Visiting Walt Disney World on a Budget
One of the common misconceptions of a trip to Walt Disney World is that it’s outrageously expensive. While there are various elements that a traveler might feel are overpriced, there are many ways that a family can visit WDW in an economical and affordable way by remaining savvy with money-saving strategies, packing smart, and planning ahead. While there are some fixed costs like tickets, lodging, and more, Disney can be done in an affordable way without sacrificing any fun!
Here are some of my top tips for visiting Walt Disney World on a budget!
Travel in the off-season
This might be a no-brainer, but the closer a trip is to school holidays, breaks, and other important events, the more expensive the costs will be. Traditionally, the most affordable times to visit Walt Disney World that have historically had the best prices and discounts are the months of January and February (weekdays, and outside of MLK weekend and President’s Day weekend), the first week of March, the middle of September, the first week of November, and the first week of December. If you can travel when kids are in school, people are at work, and holidays are over, you can expect to find some of the better prices available.
Bring your own snacks
Disney hotels will allow Instacart to deliver groceries to you, so if you plan ahead you can have snacks, water bottles, easy-to-make breakfasts and even lunches ready to go for when you head to the parks. You can also pack some of these in your suitcase to bring from home!
Book a promotion or discount package
Travel agents have a good idea when promotions are going to be released, and can easily switch you into a package that saves you the most money when you book directly with us. Even if you take advantage of one package early on and a better one is released later, chances are you’ll be able to be easily moved into that new promotion to save even more money. It always pays to use a travel agent!
Bring refillable bottles to fill with water
All quick-service restaurant locations throughout the parks and resorts will provide water to guests for free, so you can save by skipping the soda and refilling your reusable water bottle with water all day long!
Bring items from home many people buy in the parks
If you visit in the summer months to Walt Disney World, chances are that it will rain. You can save on the cost of buying Disney rain ponchos (which can run upwards of $10 per person) and bring your own from Amazon or another retailer instead! Additionally, Disney sells reloadable portable battery chargers for $30 a piece, but they can only be used while you’re at Disney. By bringing your own, you can ensure your phone never runs out of battery power and you can recharge it all you want back at your hotel (and at home).
It pays to stay on property
Contrary to some misconceptions, depending on when you visit Walt Disney World you can find amazingly low rates for value resorts like the All-Star Movies, Music, or Sports, or Disney’s Pop Century hotels. One of the biggest benefits that WDW offers to its on-site guests is complimentary transportation to and from the airport AND to and from all of the theme parks. Parking costs, Uber and Lyft rides, and other transportation costs can add up quick if you’re staying off property, and are often much less convenient than the efficient options that Disney offers. In addition, Disney guests typically receive early Magic Hours entry to the theme parks and can get started with their day sooner than non-resort guests.
Fly out of a larger hub airport to save on flights
In many cases, driving the extra mile to a larger airport vs. a regional one can provide savings on flights— especially if you have several people joining you on your trip. Locations like Denver, Seattle, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Houston have multiple, daily direct flights to Orlando and if you’re within driving distance to any of those locations, even if your home airport is closer, it might pay to drive a little further to save extra.
Skip the park-hopper tickets
Now, if you were visiting Disneyland, I’d argue that park hopper tickets are a MUST. However, for Walt Disney World, they are not completely necessary to have. The theme parks are so big and there is so much to do (and it’s not as easy to get from park to park once you’re there), you really won’t have a problem spending all day in one park. If you get done early, there are plenty of free things to do as well— swim at your hotel pool (all Disney resort hotel pools AWESOME!), visit Disney Springs, walk around your resort, or even play mini-golf with your Magical Extras perks of booking a vacation package.
Are you a Target card holder? Buy Disney Gift cards at 5% off!
This is my favorite money-saving tip for any Disney vacation. You can pay for everything with Disney gift cards— from your hotels to tickets, food, merchandise, and more. Target provides a 5% discount when the RED card is used to make purchases, so you can save 5% on your trip if you use Disney gift cards to pay for it and you buy them with your Target RED card! Additionally, if you’re a Disney Visa rewards member, you can use your Disney redemption dollars just like a Disney gift card. This can be helpful if you’re planning several months in advance and have the opportunity to stock up on Disney Visa rewards points.
Buy your souvenirs and clothing elsewhere. :-)
I’ll be honest: We always let our son have one souvenir from Disney during our trips. There’s something magical about an end-of-the-vacation stop by the Emporium on Main Street to take home a stuffed animal or a replica of the Epcot Ball. However, we stock up on Disney shirts ahead of time at places like the Disney Store outlet, Disney.com, Kohls, Target, and more (as well as swing by an off-property discount reseller when we have a car like the Disney Character Warehouse!).
There are many more ways to save on a trip to Walt Disney World, and I am here to help! Contact me for a custom quote that takes in mind your budget, travel wishes, vacation preferences, and more.
Hip Hip, Hooray! Three cheers for Disney!
Megan