Disney can be expensive but here are some ways to save...
Disney is not a cheap vacation, any way you spin it, but here are some great ways to save!
1. Groceries! There are several great grocery delivery services at Disney including Garden Grocer and Instacart where you can order things like milk, juice, cereal and keep them in your mini-fridge. You can also have Amazon deliver snacks or make yourself a care package- all Disney hotels will hold packages for your arrival.
2. Breakfast in Bed. Bringing breakfast foods, easy to make things in your room can save hundreds of dollars on a Disney trip. Most rooms have refrigerators so cereal with milk, breakfast bars, oatmeal- all doable. If you're early risers, this can also help get you to the parks and on the rides earlier. Lunch in the room could work too, especially if you like the idea of taking midday breaks!
3. Snack it up! You are allowed to bring food and drink to the parks as well! Juice boxes, pretzels, cookies are all great snacks to bring with you and spare the expensive park popcorn! You can also pack sandwiches or other full meals. Find a good spot to sit and you can eat while watching a show or parade! Also, remember, you can always get free cups of ice water at quick serve restaurants throughout the park.
4. Save-nirs- Like snacks, souvenirs are good things to bring from home! Pack or send yourself some t-shirts or toys (my favorite spots for well priced Disney items are Party City, Target, Amazon and often on the sale page of the Gap!)
5. It's raining money! There's a good chance there will be some rain on your trip, so come prepared. Ponchos in the park are around $10. You can get them much cheaper and they're light and small (before you open them) so easy to carry with you.
6. Get a planner! Disney authorized trip planners (like us!) are free to you and can often find you deals and plan your trip in a way that will save you the most.
7. Character breakfasts! If you're going to do a character meal, choose breakfast! It's a lot cheaper than lunch and dinner and usually comes with all the same characters.
8. Not every day in the parks- There is plenty to do outside the parks- pools, Disney Springs, the Boardwalk- so spend a day doing other things. This is a great idea for your first or last day too. And don't forget the hotels, some of which have character dining. You could easily make a day feel like the parks without swiping a ticket!
9. Party Tickets- If you're traveling August-December, many days have either Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party or Mickey's Christmas Party. Tickets are between $70-$100. On these days, the Magic Kingdom closes at 6 for anyone without tickets and though the party starts at 7, they let you in at 4. So, if you can catch it on the lower price point, it's worth it to take a lazy morning and hit the park from 4 on. Lines will be way shorter and you save a day on your tickets! (*This one requires some calculations- as the per day price of tickets goes down with more days, this really only saves if you are there for a short time.)
10. Make your own in room celebration- You can order Party City banners and get some fun souvenirs there too. Then run up to the room before the kids and set it up so they walk into a great welcome surprise!
11. Collect pennies not pins- There are lots of collectibles at Disney but most of them are expensive! Trading pins and charms for your magic band can be over $10 each. One fun collectible that is much more economic is the pressed penny! They have machines in every park, and ones for specific rides and each one is 50 cents plus the penny. They even have well priced penny holders like this one: Disney Pressed Penny Collector.
12. Order well- At many of the restaurants portions are big! If you're not super hungry consider ordering from the children's menu or sharing an entree.