Disney World is somewhere I really want to visit one day. I know so many people who have been and visit time after time. We are going to wait a couple of years until the youngest gets old enough to appreciate the trip properly and then there will be no stopping us! As a larger family we always have to be careful about spending money on holidays as things can get expensive very quickly. So I've been looking at how we can visit Disney World on a budget and still have a brilliant time.
Tickets
Carefully research ticket options. When you are looking to pick up some Disney tickets look carefully at pricing, comparing whether it is cheaper to get standalone tickets or a package deal. Don't be sold by seemingly big discounts on offers, do the maths yourself to work out what is the best value.
Hotels
It is always going to be cheaper to stay off resort but you will need to consider whether the perks of staying on resort negate that. If you stay on resort you get extra magic hours and a free shuttle to and from the parks to your hotel. If you stay off site you don't get these and you will have to factor in the cost of renting a car. A dining plan also won't be available to you if you stay off site. So with choosing accommodation it is more a balancing act here of working out what would be the best value for your trip rather than what is cheapest.
Food
You will need to work out whether a dining plan or self catering is the way that you want to go. Self catering will be invariably cheaper as long as you are making the meals yourself and not buying them at Disney restaurants. Again this is a personal preference because a big part of the Disney experience is in the restaurants where you can meet characters and see shows. A dining plan can offer 40% off the cost of dining out so that's what I would choose if you want the full Disney experience. If budget really is more of a a concern go self catering and take your own food into the park which will be considerably cheaper.
Souvenirs
I always tell my children that they can have one souvenir each and I give them a budget so that they don't go wild in the gift shop and it stops them continually asking for things if they know that at the end they can choose one thing. One of the top tips I read when researching this post is that if you are going to take part in Pin swapping, look on eBay to build a stash up before you go. You can pick up a bundle for a significantly cheaper price than you will pay at the park. I think I would be really into Pin swapping so this is something that I will be doing before we go!
I hope that you found this post useful and you got some tips. Ultimately visiting Disney is expensive but that doesn't have to stop you looking for the best value way to do it, leaving you with more money for your next adventure!
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