How to Plan A Trip To Disney World on a Budget
The Happiest Place On Earth! Walt Disney World is also the most magical, and if you’ve been there, you are also aware of how the bibbidi bobbidi boo bliss can magically make the green stuff in your wallet disappear!
It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement, the enchantment, and the overall delight that the park brings not only to children but adults alike. (And no one is judgey because we all have that sparkle and gleam from a day at the Mouse House!)
An anticipated trip to Disney World is an exciting time for any family, but it can also be stressful and expensive once the planning starts. That’s when you find yourself wishing upon a star for a bit of bibbidi bobbidi boo of your own!
It’s enough to suck the magic right from your soul worrying about how to plan a trip to Disney World on a budget! How much is too much? How little is not enough? How do you prepare for the unexpected expenses that might come up during your vacation? How can you make sure everyone has fun without going into debt over the whole experience?
These are all questions that many families (aka the designated Disney budget planner of the fam) ask themselves when they sit down to start planning their next Walt Disney World Vacation.
If you’re reading this article, you are probably the designated Disney budget planner, not to be confused with a professional Disney Vacation Planner, which you will be sooo happy to learn about here if you weren’t already aware.
How Much Does a 5 Day Trip to Disney World Cost?
That’s the question, isn’t it? For this article, the information is a baseline family of four: 2 adults, 1 child 10+, and another aged 3-9. The less crowded, lower cost, and “off season” time frame is in late January 2022, including one weekend day and four weekdays.
You’ll end up shocked at how much a Disney Trip can cost you if you don’t keep to at least a budget mindset or start with a structure, even in off-seasons.
If you are fortunate to have more leeway and are planning an all-out “sky’s the limit” type, once in a lifetime trip (like with the grands), a “budget” will still benefit you greatly. Even with an “eye-closed” spending budget, getting a good deal still means more moola for all the extras. Why waste dollars on a hotel; room you’re basically only going to sleep and shower in?
SideBar: With Disney Private Tours ranging from $425 – $850 an hour (with up to 10 guests) and a minimum of 7 hours, on top of the park admission, you can easily add several thousand dollars to your trip in just one day. Just like that, and there goes your budget for your Disney World trip.
So, while VIP tours are a creme de la creme activity, let’s consider reasonable expenses for a fun and satisfying Disney trip. Future forecasting is estimating an average 3.5% increase to Disney vacation costs in 2022 over 2021. With that in mind, a good budget target for a family of four is about $4,500.00 for five days.
Just checking out the slower season for the newly renovated Disney’s All-Star Music Resort, I found a room for 2 adults and 2 children for four nights at $510.00; when you add tickets (for five days) to the package, it will cost $2,535.00. So there’s a good $2,000.00 to play with for food and transportation.
What is a reasonable budget for Disney World Per Person?
As they say, timing IS everything when it comes to planning Disney vacation costs! With all things being equal, a fair, mid-range budget of $900/day for a family of four, including hotel, travel, tickets, and food, is a good jumping-off point. (And I don’t mean the cliff either!)
If you have the time, patience, and determination to make your own magic, that figure is easily cut in half/day. But let’s not get crazy; let’s just go with a mindset that every expense is an unlimited opportunity to cut costs!
Types of expenses will you have while visiting Disney World
Accommodations: The first and foremost is starting with where you and your littles will fall into blissful sunburned slumber anticipating the morrow?
Tickets: This is a hardcore expense with usually the least amount of room to cut costs, but it can be done. Diligence and researching the options are essential.
Food: Easily a category that will wreck your Disney vacation costs when you’re hot, tired, and staaaaarving!
Travel: It’s true, even with the best-laid plans, you have to get everyone there whether you visit Disney World on a budget or not!
Parking: The hidden budget killer, right up there with “resort fees!” This is an “Eeyore” category if ever there was one for Disney vacation costs!
Souvenirs: The budget breaker because of all that pixie dust, clever marketing displays, and a flushed, adorable little face with the big pleading eyes.
Incidentals: Fuhgeddaboudit! As the dynamite Disney budget planner, you are going to be so prepared that you will have everything from rain ponchos to sunscreen to collapsible water bottles at a fraction of the price you would have to pay in the parks or the hotel gift shop!
What is the most affordable month to go to Disney World?
If only it could be so cut and dried as in the “best month.” It’s more accurate to ask, “What period during X month is least busy?” as lower crowds correlate to reduced expense.
Historically a couple days after the first of the year up until President’s Day weekend in February is the “cheapest” overall, in general, haha. So if we want to nail down the most affordable month to go to Disney World, January wins!
Next would be the week after Labor Day weekend and/or the first week of school in the fall. Then there are specific periods in October, the first weeks in November, not including Thanksgiving week, and the first three weeks of December until Christmas. However, this Crowd Calendar tells a slightly different story for 2022, and that’s easily elucidated due to The Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary Celebration.
How To Visit Disney World On A Budget
Do you recall the idiom, “The devil is in the details?” It pretty much covers how to visit Disney World on a budget. Planning, precision, and perseverance can and will be a game-changer whether you are a novice at Disney budgeting planning, or a tried and true insider with all the ins-and-outs
This is one opportunity where preplanning actually pays off! You don’t want to give in to FOMO or FOBO, “Fear Of Missing Out,” or ‘Fear Of Better Options.” Doing your research far enough in advance will give you a price point to want to beat and an understanding of your baseline budget.
One of the best things you can do right out of the gate to plan a very satisfying but much less expensive trip is to contact a Disney Vacation Specialist at the get-go. Even The Points Guy recommends trying a Disney Vacation Planner, the Mouse Counselors.
An authorized Disney Travel Specialist will do all the work for you, all that Mickey Love, “don’t cost a thing!” There are no hidden or inflated costs as Disney pays commission directly to the agent, so you really are getting the best price.
In addition to this free service, Disney Specialists have access to all the
Disney offers and promos released. They will be contacting Disney at all hours on your behalf to accommodate your travel plans and budget.
You won’t be dealing with FOMO or FOBO because your Disney Travel Specialist can and will update you on the best price for your trip as new deals or offers become available. More importantly, your itinerary will be able to be adjusted to a better offer.
Working with a travel agent for Disney is the best way to lay the foundation of your trip. Disney Travel Specialists can plan the trip you want and find the best price. Their expertise in options or activities you may know nothing about is a significant bonus, many of which are complimentary based on your trip selections.
How To Find the best Deal On Disney Tickets
Beyond having a baseline for your budget and the activities you would like, besides nailing down January as the best month to visit Disney, good news abounds, especially if you plan to visit Disney World on a budget.
Whether you wish to compare the prices of the Disney Travel Specialist or look on your own, the best thing to happen to cost-conscious, penny-pinching Disney budget planners is the Disney World Calendar.
The Disney ticket calendar is tiered and provides a ticket pricing strategy that
will correlate to projected guest counts. This pricing structure encourages guests to visit during off-peak days and keeps crowds more evenly dispersed.
Disney’s Calendar is a good jumping-off point that works well with another heavily favored planning tool, the Orlando Crowd Calendar, by the Undercover Tourist. This forecast and highly accurate crowd count are based on historical attendance and park patterns.
“We use wait time data that we’ve collected for more than 10 years in predicting crowd levels—taking into consideration seasonality, holidays, special events, opening hours and other factors that go into planning Disney vacations. We also have unique insight into crowds based on hotel reservations and ticket trends.” Undercover Tourist
Between these two tools, if you plan out your trip based on the best prices for your budget and start soon enough, you can certainly save a LOT of money.
Building your Disney vacation costs around these two factors will save the most money and bring you the most joy. Less expense, fewer crowds, and less waiting around in line will increase your enjoyment and value of your trip immensely.
With the main expense tackled, let’s look at a few discount ticket sellers that are legit.
Are Disney Discount Ticket Options/Retailers A Scam?
It is the Internet, and we are ⅕ of the way into the 2021st century… Meaning, always do your due diligence. However, since we are anticipating a trip to the Happiest Place On Earth, let’s focus on the fact that there are several legit Disney World discount ticket offers available.
Many bloggers recommend “Get Away Today” for legit discount tickets. They have a solid reputation and are sincere in their customer service. They tend to favor Disneyland and packages, but Disney World Tickets are also available.
In an apple to apple comparison for this blog, I found that the beloved Undercover Tourist site had a higher discount over Get Away Today for each ticket package starting with three days through 7-day ticketing.
Another well-established and reputable Discount Disney ticket seller is Orlando Fun Tickets.
Why You Should Avoid Park Hopper When On A Budget
First, the typical recommendation is that if you are visiting for four days or less, you should stick to one park per day as park hopper tickets can significantly increase your admission.
Unlike Disneyland, where the parks are right next to one another, a jaunt back and forth between parks doesn’t take any longer than a stroll from Tomorrowland to Splash Mountain.
That’s not the case to get from one park to another in the Disney World Resort, where it’s at minimum a monorail, boat, gondola, or even a bus ride from park to park. Add to that entry into the park, and going through the screening process once again-the “hop” could take an hour out of your day before you know it.
If you have multi-day tickets and, at some point, within the valid admission days you wish to update and have visits left, you can easily upgrade to a park hopper ticket. These tickets are tiered as well and can add up to $65 per day. That’s lunch, at least!
So, if you are motivated to visit Disney World on a budget, stick to one park per day where you get the best use of your dollars and your time!
To Stay Off-Site or On-Site At Disney… That is the Question!
This is where your budget planning comes into play. How much of your budget do you want to commit to your lodgings? Is the on-site experience essential to your family?
It can be frustrating when you are looking for a concrete answer, but it really does come down to what your day will look like based on your family dynamic.
Do you have littles who need to nap, and the trade-off would be tired, cranky kids by 8:00pm when nothing makes them happy. The luxury of slipping back to the hotel for a quick dip in the pool to cool down then a little siesta will go a long way towards keeping the littles happy!
Or is your brood the go go go until you drop, and the hotel just needs to be a place to sleep and shower?
These are considerations when planning a visit to Disney World on a budget. The least expensive Disney Resort accommodations I found were $112 a night. That’s a great deal! But you’ll have the added expense for parking on-site, but you won’t have to pay for parking at the parks.
Many people enjoy AirBnB, including our family; check out my 8 Tips To Guarantee A Great Airbnb Experience. Airbnb has heavy name recognition for a company that’s only been around for 13 years.
Vrbo, vacation rentals by owners, has been operating double that time, 26 years. In the Disney area, budget traveling families will be wild about some of the deals presented. A condo that sleeps 8 can cost you as little as $77 a night if you book for availability.
Caution though, host or cleaning fees can run from $0 – $500 or higher. The best way to optimize your search time is by selecting “total price” instead of “daily price” because when you see a $90/day rate and a seven-day total price is $900, you know you’re getting shafted on the fees when another $90/day listing is at $690 for total price.
Always be aware when you are booking off-site that some hotels charge a parking fee. Even budget hotels can charge as much as $18 a night, a “resort fee,” which can be as much as $25/day, making an $89 hotel rate hover around $145 with the fees and taxes.
This is where the MouseSavers Newsletter really comes in handy because they will have exceptional offers on rates that waive parking or resort fees or both.
Flying vs. Driving & Booking Cheap Flights
What is the closest airport to where you live? Do you have a regional airport that is serviced by discount airlines, such as Southwest or JetBlue?
Surprisingly you can find some great discounts on airfare and hotel packages, and even car rental if you need it.
Some people like to start with SkyScanner.com because it is a slick comparison tool for booking websites and different airlines. The downside is that it doesn’t offer certain discount airlines, so while you may find the best comparable rate with the legacy lines, you could save up to 50% by checking the budget airlines. Check our my post on the best websites to find flight deals and be sure to sign up for Scott’s Cheap Flights (MIA to Tokyo for $209RT, MIA to Nairobi for $480RT and MIA to Denver for $59RT are just a few deals I’ve found here).
Do you have the luxury of several days that aren’t all devoted to the theme parks where you will need to use a car? If your travel day only has you on the road for a day, going by car could be the most economical choice for a budget-friendly way to get to the Mouse House.
Try the GasBuddy Trip Cost Calculator, using your year, make, model, and tank size. It really takes the guesstimation out of budgeting for driving instead of flying!
Transportation Costs for your Disney Budget
So let’s list more than a few transportation costs you will need to look into when planning your trip to Disney World:
Daily Parking Fees to Visit Walt Disney World on a budget
- Parking Fees at Disney Parks, currently $25/day
- Hotel Parking Fees range from $12-$15/day
- Disney Resort Parking Fees, $15/day
Transportation Cost from Orlando International Airport to WDW Resort Areas
- Uber or Lyft from MCO to Disney ~$20
- Taxies can run you double
- Mears Connect Shuttle Service: starting Jan 1, 2022: $32 RT for adults, $27 RT Kids
- Disney’s Magical Express: complimentary shuttle service discontinues Jan 1, 2022
Eating at Walt Disney World on a Budget
There’s a lot of options when it comes to what and how you want to eat. The rule of thumb should be you enjoy at least one meal outside of the park each day. This is easily accomplished by starting the day with breakfast in your room or finding accommodations that provide breakfast.
If you would like to enjoy the meal plan or variations of it, you should take advantage of the Disney Vacation Planner’s expertise in this area. You’ll most likely save yourself a lot of headaches.
You should also consider the amount of food your family consumes. Are you already anticipating the next meal as soon as the other one is over, or are you the avian type, “eats like a bird?” Many families consider the full meal plan just too much food, and you can spend a lot of time eating instead of enjoying attractions.
A good budget trick is to plan for one solid meal at the parks and two snacks or treats. You can take lunch, snacks, and beverages into the park for a picnic. With breakfast food you had on hand and enjoying the complimentary coffee in the room, combined with a picnic lunch, you’ve sliced a solid $125 or more off your daily food budget.
Definitely buy water bottles to take into the park with you since a bottle of water there will cost upwards of $4.
Don’t try to push carrots on your little darlings when walking by the confectioner’s shop or the bakery. It won’t work with the emotion-stimulating scents of fresh-baked cookies and vanilla wafting over you. The compromise is to go ahead and get a larger treat such as a cookie or marshmallow Krispie for them to share. Many of the offerings are larger portions and easily shared, and the serving is too big for children anyway. (There may even be a bite or two leftover for you!)
It may be easier to fend off the attack on your senses when it comes to cookies, but you can smell that popcorn 50ft away, sigh. The strictest budget doesn’t have much of a chance against the tantalizing aromas of popcorn, candy, and churro’s, so account for treats in your Disney budget. And if you are immune to the Disney smellitizers, bless you!
Tips For Saving Money When Planning Your Disney Vacay
There are a lot of aggressive money-saving ideas for a Disney World trip on a budget. How hard you want to budget and how willing you are to work towards having more experience for the same price or just more cash towards the vacation overall can make a huge difference! Here are a few tips to get you started.
Play for Pay, Everyone Chips in For The Disney Vacation Costs
Speaking of those wonderful and iconic Disney treats, you might want to try the envelope system on your children for snacks and souvenirs. Talk it over with them and establish a reasonable budget for their daily use.
Before your family trip, you could also incorporate the concept of earning their treat money and assign chores or special jobs to fund their envelope money. Your children will experience how working is productive and that earning money requires effort.
Each child receives an envelope for that day’s budgeted money’s specified use when arriving at the park. They will learn the value of considering their purchases and how far money goes because when it runs out, that’s it for that day.
Buy Disney gift cards at a discount.
Sam’s Club requires membership and offers a discount of about 4% on a $50 gift card, but if you use your Sam’s Credit Card, you will receive an extra 5% off on top of the discounted price.
BJ’s offers Disney gift cards and also requires a membership. However, you can request a one-day pass for 24 hours and purchase all the gift cards you need at that time.
The 5% cashback discount on the Target Red Card will give you a solid return, but if you aren’t going to pay off the total amount before interest charges post, it’s not such a good idea with interest rates on the card at 22.9%.
Bring your own food.
Always a good idea for optimizing your food budget is to plan out when you can bring and eat your own food. Between airport food or running into a Buc-ee’s, it’s easy to get sucked into buying candy, drinks, and snacks.
Raid your pantry, take a look at what you have before you go out and buy more. Taking items already paid for is a great way to squelch the food budget. Use up things that are not getting eaten because there’s always something else. Even those of us who aren’t great fans of Cheetos think they are delicious when we’ve been standing in line with a rumbling tummy for an hour and need something to snack on.
If you have picky eaters, why spend $9 on a kids meal at the park when they will just pick at it and waste it? (Or worse yet, you eat it because you know how much it cost and refuse to throw it out.)
If you have a PB&J lover, well, pack it up! Disney will allow you to bring small coolers; the new soft-sided cooler bags are amazing and can slide in the under stroller storage! Freeze several of your water bottles the night before and use them as your “ice packs,” then consume once they’ve thawed.
Disney is very courteous about families trying to keep their costs down with outside food. There are several places to picnic, like Tortuga Tavern, Rapunzel’s Village, The Hub at Mainstreet, and Tom Sawyer’s Island. There are a few Disney restrictions about outside food, nothing crazy, but leave the glass at home!
One last thing, I touched on this before, but bring your own water bottle. You can refill at drinking fountains, request iced water from a fast service eatery (which is always free), or just have several frozen bottles in your cooler bag. This collapsible water bottle set is perfect and doesn’t take up much room when not in use.
Visit on a weekday to save on your ticketing budget
Prices are much higher on the weekend or special event days. Getting tickets for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday is usually less expensive. When you look at the crowd calendar, you’ll be delighted to see that these days are generally the least busy of the week as well.
Avoid holidays like the plague!
Firstly, holidays are always more expensive and have much greater guest traffic. Going on a jam-packed holiday could mean only getting on a half dozen attractions with that many people. Fortunately, all of the decorations and themed activities sprawl throughout the holiday month, so families that go on value days will get the magical guest experience too!
Buy Ponchos & Weather Gear From Amazon
Here is where your budget planning for a trip to Disney World can shine! The amount of money you can save by planning in advance for those necessities you don’t “need until you need” is staggering.
First, let’s talk about inclement weather gear. If you know your significant other won’t wear a rain poncho but will carry an umbrella, that’s one less poncho to buy. Disney will rake it in on rainy days and, ‘hey, it’s Florida,” so having gear on hand is the way to go. As long as the sleeves are not too short, a disposable poncho will do what you need it to do, and you won’t feel bad about tossing it after the trip.
Second, when it rains, and your feet get wet and stay wet, that’s a miserable space and can ruin your afternoon. Pack one pair of cotton socks for each person to change out of wet ones.
A cooling shaw is helpful if you get over-exposed to the sun or want to avoid getting that way.
Hats or visors for sunburned faces and don’t forget sunscreen for your scalp! You definitely have to protect your scalp when you are in the parks all day!
If you wear flip-flops, take a spare set, and make sure you cover the tops of your feet with sunscreen.
Buy Disney Souvenirs and TV Shirts Before You Go!
Always start with Mickey Mouse Ears from an outside vendor, and you’ll be a savage saver! You can get cute Mouse Ear Headbands for girls and a Mickey Mouse Ears Hat for boys.
Don’t forget a plushie if your little one is all about the stuffed toys. There are many options for Disney plushie fans, like this 11” Grogu for only $17! How about a 15” Classic Minnie for only $15?
Use Those Credit Card Rewards For Your Disney Budget Vacation
Apply for a cashback credit card that will build up rewards to help defray the cost of your trip even when you use it for everyday expenses.
Before adding another piece of plastic to your wallet, check with your current card companies if the program you are enrolled in will provide credits or cash off travel or accommodations at Disney.
Some cards can easily be switched over, but make sure you have all the info upfront. An annual fee might wipe out any savings you would accrue over the year based on your spending habits.
While Disney World Is Expensive, There Are Ways You Can Save Money & Still Go On A Budget
Whether you’re a Disney veteran, first-timer, or somewhere in between, there’s no better time to start planning your budget visit to Disney World than now. Even if it feels like you have all the time in the world before heading out to Orlando, doing some advanced research will ensure those precious vacation days get the best bang for your buck.
Disney World can be a spectacular vacation destination, but it’s not always easy to plan. Use the free services of a Disney Vacation Planner, and they will help make your family’s dream trip come true! Not only do you receive assistance with planning things like tickets or hotel packages, but also advice for what best suits your family’s needs (modified meal plans) and how much you should budget for food treats in the park.
With some advance planning, visiting Disney is more manageable and budget-friendly than ever before. So don’t wait any longer – start planning today!
