How to Save on Your Disney World Vacation

It’s no secret; a vacation to the Most Magical Place on Earth doesn’t come cheap. Between the price of admission, your hotel and travel costs, food, and souvenirs, it really adds up. But that doesn’t mean you have to sell a kidney or max out your credit card just to pay for it. In fact, with a little planning and research, you’ll find there are a lot of ways to save a few bucks booking your trip and in the parks themselves. Wondering where to start? Well, you can start here because I’m here to share how to save on your Disney World vacation!

Supply & Demand

Do you remember learning about supply & demand relationships in social studies? Well, believe it or not, that principle applies to Disney! During certain times of the year, fewer people are traveling to the parks. Therefore, prices for tickets and resorts drop. If you can be flexible about the dates you choose to travel to Disney, you can save some serious cash. Curious about what travel dates are cheaper? Check out these crowd prediction calendars from Undercover Tourist or WDW Prep! As a general rule, you’ll find that it’s cheaper to travel right before or right after major school holidays since parents are less likely to take kids out of school then. Think about traveling early in the year after the holidays or before schools let out for Thanksgiving.

More For Your Money

Disney also operates on a sliding scale when you purchase, meaning that the price of admission tickets drops per day the more days you purchase. For example, a one-day park ticket now might cost you around $109. But, if you purchase a 5-day park ticket, it might cost you as little as $88 per day. This tip may not necessarily save you money, but it can help you make the most of your money! To break it down a little more, according to current pricing, you could purchase a 4-day park ticket for the end of August for $409.81. Make that a 5-day park ticket and it’ll cost you $436.71…that’s just $26.90 more for an entire extra day!

Value Resorts and Off-Property Hotels

After purchasing your admission tickets for the parks, your other major cost will obviously be your hotel. To save some cash, you have two options. One is to stay on property at a Value resort. Disney resorts are divided into three categories: Deluxe, Moderate, and Value. Value resorts have the least amenities but come at the cheapest cost. A stay at one of their All-Star Resorts may cost you as little as $134.75 a night (based on current pricing for November 2021). A Moderate resort, on the other hand, may cost you between $250-300, and a Deluxe resort upwards of $400.

Your other option is to book an off-property hotel. While these hotels won’t have some of the advantages of a Disney Resort (more about that in a bit!), they are significantly cheaper. A 3-star hotel within 10 miles of WDW could cost you less than $100 a night. There are even some hotels Disney has designated as Good Neighbor Hotels that include perks, like shuttles to the parks.

Watch For Deals

Periodically, Disney releases special vacation packages and deals that can save you a few bucks. You can sign up for Disney Parks newsletters and follow Disney-related social media accounts to stay up to date on the latest offers. Right now, Disney is currently offering a discount on hotel stays between July and September where you can save 10-25% depending on dates and resort category. In the past, Disney typically offered a deal on vacation packages that included a discounted Dining Plan. Currently, the Disney Dining Plan has been suspended but fingers crossed it gets reinstated as things return to normal. When it does return, you can take advantage of the offer to save a pretty penny on meals during your vacation (just do your research to make the most of your buck).

Bonus tip: Book your trip through a Disney Travel Agent! It doesn’t cost you any extra to book through an agent and they can help make sure you’re getting the best deal. In the event a special deal gets released for your trip dates after you book, they can still apply the deal to your trip and save you money. For our upcoming trip, we used Small World Vacations.

Pay Over Time

Remember what I said earlier about the advantages of staying at an on-property resort? Well, I’m about to share how one of those advantages can help you budget your trip! Between the price of tickets, cost of the hotel, food, and souvenirs, the expenses of a Disney trip stack up. But if you’re booking a vacation package that includes a stay at WDW resort property, you have the advantage of paying just $200 to reserve your hotel and tickets. Then you can work the cost of your vacation into your monthly budget or savings account. The full balance for your Disney vacation will be due 30 days before check-in.

Target Red Card

If you’re like me, Target runs are an almost daily part of life. But did you know Target can also save you some cash for that Disney trip? If you have a Target Red Card (either debit or credit), you can score 5% off any purchases made with your card. And that includes gift cards! For example, if you purchase a $100 Disney Gift Card using your Target Red Card, you only end up paying $95. That 5% can add up and end up saving you $50 for every $1,000 you spend on your vacation. Considering that the average cost for a family of four to vacation in Disney is around $4,000, you could end up saving $200! I’ll add a side note here:  As I mentioned, you can get these savings using a Target credit or debit card. If you don’t have a card and are considering it, I recommend going with the debit card option. It connects to a regular checking account, so you never have to worry about paying the bill or accruing interest charges. And, really, what’s the point of saving that 5% if you end up paying interest?

Cash Back & Membership Offers

There are also other cashback and savings options you can also use to purchase Disney gift cards. If you’re a member of Sam’s Club, Costco, BJ’s, etc., these stores typically offer discounted gift cards. The savings aren’t quite as good as the Target offer, but you can still save some money this way. Right now, you can purchase a $500 Disney gift card using a Sam’s Club membership for $484.98, saving you 3%. If you have a credit card with good cash-back offers, you can also leverage that to save a few bucks. Again, just be sure you plan to pay the full balance on your bill before it accrues interest charges. You can also check to see if any wholesale warehouse, organization, or employer benefits you may be a part of offer additional travel savings such as hotel discounts.

Budgeting Hack

Speaking of buying gift cards, they can be a great tool for budgeting food and souvenir purchases during your trip! All those Mickey Ice Cream bars, pretzels, Dole Whips, Minnie Ears, and misting fans that catch your eye (or your stomach) can really add up. You can easily get to the end of your vacation and wonder where all your money went. But you can also easily leverage gift cards to keep that spending in check. Instead of pulling out your debit/credit card or cash for every purchase, decide how much you want to budget for souvenirs and food during your trip and preload it onto gift cards. (Bonus points for purchasing those gift cards at a discount!)

Come Prepared

About those purchases that catch your eye as you wander through the parks…don’t let last-minute necessities blow your budget! Come prepared for certain scenarios that may (and probably will) pop up during your trip. Think it won’t rain during your trip because the forecast looks sunny? Think again! Florida is notorious for pop-up rainstorms, especially during the Spring through early Fall. Buy cheap ponchos from Amazon or Wal-Mart to throw in your park bag instead of running to the nearest gift shop for a $15 poncho when it starts to pour. Speaking of Florida weather, it’s hot. And it’s not just hot during the summer months, it’s hot most of the year. It’s also really humid, which makes it feel even hotter. So, when you’re walking through the park and it’s 85° with 75% humidity, those bins of misting fans you’ll see outside of all the shops and kiosks look really tempting. But at $20+, those fans can really eat into your budget. Purchase a personal misting fan beforehand and you’ll save quite a few bucks.

You can also come prepared to the parks with snacks or packed lunch! Unlike many other amusement parks, Disney does not prohibit you from bringing in outside food and drink. Just be sure to read through Disney’s park rules (which you should do anyway) regarding exactly what you can bring in and how to pack it. (For instance, you can’t pack a cooler with loose ice but you can use ice packs.) Also, don’t get caught shelling out your hard-earned dollars for a bottle of water! Bring in your own bottle and Disney had water refilling stations (and water fountains) throughout the parks. Bonus: You can also ask a Cast Member at any quick-service restaurant for ice water at no charge.

Bonus Tip for Parents

Now about those souvenirs…if you’re traveling with little ones, there’s a lot to catch their eye! Bubble wands, glow wands, and balloons tend to be pretty tempting for littles and you’ll see them on pretty much every corner. But you can find a lot of these Disney merchandises at a discount at big box stores, Amazon, Five Below, and other places. Buy them before your trip and pack them in your park bag. Then, when your littles see something they have to have, you’re ready to go without shelling out big bucks for a cheap toy.

Looking for more Disney travel tips? Check out my Amateur Guide to Disney and my Tips for Planning a Magical Vacation!