Walt Disney World is the number one theme park in the world! Orlando has over 1 million visitors each and every week come on vacation, business or just a get away and Disney is on the top of the list for a ton of families! With that said, Disney is also a very pricey vacation. Families save for sometimes years to have the once in a lifetime magical vacation! Well I am here to share some secrets that Disney doesn’t promote to either help save you some money or to be able to enjoy the magic of Disney without even buying a park admission!!! I am going to share my top 5 ways to save money while at Walt Disney World!!
1. Water
We all know that Disney World in the summertime can be a brutal thing! Families try to pack in 12 hour days to enjoy all the fun, excitement and magic that Disney World has to offer! One thing that is always preached at Disney is DRINK PLENTY OF WATER!!! The problem is that bottles of water are $2.50 a piece and lets face it, the water coming out of the water fountains are lukewarm and taste like the swamp! Did you know that you can get a free cup of ice water from any quick service for free?!? Thats right, walk right up and get a free cup of refreshing filtered ice water for each member of your party! A family of 4 saves 10 bucks a pop right there!!!
2. Party Tickets
Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party are very popular here at Walt Disney World! With parties running for 2 months at a time and many nights selling out a ton of people flock to these parties for the rides, parades, atmosphere and perks that come along with the parade! I have two money saving tips for this topic! First is to go earlier in the season. As the date comes closer to Halloween and Christmas the price (and popularity) of these parties grow larger. Go as early as possible to enjoy smaller crowds and a cheaper price! Another tip is to go in the middle of the week as the weekends tend to be a busier time! I personally like Sundays as many locals stay away due to work and school the next day!
My second hint to save money is to not buy a park ticket that day! WHAT?!?! SKIP A DAY AT DISNEY WORLD?!?! Ok that may not be the best idea to save money especially if you are here for a week because the difference between 6 and 7 days of tickets are a few bucks but this tip is geared more to those locals and people who come only for a day or two! The parties start at 7 p.m. however you can actually use the party ticket to enter the Magic Kingdom at 4 p.m. to enjoy an extra 3 hours of fun and rides! Enjoy your resort, Downtown Disney or something else and save the money!!!
3. Food
For those who choose the Disney Dining plan, skip this section! You have already chosen your food fate and now you are stuck with having to use 13 snack credits at the end of your week on various rice crispy treats! (JK I do love the Disney Dining Plan if you use it correctly!) This tip is for those who pay for every meal here at Disney World! Forget what you know about food while you are here! Yes, you do need a good breakfast to get you going, but here is the difference. Swap dinner and lunch around! Most families eat a quick service for lunch and a huge sit down for dinner but if you want to save money do the opposite! Eat your sit down meal for lunch as it is cheaper and most of the time you have a better chance of getting into the restaurant that you want if you do not have reservations! Most families that do this find that they eat less at dinner time which also saves them money! It is a win win in my book!!!
4. Resorts
No I am not going to tell you how to save money at the resorts! I want to talk about the resorts in general If you have ever been to Disney then you know just how much you will need a vacation from this vacation! Plan some resort time into your stay! Is it bad that you want to skip a day at Animal Kingdom to enjoy the pool? Not in my opinion! Saves you money from tickets and reminds you that you are on VACATION!!! ENJOY IT PEOPLE! Another way to save money in the resort is to check out free things to do at the resorts at Walt Disney World! Did you know that there is a free food tasting at Boma and Jiko every day at Animal Kingdom Lodge? Or that there is a sing along with Chip and Dale at Fort Wilderness? Best part is that BOTH are FREE!! You do not even have to be staying at the resorts to enjoy these activities! Also during the holidays one of my favorite activities is taking a day to resort hop and check out all the amazing holiday decorations!!!
5. Souvenirs
Yes every Walt Disney World vacation includes a trip (or 26) to a gift shop! Disney World has done a tremendous job at putting everything you need, want, and didn’t know that you wanted conveniently in a shop for you to spend! Most families also have to buy gifts for each and every family member who didnt get to come on this magical vacation! Here is a tip on how to save money on all the gifts! I will say that this one is hard if you have small kids!!! If you wait till the end of your vacation to buy the gifts do so off disney property!!! NO I am not telling you to go down 192 and get 10 t shirts for 20 bucks! Did you know that there is a discount Disney merchandise outlet on International Drive at the outlet malls??? This is the merchandise that is either just out of season, or they had way too much of in stock! This is the same stuff you see in the gift shops at Walt Disney World at a fraction of the price!!! Also if you can, check back with the outlets a few times as things come and go quickly there!!
So there you go!!! These are just some of my money saving tips to help you have a magical vacation and save some hard earned magical money at the end of it!!! So what did you think of these tips? What are your families ways to save some money? Comment below and let me know!!! I will be doing more of these in the next few weeks so make sure you keep coming back!
Jason Mayhew
My name is Jason Mayhew, and I am the owner of OFF On The Go. When not traveling with the website, I own my own marketing and PR company, J Mayhew Marketing. I have the best job where I get to travel the world and showcase the most amazing and unique experiences!