How to get free passes or discounted tickets to Disneyland?

People call Disneyland "The happiest place on earth" but beside that many also call it as "One of the costliest park on earth". A family visiting California has Disneyland in their must watch list but admission prices alone for a family of four are more than $250, not counting food and souvenirs. This is quite an expensive affair.

So is it possible to get free passes or discounted tickets to Disneyland?  The answer is yes and here is how to get it:

How to get free Passes to Disneyland?

Disneyland has a program to honor their guests with free passes on their individual birthdays. But you do need to sign up in advance.

1. Browse the webpage listed under Resources to create a new account and click the "Register" button. 
2. On the registration page enter your birth date. Then click "Enter" and the "Account Information" page appears.
3. Fill in your contact information including your email address, which will be your member name and password. Accept the terms of use.
4. Click the “Register” button to receive a confirmation email. Respond to the email. The Free Admission page appears.
5. Enter your birth date and choose some option before clicking the “Save” button. A dialogue asks you to confirm your information. Click the “Yes” button.
6. On your birthday, show up at the park with a photo ID or an original or certified copy of your birth certificate to get a free admission ticket for that day. Both United Stated residents and foreigners can avail this facility but you must show a government-issued photo ID that shows date-of-birth, such as a passport in case you are a non US resident.

Pre-registration is not mandatory to get the free ticket, but pre-registering would save time retrieving the ticket at the park. Guests who do not register in advance will have to complete the paperwork at the park. Guests who pre-register online can print out the confirmation receipt at home to exchange for a free ticket at the park.

How to get Discounted tickets to Disneyland?

If free passes are not going to work for your family, unless all of your family member have birthday's on the same day, you can look for getting discounted tickets. However getting that too is not that easy. One qucik option is to get a Southern California CityPass that provides 3-Day Disneyland tickets and tickets for one day each at Universal Studios and SeaWorld at a discount of about 30% . The CityPass can be purchased online at many travel agencies in advance or at the gate of any of the participating attractions.