Traveling to Walt Disney World can be quite expensive, so finding ways to save money on vacation is very important. Here are our top 10 ways to save money on your Disney vacation.
10. Ask for a cup of water – Instead of purchasing a soft drink or bottled water to go with your meals, ask for a free cup of ice water. In order to comply with Florida law, Disney will happily provide you with free ice water. Want something with more flavor? Bring some Mio or other type of water enhancer with you into the parks. You can easily turn your free cup of ice water into a tasty beverage for less than the cost of one soft drink at Disney!
9. Eat two meals – Breakfasts at Disney are usually quite filling. Because of this, you might not get hungry enough for lunch until late in the afternoon. Eating a late lunch and evening snack or an afternoon snack and an early dinner can be a great way to save a little bit of money on dining without leaving you hungry.
8. Split meals – If you do not purchase a dining plan for your vacation, splitting meals is another great way to save on dining costs. Many of the quick service entrees at Disney are rather large and can be split between two people. Unfortunately, table service meals at Disney cannot be split; however, splitting quick service meals has the potential to significantly reduce the cost of dining.
7. Stay at a value resort – If you’re like me, you probably don’t spend a lot of time in your hotel room when visiting Disney. While the value resorts may not be as fancy as the moderate or deluxe resorts, they do provide nice accommodations at a much lower cost. If you do not spend much time at your resort, it may make more sense financially to stay at a value resort.
6. Use Disney transportation – If you plan on staying on Disney property throughout your vacation, be sure to take advantage of Disney’s free transportation. Disney’s Magical Express provides free transportation to and from the Orlando International Airport. Once you arrive at Walt Disney World, there are buses, monorails, and ferries to take you anywhere on property you would like to go. Utilizing Disney’s free transportation is a great (and free) alternative to getting a rental car.
5. Purchase Disney gift cards at Sam’s Club – Disney gift cards can be used to pay for your entire Disney vacation. If you have a membership to Sam’s Club, you may have noticed they often sell Disney gift cards in stores. These gift cards are usually sold for a few dollars less than the value of the card. Purchasing these discounted gift cards to pay for your entire vacation can help save a little bit of money. Don’t have a Sam’s membership? We’ve got another way to save on Disney gift cards below!
4. Disney Visa – If you have a Disney Visa card, you can save on your vacation just by putting purchases on your card. At select locations across Walt Disney World, you can receive 10% off of purchases of $50 or more. You can also save 10% at select WDW dining locations. In addition, your Disney Visa can save you 20% on select guided tours including the Keys To The Kingdom Tour.
3. Purchase Disney gift cards at Target – If you have a Target RedCard, you can save 5% on purchases made using your card. This includes saving 5% on purchases of Disney gift cards. Want to save even more? If you have Target Pharmacy Rewards and have filled 5 qualifying prescriptions, Target will send you a certificate for an additional 5% discount. So, if you purchase gift cards to pay for your entire vacation using these two discounts, you can essentially save 10% on your Disney vacation!
2. Rent DVC points -Did you know you can use Disney Vacation Club points even if you’re not a member? You can actually rent DVC points from members. This will allow you and your family to enjoy deluxe accommodations at a much lower price. For more information regarding DVC rentals, check out this great article.
1. Travel during the off-season – Resort prices at Disney are often lower during Disney’s less crowded times of year. January, February, September, and October are great times of the year to visit Walt Disney World. The crowds are often low, along with the prices. So, not only will you save on your vacation, but you will also get to experience more of Walt Disney World due to the low crowds!
How do you save money on your Disney vacation? Let us know in the comments below!
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Traveling off-season is huge! Discounts, free dining, super low crowd levels… you better believe I’ll be one of those parents who pulls their kids out of school for a week of Disney! I see no appeal in paying more to wait in longer lines in the summer heat or during spring break! 😀
We found the ‘sweet spot’ last year in mid-December…. checked in on the last day of a free dining promotion, so we had it for the rest of our trip but the crowds drawn from it had dropped off significantly. It was also too early for most kids to be out of school, and since most people don’t want their kids to miss the last few weeks before a break because of mid-year exams, holiday events, etc there were not a lot of families with school aged kids.
Plus we got to take advantage of all the holiday decorations and the magic that is Disney in December!
By sharing a meal, I mean each ordering an appetizer and sharing an entree and, sometimes, a dessert. It hasn’t been questioned so far.
We’ve shared meals at table service restaurants like Chefs de France.
For Quick Service restaurants, order off the kids menu. The meal is usually plenty to fill you up, and comes with two sides.