HiYa Pals!
Let’s face it, Disney is expensive. More expensive than we all want it to be. Weather its spending money on food, merchandise, or whatever it may be, you should be prepared to spend that money. And to be honest, when it comes to Disney, somehow, you’re always going to want to spend money! In this blog we want to share a few budgeting tips for a Disney Vacation. Maybe even help you keep some of that money in your pockets.
A Few Tips
Travel Agent
If you have read any of our blogs, you know we highly recommend using a Disney travel agent! And surprise…..we are recommending it again! lol If you reach out to a Disney travel agent and use them, their service to you is completely free! So not only does that save you money, but it saves you time. All you need to do is reach out and let the magical planning begin. They can book your resort for you, get your park tickets lined up and get all your dining reservations set!
We highly recommend using a travel agent!
One wonderful thing about a travel agent is they have the ability to compare pricing. They can do this for different resorts and different times of the year. If you are torn between two different resorts, perhaps seeing a comparison of prices will help you decide. A travel agent has the ability to get those quotes together allowing you to make the best choice for your needs. Another great thing, if there is a discount or special package offered during your stay, your agent can apply that to your trip, saving you money! And saving money is a great thing.
When your resort is booked and tickets are purchased thanks to your agent, the rest of your budgeting becomes much easier to organize and plan for! Once the big stuff is taken care of it seems to be a smooth ride from there!
Overall, we love our friend and travel agent Erica, click her name to find her contact info! We highly highly recommend reaching out to her and using her services!
Plan as far in advance as possible!
We say this because, while a spur of the moment trip can be great, we know saving for a trip can take a very long time. The further out you decide a trip is happening, the more time you have to save. Trust me I am very familiar with this plan. This last big trip I had with my family of 9, we started saving two years prior. Every chance or every opportunity I had to put some money aside, I did. Weather it was 5 bucks here or 30 dollars from a birthday, save. I bought one kid a suitcase during a summer sale and a suitcase for another kid during a black Friday sale. It all adds up and helps.
One of the nicest things Disney offers is the payment plan. I use this term loosely. When you book a trip, you don’t have to pay the trip in full right away. First, all you need to do is put a down payment on the rooms you are booking. Doing so holds your room till you are ready to pay in full. Your trip must be completely paid for 30 days before you go! For example, my trip this past January, we booked three rooms at pop century. We then had almost a year and a half to save up and pay for the trip. It’s a nice way to give yourself that time to save and prepare.
Use the My Disney Experience app
As soon as you decide you are going, download this app. You can use this tool to your total advantage! On the MDE you can find pricing for pretty much everything you want to spend money on in the parks. Everything from the price of dining to how much an item is in a store. You can look up how much a quick service meal is at Pacos Bills in Magic Kingdom or how much a full character meal is at Chef Mickeys! This tool allows you to get a good idea how much to pay for food when budgeting you trip! Pre-Covid, Disney offered their tiered dining plan. Disney has recently revamped and brought it back! Depending on your budget a dining plan may be of benefit to you!
Get Disney Gift Cards
Having these gift cards can be really useful! I have found when you have gift cards you are more conscience of what you are spending your money on. It allows you to have the freedom of purchasing whatever you want with a specific limit set. When I came with my nieces and nephew, each kid had x-amount in gift cards to spend and once that was gone, they knew their spending or fun money was done. Not only was that nice for the adults not to worry about, but it also gave the kids a little freedom to choose what they wanted with their money. It is a nice way for grownups to use on souvenirs for themselves too!
Disney gift cards can pay for dinners and pay off your hotel room if on property. Additionally, they are accepted in most stores in Disney Springs. If you are a Sam’s club member or have a red card from target you can get Disney gift cards at a discount from those locations. I have done so several times and the savings are pretty great!
Stay at a value resort!
Most of your trip you are going to be out and about doing all the Disney things. And at the end of the day your hotel room is a great place to unwind and sleep. Not only are value resorts most affordable for people but the resorts themselves are wonderful. They offer so much from pools, Disney transportation, fun activities, but a wonderful family atmosphere that is hard to beat! Most of all they are a great way to save a few extra dollars on a hotel room!
Bring your own food
Have enough for breakfast! We often will eat breakfast in our rooms before heading out or take a muffin on the go and eat on the walk over to the Skyliner! You can pack food in your bags or have a cooler in your car for food. When I was younger, we packed a full lunch in the cooler, went back to the car to eat, and headed back into the park when we were done!
Staying in a Disney villa? If you are, they offer full kitchens! I know you can have amazon food services and a few other options deliver straight to your resort! Why not cook a few meals in your kitchen! This can save you big time in the food department! Something to consider!
As you can see there are so many budgeting tips for Disney. These are just a few simple ideas to keep in mind. Hopefully they are helpful to you as you prepare for your Disney trip!
Ready to book? Need help packing? Check out our blog here to see our packing list! Also be sure to find us on our other social media platforms! We update often and love spreading some magical fun!
