Going to Walt Disney can be pricey, to say the least. Some people can only afford this a couple times in their life time, while others are there several times a year. I have had the pleasure of being on both sides of that coin and along the way I have learned a few things to help me visit my Magical Place!
• Plan a trip during the “Value” times of the year. These are dates that school are generally in session, there is no specific time such as Halloween, Summer Break, Spring Break, Christmas. A great time is late fall or early winter. I have found the 1st weekend of December to be less crowded, milder weather and you can still enjoy the Christmas decorations.
• Save up for your trip by saving all change you accumulate. Of course, this won’t raise the big-bucks, but it can go far for souvenirs, food, drinks. Never using change regardless of what you are paying, will add to this quicker. For example – you need to pay $5.05 – pay with $6 or even a $10 and your change goes into a jar for Walt Disney World!
• Book well in advance. If you book with a travel agent, such as Nancy with The Affordable Mouse, she can let you know if any discounts come your way during your visit.
• Start a savings club that you can (or will) only withdraw from once! Each week put back $10 to $25 – in a year you’ll have $520 to $1300!
• Open a Walt Disney Visa – every $1 spent gives you 1 point, which change into Disney rewards and perks just for being a card member.
• Only plan on 1 major meal a day. Breakfast and snacks can be brought from home! That can really drop the food budget!
• Drive vs flying! This of course will depend on the time you have to travel, where you are traveling from, how many people are in your party and where you are planning to stay. It is definitely worth looking into all your options.
• Offsite vs onsite! This too depends on if you are driving or flying, will you need a car while in Orlando, is the price to park outweigh the hotel cost, do you plan to go back to the hotel each afternoon or are you spending opening to close in the parks
• One-park per day park passes. This of course is a less expensive way to go, but if you are only in Walt Disney World for a long weekend, perhaps a park hopper makes more sense so you can visit all the parks.
• Start packing those lunches and put back the cost for going out each day into your Disney Savings. Spending $10 each week or take left-overs for free each day can save you almost $20-30/ week depending on your normal lunch budget. That is over $1000 + for the year!
What special saving tricks have you come up with to visit The Most Magical Place on Earth!
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Debbie and her husband live in Collegedale, TN where her youngest son is going to college. She is a huge Disney fan who dreams of someday retiring and working as a tour guide at Walt Disney World. She has enjoyed many trips to WDW with children, grandchildren and sometimes adults only. It is her ultimate goal to make sure everyone who visits WDW has the same magical time that she enjoys every time she visits.
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