If you’re looking to plan a Disney vacation in the near future, you might be wondering how you can save money on your Disney trip, especially with how pricey they can be! Ultimately, these tips will be unique to everyone depending on what you’re looking to include in your trip, but these are some tried and true tips for saving money at Disney!
Disney Vacation Planner
Planning a Disney Vacation doesn’t have to be stressful! To help eliminate some of the questions you have as you plan, I’ve created this Disney Vacation Planner for you. From hotel accommodations to daily park planners, you will find it all in this 27 page planner!
Hire a Travel Agent
Did you know that hiring a Travel Agent is FREE to you?! Travel Agents are paid from the companies in which they are certified to book travel with. A travel agent specialized in Disney is key, here, too! A Disney Travel Agent has experience in personal travel and knows the resort and park options and can help you plan the BEST vacation for your family. Email me at olivia@pydtravel.com and let’s work together to plan the BEST Disney vacation for you!!
Do your research ahead of time.
Of course, it is always better to plan any kind of trip or vacation with as much advanced notice as you can get. This stands true for Disney trips as well! The more notice you have, the more you will be able to explore your options, do some research, and look into special deals that can help you save money. All of the following options are best capitalized on by checking ahead of time what your best savings options will be!
Pack your own snacks!
This is a huge and cost effective way to save money during your Disney trip. A bag of snacks can go a long way during the day and the savings can be significant! Things like breakfast or granola bars, fruit, and sandwiches can really help you shave down your budget. The cost of snacks and drinks within the park can really add up quick, and by avoiding splurging on it, this will free up a little more of your budget for things that are more fun!
We love to pack Bento boxes for our kids complete with snacks and other foods that they like. This is SUPER convenient and they fit perfectly in our bag! We’d pack these each night so they were ready to grab and go for the morning!
Eat meals in the hotel.
In addition to bringing your own snacks to the park, preparing and eating meals inside your hotel is a great way to free up some of your budget for other things. Cooking a dinner and staying in can be significantly cheaper than dining out. If you’re limited on time or ride capacity, you can always have groceries delivered to you as well. While this would be an additional fee, it may still end up being cheaper to do this than dine out!
We bought microwavable breakfast sandwiches and bowls for our family along with juice and milk. This helped us to be able to save money on breakfast.
Cut down on souvenirs.
While it can absolutely be temping to buy all your favorite souvenirs that you see in stores, cutting down on the amount you buy or cutting it out completely can be a huge way to save money on your Disney trip! This can be a tough decision as all of the merchandise is generally really tempting! Make a plan or set a budget with your family and decide what you can afford to spend on souvenirs and if it’s really worth it.
Travel during off-seasons.
Traveling during peak season can add quite a bit to your expenses on a Disney trip. For that reason, traveling in off-season times and avoiding peak season can help you save money on your Disney vacation and also help with wait times and large crowds! In addition to cheaper prices at the park itself, you may also find that airfare and hotel prices are cheaper as well. Look out for deep discounts during these off-seasons to help save money on your Disney trips! A travel agent can help you here too! Email me at olivia@pydtravel.com!
Bring refillable water bottles.
We’ve talked about saving money on food, but saving money on drinks is important too! Bringing refillable water bottles not only saves you money, but it can help you avoid long lines to get a drink when your family ends up thirsty walking around the parks! A quick refill of your water bottle and you’ll be right back on your way exploring (for free)!
Check out gift card deals!
Many times, you can find discounted gift cards online at places like eBay. It’s a good idea to look for gift cards before your trip; you can also find gift cards for restaurants you’re planning to eat in if you’ve already planned a meal ahead of time during your Disney stay. There are strategies to this, so definitely do your research if you’re planning to stock up on gift cards before your Disney trip.
If you have a Target RedCard, you can save 5% on Disney gift cards. Further, places like Costco and BJs often have discounted Disney gift cards, too! We also have the Southwest Credit Card which helps us to save money on flights (we use points) and can also redeem those points for Disney gift cards too!
Military discounts.
Military discount is a great way to save on your trip to Disney and takes little to no effort! Utilizing this discount at all the places you’ll be going on your vacation is a great idea to save. After all, it can’t hurt to ask as most places do offer some form of military discount!
If you qualify for Military Discounts, check your local MWR at your local base or the Tickets and Travel office at Shades of Green!
Utilize points!
Whether you are using credit card points, airfare miles, or points specific to the hotel or resort you’re staying in, you’ll find that points can really add up and make a difference in your savings on your Disney trip!
Park hopper vs. day passes.
Saving money at Disney can be tough to do, but planning ahead of time which parks you’ll plan to visit on which days can help a lot! Rather than purchasing park hopper tickets, and potentially not utilizing them much, it can be cheaper to buy day passes for the park you want on that specific day and keeping yourself to somewhat of a stricter schedule. Ultimately, you’ll want to weigh your options with your plans and see what fits your budget!
Do you have any other tried and true methods for saving money at Disney? Share in the comments below!
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