COMPLETE GUIDE to Disney World on a Budget
We all have that dream vacation we’re saving for, right? Well what happens when that dream family vacation to Walt Disney World is a little more expensive than we originally thought? We travel on a budget! In this guide, I’ll walk you through some money-saving tips so you can have that perfect Disney trip without breaking the bank and without compromising safety. The main areas we’ll focus on are:
1) Flights
2) Transportation (to/from airport and parks)
3) Theme park tickets
4) Hotels
5) Dining
6) Souvenirs
Flights
Let’s start with one of the most frustrating tasks: booking the flights. In my experience, booking with Southwest has been the cheapest option. There’s often fewer layovers as well. The one catch is that you can’t choose your seat. So if you had your heart set on an aisle seat…just know Southwest is first-come first-served. I almost always book through a travel agent as well; I’ve found this helpful in the past when the airline makes changes (or completely cancels) my flights. The travel agent is always able to quickly rearrange my flights at no charge. If you prefer to choose your specific seats, and don’t mind spending a few extra hundred dollars for your family, then I highly recommend American Airlines (don’t forget to sign up for your free Advantage membership so you can also rack up miles).
If you live in a nearby state, you could always just drive as well. This would save you a lot of money, but will also take longer. Depending on how far away you live, this road trip may also require a hotel stay along the way. For those of us in New England or the northwest US, a road trip may not be the best option (can you picture yourself in a car with two children under the age of 10 for three or more days?). We’re looking to have an enjoyable Disney vacation on a budget, not make ourselves miserable just to save money on flights.
Transportation
When it comes to getting from the airport to your hotel, I always opt for shuttle transportation. It’s cheaper than a rental car and you don’t have the hassle of driving through a city you’ve never been in. Most hotels in the area will provide a shuttle for around $30. Disney resorts provide free transportation through the Magical Express (only available through the end of 2021, sadly. But hopefully by then their Minnie vans will be up and running again for a small fee.).
Transportation to the theme parks will be similar. Many hotels in the area will provide shuttles to Disney’s Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC) for a small all-day fee. Disney resorts provide free shuttles to each of its parks, and Disney Springs, which run every 20 minutes or so.
Again, I highly recommend the shuttle transportation. Let’s do a little math, in case you’re on the fence. An Economy or Compact car is going to cost approximately $200 for a week. Factor in a Damage Waiver at $25 per day and gas at around $10 per day (just a ballpark estimate based on summer gas prices) and now you’re looking at closer to $400 just for your transportation. (If you choose to stay at an AirBnB, you may want the rental car, since Uber fares will add up quickly). If you do prefer the rental car, check to see if your insurance policy offers you discounts on rentals.
For non-Disney hotel stays, you’ll pay $30 for a shuttle from the airport to your hotel, and another $30 for a shuttle back to the airport at the end of your trip. On average hotels in the area charge $5 per person per day to get shuttles to Disney TTC; for a family of 4, a week would cost $120. So your total at a non-Disney hotel for transportation is $180 (all prices subject to change based on time of year, hotel, and the pandemic). That’s a nice discount compared to the rental car.
For Disney resort stays, you’ll pay $0, yes ZERO, for transportation. Well until January 1, 2022 when the Magical Express will retire….When that day comes you can request Disney’s Minnie van service to pick you up from the airport. The price is about $150, so if your transportation budget is pretty tight, I’d opt for Uber or Lyft, which will range from $30 to $50. So with an Uber ride, staying at a Disney resort will offer you the cheapest transportation, and the best part is you’ll get chauffeured everywhere!
Theme Park Tickets
The cost of theme park tickets varies from park to park, and can also change during busy seasons. The cheapest park tickets I’ve purchased were in the spring (not during spring break) and included the Park Hopper option. Always get the Park Hopper (I’ll explain more in a second). During this time, the theme park single-day tickets will average between $109 and $120 per person. But, if you have a multi-day Park Hopper ticket, you’ll pay about $90 extra per person (for the week; not an extra $90 per day) and you’ll get the perk of going to multiple parks per day without paying additional admission fees. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen parents at the admission counter at the parks buying single-day tickets. Purchase your tickets in advance when you reserve your Disney resort and you’ll save yourself time when your family goes to the parks.
As I mentioned, the Park Hopper is, on average, an additional $90 per ticket. Let’s do the math on that: Let’s say each park ticket is $110. So without the Park Hopper add-on, if you visited 2 parks per day that would cost you $220 per person. If you have a 4-day ticket, meaning you can visit the parks for 4 separate days during your stay, and you add the Park Hopper feature, you could visit 2 parks per day for only an extra $22.50 (that’s $90 divided by 4 days). So the Park Hopper could essentially save your family $87.50 per person…per day. To me it’s a no-brainer. Keep in mind that because of current park restrictions, Park Hopping is not allowed until 2pm each day and you are required to have first visited the park you had a reservation for. For example, if on Monday you have a reservation for Magic Kingdom, you must visit Magic Kingdom before you can visit any of the other parks on Monday using your Park Hopper feature.
Don’t worry! If you are staying at a local AirBnB, you can still buy theme park tickets with the Park Hopper feature from the Disney World website. Staying at a Disney resort is not necessary to get this great deal.
Hotels
I did an entire breakdown of Disney resorts versus Disney’s Good Neighbor Hotels (non-Disney hotels) in my previous blog How to Plan Your First Disney Trip. For this guide, I’m recommending a Disney resort as your budget-friendly option. Specifically either Disney’s Pop Century or Disney’s All-Star Movies, as these are Value resorts that offer the same great amenities as the more expensive Disney resorts, and, they have great theming! These are between $160 and $200 per night depending on the time of year you’ll be visiting. These prices are comparable to Choice Hotels such as Hampton Inn or Comfort Inn, which I frequent often when I travel around the northeast. Additionally, these resorts offer free shuttle transportation to each of the parks and Disney Springs, and they have great dining options for kids and adults right at the resort.
If you purchase your resort stay through Disney’s website, you can purchase your theme park tickets at the same time with the package offer, which can also save you a little money as well. For a point of reference, a five-night stay at All-Star Movies, with 4-day Park Hopper tickets (for a family of 4) would cost about $3,000 at the time of writing this. Yes, you could stay at other hotels in the area for cheaper, but don’t forget to factor in the transportation costs. Likely transportation costs would bring your total very close to the total cost of a Disney resort stay.
If the convenience of staying at one of these Disney resorts is not worth the extra money to you, then maybe AirBnB is a good fit. I spent a great deal of time looking for places to stay near the Disney property and there are a good amount of AirBnB locations available within 20 minutes of the theme parks for less than $100 per night. Staying at AirBnB will require you to do some additional research about the host as well as the neighborhood itself. You’ll want to make sure you’re staying somewhere safe, especially if you’re bringing your children. Staying at an AirBnB may also require the rental car since taking Uber back and forth each day will add up by the end of your trip. Plus, if you want to go to a grocery store or downtown Orlando for shopping, having a car will be convenient. Make sure you factor in the ~$20 parking fee at the Disney theme parks each day.
Dining
Disney offers a dining plan, however in my experience you’ll never actually spend as much on food as you do on the meal plan. Here’s my gripe with the dining plan (okay, I have a few…): first, you pay for the plan in advance, which is commonly $400–500 per person. Second, this dining plan can only be used at Disney Quick-Service locations and certain restaurants. So don’t be surprised if your meal at a Disney Springs cart or an Epcot restaurant is not paid for by your dining plan. Third, the dining plan allots each person 3 meals and 2 “snacks” per day. The problem I have with this is that not all “snacks” are created equal. If you or your child have dietary restrictions or are picky eaters, you may be buying the cheapest snack options each day, meaning by purchasing the dining plan, you overpaid for those snacks. Make sense?
When I go to Disney, I put $300 on a pre-paid Visa card. That way I can use that money at any location on or off Disney property and I don’t have to worry about fumbling through my wallet for my debit card, etc. And, when I don’t use that entire card on meals (which I never do), I can use the remaining money on souvenirs OR I can even bring that Visa card back home and use that money at the store. So that money is never wasted on a dining plan that I never took full advantage of.
Another great perk at the Disney theme parks is that you can bring your own food in! So if you have picky eaters or just want food you can eat quickly between attractions, you can get food at a local grocery store and make lunches to bring into the parks each day. I’ve even brought my own jar of peanut butter and jelly in my checked luggage and then purchased a loaf of bread at the resort gift shop/general store so that I can bring peanut butter sandwiches into the parks. Disney parks also have “kids meals” which typically contain an Uncrustable peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a small drink, and 1–2 snacks (typically pre-packaged carrots, sliced apples, yogurt, or applesauce go-squeeze). These are around $8 and are a good option for adults and children and provide all the necessary food groups to keep you going throughout the day (the best bang for your buck at the park dining locations).
If you stay at an AirBnB and have a car, a quick trip to the local grocery store to get your family’s favorite bagged lunch items will save you a good chunk of money on meals. Then you’ll also have a little extra money to splurge on the desserts in the parks….or on souvenirs!
Souvenirs
As I mentioned above, I always put a designated amount of money on a pre-paid Visa card to pay for my meals; and this strategy works well for souvenirs as well. If you have kids, you can even get one Visa card per child and they can feel like adults when they present them to the Disney cast members! And if they don’t spend all their money, they can save it for your family’s next trip or your next visit to the mall back home.
Each park has unique merchandise, that in most instances you can’t find elsewhere. But, don’t forget about Disney Springs which often has park merchandise at the Star Wars Outpost and World of Disney. There are also some great shops in Disney Springs that have non-Disney merchandise. Souvenirs can be expensive, but if you opt for paying for your meals out of pocket instead of using the dining plan, you should have a little extra money that can be used towards souvenirs for the whole family.
Budget Winner
So in summary, the cheapest non-Disney resort option:
- Flight — Southwest Airlines. Family of 4: ~$1200
- Hotel — AirBnB. 6 nights at $100/night, with service and cleaning fees: ~$800
- Theme Park Tickets — Four day Park Hopper for 4 people and parking fee each day: ~$2000
- Dining Plan — No. Approximately $200 per person per week for food: ~$800
- Transportation — Rental car. Compact or Intermediate size: ~$400
- Souvenirs — About $100 per person: $400
Grand Total: $5600
The cheapest option for a 1 week Disney trip:
- Flight — Southwest Airlines. Family of 4: ~$1200
- Hotel — Pop Century or All-Star Movies with 4 day Park Hopper tickets: ~$3000
- Dining Plan — No. Approximately $200 per person per week for food: ~$800
- Transportation — Free Disney shuttles.
- Souvenirs — About $100 per person: $400
Grand Total: $5400
There you have it. About $200 cheaper overall* to stay at the Disney resorts and enjoy the comfort and safety of Disney’s secured premises as well as complimentary park transportation. Do what you will with that information. I always opt for safety, but some folks really enjoy that quiet, private AirBnB setting to relax at night after a long day at the parks.
I can already tell your eyes shot wide open when you saw that $5000 price tag. Keep in mind this is a 1 week Disney World dream vacation for a family of 4. It’s going to be a little pricey even using all the cheapest options, and the flights and theme park tickets are the biggest influence on that. But now you know what your goal should be when you’re putting money aside each week for your Disney fund! Always keep your eye out for a good deal, but remember, if the price seems too good to be true, it probably isn’t legitimate. Plan safely and happy travels!
*All prices listed in this guide are estimates based on the rates available at the time of writing this. Use this as a point of reference when you plan your trip, making sure you cross reference different hotel rates, travel agency rates, etc. before booking.
