Going to Walt Disney World and Disneyland can be costly, with just the tickets for the average size family setting you back by 100s of dollars. So purchasing Disney park tickets for a low price can save you sizable money! Here are some tips.

Plan in Advance

Plan your vacation days before purchasing, so you do not buy a pass with more (or lesser) days' admission than you may actually use.

Buy online not at the ticket booth

You can get Disney discount tickets if you buy them online ahead. The price can be up to $50 per ticket less than what you'd pay at the theme park gate. You can print the tickets at home or get them in the mail.

Disney Specials

At times, Disney offers special discounts. The most common is adding 2 extra days to a multi-day ticket absolutely free.

Southern California CityPass

If you plan on visiting a number of Southern California's other attractions during your trip, this one is your best bet. It is easy to get 3-Day Disneyland tickets, tickets for one day each at Universal Studios, SeaWorld and your choice of a ticket to the San Diego Zoo OR San Diego Zoo Safari Park.

The total discount is approximately 30%. You can buy the passes online in advance, or at the gate of any of the participating attractions.

State resident Disney tickets

If you live in California or Florida, you get special discounted tickets to Disneyland/Walt Disney World.

Stick to One Park a Day

In mid-2011, Disney introduced reduced-price tickets called 1-Park A Day. They cost about $15 less than a Park Hopper ticket, with the limitation that after you enter either Disneyland or a Walt Disney World theme park, you can only visit that park for the rest of the day.

Do not buy more tickets than you require

If you are not going to be visiting one of Disney's waterparks and only want tickets to the theme parks, a regular pass will do just fine without the more pricey options.

Number of days

Many of us get a pass equivalent to the number of days of their trip, but the reality is you almost certainly do not have to include your first and last day.

Annual Passes

If you will be making multiple visits to a Disney park a year, or an extended visit of longer than a week's park hopping, you can consider purchasing an annual pass in place of a park hopper. Annual pass holders are eligible for some special perks and discounts above and beyond the park admission.

Adults Pay Kids' Price

Some years, Disney offers discounted pricing for visits from Jan thru early spring, with everyone paying the kids' admission fee

Cross Check Resellers' Offers

Check the costs on Disney's website first, prior to purchasing tickets from a reseller so that you can be certain you are really getting a deal and they are not quoting your"savings" by comparing a multi-day pass price to the price of several individual 1-day tickets

Keep Clear of Auctions

Some of the people buy 5 Day passes, use two or 3 days and try to sell the remaining days on online auctions. Nonetheless these tickets state in writing that they're not transferable, and have to be used by the same person on all days. Hence buying the tickets like this is not recommended.

Free Admission For Volunteer Service

In early 2010, Disneyland offered free theme park ticket for one day as a reward for doing a day of volunteer service. You can keep your eyes open for such offers!

Military Discounts

Active duty, Reserve, National Guard, Retired, and DOD employees can buy Disney tickets at a reduction, with the amount depending on the time of the year. You'd need to bring your military ID to show at the gate.

AAA Members

Rebates are often available to members of AAA on multi-day passes, but you have to buy them at a participating AAA office and not at the park gate or from the Disney website.

Staff of Companies Sponsoring Disney Attractions

If you work for Coke, General Motors, or another company that sponsors a Disney attraction, or a corporation that contracts with Disney, you can check with your HR dep. for any current discount programs.