For decades, Walt Disney World has been one of the most desirable vacation destinations. To many, a visit to The Most Magical Place on Earth is merely a dream. Unfortunately, the cost of a Disney vacation is a major reason why many never get to go which is why you need to think about how to do Walt Disney World on a budget.
The deterring price point doesn’t simply come from the price of tickets. Instead, it’s the combination of everything a Disney vacation does, or can, entail. When you put together the cost of transportation, a hotel stay, tickets, food, extra experiences, and merchandise, the price can increase rapidly. Especially if you’re paying for multiple people.
While nothing can fully take away the fact that a vacation to Walt Disney World is costly, there are ways to make your trip more price friendly. As someone who likes to save money where I can, but also visits Disney World frequently, I have found many ways to budget for a Disney World trip over the years. In this article, I’m going to go over multiple tips and tricks to help you save money both before your trip and while you’re there enjoying the magic!
Our favorite Disney-approved re-seller, Get Away Today, offers the best Walt Disney World discount tickets around. In addition to great discount prices, their customer service and easy support is absolutely fantastic. They have an entire department dedicated to making sure every order has a wonderful experience and they are on-call to help you during your vacation if you need them.
And at no additional charge, you get FREE concierge Walt Disney World services! These services include having Get Away Today's Walt Disney World experts take care of your entire trip planning. This really takes all the stress out of planning a Walt Disney World vacation. Rather than waking up at odd hours of the night to book all your reservations, why not let their travel agents take care of it for you- for free!
When deciding what hotel arrangements are best for you and your budget, you’ll have to decide whether you want to stay on or off Walt Disney World property. While off-property hotels may initially come off as more affordable, there are multiple benefits to staying on property at Walt Disney World which could save you money in the long run.
There’s no doubt that some Disney World hotels can be very expensive. Luckily, there are hotels available for every price point! At Disney World, hotels are classified under three categories: Value, Moderate, and Deluxe. While the Moderate and Deluxe resorts have more amenities and luxuries available in comparison to the Value Resorts, please know that there isn’t a bad hotel at Disney World! The Value Resorts may be more of a standard hotel, but they are still great places to stay. This is one of the best ways to do Disney World on a budget.
One major thing that you’ll have to plan ahead of time is how you want to travel. When working with a budget, consider which form of transportation is more affordable for you. Perhaps you’d like to fly, drive your own car, or even rent a car. If you choose to fly or rent a car, make sure that you’re checking for promotions and traveling on less expensive days. While most people rent cars on weekdays, the weekends tend to be cheaper for rental cars. Flights tend to be the opposite. Normally, you’ll find cheaper flights on weekdays. Of course, with fluctuating prices, neither one is consistent. Make sure to keep an eye out on the price calendars when making your selections.
If you’d prefer to fly, but the prices are a bit much for your budget, you can often pay your flight off with monthly payments! This option is made available to me almost every time I fly. The company that I most often see as the lending company is Uplift. Prior to checking out with this option, you’ll be able to select a payment schedule. This schedule will show you how many months you will be paying as well as how much you’ll owe each month. Your first payment will be due at checkout. After you’ve completed the check out process, your flight will be booked. Rest assured, you won’t be required to pay the flight off in full prior to flying. Your flight may take place before your balance is paid! You’ll simply continue making your payments until the flight is paid off.
Eating at Disney World can be pricey. However, it doesn’t have to be! There are plenty of ways to eat at Disney World without breaking the bank. One option is to bring your own food. If your initial form of travel prevents you from bringing food with you on your trip, you can always opt to have groceries delivered to your hotel! All Disney World Resort hotel rooms are equipped with at least a mini-refrigerator. However, there are some that have full size refrigerators or even full size kitchens! If you’re planning on eating your own food on vacation, you may want to consider staying at a Disney Resort that has a kitchen. To learn more, read our article: Disney World Hotels with Kitchens – Save Money on Disney Food!
Disney, of course, also provides many food options of their own. This includes snacks, bakery items, food carts, quick service restaurants, and table service restaurants. There are some extremely luxurious and pricey restaurants on Walt Disney World property. However, you are in no way required to eat at these locations. There are many quick service restaurants on location that have a much lower price tag. One thing to note about Disney food is that you do get what you pay for. While even a quick service meal may seem a bit pricey, you do get a LOT of food! If you’re able to, consider sharing! Within my own travel party, we can easily split a quick service meal between two adults and both be full afterwards which is a great Disney World budget tip.
Snacks are also very popular at Disney World. If you’re taking advantage of snacking on Mickey-shaped foods throughout the day, you may not feel the urge to eat (or pay) for full meals as frequently.
This is only going to save you up to $210, but every penny counts when doing Disney World on a budget! There are some costs that can be cut when a budget is in mind. One of those costs can be the price of Disney’s Memory Maker. For those who aren’t familiar, Memory Maker is an option that you can select in order to receive unlimited downloads of every picture and video that is taken during your magical vacation. Pictures are taken by Disney’s PhotoPass Photographers at iconic locations, in photo studios, and with characters. You can also receive pictures and videos from select rides and attractions!
Disney's Memory Maker Cost:
Since Disney World vacations are so costly, you want to get as much done as possible while you’re there! If you spend most of your time waiting in lines, barely getting anything done, that vacation isn’t going to be worth the money spent. By purchasing Genie+, you’ll be able to skip the regular stand-by lines and get much more done with your time!
Genie+ is Disney’s version of a Fast Pass system. When you have Genie+, you’ll be able to make Lightning Lane reservations. When you do this, you will have a specific time to arrive at the selected ride or attraction. Once you arrive, rather than going to the regular line, you’ll head to the Lightning Lane. Lightning Lanes are expedited lines that are prioritized over the regular line. This will result in you being able to enjoy more rides and attractions during your day.
For the most popular rides and attractions, there is a special type of Lightning Lane. These are called Individual Lightning Lanes. When you purchase an Individual Lightning Lane, you are purchasing prioritized access to that one single ride or attraction.
On all of my trips, I use a combination of Genie+, Individual Lightning Lanes, and shorter stand-by lines. By doing so, I am usually able to get almost everything done in the park. It’s a great way to save time and not waste your money!
You can avoid paying Disney’s higher prices by making sure you pack the essentials. When you’re on a budget for a Disney World vacation, you don’t want to overpay for items such as sunscreen, raingear, and phone chargers. You can find all of these items for a much lower price on Amazon! While it’s nice and convenient that Disney has these items available to Guests, there’s no need to pay their prices for them when you could purchase them ahead of time for less.
If you do happen to forget something, if time allows, you can still make your Amazon purchase! Items can be ordered and shipped directly to your Disney Resort.
Is $1,000 enough for Disney World?
Planning a Disney World Vacation?
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Booking Your Disney World Vacation on a Budget
When budgeting for a Disney World trip, it’s important to split up your costs into two specific moments. Money that will be spent before your trip and money that will be spent during your trip. The money that is spent prior to the trip takes place during the booking process. This will mostly affect things such as your tickets, hotel, and transportation.Discount Disney World Tickets
Our favorite Disney-approved re-seller, Get Away Today, offers the best Walt Disney World discount tickets around. In addition to great discount prices, their customer service and easy support is absolutely fantastic. They have an entire department dedicated to making sure every order has a wonderful experience and they are on-call to help you during your vacation if you need them.
And at no additional charge, you get FREE concierge Walt Disney World services! These services include having Get Away Today's Walt Disney World experts take care of your entire trip planning. This really takes all the stress out of planning a Walt Disney World vacation. Rather than waking up at odd hours of the night to book all your reservations, why not let their travel agents take care of it for you- for free!
Get a Free Walt Disney World Vacation Quote Here!
Buying tickets from Get Away Today is easy and convenient since all their tickets are sent electronically. You can take their vouchers and head straight to the gate without needing to wait in any ticket booth lines. They also offer low deposit fees and layaway plans so you can pay off your vacation over time. This is one of the best ways to do Disney World on a budget.Walt Disney World Resort Hotels
When deciding what hotel arrangements are best for you and your budget, you’ll have to decide whether you want to stay on or off Walt Disney World property. While off-property hotels may initially come off as more affordable, there are multiple benefits to staying on property at Walt Disney World which could save you money in the long run.
Extra Park Time
All Guests of Walt Disney World Resort hotels are granted early access into the theme parks each day (with valid admission). The parks open up for early access 30 minutes prior to park opening. Extended Evening Hours are also available for Guests staying at Deluxe Resorts or Deluxe Villas. During Extended Evening Hours, Deluxe Resort Guests are able to stay and enjoy the theme parks 2 hours past closing time. At Disney World, time is money. The more time you have to get stuff done, the better. If you can get extra time at no additional cost to you, that’s even better!Free Transportation
Transportation is available for free across Walt Disney World Resort property. Disney World hotel Guests will have free transportation to all four theme parks, Disney Springs, and the water parks. Available transportation includes buses, the Skyliner, monorail, and water taxis. This eliminates the cost of using your own car, paying for a rental, or paying for a rideshare to get you to your desired Disney World location(s). You also won't need to pay for parking!Dining Plans
Two different dining plans are available for Disney Resort Guests only. The dining plans don’t necessarily save on the cost of food and drink, but it is helpful to have your food paid for prior to your trip. This is one less thing that you’ll have to consider when planning the budget that you’ll be using while you’re on your vacation. In my own experience, I like to have as much paid for as possible prior to my trip.FREE Water Park Access
All Guests checking in on or after January 1st, 2025 will receive free admission to a Disney Water Park on their arrival day. Disney World has two water parks: Blizzard Beach and Typhoon. You will have access to whichever one is open during the time of your trip.Pay Over Time
When booking a Disney World Vacation package, you can book your magical trip for as little as $200 down. After that, you can make payments that are convenient for you. Your final payment won’t be due until 30 days prior to your check-in date. Our trusted travel partners at Get Away Today also offer this option on their Disney vacation packages. Similar to booking directly through Disney, with Get Away Today’s Layaway Plan, you can book your trip for just $200 down. However, with Get Away Today, final payment won’t be due until 9 days prior to your check-in date! This gives you even more time to pay your trip off.Save on Disney World Hotels
There’s no doubt that some Disney World hotels can be very expensive. Luckily, there are hotels available for every price point! At Disney World, hotels are classified under three categories: Value, Moderate, and Deluxe. While the Moderate and Deluxe resorts have more amenities and luxuries available in comparison to the Value Resorts, please know that there isn’t a bad hotel at Disney World! The Value Resorts may be more of a standard hotel, but they are still great places to stay. This is one of the best ways to do Disney World on a budget.
Family Suites
If you are traveling with a larger party, consider getting a Family Suite rather than booking multiple standard rooms. This is a great way to save on money! My family of 6 uses this technique frequently when visiting Walt Disney World. The Family Suites offer plenty of space as well as a cost effective solution to paying for multiple rooms. Plus, family suites are available at two Value Resorts! Making them even more affordable. Check out our article: Which Disney World Hotels Have Suites For Five Or More?Promotions
Frequently, Disney World runs promotions for hotel stays. Generally, promotions run through select dates and are available for all Guests. However, sometimes better promotions are available for select Disney Guests, such as Disney+ Subscribers or Disney Visa Cardmembers. Keep an eye out on our promotions page in order to know what deals are available!Travel
One major thing that you’ll have to plan ahead of time is how you want to travel. When working with a budget, consider which form of transportation is more affordable for you. Perhaps you’d like to fly, drive your own car, or even rent a car. If you choose to fly or rent a car, make sure that you’re checking for promotions and traveling on less expensive days. While most people rent cars on weekdays, the weekends tend to be cheaper for rental cars. Flights tend to be the opposite. Normally, you’ll find cheaper flights on weekdays. Of course, with fluctuating prices, neither one is consistent. Make sure to keep an eye out on the price calendars when making your selections.
If you’d prefer to fly, but the prices are a bit much for your budget, you can often pay your flight off with monthly payments! This option is made available to me almost every time I fly. The company that I most often see as the lending company is Uplift. Prior to checking out with this option, you’ll be able to select a payment schedule. This schedule will show you how many months you will be paying as well as how much you’ll owe each month. Your first payment will be due at checkout. After you’ve completed the check out process, your flight will be booked. Rest assured, you won’t be required to pay the flight off in full prior to flying. Your flight may take place before your balance is paid! You’ll simply continue making your payments until the flight is paid off.
Orlando Airport Transportation
For those who choose to fly, transportation from the airport to your hotel will also need to be considered. You can choose to use a shuttle service (Mears Connect is a popular choice), rent a car, get a taxi, or use a rideshare. Since Mears Connect replaced the Disney’s complimentary Magical Express service, many Guests automatically opt for that option. However, that’s generally not going to be the most affordable choice. You’ll want to price check the various options and decide which one works best for you. When considering my family size as well as our luggage, it’s usually more affordable for us to use a rideshare to get from the Orlando Airport to our Walt Disney World Resort hotel. However, this may differ for you! Take the time to explore your options and see which one is the most budget friendly for your situation.Budget During Your Trip
Having a budget to stick to during your Disney World trip is equally, if not more important, than the budget that you need to have prior to your trip. The money that you spend during a Disney World trip can go fast and easily. If you set a budget for yourself and plan ahead, you can avoid this issue.Dining at Disney World
Eating at Disney World can be pricey. However, it doesn’t have to be! There are plenty of ways to eat at Disney World without breaking the bank. One option is to bring your own food. If your initial form of travel prevents you from bringing food with you on your trip, you can always opt to have groceries delivered to your hotel! All Disney World Resort hotel rooms are equipped with at least a mini-refrigerator. However, there are some that have full size refrigerators or even full size kitchens! If you’re planning on eating your own food on vacation, you may want to consider staying at a Disney Resort that has a kitchen. To learn more, read our article: Disney World Hotels with Kitchens – Save Money on Disney Food!
Disney, of course, also provides many food options of their own. This includes snacks, bakery items, food carts, quick service restaurants, and table service restaurants. There are some extremely luxurious and pricey restaurants on Walt Disney World property. However, you are in no way required to eat at these locations. There are many quick service restaurants on location that have a much lower price tag. One thing to note about Disney food is that you do get what you pay for. While even a quick service meal may seem a bit pricey, you do get a LOT of food! If you’re able to, consider sharing! Within my own travel party, we can easily split a quick service meal between two adults and both be full afterwards which is a great Disney World budget tip.
Snacks are also very popular at Disney World. If you’re taking advantage of snacking on Mickey-shaped foods throughout the day, you may not feel the urge to eat (or pay) for full meals as frequently.
Pay For Your Food In Advance
With a Disney Dining Plan, you’ll be able to have all of your food paid for in advance. I touched on this slightly earlier, but it’s worth mentioning again. If you’re planning on eating Disney’s food, it can be worth it for Guests with a budget to add a dining plan to their vacation package. By doing this, all of your food will be paid for ahead of time. This results in one less thing that you’ll need to budget for during your time at Disney World. With your resort, tickets, and food already taken care of, all you’ll need to budget for during your trip are any extras that you may want! The two dining plans that are available are:- Disney Quick-Service Dining Plan
- 2 Quick-Service Meals (per night of stay)
- 1 Snack/Non-Alcoholic Beverage (per night of stay)
- 1 Resort-Refillable Drink Mug
- Disney Dining Plan
- 1 Quick-Service Meal (per night of stay)
- 1 Table-Service Meal (per night of stay)
- 1 Snack/Non-Alcoholic Beverage (per night of stay)
- 1 Resort-Refillable Drink Mug
Skip Memory Maker
This is only going to save you up to $210, but every penny counts when doing Disney World on a budget! There are some costs that can be cut when a budget is in mind. One of those costs can be the price of Disney’s Memory Maker. For those who aren’t familiar, Memory Maker is an option that you can select in order to receive unlimited downloads of every picture and video that is taken during your magical vacation. Pictures are taken by Disney’s PhotoPass Photographers at iconic locations, in photo studios, and with characters. You can also receive pictures and videos from select rides and attractions!
Disney's Memory Maker Cost:
- Memory Maker One Day $75 – Includes all photos and videos taken from one day of your choosing
- Memory Maker (Advance Purchase) $185 – Includes all photos and videos taken within 30 days of activation
- Memory Maker (During and Post-Vacation) $210 – Includes all photos and videos taken within 30 days of activation
Time is Money – Don't Waste It!
Since Disney World vacations are so costly, you want to get as much done as possible while you’re there! If you spend most of your time waiting in lines, barely getting anything done, that vacation isn’t going to be worth the money spent. By purchasing Genie+, you’ll be able to skip the regular stand-by lines and get much more done with your time!
Genie+ is Disney’s version of a Fast Pass system. When you have Genie+, you’ll be able to make Lightning Lane reservations. When you do this, you will have a specific time to arrive at the selected ride or attraction. Once you arrive, rather than going to the regular line, you’ll head to the Lightning Lane. Lightning Lanes are expedited lines that are prioritized over the regular line. This will result in you being able to enjoy more rides and attractions during your day.
For the most popular rides and attractions, there is a special type of Lightning Lane. These are called Individual Lightning Lanes. When you purchase an Individual Lightning Lane, you are purchasing prioritized access to that one single ride or attraction.
On all of my trips, I use a combination of Genie+, Individual Lightning Lanes, and shorter stand-by lines. By doing so, I am usually able to get almost everything done in the park. It’s a great way to save time and not waste your money!
Don't Overpay at Disney
You can avoid paying Disney’s higher prices by making sure you pack the essentials. When you’re on a budget for a Disney World vacation, you don’t want to overpay for items such as sunscreen, raingear, and phone chargers. You can find all of these items for a much lower price on Amazon! While it’s nice and convenient that Disney has these items available to Guests, there’s no need to pay their prices for them when you could purchase them ahead of time for less.
If you do happen to forget something, if time allows, you can still make your Amazon purchase! Items can be ordered and shipped directly to your Disney Resort.
Merchandise
Even though you don’t want to end up purchasing simple things from Disney, merchandise is a different story. It’s understandable that fun, unique, and exclusive items will catch your eye! However, there are things that you could purchase ahead of time in order to save money. You can easily find Minnie ears, autograph books, bags, and more online prior to your trip. By purchasing more common items such as these ahead of time, this will allow more room in your budget for items that you can only find at Disney World!Plan Your Disney World Trip!
Start planning your Walt Disney World vacation with the help of our informative FREE newsletter. The best part of receiving our newsletter is all the valuable information we fill it with including tips and tricks to get the most out of your next trip to Disney World. You’ll find helpful planning information, exclusive Disney deals, and access to the lowest priced Disney tickets anywhere. You can find more information on planning your vacation here:- When to Visit Disney World 2024 Disney World Crowd Calendar
- Best Disney World Discounts 2024: Hotel and Ticket Deals
- Value Disney World Resorts Ranked
- Moderate Disney World Resorts Ranked
- Deluxe Disney World Resorts Ranked
Frequently Asked Questions
Is $1,000 enough for Disney World?
$1,000 would most likely not be enough to cover an entire trip to Disney World. Of course this would depend on a variety of factors. The total cost of your Disney World vacation will vary depending on your party size, how you choose to travel, where you'll be staying, how long your trip is, the type of tickets that you purchase, what food you eat, and any additional merchandise or experiences you may want.
Can an average family afford Disney World?
Yes, and average family can afford Disney World. While Disney World can be a costly trip, it doesn't have to be. There are ways to cut costs, budget, and not overspend which would make it a doable vacation for an average family.
Can you bring food into Disney World?
Yes, you can bring food into Disney World. This is a great way to cut back on costs and save money!
How much do you have to put down for a Disney trip?
Once a vacation package is put together, you only have to put $200 down for a Disney trip. After that, you can make payments at your own convenience. Your final payment will be due 30 prior to your arrival date.
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