The price of a Walt Disney World vacation can add up quickly, luckily, we have tips ready. Avoid paying full price for a Walt Disney World Vacation with these 15 savvy money-saving tips!
1. Buy Discounted Disney Gift Cards – An easy way to save 5% off your Disney vacation is with the purchase of discounted gift cards! Use your Target Red Card debit to save 5% off Disney gift card purchases, and then use that to pay for your Disney world park package, tickets and more things Disney.
2. Discounts – Throughout the year Disney World and Disneyland Resort will release discount offers for guests. Offers will vary by year. For example, currently we have, up to 30% off Resort hotel room for Disney Visa Cardholders at Walt Disney World and up to 25% off for Disney+ Subscribers at Walt Disney World. Over at Disneyland Resort, we have up to 25% off a Resort Hotel offer & a Disney Visa Cardholder discount offer!
3. Pin Code – A Disney Pin Code is a unique and non-transferable offer savings code sent out, either by mail or email. Increase your chances of getting one by entering sweepstakes, signing up for Disney communications, etc. This gets your name in the system.
4. Skip Park Hopper – While Park Hopper (the ability to enter more than one Disney World park per day) is a nice feature, it is not absolutely necessary. Skipping this option will save the average family hundreds of dollars (that’s a lot of Mickey Bars!).
5. Go before your child turns 3 – Ages 2 and under at Disney World is considered an infant and do not require a park ticket. They are also not added to the room count, so a family of 5 could stay in a standard room as long as one guest is age 2 or under. This will save you substantially.
6. Go before your child turns 10 – Here is another “Disney age” to be aware of. At 10 years old, you will be paying adult pricing. Go while they are 2-9 years and pay child pricing.
7. Skip a Car Rental – Not only will you save on the rental cost, but you will save on overnight parking costs. Avoid renting a car if you plan to stay on Disney World property the entire time, as it is not needed. One of my favorite parts of a Disney World vacation is the complimentary and continuous transportation taking you where you need to go!
8. Avoid traveling during Holidays & Summer – Not only will the parks be more crowded, the pricing for tickets & Resorts will be more expensive during these peak travel times. Weekends are also typically more expensive than weekdays (if you can travel Monday-Friday you can save just by not traveling typical days).
9. Skip A Park Day – I recommend skipping park days on your travel days, and if you want to save a bit more, skip a park day mid-week as well. There is plenty to explore at your Disney World Resort, have a pool day, or head to Disney Springs (which costs nothing to enter).
10. Swagbucks – With Swagbucks you can take surveys, complete fun offers and more to earn cash back. Many of us in the SavEars group use it to fund Disney vacations!
11. Use a travel agent – A Travel Agent comes at no cost to you and some fun perks! Such as discount watching, help planning from a Disney expert and more.
12. Skip Genie+ – Disney Genie+ costs $15 per ticket/per day at Disney World (this can add up quickly!). Guests will then gain access to the Lightning Lane entrance, with one selection at a time starting at 7am and until park close. Disney Genie+ service will be able to utilize 2-3 attractions/experiences with the Lightning Lane entrance, when first selection is made early enough in the day. Skip this service and save your money.
13. Buy essentials before your trip – Head to a Dollar Store for items such as ponchos, glow sticks, hand sanitizer, sunscreen and more. These items will be much cheaper to buy beforehand. If you have a little one in a stroller, bring your own, or buy a cheap umbrella stroller to bring (it will still most likely be cheaper than renting one from Disney daily!).
14. Tinkerbell Gifts – Bring Tinkerbell Gifts with you and save on souvenirs!
15. Stay at a Value Resort or go camping at Disney World – For an economic Disney World vacation, your best options are one of the Value Resorts. If you love nature, you can also camp at Disney’s Fort Wilderness and still get all the benefits of staying at a Disney Resort!
Learn more tips and tricks for your next Walt Disney World vacation.
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