5 Money Saving Tips for a Disney World Vacation
Is it Time for a Disney Trip?
If you have a little extra spending money it’s only right that you should spend it on the things you love. In my family, it’s Disney World. But Disney is so-o-o-o expensive, you say? Yeah, I know, so I have put together my top 5 ways to cut costs and still have a super trip. Are you ready?
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1. Stay on Disney Property
Rates for Disney World Value Resort rooms are almost always competitive with comparable properties that you can find outside of the park and, without a doubt, staying on the property has some very nice perks.
In addition to the over-the-top themed resorts, there is the convenience of Disney transportation and extra magic hours that are available only to resort guests.
AND you can start locking in FastPass choices 60 days in advance if you are staying on a Disney Property. This includes Disney Springs hotels. That is a super perk, giving you a head start on being able to FastPass some of the hot tickets.
If you have the flexibility to visit during off-season times or maybe mid-week you can save even more money.
It’s still worth shopping around because, from time to time, there are good rates at the hotels near Disney Springs that can go head-to-head with Disney Resort prices. If they are waiving resort fees and parking fees it can be downright affordable. And these hotels frequently offer suite accommodations. That could be a tipping point, especially if there are more than 2 people staying in the room. The time spent researching can net some impressive savings.
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2. Pack Breakfast, Lunch, Snacks
There are some fun dining experiences at Disney, but breakfast isn’t one of them unless you’re doing a character breakfast. And the food still isn’t the star of the show.
Unless you have purchased a package that includes free dining the cost of food per day can be almost as much as the cost of admission to a park. With some planning, you can shrink these costs by eating breakfast, lunch, and snacks from your room. It’s a little more to pack but you will appreciate the savings.
This is much easier if you are driving to Orlando, but even if you are flying in you can have an Amazon package shipped directly to your resort with the staples you will use for these meals.
I know the last thing you want to spend time doing on vacation is preparing meals, but these are simple ideas and the savings are well worth it. Have everybody involved in prep and clean-up and it will be easy-peasy.
All of the rooms are equipped with a small refrigerator, enough for what you need for a few days. Keep your cooler full of ice for drinks. Pack a small coffee maker (if there are coffee drinkers in the family) and a toaster.
In the morning…
Breakfasts can be yogurt, granola and fruit cups, or instant oatmeal (use the coffee maker to heat water). A batch of pancakes or Mickey waffles made at home and frozen can be popped in the toaster. Of course, cereal is super easy.
Remember to pack dishes and utensils, either disposable or use an inexpensive picnic set, things that can be easily rinsed off.
For snacks and lunch…
Fresh fruit, apples, or grapes travel well, pretzels and granola bars are perfect for snacks. Packing sandwiches for lunch is super easy. PB&J is a no-brainer, and so are Pita bread and tuna pouches. Be on the lookout for super deals on these things before a trip.
The backpack may be a little heavy going in, but the load is much lighter after lunch.
Remember to pack bottled water or refillable water bottles. Bottled water in the theme parks sells for $2.50 a pop. You have to stay hydrated, but save some cash while doing it.
3. Take Advantage of Free/Cheap Souvenirs
You can’t walk very far in any of the Disney Parks or Resorts without being bombarded with t-shirts, gizmos, plush toys, or coffee mugs-THAT YOU JUST HAVE TO HAVE!
OHPLEASE, OHPLEASE, OHPLEASE, I WILL NEVER ASK FOR ANYTHING AGAIN….I have told my husband over and over again that he can pick out one souvenir and that’s all.
Spending can get out of hand pretty quickly. Setting limits on what you will spend on souvenirs and sticking to it is the key to managing this potential budget-buster.
If this is your first trip or if a special occasion is being celebrated you can get a pin at check-in or guest services to commemorate the occasion. Just ask for it. This is one of my favorite freebies.
Do save all of the maps, brochures, and other literature that will make great scrapbooking material after the trip. I know you will have lots of pictures.
There are opportunities in all of the parks for kids to make a craft project that they get to keep. That’s a fun, free souvenir.
Searching for Hidden Mickeys is a great way to spend time between rides or while you are waiting in line. Some are easy to find, some, not so much. It’s fascinating to see where and how they are incorporated into your surroundings.
My favorite “cheap souvenir” is the pressed coin. The pressed penny costs a total of .51¢ and the pressed quarter costs a total of $1.25. There are tons of images in hundreds of machines all over the place-parks and resorts. I get a kick out of checking out the images to see if I need it, got it, or want it.
This is so much fun. And FREE. If you are traveling with young kids, maybe 5-12 years old, Disney’s Animal Kingdom offers the Wilderness Explorers Challenge.
There is so much to see and do at Animal Kingdom, but honestly, if you are just racing from ride to ride you are missing out on most of it. The Wilderness Explorers just encourages you s-l-o-w down and see all of it. That’s a big deal! And it is so worth it.
Your child will be issued a handbook and a pencil. The handbook includes a map of the park and the badges that can be earned in each area. Easy to follow instructions for earning each badge are given, as well as, the general location of a Troop Leader of Badge Guide for each area of the park. It’s fun and engaging. The Troop Leaders and Badge Guides are enthusiastic and give valuable information about the world we live in.
The Wilderness Explorer Troop Leaders and Badge Guides wear distinctive costumes and are easy to recognize.
Make your own. If you are super-crafty, find fun Disney SVG files from Etsy or Design Bundles. Use your Cricut or Silhouette cutting machine to make tees or sweatshirts. Designing and creating your own souvenirs will save a few bucks.
4. Gift Cards and Fuel Savings
There are a couple of fuel promotions that I try not to miss. Kroger will periodically offer 4X Fuel Points when you purchase certain gift cards. Disney gift cards are usually included and I pick those up during the year and set them aside for the next trip. The fuel points are used during the course of the workweek OR if the timing is right, I will use that discount to fill my tank for the trip down. I have a $100.00 gift card for spending money AND .40¢ off a gallon of gas.
Publix runs a promotion quite frequently that offers $10.00 off a $50.00 fuel gift card with a $50.00 grocery purchase.
Take advantage of any available offers and save money on gas for the entire trip.
5. Purchase non-Park Hopper Tickets
If you don’t plan on making multiple Disney trips a year and an annual pass is not in the cards it is cheaper to buy non-Park Hopper tickets for the length of your stay. Each park has so much to offer it makes more sense to forgo the extra cost of the Park Hopper option and focus on one park at a time. You can come and go as you like to one park a day.
As a matter of fact, it is a very good idea to leave the park around mid-day when everyone is tired. Take a break, go back to your room, have lunch and then to the pool to chill out for a bit. The resorts on Disney property offer a full schedule of activities at the pools for the kiddo’s enjoyment. Don’t forget it’s pool season a good bit of the year in Orlando.
Then, back to the park to pick up where you left off. You can easily plan your FastPasses to accommodate that schedule.
If you plan multiple trips per year you might want to look at an annual pass. As of today’s pricing, this pays off if you spend more than 8 days at a Disney park. Living within 300 miles of Walt Disney World makes it an easy trip to do several times a year.
I would love to hear about any special tricks you have for saving money on a Disney trip. Or money-saving tips no matter the destination!
