Disney Law Enforcement Discounts & Family Vacation Tips
How to Save on Disney Tickets and Help Your Hypervigilant Partner Actually Relax on Family Vacation
Before we dive in: grab my free 3 Keys to Knowing He’s Got Your Back training so you and your police, fire, or military partner can enjoy family vacations and everyday life as a relaxed, connected team.
Planning a Disney trip as a police, fire, or military family takes a little extra strategy, especially when your partner is not a fan of big crowds and cannot carry inside the park. Ten years ago, getting my husband to take a full week off work felt like a dream, and I felt like a single mom who was married. Once we built Independent Daily Routines, Gentle Observation, Assertive Trauma Informed Communication, and Consistent Quality Time Together into our marriage, he started taking weeks off without me even asking and sharing the parenting and cooking on our trips. Here is how we navigated Disney law enforcement discounts, the park gun policy, and crowd-beating tips with our two boys.
As a police wife of 9 years and mom of two young boys, I know the unique law enforcement family vacation needs. We visited Disneyland in Summer 2021. We visited Legoland California in Summer 2022, so definitely check out that blog after this one. I share more information about where we stayed at the end of this blog. Keep reading for information about Disney law enforcement discounts, Disney law enforcement gun policy, and practical tips from a recent trip to Disneyland.
Disney Law Enforcement Discounts | Disneyland Police Discount
The most universal Disney law enforcement discounts that all officers are eligible for is from Govx.com. Create an account with your ID to see Disney Law Enforcement Discounts and more.
A Law Enforcement Officer Disney travel specialist also suggests getting a Disney Visa Rewards card to purchase tickets since you will be awarded points to use for food and other items purchased at the park. Don’t miss more tips from her free travel agent services below.
Disney Law Enforcement Gun Policy
According to the Disney parks rules and regulations, no guns, firearms, etc. are allows at their parks. This does include off-duty law enforcement. Disney has police patrolling their premises and SWAT units that practice sporadically.
Due to crowds at Disney, it is understandable that you may feel uncomfortable without carrying. Please read the practical tips for Disney vacations for police families below to help with that.
When we visited Disneyland, my police officer husband left his handgun in a safe at home or in the locked glovebox of our vehicle.
Practical Stress-Free Tips for Disney Law Enforcement Family Trips
These tips are from our police family trip from summertime, August 2021. My police husband and I visited Disneyland with our two boys who were ages 4 and 6 at the time. We also had sets of two grandparents with us on the trip as well.
Stay on or near the resort for convenience. Many people suggest staying on the resort. Because of our large, multi-family unit that needed accommodations, we all started at an a Vrbo short-term rental 4-bedroom single family home a block away from the resort. This saved us money on food and separate hotel rooms for each family. We brought our own groceries, but we still had some meals at the park. You could walk to the resort, but because we had small children, we drove and parked. Click here to search for short-term rentals near Disneyland in Anaheim on Vrbo.
Visit weekdays for an empty park experience. We went from Thursday-Saturday. Thursday was so empty compared to the other days.
Arrive to the park right when it opens for an empty park experience. Disneyland opened at 8:00am each day. We arrived at 8 or 8:30am each day, and there were hardly any lines for rides between 8:00 and 10:00am each day.
If you have kids, bring or rent a stroller. Our kids are older, but man there is a lot of walking, so bring the stroller or rent one. We rented one at Disney. The rentable strollers were available right as you enter the park. It was very convenient.
Order food on your phone, so you don’t have to wait. While in line for a ride, you can order food to pick up after. This is available on Disney app. Once you are at the park, you can see restaurants available near you at the park on your app.
Picture this:
Your police, fire, or military partner actually requests vacation time off without you having to beg, because family adventures are a priority for both of you.
When crowds or park rules trigger his hypervigilance, you use Gentle Observation and smart timing (like arriving at 8:00 AM on a weekday) so his nervous system can relax.
Back at your vacation rental, you use Assertive Trauma Informed Communication so you both share the cooking and bedtime routines with the kids as a team.
Your Independent Daily Routines at home make packing and trip prep smooth instead of overwhelming.
You come home from vacation with core family memories and Consistent Quality Time Together instead of needing a vacation from your vacation.
Ready for a marriage where you and your partner feel like true teammates at home and on vacation? Start with my free 3 Keys to Knowing He’s Got Your Back training.
Listen: more on thriving in police, fire, and military family life on the heelsandholster podcast