As a family who vacations on a budget, I am always looking
for ways to save money. Here is my list
of 10 ways to save at Disney World.
Remember, there are many more ways to save on your Disney vacation. These are just some of the things I recommend.
1) Bring water!
Florida water is just gross, and buying bottled water in the parks can
add up pretty quickly. Instead, bring
water with you if you are driving. Or,
if you’re flying, order bottled water online and have it shipped to your
resort. This alone can save a family of
4 $120 or more for a 7 day vacation!
·
* 2) Get the standard view room. Unless you have a room with a balcony, there
really is no reason to get an upgraded view.
You don’t spend that much time in your room, anyway, and you can save as
much as $105 on a 7 night stay by sticking with a standard view.
· 3) Get the Dining plan! For a family of 4 (2 adults, 2 children ages
3-9) the Dining plan will cost $155.08 per day.
That seems like a lot, but think about this:
o
For breakfast, you just grab a quick snack at
your hotel for about $15
o
For lunch you want to eat at Pecos Bill. That will run about $38 give or take
o
Let’s say you want to have Dinner at Chef
Mickey. For your family of 4, it will
cost $123.52
So, now you have spent $176.52. But wait, I forgot about your FREE refillable
mug that comes with the Dining plan! So,
if you buy the mug, that’s another $59.96!
Whew! That’s a savings of about $210 for a 7 day stay!
· 4) Stay on-site!
I cannot stress this enough. If
you only look at the price of the hotel, you may think you are getting a great
deal staying in an off-site hotel. Have
you factored in a rental car to get you to the parks? How about the cost of
parking that rental car? Add to that,
the added benefits of staying on-site such as Extra Magic Hours, FREE
transportation to/from the airport as well as throughout Walt Disney World, the
ability to add on the Dining plan and more!
This can save you around $375 or more PLUS tons of time! Time is money.
· 5) Don’t buy souvenirs at the parks! Instead, either buy things at home and give
them to your kids while you are at Disney World, or, if you have a car, go to
the local Walmart or Disney Outlets to buy the same things for a lot less!
· 6) Ask friends and family to give your kids Disney
gift cards as birthday gifts! This will
allow your kids to have their own money to spend at Disney World, and it will
save you money, too!
· 7) Want to send something home to family or
friends? Instead of spending tons of
money on pricey souvenirs, have characters sign a 3x5 index card, and send that
along with a pressed penny! For just
about $1 a piece, you can afford to send these to everyone you know!
· 8) Don’t forget about Southwest Airlines. When searching for your flights, Southwest
isn’t included on any of the major travel websites such as Travelocity,
Expedia, Orbitz, etc. In order to see
Southwest’s fares, you have to check their website. They have some great deals, PLUS you get 2
FREE checked bags! That savings can add
up fast.
· 9) Bring your own stroller. If you have young children, chances are you
will need a stroller while at Disney World.
While you can rent a stroller either in the parks, or from a reputable
stroller rental company, such as ScooterBug, it’s not as hard as you may think
to just bring one from home. You can
check your stroller at the gate at the airport, and they will take care of it
for you. This can save you around
$60-$70 for a 7 day trip.
· 10) My final money saving tip is to use a Travel
Agent! How often do you check back to
see if Disney has released a discount for the time you are going? Or, how often do you check for flight
discounts? It can be a total pain in the
butt, and it takes a lot of time. If you
book with a travel agent, they do all this for you! You get the best deal possible, with none of
the work!
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