Disney vacation is on the travel bucket list of most families. Who doesn’t want to be on the most magical place on earth!, right? Well, this visit to the magical place on earth can get pretty expensive if you are on a tight budget. The basic essentials like beverages, food, stay can add up to a grand total leaving a big dent in your wallet.
But fear not, I have some amazing tips on how you can save on your next Disney vacation. We recently made a trip to the Walt Disney World in Florida and we have saved big on our total vacation cost by following some of the tips mentioned below.
What are the possible ways to do a Disney vacation?
Now, Disney needs no introduction. You might be well aware of all the Disney resorts but in case you are not, Disney has resorts, theme parks and a cruise line all over the United sates. They have Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida which includes four theme parks and two water parks. They also have amazing resorts & hotels in Orlando that you can stay on while you are on your vacation.
Disney also has Disneyland Resorts in Anaheim, California with two theme parks and Disney operated resorts for you to stay while you are on your vacation.
If you like to vacation on the seas, you can take a Disney cruise from Miami, Galveston or San Diego for an amazing Disney experience on the sea.
If you are looking for more of a relaxing vacation with some Disney magic, then you can explore the amazing Disney Aulani Resort & Spa in Hawaii. Now who doesn’t love to vacation in Hawaii ?
For this post, I will be focusing on the theme parks at Disney World and Disneyland. I have been to both Disney World and Disneyland several times in the span of past 10 years. I have made some rookie mistakes while visiting the parks which will be covered in an upcoming post. I am not a Disney pro in any way but the experience from my past trips has taught me a thing or two.
How much does a Disney theme park cost?
Currently, Disney World has four theme parks and the cost for one theme park ticket is $109.00 USD. The more days you choose the lesser will be the cost. The prices change all the time so please visit their website to know the most accurate ticket price for the dates you are looking for. You can visit any one of the parks per day or buy a park hopper for additional cost and visit multiple parks in a day.
So, if you would like to visit all 4 parks (one park per day) on your trip you will be paying roughly around $1,800 USD for a family of four plus parking fees each day if you are staying outside the Disney Resort.
Disneyland standard theme park ticket is around $76 USD per day for a five day ticket and the price can change seasonally, so please visit the Disneyland website for the most accurate pricing for your required dates. You can also buy a park hopper to visit multiple parks in a single day.
The theme park tickets usually take a maximum portion of the travel budget for most families. On top of that there is the traveling cost, stay and food expenses to be considered. But don’t let this dimmer your vacation spirits, here are 15 ways you can lower your Disney vacation expenses! You can thank me later by liking this post and sharing this post with your friends & family. 🙂
15 ways to save money on your Disney vacation
1. Choose Disneyland over Disney World
Choose Disneyland over Disney World as Disneyland only has two theme parks which can be covered in less number of days may be 2-3 days thus reducing the theme park ticket price. Disney World on the other hand is huge and has 4 theme parks and 2 water parks. You will need at least 6-10 days if you were to do all of them on your trip. Even though it will cost lesser per day if you were to purchase tickets for multiple days, your trip cost will increase as you’ll need more hotel stay & probably more eating out.
2. Don’t pay full price for your theme park tickets
There are a few websites that offer Disney theme park tickets at a discounted price. Check with your employer if they have any discounts or offers that they offer their employees for popular attractions around the country. You can also try these websites where you can get great deals on the theme park tickets. But please be aware of the scam websites, do check for reviews of the website before purchasing your tickets.
Under Cover Tourist is a great website to buy Disney theme park tickets at a discounted price. Disney also offers resident discounts and military discounts when you book through their website.
3. Skip the park hopper
If you are traveling with kids, I highly recommend skipping the park hopper. Not only it is an added expense and most of the time you may not end up making use of this option. Disney parks are huge! It’s already a lot of walking around inside a theme park and hopping into another park in a day with little kids means more hassle and waste of your precious time. So next time, skip that park hopper and save yourself some dollars.
4. Choose driving to your destination over flying
Flying is the easiest way to travel but if you would like to save some of your dollars definitely consider driving. It saves a lot of money as opposed to flying.
As I mentioned earlier, recently we made a road trip to Disney World, Florida from Austin, Texas. It was about 18 hours of drive which we divided into two days each way. We checked the airline ticket prices and we found that flying from Austin to Orlando would have cost $1500 USD for our family of four. Since we drove to our destination, we spent about $500 USD for 2 hotels for a break from driving, gas and food. Price is not inclusive of our hotel stay in Orlando,FL which we would have to be considered in the budget irrespective of driving/flying. So, we basically saved one grand by choosing to drive to Florida.
If you are worried about driving long distances with kids, check out my post 20 best road trip activities for kids.
5. Visit during off season
Disney parks are crowded during the summers and the holidays. Usually, when kids are out of school everyone plans for a visit to Disney parks and that’s how it can get really crowded. Holidays are yet another busy season where families get together, kids are out of school and all the magical holiday celebrations at the park it can get pretty crowded.
For a family with kids, this tip wouldn’t make much sense because planning a trip during off season means missing school, which isn’t the best idea. But, if you have an option to visit the park anytime of the year then consider visiting during the months January- March or September-early November. Please keep in mind that even during these times you might have to avoid long weekends. You can also check the crowd calendar for Disneyland and the crowd calendar for Disney World to get a better picture of the crowd at the parks.
Disney tickets are also priced less during off season saving you a little bit more on your tickets.
6. Stay outside the Disney Resort
Disney Resorts are wonderful and the free transportation to and from the theme parks is very convenient especially for families with young kids. But it does come with a heavy price tag. If you are trying to save some money consider booking a non-Disney hotel within a few miles from the parks. It took us around 15 minutes to drive from the hotel to all of the Disney theme parks and it was much cheaper than booking a Disney hotel.
7. Book a hotel with a full kitchen
We have been doing this for a few years now. We book a hotel with full kitchen on our Disney vacation and it has been such a blessing to have a kitchen to cook our comfort food while away from home. I know, no one likes to cook while on a vacation but it saves a lot of money on take outs. While you are in the hotel for a week, the dinners each night can easily add up to a huge sum. So, making your own meals is not only economical but also healthy for your family.
8. Pack your own food/snacks
Snacks at Disney parks are very very expensive and can eat up a huge chunk of your budget. Instead, pack your favorite snacks in a cooler bag and save yourself some money.
9. Share your meals at the park
Some of the meals especially some desserts offered at Disney parks are huge and I don’t think a single person can finish it in one go. Instead of buying one for each person, choose to share amongst your party. That will give you some savings and also save you from a sugar rush or a tummy ache.
10. Amazon can be your best friend when it comes to essentials
Buy all the essentials needed for the park on Amazon to get the best bang for you buck. When I say essentials I am talking about ponchos, cooling towel, a handheld fan, stroller rain cover, etc. Merchandise are really expensive at Disney. For example, a poncho can cost you around $10-$15 USD depending on the park. You might be able to pick up similar ponchos at a dollar store or amazon for much lesser. So, instead of spending more on the essentials at the park, buy them before you go. This way you can save that money for probably something special may be a souvenir while you are at the park!
11. Bring your own stroller
If you have kids, bring your own stroller if you can. Renting stroller at the Disney theme park is an option but you will be spending around $18 USD for a single stroller and $36 USD for a double stroller per day. So if you can, please bring your own stroller and save money.
12. Buying merchandise outside of the park
Everyone likes wearing outfits with Disney characters or matching shirts for the entire family. Although, Disney parks carry some great quality merchandise they can be quite expensive. So, buy your clothes at retailers like Target, H&M, Amazon, Kohl’s or Zara for cute shirts for a fraction of the cost. Also get those Mickey/Minnie ears from Amazon or Etsy as it’s much cheaper than at the Disney parks.
13. Check for Disney gift cards at a discounted price.
If you have a Target credit card , they offer gift cards at a 5% discounts which saves you some money. Also, keep an eye for holiday events when gift cards are offered at a lower price than it’s actual value.
14. Skip the character dining/table service restaurants
If the Disney Character dining isn’t on the top of your list, then I would recommend you pass on this one. We entirely skipped dining at the Disney sit down restaurants and just went to the quick service restaurants for lunch. Especially if you are a vegetarian family like mine, it doesn’t make sense to pay a hefty bill just to get the experience. You can meet all the characters at the park anyways, so extra effort and money would be a waste.
15. There is free drinking water at the park
A bottled water at Disney World costed around $3.50 USD in August 2022. Water is very essential to us everyday. Even more essential when you are out in the sun all day in the scorching Florida heat and humidity. There are water fountains around the park, although the water pressure can be quite low at some of them. You can also ask for free ice cold water at any quick service restaurants in the parks for free. Refill your reusable water bottles and hydrate yourself throughout the day.
These are my top fifteen tips to save money on your next Disney trip. I hope these tips are useful for you in planning your next Disney vacation! Please share this post to your friends and family if you think this would help them.
Happy vacationing!
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