Saving Money in Disney

I must first start off this post by saving Disney is expensive.  Yes, that's a little strange to say on a post that is about saving money, but it's true.  But while you can't think that Disney is going to be an inexpensive trip, there are ways to cut corners and make it more realistic for your budget.  There are tons of articles out there with tips on this, so I'm just going to tailor this one to explain how we saved money for what we wanted to do.

{one} Make a plan for the kind of Disney trip you want.  This will help the most when trying to plan your trip.  Figure out what's most important for you to do and experience.

{two} Stay in one of the cheaper resorts at Disney.  I believe that the All-Star resorts are the cheapest, but our hotel, the Art of Animation, was only slightly more expensive than those.  It may be a little farther away from the parks, but they are filled with the same amount of magic. {you can save even more money staying off-park, but we really wanted to me immersed in all things Disney!}

{three} Not getting the meal plan can be cheaper if you really budget and share food, but if you are planning on character meals at all, it works out in your favor.  We got the Disney Dining Plan which was one table-service meal, one quick service meal, and one snack per person per day.  We saved a ton because Charlie was still 2 and did not get a dining plan, but was allowed to share our food.  We also just made sure to have breakfast food in our room which we had brought with us.

{four} In the months leading up to our trip, any time the girls got money for their birthday or Christmas, we would purchase Disney gift cards with them.  They would be used for the girls to get some souvenirs while we were there.  My parents and some friends also gave them some gift cards before we left, so they had more than enough to spend!  Skip and I did not have to pay out of pocket for anything, and they were able to treat themselves a bit.

{five} Sign up for the Disney VISA credit card.  That was something Skip and I did last summer to help defray costs.  First off, we were given a $200 gift card when we signed up that we were able to use as the deposit on our trip when we booked it.  We also were able to accumulate a couple hundred dollars in rewards points we could use in the park.  We used this money for gratuity at meals, lunch at Downtown Disney on Sunday, dinner at our resort the first night, and some milk and snacks that came up along the way.  Such a huge help!

{six} If you are looking to rent a stroller rather than bring your own, there are a few options.  There are some reputable off-site rental places that are a little cheaper, and will deliver the stroller right to your hotel.  However, Skip and I didn't want to have to lug the stroller around the whole trip, so we just rented from Disney.  We did get a discount when we pre-paid for the length of our trip though.

{seven} If you're flexible about when you go, keep an eye out for the discounts that Disney has every once in a while.  I have seen ones for 30% off certain rooms and the ever-popular free dining weeks.  We were pretty set on the time we could go, so those didn't work for us, but they can help save money!

{eight} Commit yourself to one park a day, and don't get the park hopper pass.  I really think there is enough in each park to fill a whole day {at least} and this will save you about $50 a day per ticket.

{nine} For us, driving down to Orlando instead of flying saved a ton of money.  Tickets for all 4 of us would have been way too much.  Gas prices, along with food, and hotels on the way down and back were still a lot cheaper.

{ten} If you're thinking of going when your kids are young, definitely go before they are 3.  They do not have to pay to get into the park, or pay for the meal plan before 3.  This probably saved us about $500 on the trip since Charlie was free.

{eleven} Purchase ponchos at home before you leave for your trip.  It is going to rain in Disney at some point, I promise.  I'll admit, the Disney ones looked much sturdier than the ones we had {and my friend said they will replace them for free if you rip in while in the park} but the ones I got at the dollar store did their job and lasted us the whole week.  Also, if you plan on staying for the night parades and fireworks, pick up some glo-sticks at the dollar store before you leave.  That way your kid has something to play with without you shelling out lots of money.  Same goes for fans.  Florida is hot and my kids loved the $5 fans I picked up at CVS before we left.  Saved me from buying the $25 ones in the park.

{twelve} Disney allows you to bring some snacks and drinks into the park.  Do this!  It's important to stay super hydrated in the heat and you don't want to be buying drinks all the time.  We each had a reusable bottle we'd bring full, and just fill them with water from the water fountains through the day!  The meal plan was more than enough food for us during the day, but I'd always have a few extra snacks in my bag just in case.  We also had a lot of food back in the room for if we were hungry at night when we got back.  Those little snacks and drinks can often add up to a lot of money!

What are your favorite ways to save money in Disney?