Going to Disney World is something we love to do as a family. Because this is something that is important to all four of us, regular trips to Disney are something that is prioritized in our budget. Doing Disney World on a budget is completely possible if you set realistic expectations.
Since we like to try and go at least once every two years, we make sure to be sensible about setting a strict budget for each trip and keeping costs down where we can.
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#1 - Eat Breakfast Before You Head to the Parks
Eat breakfast before we head to the parks. We eat breakfast in our hotel room or AirBnb before we head to the parks. This saves us a lot of money and also allows us more time to do other things in the parks, instead of spending that time sitting in a restaurant eating.
What we normally do is hit Aldi once we get to town and get the groceries we will need to have breakfast for the week.
We often keep it simple…buying yogurt, fruit, and frozen breakfast bowls or sandwiches. Sometimes I grab pastries and donuts for the kids as a treat. After all, we are on vacation :-).
In the past, when we stayed on Disney World property, we have brought our griddle from home and used it to heat sausage and freezer pancakes on. I also boiled eggs at home and brought cheese sticks and instant oatmeal (to make in the microwave).
The downside about a Disney property is that the more budget-friendly rooms only come with a small mini fridge so you are somewhat limited in what you can buy/bring when it comes to perishable foods.
#2 - Stay Off Property
We used to always stay on property. In all fairness, there is something to be said about being in the “Disney Bubble” the whole time you are there.
However, over the years the prices of even the “budget” resorts on Disney World property have increased greatly.
As an example, when we went in March of 2016, we paid $136/night. By the time we went in January 2019, it was about $150/night plus they had implemented a new rule charging resort guests at budget resorts $15/night to park at the hotel.
So on our next trip we looked into the possibility of renting an AirBnb. It was less than a 10 minute trip to Disney World and cost us less per night that a budget room on Disney property would have. In fact, we saved over $300 for the week, even when taking into account that we now had to pay $25/day to park at the parks each day that we went (it’s free for Disney resort guests).
On top of saving money, we had an entire house to ourselves. Our boys each had their own bedroom and a bathroom to share and my husband and I were at the other end of the house in the master bedroom with our own bathroom.
We also had our own private pool (pictured above) and an entire kitchen at our disposal which made it so much easier to make breakfast every day. It was also nice to have our very own laundry room instead of having to use the resort’s laundromat. We were able to do laundry every day which meant we could pack lighter.
But the absolute biggest benefit was how much better we slept. Being in a budget resort at Disney always means a lot of noise. Whether it’s people in the rooms next to us or those walking by outside our door, we never had a night where we weren’t awakened by some noise.
This was not the case at the AirBnb. It was so peaceful and quiet and we woke up refreshed and well-rested every morning. I don’t see a scenario right now were we will go back to staying on Disney property.
#3 - Pack Snacks and Water for the Park
When we go grocery shopping for our breakfast items, we also get bottled water and snacks to take with us to the parks. This limits the amount of snacks we buy at the park.
Snacks we often buy include meat sticks, beef jerky, cheese sticks, snack-sized bags of chips, trail mix, apples, bananas, and clementines. Yogurt tubes and boxes of raisins are also cheap and easy snacks we enjoy at the parks.
#4 - Eat Only One Meal a Day at the Parks
Some people don’t eat at the parks at all, but for us meals in the park are something that we really look forward to so we always budget for one park meal per day. We plan out in advance were we want to eat each day and budget what it will cost.
The food in the park can be pricey, but the portions are always very generous. Oftentimes, we can get 2-3 meals for the 4 of us to share (when we are all on the same page about what we want to eat!).
#5 - Set a Souvenir Budget
Another very important tip for doing Disney World on a budget is to set a souvenir budget and stick to it! The kids always know that they only get so much to spend on souvenirs. If they want something more, then it will have to come out of their own money.
We have a tradition of each getting a pin each trip. We keep them on lanyards and it represents what that trip meant to us.
For example, my youngest son got a Big Thunder Mountain Railroad pin on the trip that he was finally brave enough to ride roller coasters when he was 11. He ended up liking it so much that we ended up riding that ride seven times for him that trip.
On another occasion, I got a Food and Wine themed pin to represent the first time we attended Epcot’s Food and Wine festival. It’s a fun tradition we have and we budget $60 for the 4 pins each trip.
In addition to that, we each get $50 each to spend on other souvenirs. This ensures that we are careful about what we chose for our souvenirs and we don’t come home with a bunch of stuff we really don’t need.
#6 - Buy Park Tickets from Undercover Tourist
This is a tip that may not be common knowledge to a lot of people. It is very hard to find deals on Disney Park tickets. One place that always has Disney World park ticket deals though is the website, Undercover Tourist.
This is where we always buy our park tickets. On our most recent trip, we were able to save $90 for the 4 of us to get 5 day park tickets versus what it would have cost us if we had bought the tickets through Disney or other sellers.
Undercover Tourist is a reputable and authorized seller of park tickets to Disney Parks as well as Universal Studios. The only thing to be aware of when you buy tickets through Undercover Tourist is that they may not be refundable so be sure you are fully committed to your trip plans before making your purchase.
We have used this site many times and have always been very happy with the service.
#7 - Drive, Don't Fly
Drive, don’t fly. This may vary based on your own situation, but for us it is at least $1000 cheaper for us to drive than to fly to Florida. We come from the metro Detroit area and there are four of us so airfare is usually $1300+ for four roundtrip tickets.
If we drive, we spend about $300 in gas roundtrip. The trip takes 18-19 hours so my husband and I alternate driving every four hours and we don’t even need a hotel room for the night.
This also means that we have our own vehicle when we get there and don’t have to rent a car or rely on Disney World’s transportation system to get around. It really saves us time and stress.
I realize road tripping may not be for everyone but it really can save you a lot of money if you are willing to take the plunge and try it.
We have been road tripping as a family since our kids were babies and we have so many fond memories of those trips together. After all, getting there is half the adventure!
#8 - Eat Dinner after You Leave the Park
We eat dinner after we return from the park. Because we only eat one meal in the park, it is usually a late lunch, so sometimes we don’t even need dinner.
When we do, we grab some inexpensive fast food or a deli meal from the local supermarket. Sometimes we order a pizza. All these options end up being cheaper than eating a second meal in the park that day.
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These are our favorite tips for doing Walt Disney World on a budget. What do you like to do to cut costs when you visit the house of the mouse?