Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida is one of the most iconic places on Earth. And, at least by popular perception, one of the most expensive places on Earth! But, I’m here to tell you that Disney can be done on a budget. Maybe a slightly inflated budget, but definitely still a budget. With some solid planning, and a little bit of magic, you can make a memorable Disney trip happen for your family.
One service that Disney provides is free travel planners! A quick search on Google will provide you a laundry list of “earmarked” travel planners, meaning they have direct access through Disney to the best packages and travel deals available. However, these only include booking your resort and tickets in a Disney branded resort, and some of the tips I’ll offer today include hacks that wouldn’t qualify. So, if you’re planning to stay in a Disney resort, these planners are free for you to use, and are a great resource! But, in my opinion, they’re not always the most affordable option, and you’ll see why!
Let’s get the most expensive, and least flexible, part out of the way. To access the Disney parks, you need valid admission and a park reservation for every day. Ticket packages can be purchased directly from Disney, or from a select number of third-party retailers or travel planners.
There are two basic types of admission: single park tickets and park hoppers. Single park tickets allow entrance to one park per day, while park hoppers allow access to all four theme parks each day. There are also tickets that include the two water parks, but we’re talking budget today, so I won’t really get into those because I don’t find them to be a great value.
When looking at ticket prices, you’ll notice that the cost/day decreases based on the number of days you stay. For traveling on a budget, I think that 4-5 days of single park tickets is your best value. This gives you the chance to visit every park at least once, and not feel overly rushed in enjoying them! And, crazy enough, the price of a 3 day park hopper ticket is almost the same as a 5 day single park ticket. This is really the sweet spot for admission value!
Occasionally, booking directly through Disney’s website, there will be ticket offers for free days when also booking a resort hotel. For example, for a lot of 2020, Disney was offering “Buy 4 Days, Get 2 Days Free!” That’s about a $200 savings/ticket, which is huge! But, these deals are only for select times, and the best way to find out about them would be to sign up for email newsletters from Disney travel planners.
Outside of these deals, ticket savings are hard to come by. Using sites like Undercover Tourist, you can find savings of about $10/day at best, but that’s really it.
There is a ton of value to be found in booking hotels for a Disney stay! Whether you’re staying in a Disney branded resort or just offsite in the Orlando area, where you sleep does not have to break the bank. Because, let’s be honest, that’s exactly what your hotel is for a Disney vacation: a place to sleep.
The benefit to staying in a Disney resort is access to their on-site transportation systems, which are free to use. If you stay in an Airbnb or off-site hotel, make sure you factor in the cost of a rental car and theme park parking daily or the cost of ordering a rideshare to and from the parks every day!
Disney’s most affordable on-site resorts are called their “Value Resorts,” and function as basic hotel rooms with really great theming. Directly through Disney, the standard night at a Value Resort runs in the $175-$200 range, but these hotels can often be booked through Priceline or Hotwire for significantly less! I’ve seen Disney’s Pop Century booked for under $75/night on these websites frequently, but to find those deals, you just have to do your due diligence in checking those sites often. If you’re planning to stay in a Value Resort, I would definitely leverage the help of a Disney travel planner to see what deals they can offer!
Disney Vacation Club is Disney’s timeshare option. Every year, DVC owners get an annual allotment of points to use at Vacation Club resorts. But, not every owner uses their points every year, which has created a market for renting out points! I’ve found that by renting points, you can often come across 50% off savings on Disney vacation villas in many of Disney’s prime time resorts.
The major purveyor of point rentals is David’s, but as a business, they definitely mark up point rentals to provide value to them, as well as DVC owners. Your best bet for great value is to find a DVC Member Forum, such as Mouseowners, that has boards for owners to directly rent their points to people. Even still, for the cheapest DVC room rental, you’re likely looking at at least $150/night, with the majority of rooms falling in the $300-$500/night range.
Probably the most cost efficient option for a Disney stay is through a short-term home rental site such as Airbnb or VRBO! There are a ton of homes within a 10 minute drive of Disney property with room rentals in the $40-$75 range. Especially if you’re traveling with family or a larger group, renting a house is an amazing option! Just remember to factor in the extra cost of getting to the parks and parking each day.
Fortunately, not every hotel near Disney is owned by the company, and there are some great deals, even for rooms still on Disney property! If you go to a travel booking website, search for hotels near “Disney Springs,” and you’ll find a slew of rooms starting as low as $70 that are walking distance from Disney’s shopping area. Check the amenities of these hotels, as many of them offer their own transportation to and from the parks! Or, the closer you are to Disney Springs, the easier it is to walk there and have direct access to the Disney bus system.
There’s the perception that everything inside of Disney is expensive, and in many cases, that’s true! But, there are some really great food values inside of the parks, and some easy ways to avoid paying for meals or little snacks.
Guess what? You can bring your own food and non-alcoholic drinks into the parks with you! Make sure you have a water bottle for everyone in your group, and you’ll find water fountains around every bathroom to refill throughout the day. And, bring your own snacks with you to avoid the higher priced snacky foods that you’ll find in the parks.
I would not recommend this, but I’ve literally seen someone bring hot dogs, buns, and a small electric grill to Disney Springs before. You may struggle to find a well placed outlet to plug in, but if you choose to do something like this, know you won’t be the first to do so. But, you’ll probably end up a meme on the Internet.
Disney categorizes their restaurants as Counter Service, Casual Dining, and Signature. Especially within those first two buckets, there are some amazing values for incredible foods. You can easily get through the parks dining at places on a budget of $15/meal/person, which could leave some room for splurging.
Here are my favorite values by park:
Magic Kingdom: Corn Dog Nuggets at Casey’s Corner ($9.99), Sweet-and-Spicy Chicken-Waffle Sandwich from Sleepy Hollow ($10.49), anything at Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn
Epcot: La Cantina de San Angel, Lotus Blossom Cafe, Shrimp Tempura Udon at Katsura Grill ($12.50), Yorkshire County Fish Shop
Hollywood Studios: ABC Commissary, Woody’s Lunch Box, Ronto Wrap from Ronto Roasters ($13.99)
Animal Kingdom: Flame Tree Barbecue, Satu’li Canteen, Nomad Lounge
I know, you’re on vacation, and honestly, Disney has a ton of great bars and alcoholic beverages. But, they make you pay for it! You’ll pay at least $12 for any cocktail on site, and if you can find a domestic beer for under $8, count yourself lucky. So, if you’re traveling on a budget and really want a drink, I’d hit a grocery store and have something waiting back in the room for you.
