Save Money On Your Disney Vacation With These Simple Ideas
For most families, a trip to Disney World is the ultimate vacation goal. Unfortunately, many families may think that a dream vacation to Disney is not in their budget. Yes, there are plenty of ways to spend thousands of dollars on a week’s vacation in this family playground spectacular, but for savvy trip planners, there are also many ways to save. Today I am sharing easy ways to save money on your Disney vacation.
Determine A Reasonable Budget To Save Money On Your Disney Vacation
It seems like it should be a no-brainer idea. But sometimes you get so excited about planning your trip that you don’t stop to make a budget. Save money from the start on places like where you will stay or how long you will be there.
How Much Money Should I Budget For A Disney Vacation?
This is always the most difficult part about planning a Disney vacation: setting a budget. Depending on how many family members you have, a good place to start is a base of $3000. Most likely, for a family of 3 or 4, you are looking at $4000-5000 for a good family experience. And if you want to make everyone’s dreams come true, plan on spending around ten thousand dollars!
One of these I have learned as a parent is that saving money doesn’t mean you are skimping out on a vacation. When we went with our teen boys to Disney and Universal as part of a college road trip, we were on a tight budget (yes, our boys were teens when were first took them).
We also saved on our Disney budget by driving down to Disney World. While we had to budget for hotel rooms along the way, it was still significantly cheaper than 4 round-trip airplane tickets. This is definitely one of the best ways to save money on your Disney vacation.
Save Money On Your Disney Vacation By Traveling During Off-Peak Times
One of the simplest ways to save money on your Disney vacation by scheduling your vacation during a less-busy time. No one wants to travel during hurricane season, but sometimes you can get a great deal during that time period.
What Are The Cheapest Months To Visit Disney?
Early January to mid-February are two of the cheapest months to head to Walt Disney World in Florida. And if you are from the Northeast like me, you will definitely enjoy getting out of the cold to have some fun in the sun.
You will also find that late August through September will be cheaper as well. Probably because the kids are back in school at that point, so if you are planning on a family Disney vacation, this time frame probably won’t work for you, since you would need to take your kids out of school early in the school year.
For our trip, we were there 10 days before the school year started up again. The crowds really weren’t all that bad, but it was so hot! We just had a larger food budget so that we could have water & drinks at all times. That is just something to keep in mind when planning your trip.
Can You Visit Disney For Free On Your Birthday? (Hint: This is NOT a way to save money on your Disney Vacation)
That would definitely be the best birthday present ever, but unfortunately Disney does not give you free admission on your birthday. There are so many people celebrating a birthday on any given day, that it doesn’t make financial sense for the Disney corporation.
But be sure to stop by Guest Relations to get your free birthday button. Since you will get lots of birthday love (but don’t expect to jump any lines) from cast members, it is definitely almost as good!
Save Money On Your Disney Vacation By Getting Pantry Items Delivered To Your Disney Hotel
Then, you’ve got to worry about the price of your family’s daily meals in the parks. Eating breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks in a theme park could cost a fortune, so plan ahead to rake in on the savings.
Stock up on pantry items and have them delivered to your condo rental ahead of time. Make sure you get plenty of snack items and quick breakfast ingredients, so you don’t have to eat everything in the park. Disney allows guests to bring in food to the park, so take advantage of this fact and keep your hard-earned dollars.
Check with your hotel first before ordering these items to be shipped. Some hotels may not accept deliveries. If they don’t, plan more in your budget for meals and snacks.
Will Renting Disney Vacation Club Points Save Us Money On Our Disney Trip?
Staying on Disney property is something that your kids will love, but your wallet may not be able to handle. Guests that stay within the confines of the park get extra Disney magic 24 hours a day. Instead of booking a pricey, small hotel room through Disney’s official website, consider going through a Disney Vacation Club member and renting timeshare points. You can save thousands of dollars and get an upgrade on your stay with a roomy condo rental instead of a cramped hotel room.
Look for Discount Tickets To Save Money On Your Disney Vacation
Families should also look for ways to save money on Disney Park tickets. Finding discount tickets can be tricky, so be sure wherever you purchase your ticket from is a legitimate seller. Some places to look for savings include automobile associations, club warehouses, or travel agents. While we have never used these travel agents when planning our vacation, many of them have a lot of experience.
Some Expenses Just Can’t Be Avoided On Your Disney Vacation
There are a few expenses that probably can’t be avoided, but you can budget for them ahead of time. What are those things? Souvenirs and the Memory Maker package. Yeah, these expenses were two of my non-negotiables. The Memory Maker package was definitely an expense that paid for itself many, many times over.
Generally, I am the one that is always taking the pictures, so I wasn’t in a lot of them. The Memory Maker package made that all possible, and now I have a ton of memories I will never forget. And because we prepaid it, we didn’t have to worry about paying for it when we got there.
That was a good thing, because I overspent on souvenirs. Probably because I knew it would probably be the only time we were there with the boys. We are hoping to get back there someday, maybe just my husband and me. At least I know to start budgeting now. You can make your family trip to Disney World finally happen this year if you follow these easy money-saving tips. By finding ways to save money on your Disney vacation, you and your family could enjoy the wonder without breaking the bank.
So now that I have shared some easy ways to save money on your Disney vacation, how about you? What is your best tried and true tip for having a magical vacation without breaking your budget? If you could change one thing from a previous trip, what would it be? For me, it would be spending more time working on packing the essentials and less time cooking at home.
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