Looking to travel to Disney World in Orlando for cheap? I recently booked a trip to Florida and wanted to share some great Disney World Money Saving Tips that I unearthed during the last couple of months researching, preparing, and booking my travel to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
Flights
As with most flights, it’s best to be as flexible as possible when booking a flight. This means flexibility on flight dates, airlines, and airports. As a Canadian living on Vancouver Island, taking a plane off the Island can be expensive. Although I looked for cheap flights from Victoria, none were to be had. Instead, I looked at surrounding airports and managed to find a great deal from Seattle to Orland. I’m leaving a day later than I would have preferred, but the price was so good I could not resist — only $99 per person. On the way home, I had to be even more flexible. I’m returning on a Monday instead of a Saturday or Sunday (my preferred dates), but I don’t mind because weekend flight prices were just too expensive. When looking for a return flight, I searched for flights not only out of Orlando but also from Fort Lauderdale and Miami. I realize this might not be ideal for everyone, but for me, it worked well since we wanted to do a bit of traveling throughout the state of Florida. The total cost of the flight to Florida and back: less than $250 per person.
Accommodation
I am dividing our two-week trip into two parts. For 9 nights, I will stay in the Orlando area and for the remaining 5 nights, I will travel south and stay in and around Fort Lauderdale and Miami. For the Fort Lauderdale / Miami leg of our trip, I simply used Priceline and received a great deal on hotels considering it’s spring break. As for Orlando, I saved a lot of money by staying off-site. That is, I chose to stay at a hotel not on the Walt Disney World Resort itself but one that was about 15-20 minutes drive from the resort.
Staying on the Walt Disney World Resort vs Off-Site
This is probably the first decision any traveler needs to make when planning their trip to Disney World. There are many benefits to staying on-site (which I will not go into) and the truth is, it’s hard to put a dollar value on these benefits. Ignoring intangible benefits, I calculated the cost of staying in WDW versus staying at a hotel nearby. My results were consistent with what most travel books (including my favorite, the Unofficial Guide) have to say: You’re paying a premium for staying in Disney, even after you factor in the cost of renting a car (which is recommended if you’re staying off-site), Disney dining plans and discounts, vacation packages, and other variables. The cost difference is so significant that I simply could not justify the extra expense of staying in WDW. Off-site is cheaper, hands down.
Once a decision is made to stay on or off resort, next, is deciding what hotel. Prices can fluctuate wildly from website to website, so it is best to check a variety of sources. I also recommend reserving something early as long as the reservation can be canceled. This protects you against price increases but allows you to find a better deal in the months or weeks prior to your trip. Additional accommodation money saving tips:
- If you do not mind an extra 5 or 10 minutes drive, you can save $20 or so per night for comparable rooms by going further out.
- Look for rooms with a kitchenette. You’ll save a lot of money by eating meals in your room where possible.
- Many hotels have resort fees. It’s good to know the full costs and factor these into your decision making. Some hotels charge for parking and wifi too. These additional fees can add up over the span of a trip.
Should you use Hotwire or Priceline for your Orlando stay?
This website, HotelDealsRevealed.com is all about Hotwire and Priceline, but it might not make sense to book through these sites. If there are only 2 people in your party, use Priceline. You will almost certainly save money compared to other sources, but there are some risks involved (such as non-refundable reservations). For families, Hotwire is usually a better choice because they allow you to specify the number of people who will be staying in your room and assure you the appropriate amount of bedding. Plus, Hotwire tells you the hotel amenities before you buy. If a kitchenette is important, for example, you know before you purchase.
[By the way, don’t forget to use HotelDealsRevealed to help you with your Hotwire or Priceline purchasing. The hotel lists can help reveal your hotel before you buy, and the list of winning bids in our Hotwire and Priceline forum let you know how much others are bidding.]
Saving Money on Disney World Tickets
Undercover Tourist and a few other places sell tickets for slightly less than Disney. They are legit. I saved $16 per ticket x 5 = $80. Not bad. One other thing I would recommend people do is to buy tickets for fewer days than they’ll be visiting the park, then upgrade. For example, if you’re planning to visit the park for 8 days, buy a 5-day park pass because this leaves your options open. You might get tired, sick, or simply change your mind about the number of days you want to visit the park. You can always upgrade but you cannot downgrade. When you upgrade your ticket, you only pay the difference in price. There are a few nuances with upgrades, so if you’re thinking about doing this, be sure to check out Disboards.com for more tips and info on how upgrades work.
Disney offers a plethora of other add-ons that are actually quite expensive. The basic ticket, called Magic Your Way, is the cheapest. We decided to skip extras like the Park Hopper and the water parks.
Another tip for saving money on tickets is this avoid visiting Disney World and other theme parks such as Universal. The cost of a single day at Universal, as an example, is around $125. An extra day at Disney World can be as little as just $10.
Car rentals
One of the questions you’ll need to ask yourself is, should you rent a car? The general consensus is, if you’re staying on site, you will not need a rental. If you are staying offsite, it usually makes sense to rent a car. My family likes to visit the shopping malls and outlets, and we will definitely be hitting up the grocery store. Not to mention the back and forth between the and our hotel.
Car rental insurance can be expensive. Check with your current vehicle insurance provider to see if your insurance is transferable. In my case, I had to pay $29 per year extra for the privilege of being able to transfer insurance from my personal vehicle to a rental care. This small charge saved me $15 per day.
Disney Dining
This is unavoidable. You are going to have to fork out money for food in the Disney Parks at some point during your trip. Here are some tips to avoid this as much as possible, thereby reducing costs when you have to eat at the Resort.
First, try to get a hotel with a full kitchen or kitchenette. If you cannot, even a fridge and microwave can go a long way. Failing that, you would be surprised how many meals you can cook with a coffee maker. Eating your breakfast at your hotel and returning for dinner are the two biggest ways to save yourself heaps of cash. Eating dinner at your hotel, of course, means that you’re leaving the park in the middle of the day. This is something I recommend doing anyway.
Another great way to save money on food is to bring your own food into the Parks with you. Disney does allow this, so feel free to pack drinks, snacks and even full meals.
Souvenirs
One of the books I read said that at some point, you’re going to end up buying your kids that $10 helium balloon. Accept it. I agree. But here are some tips for saving money on Disney World souvenirs. Princess dresses — we are not buying them at Disney. Instead, we picked one up at Walmart for $20 and brought it with us. As well, many of the Disney souvenirs can be purchased much cheaper off the Resort itself, like at Walmart! So if you have to satiate your child’s’ appetite for a souvenir in the park, buy them something small and inexpensive. Save the bigger items for off-Resort shops.
Time of Year
You will not likely see Disney prices fluctuate but pretty much everything else does, depending on the season. This is particularly true of hotels. Going in the off-season can save you a lot of money (and is much less crowded). In our case, we had 1 window in which to go — spring break — one of the busiest and most expensive times of the year. Good times to visit Walt Disney World are: January, February, April (after Easter), September and November.
Additional resources for Disney World money saving tips:
- Disboards.com: Love this site. The board moderators and hardcore enthusiasts are super helpful and always willing to lend a hand.
- Unofficial Guide: Borrow from your local library all the Disney World books you can, but buy this one. It’s the tops.