How to visit WDW on a budget?

[J.W]

We have been saving for a great family trip to WDW and we almost have enough saved. But I wanted to know if there are any ways to help get additional discounts. Are there any special membership programs to join or credit cards to sign up for that are worthwhile?

 

[Djm_in_buffalo]

I think that the possibility for “additional discounts” depends on baseline discounts; if you’re not currently utilizing any, then any discount will be an additional one.

Some potential examples include: airfare (e.g., sign up for Southwest card and get points to use towards flights); hotels (rent DVC versus rack rate direct from WDW, or do a good neighbor hotel such as Hilton’s Signia and get in on their credit card/points); and, discounted Disney gift cards, usually from Target.

There are probably others that could apply, but without knowing anything at all about your travel plans other than destination, making recommendations is akin to blindly throwing darts.

Regardless, hope you have a great trip!

 

[Mikey15]

Credit card churning for signup bonuses can be great for airfare and such, but your mileage may vary. After all, for people within driving distance of WDW, saving on airfare might not actually give you a budgetary advantage!

You can pack sandwiches and bring them into the parks for lunch, but that doesn’t help you if part of the reason you’re saving up for the trip is because you want to do a lunch at Yak & Yeti or Liberty Tree Tavern.

We tend to stay at a nearby timeshare and drive to the parks, which can be a lot cheaper than actually staying at a Disney hotel. But for some people staying in the Disney hotel is the entire point.

IOW the more you understand about how you do Disney, the clearer it becomes where you can save costs!

 

[bnf0522]

I will always recommend purchasing discounted Disney gift cards, either through a Target Red Card or a membership with Sam's Club or BJ's Warehouse. We also have a Disney Visa credit card that we use for getting rewards dollars for Disney. I'm hesitant to recommend credit cards to people, however, because I know some people in my life have trouble with charging too much to get the rewards then they're are in a debt they didn't plan for.

Another tip we have is to look at all menus for restaurants you're interested in before you go. That way the food costs aren't a shock and can be budgeted for.

Hope this helps!

 

[dvc lover 1970]

When we first started going to disney around twenty-five years ago, we did it on a shoe string budget. I still help some of my friends plan. Here are ways to do disney on a budget
1. stay offsite (you can get a two or three bedroom condo in Kissimmee for a fraction of disney cost.
2. pack food or bring sandwiches into the park and bring water bottles
3. buy tickets from AAA or Undercover tourist
4. Purchase disney gift cards from target, BJ's, ect - or other store that has 5% off
5. Get to parks for rope drop

 

[FairytaleTraveler]

When we first started going to disney around twenty-five years ago, we did it on a shoe string budget. I still help some of my friends plan. Here are ways to do disney on a budget
1. stay offsite (you can get a two or three bedroom condo in Kissimmee for a fraction of disney cost.
2. pack food or bring sandwiches into the park and bring water bottles
3. buy tickets from AAA or Undercover tourist
4. Purchase disney gift cards from target, BJ's, ect - or other store that has 5% off
5. Get to parks for rope drop

I agree, buy tickets through AAA and get discounted gift cards through target or costco, easy savings !

 

[MICKIMINI]

First of all - every WDW visitor is on a budget. What you are trying to accomplish to hold down spending is crucial. A 52 year WDW veteran and 30 year DVC member, I've done every type of trip you can imagine.

Only you can set your priorities. Determine your realistic budget. Without that $ number, it is hard to know what you personally can save. You really should add 10-20% to your budget. You will spend more than you think and more than you want. It is what it is. From there, you can work down the line. I would compare it to remodeling a bath or kitchen. If you do not break it down to snacks, meals, tips line by line you may exceed your budget wildly and be shocked when you get home.

Disney Visa will give you some discounts. Meals account for an astounding dollar amount and getting that 10% Disney Visa discount on a $400 meal feels pretty good. Do spend time on allears.net looking at menus.

Splitting adult QS entrees is an easy option. Kid's QS meals are sometimes a good deal, but with prices rising, it might be better to order a couple larger entrees and split it up. Eating a huge meal and then facing a 5 mile hike is not a good option. When you are walking all day, you will find yourself hungrier more often. Snacks are a big deal and don't discount them as they are part of the culture of WDW. By eating a small meal in your villa before heading out (fruit, cheese, yogurt, etc) you will save time. Having a handful of granola bars in your pocket may get you to lunch! DH and I bring a couple DD packaged coffees with us so we don't have to wait in a long line right off. Juice boxes, waters will disappear quickly. You really only have to carry them for part of the the morning. Any family can save time and money using this strategy at about $30-40 or more per person, per day. EASY.

Time is your most precious commodity. At 40 square miles, it takes a long time to get through traffic to WDW even if your resort is "2 miles from main gate". Plan on an hour from door to door each way. Anything less is a bonus. Therefore, I would suggest staying at a WDW resort for transportation, safety and being in the bubble. Location on property is important and looking at all options is important. Don't just choose the cheapest.

I could go on for pages and pages, however these are my best recommendations and ones I've given to many friends on big or small budgets, regardless. I hope you have a great trip!

 

[comicguy]

My biggest savings idea is to have some "handy" snack foods and water/drinks delivered to your resort (big savings on per bottle/drink basis)

Example: We usually have 2 cases of water delivered 20.00 (rounded up) 80 bottles total cost is .25 per bottle, disney cost 3.75/bottle, if you buy soda your probably looking at 1.00/bottle vs Disney's 4.25 per bottle

 

[We’reAllMadHere]

5. Get to parks for rope drop

Early entry kind of negates rope drop for anyone staying off site (except for Adventureland/Frontierland since they don’t open early). However, crowds will still be lower for that first hour or two on the day. Just don’t want offsite folks to think they will be first in line anywhere.

 

[eatatmidnight]

For our family, staying offsite has been the best money saving choice we've made. We've gone every year or 2 and have stayed both off and onsite. Our most recent onsite was at Ft. Wilderness June 2024. But no matter which WDW resort, we have found that the jaunt from the room to a park takes some time. With the exception of Magic Kingdom, it's just easier to drive (adding the cost of a rental car). We have found an offsite condo kind of across the street from Disney Springs where we can stay in a 2 Bed 2 Bath condo that cost about the same as a value resort. We will stay there 2/27/25-3/4/25. It is very spacious and after a long, hot day in the parks, is nice to have some extra space. Again, this is what works best for our family. Also, when staying offsite, I buy our tickets through Undercover Tourist.

 

[Miffy]

OP: It'd be helpful to give as many details as possible without, of course, revealing any personal, private information.

For example:
Have you ever been to WDW before
How many people are in your traveling party and their ages
When are you planning to go--the month and year and would it be during a holiday weekend
Do you plan to drive or take a plane, bus, or train
How long are you planning to--or do you want to--stay
What discounts, if any, are you planning to use

There are so many ways to save money on a WDW vacation, including purchasing discount tickets (others have already mentioned legit vendors for these), going at a time of year when room and ticket prices are lower (check out mousesavers.com to see when "low" seasons are), staying off-site (good for saving money, bad for convenience), etc., etc., etc.

Post some particulars and you will get direct, specific help.

 

[CayBoo]

While not WDW, I always try to do Disneyland on a budget.
With kids, Southwest is the only affordable airline for us, so I have a SW credit card to help earn points (I just recently managed to grab 3 round trip tickets from DEN-LGB for $300 total!) Even without points, if you're vigilant, you can still snag great deals. I also start slowly accruing Disney gift cards as soon as I have a trip booked. You can get discounted tickets through Sams Club or using the Target Red Card. I personally love also using the Shopkick app to get gift cards as well. You scan items at stores, or scan your receipts if you've purchased some of the promoted products to earn points (also called kicks). After a certain amount you can trade them in for gift cards. You can also earn quite a bit if you share the app with friends/family and they join as well. Overall I've earned a couple hundred dollars in Disney gift cards from it which I generally use as my fun money while at the parks.
For hotels, definitely consider renting DVC points! Depending on how far out you book and the season, you can save a good chunk of money while still staying on property. There's a sub forum on here purely dedicated to that!

 

[Turn the Page]

Somewhat off topic but I have a question regarding the discounted Disney gift cards from Target.

We live in the middle of nowhere and the closest Target is an hour and a half away, meaning we never actually go there. Can you get the discounted cards online or do you have to buy them in person?

 

[CayBoo]

Somewhat off topic but I have a question regarding the discounted Disney gift cards from Target.

We live in the middle of nowhere and the closest Target is an hour and a half away, meaning we never actually go there. Can you get the discounted cards online or do you have to buy them in person?

I just checked my Target app, and I can totally buy a gift card online using my Target Red Card. It discounted a $25 gift card to $23.75 and would be delivered to me electronically via email. So even if a physical store is a distance form you, I don't think you'd have any trouble buying one online.

 

[Willow Ufgood]

Somewhat off topic but I have a question regarding the discounted Disney gift cards from Target.

We live in the middle of nowhere and the closest Target is an hour and a half away, meaning we never actually go there. Can you get the discounted cards online or do you have to buy them in person?

You can purchase online but you have to pay with a Target card. Either a Target credit card or Target debit card will work but a regular credit card will not get you the 5% discount.

 

[tampabrat22]

• bring snacks or food
• order kids meals for yourself or split meals & snacks
• bring water bottles and take advantage of the free water
• only eat brunch and dinner (eliminating one meal saves a ton)
• if you stay off-site, make sure your hotel has free breakfast then you only need to buy dinner
• buy toys/souvenirs and bring them with you if you have small kids
• if you are staying multiple days skip the park hopper option
• take advantage of the free activities at the resorts (if staying onsite)

 

[We’reAllMadHere]

If you stay on site, you get free entrance to the water park on your check in day. I’ve seen people suggest arriving at Disney early enough to take advantage of that either by driving early or by staying offsite for a night prior to your Disney check in.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

The biggest ways to save money is your lodging and food. You can save some money on tickets but it’s not going to be as much.

Stay offsite and bring food with you into the parks. You can turn a 5k trip into $2500 by doing this.

 

[LuvBulldogs]

Ways to save at Disney:
- If possible, drive instead of flying. It's almost always cheaper, especially if you're a family instead of a couple, and you can bring your own sale-purchased sodas, water, snacks.
- If you must fly, pre-order drinks and snacks and have your ground transportation stop by to pick it up.
- Bring snacks into the parks, but I won't be bringing sandwiches. We need a mid-day break from the heat /need to sit down and hydrate ourselves.
- You can't count on saving big on tickets. We personally like Undercover Tourist.
- Don't buy tickets for your arrival day or your leaving day. At best you'll have half a day in the parks, and it's not worth buying a full-day ticket for half a day's play. Similarly, consider a no-park-ticket day mid-week -- sleep in, visit some of the resorts and Disney Springs.
- Skip souvenirs. They're just next year's yard sale fodder.
- I'm torn on whether staying off-site is a bargain. It's definitely more space for less money, but it makes for a different trip.

 

[pattikakes]

I keep seeing people post about savings using Disney gift cards and not sure exactly how you save by purchasing and using these. Can someone explain? We are planning a trip in the near future and while we've been going for many years, the only way I've seen to save is using my Chase points and staying at a local condo rather than inside at one of the Disney resorts. Any info is sure appreciated since there are five of us and a Disney trip has gotten almost impossible for us.