & DisneySea<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n
Located on Tokyo Bay, the two parks in Japan consist of a traditional Disneyland replica and a gorgeous ode to the ocean: Tokyo DisneySea.<\/p>\n
Tokyo Disney Admission<\/span><\/h3>\n
Travelers often have trouble making purchases on Japanese websites using U.S. credit cards — and this includes Tokyo Disneyland. Instead, purchase tickets for the Tokyo Parks through Klook.com, and stand amazed at how little they cost (some of the lowest-priced Disney tickets in the world, sometimes as low as $60\/person)!<\/p>\n
You can\u2019t purchase park hoppers in Tokyo, so you\u2019ll need a separate ticket for each park if your plans include both Tokyo Disneyland (very similar to the original Disneyland) and the gorgeous Tokyo DisneySea.<\/p>\n
What you save on admission, invest in Premier Access (akin to U.S. Individual Lightning Lanes) for rides like Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast at Toyko Disneyland and Journey to the Center of the Earth at DisneySea. Premier Access runs $10-$15 per person per attraction.<\/p>\n
The Tokyo Disney parks also currently offer the 40th Anniversary Priority Pass, a complimentary service that functions like Disney Genie+. Our morning at the Tokyo parks included fast walking to a standby line while booking Priority Pass and purchasing a Premier Access every hour. The rides sell out around lunchtime, so ride as much as possible early in the day.<\/p>\n
Remember to book everything in the parks on a credit card for travel purchases<\/a>. I booked using my Ink Business Preferred\u00ae<\/sup> Credit Card<\/a> (Rates & Fees<\/a>), and every purchase coded as travel. So, I earned 3x points in the parks!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\nTokyo Disney Lodging<\/span><\/h3>\n
Staying on property at the Tokyo parks provides only 15 minutes of early entry. Some would argue that\u2019s worth it, simply because guests visiting the Tokyo parks suffer some of the longest Disney lines in the world. While we definitely waited in line for everything from attractions to popcorn, I don\u2019t think that extra 15 minutes warrants parting with hundreds of dollars per night to book a Tokyo Disney Resort.<\/p>\n
Transfer flexible points<\/a> to book the Hyatt Regency Tokyo Bay instead. A club room that sleeps three goes for only 21K Hyatt points\/night. The hotel shuttle runs conveniently in the evening every 30 minutes, while a morning taxi to the parks cost us $17.<\/p>\n
Other redemption options include both a Sheraton and a Hilton within walking distance of the parks. The proximity helps at the end of a long park day, but both Marriott and Hilton redemptions tend to be advantageous only when you\u2019re getting either the Marriott or Hilton fifth night free<\/a> — and you probably won\u2019t be at Tokyo Disneyland that long.<\/p>\n
Despite the crowds and long lines, the Tokyo Disney parks offer a few unique rides and the unforgettable whimsy of the seven ports at Tokyo DisneySea, not to mention the cheapest tickets of all twelve parks. Let\u2019s travel next to the most laid-back Disney park in the world: Hong Kong Disneyland.<\/p>\n
Hong Kong Disneyland<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n
Nestled on the same island as the Hong Kong International Airport, Hong Kong Disneyland stays closed on Wednesdays and doesn\u2019t open until 10:30 am the rest of the time. We found the crowds were low and the lines short, and we easily found a front-row parade seat at the last minute in this smallest of Disney parks.<\/p>\n
Hong Kong Disneyland Admission<\/span><\/h3>\n
We purchased two-day tickets for $137 each at the gate at Hong Kong Disneyland and spent two half-days exploring the parks. The low crowds made Premier Access unnecessary, and we easily rode everything we wanted to, including one of the best Thunder Mountain attractions in the world: Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars, the mysterious Mystic Manor, and the Ant-Man & The Wasp shooting ride.<\/p>\n
The tickets coded as entertainment on our credit card statement, meaning they wouldn\u2019t qualify for redeeming Capital One to offset the purchase<\/a>. However, if you have a Chase card running a Pay Yourself Back<\/a> promo on entertainment, you could redeem miles at 1.25 or 1.5 for the tickets, depending on the card in your wallet.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\nHong Kong Disneyland Lodging<\/span><\/h3>\n
- Shanghai Disneyland Admission<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Hong Kong Disneyland Lodging<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Tokyo Disney Lodging<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Disneyland Paris Lodging<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Saving on Flights to Overseas Disney Parks<\/a><\/li>
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