MONEY SAVING DISNEY TIPS

Apr 3, 2023
8 min read

Updated: Jun 1, 2025

Disney is expensive, no need to sugar coat it. Regardless, you can still have an amazing vacation no matter what your budget is. Not sure how to start planning your trip? I’ve got you. Check out this post and then come back once you have the essentials figured out.

Welcome back! Now that you have your park chosen, budget set, and dates of travel, it is time to pick your hotel and start booking! Follow this guide and you will have all the money saving Disney tips needed to plan the perfect Disney vacation within your budget.

Pro tip before we get started: A Disney travel agent can be an amazing source for comparing prices for you on travel and hotel. They don’t cost you anything and have a ton of knowledge about the parks. I recommend finding one you love, or using Matt at Travelmation, he is always my go-to!

VACATION DATES

The time of year you visit Disney has a huge impact on the cost of the trip. Now, I get that if you are going for a birthday or special occasion you don’t have a lot of flexibility so you can skip this part. But, if you do have flexibility in traveling, then this is a key money saving Disney tip! The best time to visit Disney is after Valentines Day but a week before spring break. So roughly February 15th to March 10th. This will give you the lowest cost, for the most park availability, and the best weather (very important). Cant go at that time? No problem!

Any time January through early March and late August into early September is usually cheaper. Essentially, if you avoid major holidays and the peak school breaks, then you are going at a time that will save money. But! If going to Disney for Christmas or another peak time like Halloween is important to you, then it’s worth it for the higher price tag.

HOTELS: VALUE, MODERATE, AND OFF-SITE RESORTS

The hotel you choose has a big impact on your budget, and that’s why it’s the first of my money saving Disney tips. Before we get into the details, I want to say how awesome value resorts and off site resorts can be. For starters, value resorts have some of the best themes and you probably wont be spending a ton of time in your rooms anyway, so don’t blow your budget there if you are staying cost conscious. There are also tons of hotels close by for less money that offer shuttles and great amenities, so consider those options as well.

When choosing the perfect hotel there are a few things to keep an eye on. Transportation to and from the airport and the parks is essential. Transportation should be free to the parks but double check with the hotel, if it isn’t that cost adds up quickly. You’ll also want to make sure there is easy access to the airport. I like Mears Connect (Disney World), but schedule them to come at least 30 minutes earlier than you think you’ll need.

The next thing to consider when booking a hotel is the pool and free amenities. We usually stay at the Coronado Springs hotel and one of the main reasons is for all the amenities. First,

I believe an off-day from the parks is essential, so a nice pool and recreation area are important to us since we’ll be spending most of a day there. The hotel also has a fire pit for roasting marshmallows, Disney movies under the stars, a beautiful lake for a morning run, and tons of easy food options. Why do these matter? Well, if you’re trying to keep costs low you want free activities and the more you can get for the price of the hotel the better. I get that you’ll likely be maximizing time in the parks, but its nearly impossible to go from rope drop to fireworks more than one day so a nice hotel is key for a mid-day rest or an off-day.

Here are a few of my favorite cost conscious hotels, but always check prices as they are constantly changing! This link lets you compare hotels on the dates you want to travel.

Value

Art of Animation

Pop Century

Moderate

Coronado Springs

Caribbean Beach

Port Orleans

Off-Site

Dolphin Hotel

Swan Hotels

TRAVEL & TRANSPORTATION

If you can use airline miles or credit card points, that is an easy way to save big on flights. If you don’t yet have any points look at airlines that have great rewards programs and check your credit cards to see which offers the most points or rewards for flights and travel. Not sure where to start? Check out these links! This one talks about best airline loyalty programs, and this one talks about the best credit cards for miles and rewards. You can also take a look at the Hopper app which will give you an idea if you should buy tickets now, or wait to get the best price. I would say it about 80% accurate.

As always when traveling, be wary of hidden fees from airlines like Spirit or Frontier. Its is usually cheaper to fly with American and Delta when you add in baggage fees and all the other little charges they build in.

Next thing to consider is transportation to and from the hotel. I also discuss this in my Disney Planning post, but if your hotel doesn’t have a shuttle, Mears connect is highly recommended, just be sure to add plenty of time to your reservation heading back to the airport. Avoid taxi’s and Ubers at all costs, they will be more expensive and don’t bother wasting money on a rental car .It costs money to park at Disney and makes much harder getting in and out of the parks. There really isn’t anything the free transportation cant get you to

Okay, you’ve got your flights and transportation to and from the hotel, now just getting around the parks. Easy! There are tons of fast, FREE, and easy ways to get to parks, water parks, Disney Springs, and other resorts. With so much free transportation, don’t bother with Ubers or ride share if you want to save money. Plus they aren’t any faster, cleaner or easier for you to get where you want to go. Depending on where you are staying and where you want to go, you have the following free options:

Busses
Skyliner
Boats
Monorail

Disney Transportation is fantastic so (if I haven’t convinced you yet), don’t waste money on other options.

NO-PARK "OFF-DAYS"

I recommend off days for a lot of reasons. First, Disney is a lot and not even a super hero mom who can defy the odds of the universe can go more than one day from rope to fireworks. Days off from the parks are fantastic, they save money and give you a chance to recharge for the next park day. Money wise, you are saving the cost theme park tickets for the family that day, so that’s a good chunk of change. Just beware, off-days can get very expensive if you don’t have a plan. My favorite activities for an “off day” from the parks are basically zero cost:

Visit your hotel pool
Walk the hotel walking path
Visit the beach (cost of an Uber ride)
Free hotel activities (movies, puzzles and games, playground, etc)
Resort hop
Movies and smores by the pool
Ride the skyliner, monorail, or boats for a fun view
Mini golf at Winter Summerland ($14/person)
Surrey Bikes (For rent)
Walk the Boardwalk
Disney Springs (Can be very tempting to spend money, beware!)

GROCERIES

Food in the parks and at your hotel is expensive, like stupid expensive. That what makes this money saving Disney tip one of my favorites – it’s ultra easy and very impactful on your budget. I highly recommend ordering groceries to cover your breakfasts, snacks, drinks, and miscellaneous items. More than just saving money, this is a convenience tip and will save you a ton of time in the parks. I recommend amazon fresh, but really anywhere you like works well and basically any service will deliver to the hotel front desk for you. It’s a lifesaver for moms that have picky eaters so you wont have to go out of your way to order a $9 chicken nugget platter in the parks only for them to reject it. Below is a sample grocery list, but first a few reasons to try grocery delivery and important things to keep in mind.

Easy breakfasts allow you to eat in your room while getting ready saving a lot of time and headache getting to the parks early.
Having snacks ready to-go cut out a huge cost and keep everyone happy while waiting in line.
Shopping ahead keeps kids (and adults) eating a bit healthier and ensures picky eaters have things they will like.
If you or your kiddo have food sensitivities or allergies, grocery shopping is a must.
Bring water bottles to refill. No need to waste your money on something like overpriced water. I recommend two bottles per person so you aren’t constantly looking for a refill station. Yes, you really do drink that much water in the parks.
Don’t forget to pack a cooler that can fit under a stroller.
Keep in mind that Disney Hotels have fridges, but not freezers.

SAMPLE GROCERY LIST

Breakfasts: cereal, oatmeal, hard boiled eggs, yogurt & granola, etc….
Drinks: milk, soda, juice, sparling water
Snacks: Goldfish, pretzels, nuts, popcorn, trail mix, snack & protein bars, chips, etc…
Sweets: candy and cookies (no one said diet, just budget). This also keeps you from more costly and highly tempting alternatives in the parks.
Baby Basics: diapers, wipes, formula and puppy pads (for changing tables) so you don’t have to fly with a bag half full of baby supplies.
Coffee pods & creamer (if you’re picky, but most hotels have some for free in the room)
Fruit: Apples, oranges, bananas, grapes, etc…
Adult beverages (non-glass containers for pool/parks)
Lunch: basic sandwich ingredients (bread, turkey & cheese, PB &J, etc…)
Miscellaneous items: Napkins, ziplock bags, plastic cutlery

PACK INTENTIONALLY

For those Moms out there saying “Duh, I’ve been packed since I decided to go.” Yeah, same, but what you pack is key to saving money. I have a full post on packing lists for families coming soon, and if I do so say so myself, it walks the perfect line between too much and not enough. I tailor this list every time we go to Disney and it’s a great place to start to build the perfect list for your family’s exact needs. A few cost saving things you need to pack to avoid a huge price tag in the park:

Sunscreen – 2x more than you think you need
Disney gear and apparel
Reusable water bottles
Kids entertainment
Weather gear (rain poncho, sweaters, hats, etc)
Basic first aid and medicine (Bnadaids, Benadryl, Tylenol, etc)
Sanitizer (spray and wipes)
Stroller (we rent from Kingdom Strollers)

SOUVENIRS

I am convinced it is physically impossible to leave Disney without a few souvenirs. My final money saving Disney tip is to be realistic and set a budget for this. For example, I could say “I really want a 50th anniversary tee shirt” or I could say “my budget is $50 total”. Both essentially do the same thing it’s really just preference on spending regidity. One of my favorite hacks for this is to use your Target redcard to buy Disney gift cards for each person with their set budget. First, this gives you a 5% discount at Disney (kinda, since you used your redcard) and once the money is used, it stops you from overspending. Any remaining odd balances can be used on food or anything else you want in the parks so there is no waste. It also avoids having to remember how much money each person has spent and has left, just remember to write names on the gift cards. This is generally a great tip for anything you want to spend in the parks, but be careful not to overbuy gift cards.

DANG GIRL, YOU'RE A PRO NOW!

If you’ve read this far, then I have no doubt you are motivated to save money at Disney, and that mindset is the key to success. So, congrats, you’re already a champ! Thank you for following along and I would love to hear your feedback and any Money Saving Disney Tips I may have missed. Looking for some family fun to get you in the Disney mood? Check out my Disney themed Movie Night Menus here and other Disney content on the blog.

Thanks for being here, and keep following along on Pinterest so you never miss a post!