Jo, is a friend of our family and as an avid disney fan and travel expert has experience making Disney affordable. If you’re looking for a clutter free family Christmas gift that you can save up for all year, this might be the perfect thing for you.
Hi there! I’m Jo, a lover of all things Disney and thrifty. Typically these two terms don’t
go hand in hand, but I’ve found several ways to save on a Walt Disney World vacation.
My husband and I just love Disney World (oh, and so do our kids), so we make it a
priority to visit as often as we can. This was easy when we had no children and lived 45
minutes away from the parks, but once we started having babies and moved far away
from Orlando, it became much more of an investment to visit. I’ve picked up several
tricks over the years to make a Disney World vacation affordable, and I’d love to share
those tips with you!
First of all, I recommend planning your trip as early as possible and taking advantage of
Disney’s payment plan. Disney allows you to make a reservation with a $200 deposit.
After that, you can make as many or as few payments as you like, as long as the
balance is paid 30 days before you check in. If something comes up and you have to
change or cancel your vacation, you get 100% of your money back or transferred to
your new vacation dates. For my family, this is huge. We make our reservations as early
as possible and break the trip total down into as many payments as we can. There are
no fees or interest like putting a vacation on the credit card, and the trip is paid in full 30
days in advance! You can actually feel like you’re on vacation instead of counting every
penny spent, because you already paid for it! By booking your vacation way in advance,
you give yourself more time to pay the balance off, and you also have a larger selection
of resort hotel rooms from which to choose. The cheapest rooms go the quickest, so it’s
definitely best to grab those as early as you can.
I often hear people wonder if it’s really worth it to stay at a Disney resort hotel. After all,
Orlando is a big city with lots of budget hotels nearby. In my experience, it is always
better to stay on Disney property. I love never having to leave the magic behind at the
end of the day and have always found Disney’s resort hotels to be charming, fun, and
convenient. But I also love saving money, and it’s true that the nightly rate at a Disney
hotel can be more than an off-property site. However, there is some value built in to a
Disney resort that off-property hotels just can’t compete with. First of all, Disney resorts
provide complimentary transportation to and from the Orlando airport. It’s called the
Magical Express, and it doesn’t cost anything when you stay on-site. Parking all over
Disney property is free when you stay on-site (currently daily parking rates at the theme
parks are $17/day). They also provide free continual transportation from the resort
hotels to all the parks and attractions via buses, monorails, and ferry boats. Disney
resort hotels also have three pricing tiers: value, moderate, and deluxe. The value
resorts are great for families trying to stretch their dollar, and all the above benefits are
included at every resort. Finally, the Disney payment plan referenced above is only for
those staying on property. Can you tell I’m a fan?
In the past few years, Disney World has rolled out the My Disney Experience feature.
Through the use of their site, your hotel reservations, dining reservations, Fast Passes,
and even your credit card information is loaded onto what is called a Magic Band. You
wear your Magic Band during your entire stay and use it for everything. Seriously, it
becomes a part of you and feels so weird after your vacation when you have to take it
off. Magic Bands are complimentary for every person in your traveling party when you
stay on property. (For those staying off-site, Magic Bands start at $20 per person.)
Here I am last year with my Magic Band… oh, and two adorable boys.
Not only does it matter where you stay, but it also matters when you stay. Prices
fluctuate at Disney World all year long. During summer and Christmas breaks, when the
crowds are the highest, prices skyrocket because there is such a huge demand. But
during “value seasons,” such as February and September, prices come down by quite a
bit. For example, the cost of staying at a value resort over the week of Christmas starts
at $201 per night. But in January, that cost plummets by $100 a night! Disney also
offers promotions throughout the year, and those promotions are usually concentrated
on times when crowds are lower. Simply put, it’s cheaper to visit Disney World when
school is in session, because many families can’t go during those times. For example,
Disney World will offer a percentage off your resort hotel or throw in a free dining plan.
There are HUGE savings to be found when you combine a Disney promotion with avalue season! I honestly can’t remember the last time my family paid rack rates for a
room at Disney World just by using these tips.
Let’s say the only time you can visit Disney World is during summer vacation, and there
are no promotions during the time you visit. Fret not, there is still an incredibly easy way
to save 5% on your Disney vacation… if you have a Sam’s Club membership. If you
don’t, make friends with someone who does, because Sam’s sells discounted Disney
gift cards! (For those of us who have to fly, Sam’s also sells discounted Southwest gift
cards.) I’ve also been told that you can save 5% off of Disney gift cards at Target by
paying with your Red Card, but my local Target has never given me that discount, so
you’ll want to check with your store. Disney gift cards can be applied to your trip balance
as well as merchandise and dining inside the parks. We make every single payment
using these Disney gift cards. It also works if you want to ask for Disney gift cards for
holiday or birthday gifts! You aren’t adding clutter to your home and are one step closer
to the vacation of a lifetime!
So, you’ve planned early, snagged an affordable room during a value season, taken
advantage of a Disney promotion, and paid your trip balance off with discounted gift
cards. But there are still ways to save money once you are on your vacation! Disney
World allows you to bring food and drinks into the parks, so my Disney bag is always
stuffed with plenty of snacks for whiny kids (AND adults) as well as empty thermoses for
tap water. Quick service dining locations will give you a free cup of water if you ask for
it, and there are also water fountains throughout the parks. You can also have groceries
delivered to your hotel room (Amazon Prime just started same day delivery too!), so you
can still do this if you are flying and don’t want to waste suitcase space on a huge box of
granola bars. All resort hotel rooms are equipped with a small refrigerator, and some
rooms even have a kitchenette if you choose to eat in your hotel room.
If your children are anything like mine, they are going to be begging for toys at Disney
World. You’ll probably want something special too! I recommend checking out the
Disney Store website before your trip. They sell a lot of the same park merchandise, but
you can get it much more cheaply by buying it before you travel because the Disney
Store is constantly having sales. In fact, I just checked their website to see if they were
having a sale, and sure enough, all Disney Parks merchandise is 25% off. You won’t
see that in the parks, so definitely take advantage of those savings.
Finally, the easiest way hands down to save money on a Disney World vacation is by
going through an authorized Disney travel agent. A good agent will make sure you get
the best rate possible, and using a travel agent is completely FREE. I am such an
agent, and so I am constantly reviewing the rate seasons, upcoming promotions, and
available discounts for my clients in order to save them as much money (and stress) as
possible. I can work with all sorts of budgets and families to plan the vacation of their
dreams, and I feel honored to have helped families visit Disney World when they
originally thought they wouldn’t be able to afford such a luxury. If I can help you in any
way, please don’t hesitate to email me or check out
my Facebook page. I love visiting Disney
World, I love saving money, and I really love helping others do the same!
Yay! I hope this info is helpful to your readers, Angela! 🙂
I just have to comment – having drunk the tap water at disney world, the best investment you can make is to buy some refillable water bottles with good filters to take with you. Otherwise, you might find yourself taking one sip of the tap water, spitting out (hopefully not on Mickey) and heading for the expensive water bottles sold in the park.
Thank you for a great post, we’re planning our visit next year to Disneyworld Paris!