Everyone knows that when you plan a family trip to Walt Disney World that you are going to spend a good amount of money. It is not a trip that most people cannot book for next week or even a month out. You need time to save and plan. I will give you some helpful tips and tricks that I have found to be good to help save money and not over spend.
Book Ahead of Time
If you are planning for your vacation to WDW for the summer or even if you plan for the fall, book it now! Buy your plane tickets, hotel, and park tickets today. Prices are inflating everyday and will continue. It isn’t cheap to go to WDW like it was 5 years ago. So, you have to plan ahead now. I mean look at gas prices!! Plane tickets are going to raise because of that reason. When I went to book our family trip, I looked at the calendar that is available to see what tickets cost for each day and month for the parks. I saw that September they are the lowest. Then I looked at the hotels and they were also cheaper a couple days through out the year, but especially the dates I chose for September.
Genie + and Lightening Lane
If you are on a budget, I would skip purchasing these two options. It does cost $15 A PERSON. Just enjoy your trip and try to get there earlier enough or plan the ride or two that you know you will spend in time waiting for. It used to be free to get the fast pass and they no longer have that. It’s not that they are bad to invest in, but if you are trying to cut money and save, this isn’t important.
Park Hopper Option for Park Tickets
Skip the park hopper option. It is another thing that costs per person, per day. Just plan to spend the day at one park. It is also time consuming. It takes time to get from one park to another. Right now so many people are going to Walt Disney World because Covid restrictions have loosened up. So to save time and money, skip Park Hopper. Again, it is not a bad feature, but if you want to save money it’s not necessary to spend money on.
Pack Snacks and Bottle Water
Food is one of the most expensive things at the park. If you are driving to WDW than you can defiantly pack snacks, breakfast foods, water, juice packets, etc. to take with you in the park. That way you are only spending money on Lunch and Dinner. If you are not driving you can Uber to the local grocery stores or doordash. It will still save you money in the long run by not having to buy food all day at the park.
Do NOT buy Souveniers
I know you and your family are going to walk into Magic Kingdom and the first thing y’all are going to see are all the gift stores and people walking around holding balloons, toys, etc. Don’t buy them. Buy them ahead of time for the trip and put together a bookbag of them for your kids. They just want to have a mickey mouse stuffed animal or toy. It doesn’t mean you have to buy the $30 one from the park. You can get one from Walmart or Target for way cheaper. Plan ahead and you can defiantly save a lot of money or unnecessary money.
Book A Value Or Moderate Resort Hotel
Walt Disney World has many different resorts and hotels to pick from. Yes there are some really nice ones and they’re locations are convient to getting to the parks. But, if you are wanting to spend more time at the parks and making memories at the park, than you won’t be spending much time at your hotel. You just need a place to rest and take a shower. They have hotels that range from $174/night all the way up to $1500/night. It all depends on your budget and what you find is important to you while you vacation at WDW.
Bring Your Own Stroller
If you are able to pack your stroller and bring it with you, you will save money. If you have small kids they will get tired walking around all day at the park. Just be prepared and pack your stroller. These are the prices of strollers based on their website right now:
- Single Stroller : Daily rental is $15 or multi day is $13
- Double Stroller : Daily rental is $31 or multi day is $27
So, if you have a 4 day park trip and you choose to do multi day to save a little bit, that is $52. If you do the double stroller and choose to do the multi day, that is $108. That might not seem like a lot, but if you want to do a character breakfast, that $52 or $108 can be used towards paying for that breakfast.
Kid’s Meals
Kid’s meals are a good portion and price for adults too. If you want to save a little bit of money on food, I would opt for a kid’s meal. A lot of times they are pretty close to the same portion an adult’s meal is, but way cheaper.
Skip The Water Park and Use The Hotel Pool Instead
Why pay for a water park when you have a pool or multiple pools at the hotel that you are already paying for. I know I can go to Zoombezi Bay here in my home state for way cheaper than buying tickets at the water park at Disney World.
Make Your Own Coffee
Every room has a coffee maker. Don’t spend for over priced coffee at the park. You can make coffee in the room where it is complamentary with your room (that you are already paying for).
Just make a list of what is important for you and your family to spend money on. If you want the experience of dining at Belle’s Castle, than I would opt out of buying coffee every morning at the park or getting park hopper option for my tickets. My biggest advice is to make a list and make a budget and stick with it.
If you have questions or looking for a resort that is decently priced on the grounds at Walt Disney World. I have come up with a list of the resorts that are budget friendly.