How To Save Money At Disney World
Disney Travel || Tags: Disney ||A lot of people dream of taking their families (or themselves!) to Disney, but unfortunately the cost can be high, especially for bigger families. Fear not! There are ways to save money at Disney, to bring the trip into your price range. There are a few ways to do it, let me show you how!
How To Save Money on Your Disney World Trip
Increase Your Savings
Disney vacations usually require a lot of planning, which gives you lots of time to save and make a travel budget! If you book a package through Disney they give you until 30 days before check in to pay the balance of your trip. Figure out how much you can afford to save each month and have it automatically transfer into a savings account.
Buy Discounted Gift Cards
If you have a Target red card, or have a Sam’s club nearby you can buy Disney gift cards and get a percentage off. So if you buy $100 at Target you save $5, that can add up if you buy a few. You can use Disney gift cards to make payments on your vacation before you go, or bring them with you to buy souvenirs!
Check For Discounts
The Disney website is the place to check for current promotions. Often in the slower seasons you can get a room discount, or the very popular free dining promotion. This promotion allows you to get a free dining plan when you book a room and ticket package through Disney. This is where using a Disney Travel Agent comes in handy, they can check for discounts and apply them for you, even if a discount becomes available after you’ve booked (but before you’ve paid in full).
Bring Your Own Stroller/ Scooter
If you have little kids, or someone in your group with mobility issues, you might look into renting stroller or scooter. If you can bring your usual stroller from home you’ll save the cost of renting.
Decide If You Want The Memory Maker
The Memory Maker is a photo package that includes photos taken by Disney’s Photopass photographers and ride photos. I love the Memory Maker, the ride photos and character interaction photos are worth it to me, but the $185 (or $210 if you want access immediately) price tag is hefty. The Photopass photographers will take your family’s photo with your camera or phone, so you won’t miss out on that iconic castle photo. You can also get one day of Memory Maker photos for $75.
How To Save on Disney World Hotel Costs
Go At A Slower Time Of Year
Disney ticket and hotel prices fluctuate depending on the time of year, and scheduled events. Meaning that depending on the time of year the same room could cost a lot more. Disney is going to be more expensive on holidays and during the summer. Basically any time kids aren’t in school, it’s more expensive.
The cheapest times of year are January to middle of February, and the end of August until the first week of December, except for the holidays that fall in there! And as an extra bonus, it’s usually less crowded too. Save money at Disney by going during the week, avoiding the weekends you’ll pay less as well. Touring Plans has a great visual so you can see the cheapest times of year.
Decide If You Want To Stay On-Site
I am a big supporter of staying in the “Disney Bubble”. You might pay a little bit more but I think you get a better experience, with perks that make up for the cost difference. However I have made a little pro and con list for you:
| On Site | Off Site | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Pros | Cons | Pros | Cons |
| - Buses from the resorts to parks (no need for a car) | - Can be more expensive | - Can be cheaper (especially for larger families) | - Waste time driving to and from parks |
| - Stay in the "Disney Bubble" | - Value resorts don't have as many amenities | - You can cook your own food to save on food costs | - Pay for parking at the parks |
If you’ve decided to stay onsite, then you have to decide on what “level” of resort to choose. The value resorts are the cheapest and we have enjoyed staying in them every time we have gone to Disney. Pop Century is a bit more expensive than the All Star Resorts, however the addition of the Skyliner has made Pop worth the extra cost in my opinion.
If the deluxe resorts are more your style, consider renting DVC points to get deluxe resorts at a cheaper price. You can also get a deluxe resort for a “moderate” price by staying at the Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotels. These resorts are on the Boardwalk where you’ll find other deluxe resorts, however they are not owned by Disney and the price point is much cheaper, while enjoying many of the same benefits such as early entry, and buses to the resorts.
How To Save On Disney World Park Tickets
Tickets vs Annual Pass
If you’re going to be making multiple trips in a one-year period, or you want to do more than 10 park days in a year, you should be looking into buying an annual pass. Annual passes come with all kinds of perks like discounts on merchandise, select dining, free parking at the parks and it includes photopass downloads. There are also some room discounts only available to annual pass holders.
Take A Day Off
By having a “no park day” on your vacation you’ll be able to buy one less park ticket! Although the difference between a 6 day ticket and a 7 day ticket is only $10, so the savings could be minimal. There are so many things to do outside of the parks; I promise you won’t be bored! The resorts offer many activities and the pool. Disney Springs and The Boardwalk area offer lots of shopping, dining and entertainment.
Listen to me chat with the guys over at Rope Drop Radio about no park days on their podcast.
Do You Need Genie+?
Genie+ is a paid service that allows you to use the lightning lane entrance for certain rides, shortening your wait time (in theory!), and it can be quite expensive. The price changes depending on the time of year and the park (or if you want the multiple park option). It can add as much as $39 per person per day, which is $1092 for a family of 4 for a week! Genie+ only works on certain rides, and if you’re visiting during a particularly busy time, the Genie+ options can sell out. But is it worth the cost? Many people think it saves time in line, and since time=money, it can be worth the cost. However, to me, it’s not worth the extra cost and we usually don’t buy it.
Skip Individual Lightning Lanes
For the most popular or “E ticket” attractions at each park, you are able to purchase these rides separately by buying an Individual Lightning Lane (different from the Genie+), which can cost you $11-$25 per person per ride. You can ride these rides using the standby line, or you may be able to get a free virtual queue which saves your place in line and notifies you when it’s time to ride!
Decide If You Need A Park Hopper
A park hopper ticket allows you to visit multiple parks in one day, but it comes with a price tag of $65-$95 per ticket. We have gone both with and without the park hopper, and while we like the option of hopping to another park in the middle of the day, or for dinner, it’s definitely not necessary and can easily be cut. If you’re planning on spending all day in one park, the cost might not be worth it for you.
Go Before Your Child Turns 3
Children under 3 are free at Disney World! You won’t pay for their park admission, which can be a huge savings. If you happen to go to the parks on your child’s third birthday, you still won’t have to pay, as long as your child was two on check in day – no one ages at Disney!
Save Money At Disney Tip #4 – Save On Food Costs
Do You Need The Dining Plan?
Every family is different and the Disney Dining plan may save you money, or it may end up costing you more. It’s worth going through the menus of the restaurants you’d like to book and get an idea of the prices. If you’re planning on doing character meals, or you like to eat, then the dining plan may save you money. If you’re a family that doesn’t eat a whole lot, then the dining plan may not be for you.
Bring Your Own Food
You can bring your own food and drinks (not in glass!) into the parks. Disney even allows you to bring a soft-sided cooler to keep it all ready to eat. You can also get free ice water at any quick service dining location in Disney World. This can be especially important if you are traveling with food allergies!
Split Quick Service Meals Or Order Kids Portions
If you or your kids aren’t big eaters, the quick service portions are huge and definitely sharable. Order one or two entrees and split them with your family! A little known fact is that adults can order a kids portion as well, which is smaller and cheaper. You could always eat all the yummy snacks for meals too! Although we love the food booths at Epcot during festivals like Food & Wine, they can be expensive, and the portions are usually small.
How To Do Disney On a Budget
So many ways to save money at Disney World! By skipping many of the add-ons, you can do Disney World on a budget and still have an amazing time.
What do you think? Do you have any more tips to add?
One response to “How To Save Money At Disney World”
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Yes! Great tips! My 9-year old son and I always share meals at Disney! They give you so much food – and if you get hungry later you can always grab a yummy snack SOMEWHERE! 🙂