Help me save $ on my trip to Disney!

[Kac23]

Hi everyone! I'm new here. I am planning a trip to Disney in March with my boyfriend. I would love to hear all of your money saving tips! Please spam me with your fabulous tips!!! Thank you.

 

[Marionnette]

Hi everyone! I'm new here. I am planning a trip to Disney in March with my boyfriend. I would love to hear all of your money saving tips! Please spam me with your fabulous tips!!! Thank you.

Really, you could do a search on this forum and find plenty of tips! They tend to get repeated over and over again.

In a nutshell:
Stay off-site.
Buy your tickets from a discounter.
Bring your own food into the parks.
Don't buy water, use the fountains or get ice water from a counter service location.
Limit souvenir purchases.
Drive instead of fly.

 

[Desnik]

Welcome to the DIS!!

I know staying off site saves money, but I couldn't do it. Staying on site is awesome and there are some discounts out there! Here's a site to check on all the discounts & make sure you sign up for the news letter so you can get a link to by park passes at a great discount! mousesavers.com

If you are not big eaters, you can save a lot by sharing counter service meals. Some are large and easily shareable. If you want to do a table service meal, do one for lunch instead of dinner and don't do a buffet, too expensive.

Bring snacks and drinks from home & take them into the parks.

If you fly & stay on site, use Disney's Magical Express for free transportation to your hotel then back to the airport.

Don't get the hopper option on your passes, that'll save you some money too.

That's all I can come up with, sorry! Hope it helps!!

 

[bettyann29]

I ditto what everyone else has said.. Bring

Bring some snacks from home..Such as popcorn- there are microwaves in the foodcourts- take it back to your room at night fir a snack.. bring single serve koolaid packs, etc to put in water.. Also breakfast type items such as breakfast bars, granola bars, pop tarts and eat breakfast in your room before heading to the parks..
Eat lunch as your biggest meal if you are doing any table service meals, as they're cheaper.. Or just do counter service for all lunches and dinners- the table service can get pretty pricey.. If you go on allears.net you can research the menus and find a wide variety of counter service options!

If you're staying on property- take a bus to DTD and it's a 5 minute walk to Hess- you can buy a styrofoam cooler and some drinks for the room, chips, etc- cheaper than buying in food court!

Also, as mentioned above- no hopper passes.. Limit your souvenirs..

Also you have time to do a few click to pay sites such as swagbucks, mypoints, etc.. You can earn gift cards and Paypal for extras for your trip..

 

[Surfinpiratee]

Figure out how much your trip will be, and divide that by the amount of weeks you have until your trip, and put away a little more than that is each week! Also, YES DRIVE! you get a fun roadtrip out of it too! My bf and I will be driving, round trip, will only be about 280 in gas money!

 

[jodi413]

This is our first year as DVC members and no free dining so I've done a few things to save:

1. We set up a Disney jar in our laundry room... Every time I had some spare change or extra cash we all throw it in the jar. It's in the perfect spot to toss all of that $$ left in pants as I'm doing the laundry!

2. I have a Target credit card which gives me 5% off everything, so every few shopping trips, I toss a Disney gift card in the cart. They go in the jar, too.

3. I opened a Disney Visa card and after spending $500, they sent me a $200 gift card... in the jar!

In 4 months we've saved close to $500 in that jar and we're able to spread out the cost of the trip so it's not such a hit all at once.

As another poster said, there are lots of tips on these boards, so keep reading and I'm sure you'll learn a ton of ideas!

 

[crisi]

There honestly aren't that many ways to save money at Disney - and some of the ones that are there are against Disney policy and we can't (and usually won't) recommend them. Most of them have been mentioned.

If your travel plans are flexible you can see if you can get a great package deal. That wouldn't happen in March though. And the great package deals usually aren't really "cheaper" - they "add value" - like the free dining package - its still usually cheaper to book offsite, eat mostly offsite - but you get value from free dining.

That is why a lot of the budget board has more to do with saving money for Disney - because there are a lot more ways to save money in the rest of your life.

(I like the Target RedCard - and if you fill perscriptions you can stack the discount for pharmacy rewards as well - but do be careful because if you overbuy your gift cards, you'll end up with extra)

 

[ferrero121]

I ditto what everyone else has said.. Bring

Bring some snacks from home..Such as popcorn- there are microwaves in the foodcourts- take it back to your room at night fir a snack.. bring single serve koolaid packs, etc to put in water.. Also breakfast type items such as breakfast bars, granola bars, pop tarts and eat breakfast in your room before heading to the parks..
Eat lunch as your biggest meal if you are doing any table service meals, as they're cheaper.. Or just do counter service for all lunches and dinners- the table service can get pretty pricey.. If you go on allears.net you can research the menus and find a wide variety of counter service options!

If you're staying on property- take a bus to DTD and it's a 5 minute walk to Hess- you can buy a styrofoam cooler and some drinks for the room, chips, etc- cheaper than buying in food court!

Also, as mentioned above- no hopper passes.. Limit your souvenirs..

Also you have time to do a few click to pay sites such as swagbucks, mypoints, etc.. You can earn gift cards and Paypal for extras for your trip..

What is Hess and do they sale baby wipes we are here now and are running out lol

 

[ShariVT]

Hess is a gas station convience store I am not sure if they have babywipes or not. But you can ask at any on the childcare centers in the parks if they have any or the best place to buy some.

 

[brymolmom]

There honestly aren't that many ways to save money at Disney - and some of the ones that are there are against Disney policy and we can't (and usually won't) recommend them. Most of them have been mentioned.
If your travel plans are flexible you can see if you can get a great package deal. That wouldn't happen in March though. And the great package deals usually aren't really "cheaper" - they "add value" - like the free dining package - its still usually cheaper to book offsite, eat mostly offsite - but you get value from free dining.

That is why a lot of the budget board has more to do with saving money for Disney - because there are a lot more ways to save money in the rest of your life.

(I like the Target RedCard - and if you fill perscriptions you can stack the discount for pharmacy rewards as well - but do be careful because if you overbuy your gift cards, you'll end up with extra)

What has been mentioned that is against Disney policy? I haven't seen one post about anything 'suspect'.

OP - Great ideas here. If you can afford a value room then stay there and bring a lot of snacks and breakfast foods in your luggage. OR - if you're driving - You can get a better deal offsite....You can find a condo or inexpensive hotel (sometimes witha frig and microwave which can cut down costs) - for $250 - $300 for a week. Then you have to pay to park - but still less than onsite. Plus you can get discounted tickets from undercovertourist which saves a small bit.

If staying offsite try bringing your lunch in a soft sided cooler backpack...We bring fruit, sandwiches and a container of pringles. Plus drinks. Then you can call to order a pizza on your way to the parking lot - a quick pickup on the way back to your room - and there's a $15 dinner (with drinks and dessert from your groceries in your room).

I would skip the hoppers. Not necessary if budget is a concern.

 

[MushLRC]

I just got back from a 2 weeks stay. I won't give the genaral "to do's" that have been done. I'll just share 1 specific savings I did while there.

I LOVE coffee and have to have it. It was 90 degrees and I wanted iced coffee. The iced coffee costs more than a regular coffee and its more ice than liquid. I simply ordered my usual coffee and asked them for a large cup of ice. They happily obliged my requests and I got more caffein bang for my buck

 

[texasroni75]

We do a lot of what the previous posters mentioned to save money on our trip. We also save by packing carefully - especially if you are flying you don't want to overload your luggage with things you do don't need. But, if you pack thoughtfully, you can avoid having to spend a lot of $$ on last-minute (Oh I should have brought that from home!) expenses once you get there. It's better to pack a little first aid kit of your own with some tums and ibuprofen than to have to pay an arm and a leg for it at a resort store.

And we buy our Disney shirts and accessories ahead of time from the Disney Store, Old Navy, Target and Walmart. I actually just got a really nice hooded zip up Mickey sweatshirt from the Disney store for $9.99 (it was originally $59.99 - which is pretty much what you would pay for it in the parks).

 

[crisi]

What has been mentioned that is against Disney policy? I haven't seen one post about anything 'suspect'.
.

Oh, I'm not saying that any have been mentioned in this thread - and I didn't mean to imply that, but when you go looking for Disney budget tips on the internet, you'll find lots of suggestions for how to save money by "breaking rules." And I suspect you can name some of them as well as I can

However, you are free to bring in as much canned creamed corn as you can eat

 

[Marionnette]

What has been mentioned that is against Disney policy? I haven't seen one post about anything 'suspect'.

There was actually one last night. It has either been edited or removed, I'm not sure which. But it definitely mentioned doing something that is not quite within the rules.

 

[lovedisney123]

If it is at all possible on your budget, I would still stay at a value resort rather than off site. We have even tent camped at Fort Wilderness and LOVED it! That was before we were DVC members. But if you guys aren't opposed to camping, give it a try (and look on the FW camping board). When we camped there it was the nicest camp ground we had ever used. The bathrooms were very clean and air conditioned and at night they had an outdoor movie and Chip and Dale came out to visit.

But I will say, the value resorts would be more comfortable. Of course if staying off site is the only way to be able to afford it, it will still be a very nice vacation!

I would also suggest taking a water bottle with you to the parks and for me, the tap water didn't taste good, but if you take those packets of Crystal Light or whatever you like, you can add that to the water. If you do that with your meals it would save a lot.

And yes, take snacks to have back at the room (or campsite). That not only saves money but is much more convenient that trying to go find something at night when you return to your room.

We also tended to 'share' meals (but that would depend on your appetite). Sometimes my DH would order a regular meal and I would order a kids meal and then we just shared the two. But look around the menu. You can sometimes 'supplement' one meal with extra items to make it enough to share.

Hope you have a wonderful trip!

 

[disneychrista]

Don't know if the same is true for WDW but at Disneyland "officially" outside food is prohibited. It is of course done all the time, and they never stop anyone who brings prepared food into the park. They will not allow bread, peanut butter & jelly but a PB&J sandwich is just fine.

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

In the four big catagories there are only so many ways to save.

Tickets:
10 day no expire water park & more tickets - These tickets give us 20 days of fun to spread out over 3 or 4 trips. It was a big cost outlay up front, but averages out to less than $200 per person per trip for my family. I bought mine 2 price increases ago and so far we have used them twice.

YES tickets - While not as good a discount for the adults as a couple of years ago, the discount for the children participating in the classes is still pretty good. I see you are going child free at the moment so file this one away for later.

Undercover Tourist
Miliraty Salute tickets (if you are eligible)

Lodging:
Off site - search for a great deal for the week at one of the timeshare properties (Wyndham Bonnet Creek in actually inside the Disney gates) or check out renting a house or condo at nearby Windsor Hills.

On site - Look for special offers like Free Dining or room only discounts. Values resorts are big enough for a party of 2, don't pay for more resort than you need. A PP also mentioned camping at FW.

Food:
See Free Dining above.

Buy Disney gift cards ahead of time - I usually buy one $50 Disney gift card a month for about a year and a half to use for food. If I buy it at the grocery store I get fuel points for free gas. You can also buy them using the Target Red Card and get 5% off (mentioned by a PP).

Bring some of your own food. Eat some meals in your room.

Getting there:
Fly - Frequent Flyer Miles for flights, or wait for fare sales or stalk Priceline type sights.

Drive - You can use some rewards points or sites like Priceline or Hotwire for hotel stays during the drive. Also use some of that free gas you racked up buying Disney Gift cards.

 

[marmalade]

One thing that I do on occasion is if I plan on spending money on takeout or any other non-necessity and change my mind I will put that money I would have spent into the vacation account.

I also transfer money directly into a capital one 360 account on my payday. I started with $15, then I bumped it up to $50 and about 4 months ago I changed it to $100/week. This money is solely for vacation.

We also do the change jar and I save $1 through-out the year. We only go yearly, so this adds up over the course of the year.

We are not the kind of family that can just say I want to go on vacation and whip out our checkbook and pay it off in full, there is always some planning that we need to do.

 

[crisi]

Don't know if the same is true for WDW but at Disneyland "officially" outside food is prohibited. It is of course done all the time, and they never stop anyone who brings prepared food into the park. They will not allow bread, peanut butter & jelly but a PB&J sandwich is just fine.

At WDW, bringing in alcohol or anything in a glass container is prohibited. Also, rolling coolers.

That they specifically prohibit these things, but don't prohibit a small softsided cooler filled with cans of pop and peanut butter sandwiches implies that a small softsided cooler with a few cans of pop and some sandwiches is fine.

 

[disneychrista]

I had to look it up the food policy of WDW vs DL just because I was curious. Now I am curious why the difference in the official difference. In practice they both allow outside food.

Walt Disney World Outside Food Policy
Can I bring my own food into theme parks and Disney Resort hotels?
Guests are allowed to bring food itemssuch as snacks or foods that do not require heatinginto Disney theme parks. Inform a Security Cast Member of any food items when you enter the park.

Disneyland Outside Food Policy
Can I bring food into Disneyland Park or Disney California Adventure Park?
If you wish to bring your own food and enjoy an outdoor meal in an ideal setting, there is a complimentary Picnic Area conveniently located outside the Main Entrance to Disneyland Park.
With the exception of food items for Guests with specific dietary restrictions, food or beverage items are not permitted into either of the Disneyland Resort theme parks.