Unless you just won the lottery (in which case, will you be my new BFF?), chances are you are looking for some ways to save money on your Disney vacation. While visiting Walt Disney World or Disneyland is magical, it’s most definitely not free. It does not, however, need to break the bank and you don’t have to borrow from your childrens’ college savings to go either. What you do need to do however, is plan. Using some of the “Savings Tips” we are sharing today and next week will help too! Here are 5 favorites:
Gift Cards: Buying Disney Gift Cards throughout the year a little at a time can add up to help pay for your trip, souvenirs or food! Tell your family to give you gift cards for holidays and birthdays. Check some of your local discount or warehouse stores for even more discounts, some up to 5% off. So for $90, you can actually get $100 worth of gift cards! Once you have several, go online and put them together on one card to make it easier to keep track of what you have. I was really surprised after receiving gift cards for gifts throughout the year how much I had saved without trying very hard!
Loose Change: Why not, at the end of each day, throw your loose change into a big jar? As it fills up, cash it in and buy the gift cards mentioned above or put into a Disney Saving Fund. No fair pulling the change back out though! Let it fill up and see how much you can accumulate. If you are feeling very brave, also throw in those odd $1 bills too. Without even trying, I can put in about $100/month in my jar and that is $1200 for the year! Providing you don’t “borrow” from it. 🙂
Sharing Meals: Consider slowing down for an occasional meal throughout the day at one of the many dining locations in the parks – but instead of buying a large meal for each person, split the meal. In the Florida heat you may not want or need a huge meal to weigh you down, plus splitting the meals will let you try a variety of things (especially if you are in World Showcase)! I have always found Disney’s counter service meals to be more than enough for 2 people, and the same goes for most table service entrees as well. You can also think about eating small snacks along the way instead or a full meal. Snacks are less expensive and eating several times throughout the day will give you more energy walking the many miles in the parks.
Time of year: When looking at the time of year for your upcoming trip, if you have flexibility, consider different times of year, as the slower months may have a lower cost for hotels and airfare. The same may be true for gas prices if you plan to drive. While Disney does typically release discounts throughout the year, they are not guaranteed and availability is usually quite limited.
Which brings me to the most important savings tip!
Have a travel agent: So many people want to do everything on their own, but in reality having a travel agent, especially like Nancy with The Affordable Mouse, will make your life easier and can save you time and money in the long run. Travel agents do not charge you for their services, but instead can be a wealth of information regarding good times to visit Walt Disney World, the best hotels for your party, and the best options to save you money – to say nothing of the tips and info they share that will make planning your trip easier. (Not to mention, you won’t need to spend hours making your reservations or trying to get a discount, they will do it for you!)
These are just a few of our favorite money-saving tips for your Disney vacation. Stay tuned next week for more!
Find out how the FREE services of a Disney World travel agent can make planning your Disney vacation simple and STRESS FREE!
Debbie and her husband live in Chattanooga, TN. They both are huge Disney fans and try to visit the most Magical Place on Earth at least once a year, if possible. They are enjoying taking each of their now 10 grandchildren and hope to also take their great granddaughter in the near future. One of their favorite trips has been visiting Disney with adults only, including one trip when their son proposed to his girlfriend. Each trip begins with the planning, which can take up to a year, beginning with how to get the grandkids excited about their upcoming trip. They have surprised some of them the day before they left, while the latest one had “presents” every 10 days starting at 90 days all leading up to an exciting trip with her parents along also. Their philosophy on Disney Trips? “Each trip is completely different, like visiting Walt Disney World for the first time.” They both enjoy all that Disney has to offer, but enjoy Animal Kingdom and EPCOT the most. It is their goal that everyone who visits Walt Disney World has a magical trip with lots of memories to last a life time.
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