Most people save up for years to go on their once in a lifetime trip to Disney World. Believe me any trip to Disney can be extremely expensive, but it doesn’t have to be. I have done multiple trips all by cash so I don’t have a huge credit card bill when I get home from vacation. (They don’t call artists starving for nothing!) You can still be thrifty on vacation and still have the time of your life. A Disney trip is more about going for the attractions, it’s the memories you create and having fun with friends and family. A Disney trip is always worth the money because you get so much bang for your buck. But you don’t need me telling you why you should go to Disney, so here are my 5 favorite ways I save money on that trip you know you want to take.
#5 Travel Off-Season: The busiest time to go to Disney World are anytime kids are out of school which includes times around major holidays, spring break and most of summer. But did you know that there are certain times of the year where the prices of Disney Hotels are at their cheapest. Those times are generally after New Year’s until mid-February and early August to mid-September. I have been there in September and in August and even though it is still pretty hot, the crowds were low and we were able to navigate through the parks with ease thus making the most of our time there. Even if you can’t travel during those time always check the Disney World’s special offers page for the latest discounts and package offers. Never pay full price for your room if you don’t have to.
#4 Bring Snacks: Disney allows you to take snacks and food with you into the park. There is a great article on The Disney Food Blog with all the requirements of foods and containers you can take in with you here. Usually I bring non-perishable snacks such as pretzels, granola bars and fruit snacks. Although I love most of the snack options in the parks, this saves me money buy not buying them all the time and reserving money for a special treat such as a Dole Whip (Yum!!). Plus having snacks handy keeps me on the happy end of my hunger scale. As you can see you don’t want to know what I’m like when I’m way past hungry.
#3 Eat Breakfast in your Room: Whether you have a regular hotel room or a timeshare with a full kitchen, this is an easy and practical money saving tip. You can have cereal, oatmeal or a full breakfast with eggs and bacon and it still ends up being way cheaper than if you bought breakfast for everyone every day. Not only does this save money but it saves time so you can sleep a little later since you don’t have to go out anywhere for breakfast. Even though eating breakfast in our room may sound boring, we’ll still pick 1 or 2 character breakfasts during our stay as a special treat. Be sure to check out our sponsor David’s Vacation Club Rentals if you want to save some extra money on your next WDW vacation!
#2 Buy Discounted Tickets: Now that you have a place to stay that is in your budget, you’ll need your tickets right? Since we stay off property most of the time, I have to purchase my tickets separately. But even when I have stayed on property, I’ll get a room only deal and buy discounted tickets because it’s usually a better deal than the full packages. When buying discount tickets you have to make sure that the company is an authorized Disney ticket seller. I discovered Undercover Tourist through Mouse Savers years ago and have used them ever since. (HINT: If you sign up for the Mouse Savers newsletter you can get a separate link for even more of a discount with UT.) Undercover Tourist has free shipping and the prices they list on their site includes tax so what you see is what you pay. Plus their Disney tickets are now RFID and Fastpass + enabled so you can just link them up to your My Disney Experience account.
#1 Take a Day Off From the Parks: We usually take a mid-week break from the parks to sleep in relax and enjoy our resort. Whether you lay by the pool, order some pizza and the enjoy free activities around your resort, it’s always important to take a break. There is so much fun to be had in the parks that it can be overwhelming even for a veteran park-goer. There’s nothing wrong with stopping to smell the roses because this is a vacation after all. Plus with a day or two break from the park means a break from spending theme park money for food and souvenirs. Even though the more days you add on the more you “save” on your tickets, but if you buy more days then you can handle, you waste money. So plan ahead before your trip and only pay for the amount of days you know you will actually be in the parks.
So I hope this advice helps with you when you plan your next trip! Got any money saving tips that you like to use on your Disney Vacations?
Contributed by Pam Ilosky – Adventureland Pam
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Thanks for the great suggestions! A couple of tips I like to share- consider splitting meals. Some of the portions at Disney are very large, especially at sit down meals, and I find sometimes splitting with another family member or ordering 1 entrée and 1 appetizer is the perfect amount of food for two.