A good bunch of us spent most of our childhoods glued to our television sets watching Walt Disney cartoons. It was an amazing experience finding humor from the animated characters and enjoying the cartoons from the comfort of our living rooms.
However, seeing our favorite characters in person is an entirely different experience, but not many of us got to visit Disney World as kids. Naturally, being kids, we had no way of organizing a Disney trip on our own. But as adults, we no longer have any excuse for denying our inner child the opportunity to experience a Disney vacation.
Disney is definitely a place you will enjoy, but it can get a bit out of hand financially if you’re not careful. To make things a lot more economical, we have provided some information on how you can enjoy the multiple activities without going beyond your intended budget. Things like saving the most on hotels, choosing affordable places to dine, and using refillable water bottles really make a difference.
Let’s get started!
Table of Contents
1. Buying Disney Items Before Hand
When you travel to DisneyLand, you will definitely be tempted to spend your cash on Disney items such as water bottles, ponchos, and just any kind of souvenirs. These items are not cheap in DisneyLand, and so, it is advisable to just purchase them elsewhere, such as the shops outside DisneyLand.
2. Pick the Right Time to Travel
As highlighted earlier in this article, it is important to know when to travel to Disney World so that you can avoid overpriced tickets, long queues, and overcrowding.
During peak season, Disney being a popular tourist destination will see resorts in the area raise their vacation fees. Summer, Christmas time, or New Year’s are some of the times you should avoid booking your vacation there.
Traveling during the off-peak seasons can be very hard because of the busy work schedules but it can also save you an average of $300 a night.
3. Make Wise Dining Choices
Disney offers a wide range of dining options with various pricing ranges from budget to premium. It all depends on how much you are willing to spend on a meal.
To save money, you will need to take a few walks and figure out the different food outlets that are available in the park. When choosing a place to eat, you have to know what exact budget you are working with and how much you eat.
If the restaurants in the park are too pricey, you have the option of having food delivered to your resort doorstep from other restaurants around.
Most of the resorts or hotels in Disney have fully equipped kitchens which means once you have groceries or food delivered that you can either cook or warm in the microwave. You also have a fridge where you can stock up drinks and food.
Grocery delivery might be a bit costly than normal, but it is definitely cheaper than buying already cooked food.
4. Use Refillable Water Bottles
Disney Land covers a vast area, meaning you will have to do a lot of walking around. Therefore, you need to stay as hydrated as possible.
There is water available at the park, but you are looking at around $4 per bottle. How many times will you need water? How many times can you spend $4 on drinking water? Make sure you carry your own water bottle so that you are able to refill water at any of the filling stations or restaurants located in the park.
5. Saving the Most on Hotels
There are several Disney-owned hotels within the park. As excellent and convenient as these hotels might be, they can very quickly eat up a good portion of your budget. You can easily spend at least $600 for a night’s stay which isn’t the best way of saving the most on hotels.
The great news is if you cannot afford to stay in either of the hotels, there are plenty of other lodging options around the parks. All you need to do is select the option that fits your budget.
6. Skip Park Hopper
Disney World has several parks, and buying the park hopper will allow you to visit as many parks as you would like in one day. However, this ticket will cost you about double the price of a regular single-entry park.
Another reason you should forgo the Park hopper is because as you skip from one park to another, you will not get to fully enjoy what each park has to offer. Plus, you will spend a good portion of your time moving from one park to the next.
If you’re purely in it for the experience and want to fully enjoy what the different parks have to offer, it is advisable that you use an entire day in one park.
7. Take Your Own Photos
The best part about a vacation is taking photos so that you can save memories of your memorable holiday. DisneyLand has a device called the memory maker. As its name suggests, it helps you create and keep memories of your trip.
With the memory maker, you can get access to Disney PhotoPass, which allows you to take photos all over the resort. This is beautiful in that you get to have many pictures in different locations of the park. However, this means using more money on your trip, which you are trying to avoid.
Many phones nowadays come with very good cameras that you can use to take high-quality pictures. You can easily take a photo by yourself or ask other guests to take photos of you to add to your vacation souvenirs. You will save so much money this way!
Winding It Up
Vacationing in Disney World will definitely be magical,you should use but being one of the most frequented places in the world, it can sometimes be a bit too overcrowded and highly-priced, which can dampen your excitement.
For this reason, it is advisable to book a vacation in Disneyland when it is the off-peak season when most people are working and the kids are back in school.
But no matter the season you choose to go, these tips highlighted in this column will help you plan and enjoy a vacation that won’t leave a dent in your pocket.
You will have an even more enjoyable and memorable vacation experience when you go fully prepared and know just what to do with the budget you have set aside for the trip.
