50 Ways to Save $100 in Disney World

how can you stay in your dream Deluxe Disney Resort for Less where are you gonna find high-end dining for cheaper and how can you keep from blowing your budget on the best souvenirs we're saving you the big bucks in Disney World today here on dfv guide [Music] hey everybody it's AJ for Disney food blog if you've been trying to figure out ways to cut costs on travel expenses give shop souvenirs nightly hotel stays dining around property and theme park tickets ahead of your big Disney World trip then stick around as we spill all our favorite money saving tactics in one single video no use Dilly dallying let's jump into those major Disney savings right now we got 50 ways to save 100 in Disney World and our first one is about souvenirs buying souvenirs straight out of the gift shops is a high like no other until you realize how much money you're actually spending on these things 40 bucks for mini ears feels like highway robbery I don't care who you are but there's a way to get Disney souvenirs at much lower prices and best of all you get to create them yourself several Disney World Resorts have specialty arts and crafts projects that they do throughout the week to give you a custom souvenir at a much cheaper price point than the mass produce stuff in the past we've seen and done activities like creating your own Mickey and Minnie ears at the grandfather Floridian that's about eight to ten dollars Caribbean shell painting at Caribbean Beach for eight dollars DIY snowstorm jars from Beach Club for eight to ten dollars and one of my favorites is tie-dyeing your own shirt for about 20 to 25 bucks and numerous pool sides around property and that's only a few of the many activities you can create and take home to remember your best trip ever by so be sure to check out the Resort's recreational activities board and see when these projects will be happening and get to crafting and don't forget you don't have to be staying at a resort to do the activities unless they're by the pool if they're by the pool then you can't really get into the pool without staying there now this might shock you but not every day of your Disney World trip has to be a park day in fact some of my favorite days inside the Disney bubble happen to be outside the parks go ahead and take a day or two out of your trip to avoid the extra Park ticket expense and instead do some of Disney's free activities you can explore the different Resorts swim in your hotel pool watch a movie Under the Stars at any of the Disney hotels sit around the campfires also at any of the Disney hotels stroll around the Disney Springs shopping district head to the tricycle D Ranch over at Fort Wilderness maybe even catch a free outdoor concert while you're in Disney Springs there is so much to see and do around property that doesn't have to cost you anything so you might as well enjoy the freebies when and where you can it can be very tempting to pull out the credit card and just book your next vacation then and there I've done it many times you might even be able to justify it by considering the credit card Awards you'll accrue in the end but if you don't have the money to pay off your trip within a reasonable amount of time you're going to negate the those credit card rewards that you earned and instead wind up adding a whole lot of extra interest charge to the total cost remember that you can book a vacation package which includes a hotel and Park ticket bundle at Disney World with a 200 deposit then you can pay off the rest of it later on without paying for any extra interest charges kind of like a layaway situation for vacation packages you'll just need to make sure the rest of your trip is paid off 30 days before you head out meanwhile if you just book a Disney hotel room separate from the vacation package bundle the rest of your payment won't be due until check-in time so familiarize yourself with Disney's payment plans so that you don't get hit with a bunch of interest charges after you book now you want to be careful which Dining Plan you're booking Disney's prepaid dining service the Disney Dining Plan is making its Grand return on January 9 2024 but you can start adding it to your future Disney World Vacations right now there are two different Disney dining plans you can choose from if you want to choose one including a quick service plan and the standard plan while the standard plan does cover one table service meal per day that's a sit-down meal as well as one quick service fast food and one snack credit the Quick Service Plan covers two quick service meals making it a cheaper option for families if you plan on eating a lot of food and experiencing a lot of different themed restaurants while you're exploring the parks than the standard plan could still be the best option for you but if you're just trying to pre-pay for all your dining and you don't really want to take a whole lot of time out of each Park day to sit down and have a big meal that cheaper Quick Service Disney Dining Plan will definitely suffice guess what Costco and Sam's Club members you might be able to get your vacation packages to cheaper than what the Disney World website advertises throughout the year these stores regularly run discounts on Disney World getaways in the past we've seen bundled prices that wound up being over a thousand dollars cheaper for families just by booking them through Costco and Sam's Club's discounts for example at the beginning of last year Costco had a major deal that included five-day park hopper Disney World tickets accommodations at the Swan and Dolphin Resort the daily Resort fee and all applicable taxes wrapped up in one price along with that package you also received a complimentary double room upgrade to the balcony Resort view room and if you were traveling with little ones up to two children aged three to nine were able to eat for free from the kids menu at select restaurants and dining outlets for breakfast lunch and dinner with those parameters and a five-day park hopper ticket the total price came to 2456.70 but pricing a similar package directly through Disney World's website for the same dates at the Dolphin Hotel came out to 3495 and 80 cents in total total so when I say you could get over a thousand dollars in savings I was not exaggerating while these savings aren't always guaranteed it never hurts to check for them during your next grocery run so booking flights can be tricky since prices switch up almost daily but there are some days out of the week that may give you a better chance at savings over other days as a general rule of thumb Tuesdays and Wednesdays will often see the lowest flight prices out of the week but if you have to fly out over the weekend your best bet might actually be on a Saturday since Sundays and Mondays are when airlines are packed with people heading out on business trips while this isn't a for sure savings method it may be worth checking into just see if you can squeeze in some extra savings before you take off you can also download some of those apps that will send you notifications and updates when they find cheap flights on a very similar note hotels including the Disney ones typically see cheaper prices during the week from Sundays to Thursdays but Spike upward on the weekends in fact some Disney World hotel discounts will be specifically labeled for stays between Sunday and Thursday leaving out those Friday and Saturday nights entirely since that's when the resorts tend to see the most demand so if you can plan out your vacation stay during the week versus during the weekend if your vacation days allow that to happen you might wind up saving yourself some money just by shifting your schedule a bit more often than not it's happy hour somewhere in Disney Springs so you better go find out where various spots in the Disney Springs shopping district including but not limited to House of Blues Jaleo jock Lindsey's Raglan Road offer special dining and drink deals During certain hours on certain days now these deals tend to switch up every so often but you can find which specific deals are going on right now via rdfb discounts and Deals webpage where we gather all the most recent Disney savings opportunities that you can find in one easy to search post and we update it a lot I'll link our discounts and Deals webpage for you down in the description Disney World has some pretty cute Spirit jerseys and sweatshirts that you can get inside their gift shops but those long-sleeved outfits are going to be well over 50 to 80 dollars but over at the dfbstore.com we yes we have some adorable and super unique long-sleeve shirts for half the price which will be perfect for your upcoming Disney trip during Orlando's cooler months and that'll be here before you know it we've got designs that highlight some of the best shows and rides put you in the Holly Jolly Spirit celebrate retired fan favorite attractions and even give attention to Classic characters that you don't see advertised in the Parks all that much each shirt can be customized by size style and color and don't forget to check out our teas and tank tops and v-necks too having to pack up and leave your Disney World Resort mid-trip might sound like a hassle and a half but it could end up being just a savings tactic you're looking for to actually pull off a stay at a deluxe Resort without spending thousands to do so some folks opt to do a split stay by booking one hotel for the start of their vacation and another hotel for later on in their trip that way you can start your vacation at one of the value Resorts maybe do that on a Friday or Saturday night but cap it off with one or two nights at the deluxe Resort of your dreams on that Sunday to Thursday if you do book a splits day Disney will transport your luggage between hotels for you you can drop off your luggage at Bell services in the morning when you check out and then head over for a day in the Parks or Disney Springs and your bags will be at your new hotel when you go check in there restaurants like space 220 and Epcot tiffins in Animal Kingdom Hollywood Brown Derby and Hollywood Studios and Sanaa an Animal Kingdom Lodge as well as several other nice table service restaurants on property can make you second guess everything on the one hand you really want to save money and not splurge on a lot of different table Service locations but on the other hand these restaurants look really tasty and their theming is a whole lot of fun too so what do you do I'll tell you you can have your cake and eat it too if you want to try an expensive restaurant inside the Disney bubble you'll want to check and see if that restaurant has an attached or nearby lounge and you probably guessed this but all those restaurants we mentioned in the beginning of this point do if your restaurant has an attached Lounge then you can grab a table here and Sample the food that comes directly from the main restaurant's kitchen by ordering a couple of appetizers from the lounges menu and splitting them amongst your group that way you'll still be able to save money while also getting to experience a small selection of what that really pricey restaurant has to offer booking a flight always feels like a gamble are you booking when prices are at their lowest or do they have the potential to go even lower over the pressure is real but you might have a better chance for lower flight prices than you think even if you book a flight only to find out the prices for it have dropped just a few days later most Airlines will let you cancel and rebook at no extra charge or change your flight without a change fee this isn't the case for every Airline so you'll want to check those cancellation policies ahead of time but it is the case for a lot and if it's the case for your flight specifically you should be able to cancel rebook and save yourself some money it's never too late to save money on your Disney trip off and Disney World puts up savings opportunities through their special offers deals and discounts webpage now these savings differ depending on the time of year you're planning on visiting but if one happens to pop up that can apply to a vacation package or hotel you've already booked through Disney there might be a way to apply those savings on those pre-existing reservations here's how you do it log on to your My Disney Experience account go to the my plans reservations and tickets section from there locate the change modify reservation option option and Disney's going to walk you through the steps of adding that promotional rate from there in some instances adding a promo won't be as easy as a few button Taps on your screen and if that happens you may need to call Disney at 407-939-4357 for some extra assistance oh and let's not forget about a different kind of last minute discount that bounce back kind if you already know you're going to plan another trip back to Disney World before your current vacation is over I know sometimes they get you that way be on the lookout for bounce back offers these will allow you to get a hefty discount on your next vacation if you book it before your current one ends the catch is that you do have to book your trip before you leave in order to get the discount while this might be a rather sneaky way for Disney to convince you to spend more money by enticing you to book another trip it can also add up to Great savings if it was something you were already planning on budgeting for anyway if you're not seeing any obvious bounce back promos inside your room you can always call extension 8844 from your hotel room to ask about any potential bounce back opportunity cities that could be going on and don't forget even if you book your bounce back offer you can always cancel it if you decide that it was a rash decision you got time monitoring savings especially the last minute ones can add a whole lot of stress that you didn't sign up for so when you are a very very busy person and you don't have to check every single day to see if there are new discounts there are reliable travel agents who will take on that stress for you you guys know that we work with Small World Vacations they are Disney authorized travel agents they are the first to learn about new discounts and promotions that you can apply to existing vacation packages and then as soon as those discounts are announced they are on the phone trying to change your package so you get more money off now when you're partnering with small world they're going to be sure to apply the savings to your trip whenever they find out about them without you having to do a thing if you want to get a free vacation quote from small world check out our link to their website down in the description below by the way they are totally free to use a lot of people don't realize that travel agents are free because they are paid commission by Disney so they're free for you to use okay not trying to kill your Vibe or anything but it's just a scientific fact at this point the addition of alcohol and any mixed drink is going to automatically double the price especially at Disney consider the Kristoff Cafe for instance which you can find at kringla Bakery OG Cafe in Epcot without the alcohol the Kristoff Cafe is going to set you back about six bucks but with it the drink transforms into the Frozen Viking coffee and shoots up to 15 or if you're ordering a pineapple Dole Whip float from tamutamu Refreshments in Animal Kingdom a non-spiked version will cost you six dollars but the spiked version with coconut rum will cost you 12.50 my big advice here is not to skip out on the cocktails completely but choose maybe one or two and stick with the non-alcoholic mocktails for the remainder of the trip which can still be just as tasty and half the price so if you belong to a Loyalty Rewards program for a certain third-party restaurant company you might be able to use your membership benefits at restaurants around Disney take Landry's for instance if you're a Landry's select card holder you can use your card holder benefits at Landry's owned restaurants throughout Disney including Rainforest Cafe T-Rex and and yak and Yeti perks include things like priority seating rewards points and an extra 25 bucks worth of dining during your birthday month now we got tons of different memberships you can look into joining before your trip featured in our dfb guide to Walt Disney World dining this guide is packed with different tips and restaurant reviews and budgeting techniques to help you pull off a stress-free Disney World vacation when I wrote this book way back in 2011 for the very first time I think it was 2011 might have been 2010. when I wrote it for the very first time I wanted to make sure every money saving opportunity was in there that you could possibly take advantage of there's a lot of info in this book we update it twice a year and then of course we update it again if there's big big changes so it's got a lot of details and just many many decades of Disney trips that are informing that guide so if you're interested in supporting what we do here go ahead and grab one of those you can get it at dfbstore.com use code YouTube for a discount on that guide and of course it's a guaranteed book so if you don't like it just let us know and we'll get your money back okay there are so many awesome Epcot restaurants that you can potentially try to make reservations for while you're visiting the park but if you're wanting to taste test a few or even a bunch of different Festival Foods while you're making your way around the world showcase you're bound to fill up on eats and sweets and drinks pretty quickly even if they are only sample sized so booking a table service restaurant on the same day as you're stacking around the world day might end up being counterproductive and ultimately a waste of time and money instead save the money you would have spent on that sit-down meal and eat some more Festival Foods a lot of times our eyes are bigger than our stomachs when it comes to Disney World we want to eat at all the restaurants we book like three a day that's not going to work out you're not going to be happy with that most of the time so maybe issuing those table service restaurants in Epcot on your eat around the festival day is a good plan now I know you've heard it before but this is still a Surefire way to make sure you're spending less money on a Disney World vacation and that's traveling during the off Seasons Disney World's slower times of the year When the Crowds die down and the ride lines get shorter or also when you're going to find the cheapest vacation packages plain and simple so here are the cheapest price points you're going to find for each season in winter you'll have to wait for the holidays to pass by before you'll start seeing those hotel and ticket prices drop the prices during this season are at their cheapest right after the New Year's celebrations wrap up between January 4th and 8th when spring comes around the spring break crowds will bump up those prices a bit but they tend to mellow out at the beginning of May and until summer vacation so does summer have any cheap prices absolutely but the cheapest prices of the bunch are going to be toward the end of August when school is back in session and then there's the fall season where early September continues to give us decent crowds and lower prices alright nothing personal Disney World hotels we love you and all but you can just be too expensive sometime times while even Disney's lower cost value hotel rooms are still going to set you back almost two hundred dollars many of the nearby Good Neighbor hotels that partner with Disney could wind up being less than a hundred dollars per night depending on the time of year or what promotion offerings might be available and If you're looking for a hotel suite Good Neighbor hotels might be the better way to go this Delta bedroom options tend to range between 600 and fifteen hundred dollars per night but many of the Good Neighbor hotel suites and multi-bedroom options may only cost you between 200 and 500 per night again depending on which hotel you choose and what time of year you visit and don't forget to research airbnbs and vrbos too while there's no Disney partnership going on with these accommodations meaning you'll end up missing out on those Disney Resort perks you'll be able to book full houses near to the Disney parks with kitchens multiple bathrooms maybe even a private backyard pool and those will be much more moderate price points just make sure you do your research and check on reviews before you book our all-time favorite Good Neighbor hotels to stay in are the Marriott Swan and Dolphin Resorts which are not only within walking distance to both Epcot and Hollywood Studios but they also provide Deluxe Resort perks like extended evening park hours at a much more moderate price point but you can make that rack right even cheaper if you're a Marriott bonvoy member so this is another loyalty program deal if you tend to stay at other Marriott owned hotels for other Vacations or business trips you'll be able to earn points each night of your stay that you can redeem on future hotel stays at other Marriott spots which includes the Swan and Dolphin best of all becoming a member isn't going to cost you anything bonus tip using your hotel points to book a room during the busy and more expensive holiday season can help you prevent having to fully pay for those hotel room price hikes that you'll encounter but it will cost you more points instead you can use your points to bring down the cost and make a holiday stay more affordable though another tip is to take your own stroller now this isn't always the most feasible option for families I know but if you're able to take your own stroller then you'll be able to cut down on yet another extra expense a multi-day rental for a single stroller is 13 per day which can definitely add up the double stroller is 27 per day now this price might be worth it rather than dealing with the hassle of packing your own stroller on a plane or in your car but keep in mind that stroller rentals cannot be taken between Parks so the stroller you pick up in Magic Kingdom will still have to be dropped off in Magic Kingdom before you head out then you'll have to pick up a new stroller once you arrive at a different Park another potentially cheaper option you may want to turn to when it comes to strollers are those third-party rental companies whether or not these strollers will actually be cheaper or not it depends on where you're renting and what you're renting but they can still be a more Nifty option simply because you get to keep these strollers your entire trip instead of having to return them to the front of the parks each time you leave one more suggestion for you you can also buy a super cheap umbrella stroller from a grocery delivery service when you first get to your hotel yep instacart can deliver more than just snacks and water bottles wildly enough and so can Target and soak in Amazon then before you leave to head back to the airport you can always pass that stroller on to another family who's just arriving for their vacation to spread the love and the savings and there's one type of Disney World guest that can get into all the parks for free and eat at all the buffets for free too and those guests are the little ones kiddos under the age of three if you're trying to decide whether or not it's worth it to take your baby or toddler to Disney World it might help you to know that a Disney trip when your kid is smaller could be more financially doable for your family than when they're older and you'll have to pay the big kid prices for them and don't forget if you are traveling with a baby you can use the Free Rider swap system to make sure all the adults in your group who want to ride the more thrilling rides will be able to without waiting in line twice just be sure to ask a cast member at the front of the queue about Rider swap before you get in line for it that way they can get you all set up for your your magic band or through your physical Park ticket now sure you can purchase a vacation stay at a Disney Vacation Club resort directly through the Disney World website whether you're a DVC member or not but when you do that you're going to be paying those top tier Disney prices that can be hundreds or thousands of dollars per night but there's actually a special way that you could stay at those resorts for potentially much less if you book a room from a reliable third-party DVC rental site like David's DVC rentals you can rent Disney Vacation Club points and get a room for 30 to 50 percent less than it would cost you to book directly through Disney there are pros and cons when it comes to renting through a third party site so watch our video that goes in depth with all the DVC rental details so you know for sure if this is the type of path you're going to want to forge for yourself or not attention drivers this one's a money saving tip for you lots of Supermarket chains offer programs that you can join for free to earn points toward fuel discounts every time you buy groceries the program some of our dfb team members use the most however is through Kroger where you'll earn points each month that you can redeem for cents off per gallon the next month Kroger fuel points can be redeemed at Kroger gas stations and also at many Shell stations but there are lots of other supermarkets out there that may be closer to where you live that offer similar programs so check and see if you can apply for one or a few to help you save money before you start traveling to Florida oh FYI you don't have to take out a loan for the souvenirs you're going to bring home from Disney World some Disney World souvenirs you don't have to pay for at all so maybe it's time to track down some of those freebies a few super popular Disney souvenirs that are absolutely zero dollars and zero cents include things like those celebration buttons from your Resort or guest services at the front of each Park professional sketch courses where you get to keep your drawing afterwards from Disney's Animal Kingdom and they also have these over at Art of Animation too collectible Transportation cards from Disney's complementary transportation services and that's not all the free stuff you can get in Disney it's only a small sliver of it but if you want to learn more be sure to check out our 50 free things video after this next tip is use free Transportation whenever you can the Disney Skyliner the boats the monorail they aren't just a Nifty way to get around the parks but they're also totally free for guests to use whether you're staying at one of the hotels or not well yes you can choose to drive yourself between Parks or you can order a ride share service to come pick you up if you want a more private ride and you don't want to wait for one of the buses you can also save all that money by choosing the free route instead so let's talk saving money on your hotels again you're not always going to want to choose the Good Neighbor hotels and the vrbos over the Disney owned hotels because the quintessential Disney Experience is calling your name and I get that so if you'd like to stay directly on Disney property for Less that's what the Value Resort options are for now this doesn't negate what I said earlier value Resorts can often put you back 200 per night just for a standard room but during value Seasons you might also see them drop as low as 140 to 150 per night or even less if there's also a discount you can apply from the special offers deals and discounts page looking for a family Suite with a separate bedroom kitchenette area and two separate bathrooms Art of Animation and All-Star Music can hook you up with the most affordable Suite options in the Disney owned realm while Art of Animation Suites can still get pretty pricey and fall into the 500 to 800 per night range All-Star music's family suites are priced around 300 to 400 per night instead the making it the cheapest Suite option throughout the Disney Resorts it also has a few benefits that Art of Animation doesn't so definitely don't discount these particular options grab your tents and sleeping bags friends because if you want an even cheaper stay on Disney property you're gonna need to hike over to Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground you can rent a campsite and live in the Great Outdoors for around 70 to 130 dollars per night during the slow season and because you're still staying on Disney owned soil literally you'll still get access to all those Disney World perks like early theme park entry and free transportation to and from the parks even though this is rough in it by Disney standards you better believe this Campground is loaded with Recreation and restaurants and amenities like the new trails on Quick Service the hoof to do Musical review dinner and show various swimming pools and sleigh rides and archery and the tri-circled ranch and a lot more and in case you're worried about the bathroom situation here fear not particularly vital for tent campers Comfort stations with clean bathrooms and shower stalls are conveniently located throughout the campground don't want to pay full price for that new emo outfit or that grogu plushier kid keeps begging for or that I am your father Star Wars mug that your husband keeps wanting you might not have to there are several places both online and in person where select Disney Parks merch is sold for less than you'll find inside the parks shop disney.com is a good example you're going to be able to find lots of sales and savings opportunities on site year round there's even a sale tab you can select to see what park merch is currently being discounted outside the Disney bubble there are two Disney character warehouses that sell the Overstock of Disney Parks merch for way cheaper one is located on Vineland Avenue and the other is on International Drive but both character warehouses are tucked inside an outlet mall speaking of outlet malls though Disney outlet stores aren't as prevalent as they used to be there are still a dozen or so sprinkled out across the U.S that you might be able to hit up near you before or after your Disney trip for even more Overstock Disney merch at a cheaper price point now it doesn't happen every day but Disney World merchandise can potentially go on sale inside the parks themselves and not just online or at the outlets more often than not we'll see items discounted toward the end of the season or toward the end of an Epcot festival when Disney's trying to clear out all their leftover merch to make room for the new stuff so keep your eyes peeled for signs on the end caps and shelves of the aisles just in case a pop-up discount appears right when you need it the most speaking of the Epcot festivals be sure to download our free guide helping you tackle any of the festivals that you plan on visiting by scanning the QR code to see on the screen right now or by heading over to disneyfoodblog.com festivals after we wrap up here today a great way to save is to opt for pixie dustings instead of the whole royal treatment so Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique Inside Magic Kingdom can be a really cute and memorable experience for your young prince or princess but considering the fact that these Royal Treatment packages range between 100 and 200 per kid that may not be the kind of magical investment you want to make especially if your kid hates having their hair messed with with for an extended amount of time or they tend to change out of character costumes just as soon as they put them on instead of a full-on makeover you can reach out to a wand toting cast member either inside sir Mickey's gift shop or bonjour Village Gifts and ask for a free pixie dusting instead these are both in Magic Kingdom these cast members will wave their magic wands have you make a wish and then Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo you'll be sprinkled with faith trust and pixie dust AKA lots of glitter another cheaper makeover option for kids is the face painting locations you can find in every single Park and Disney Springs not only can you get a design that's fit for royalty but there are other designs you can choose from too like animals and floral patterns or the classic Mickey and Minnie Mouse face paint designs typically range between 15 and 20 dollars but remember pixie dusting is free you can also share meals when you can paying for each individual Disney meal can make even the Quick Service locations expensive especially if you're paying for a whole lot of people so when you're able it may be more cost efficient to purchase one heftier meal to share between two people in your party now normally I wouldn't include this tip because I don't think it's valid for me to say hey save money on your trip by just not eating as much right but the difference here is that Disney meals are really really big they serve you a lot of food so it's very very possible that splitting some of these bigger meals is going to give you plenty of food especially if you have a dinner booked or you had a big breakfast Etc so here are a few of the Quick Service entrees that we like to go halves these on sometimes in Disney World the trio platter at Columbia Harbor House in Magic Kingdom that's got fried shrimp chicken tenders battered fish hush puppies and your choice of a side for just over fourteen dollars if you're especially hungry you can still add on a second order of fries for about five bucks and you'll still will be saving quite a bit while splitting between two people over at Epcot the Taco Trio from La Cantina de San Angelo which consists of Barbacoa Cameron and Pollo tacos is very easy to share especially because you can split the serving of rice and beans too and you can get all that food for about 15 bucks one of our OG favorite shareable meals is the ribs and chicken combo at flame tree barbecue in Animal Kingdom with ribs and chicken coleslaw baked beans for about 16 bucks this is a great value for the money and as always you can add extra sides like an onion ring basket for around five bucks this last shareable option is totally cheating because it's actually a table service but sharing a pizza at the Napoli at Epcot means you can split a full Pizza Pie between four people for around 40 to 55 dollars pricey for a pizza absolutely but it's gonna be Quality Pizza that'll feed a whole family for under 60 bucks which ain't too shabby for a sit-down Disney meal and when it comes to making your trip even better Disney's got a ton of suggestions for you and by suggestions I mean a lot of Premium add-ons that'll get pretty costly if you decide to do all of them some of these add-ons include the park hopper capability where you can jump between different parks on a single day Disney Genie plus where you can collect lightning Lanes to help you bypass the main cues of rides and attractions individual lighting Lanes where you can pay to skip the main queue per single ride per person for the most popular rides in each Park Magic bands where you can hold all your Park details like reservations and hotel key cards right on your wrist A Memory Maker where you can keep all the professional PhotoPass pictures you collect throughout your trip now some of these add-ons will be perfect for you but not all of them are going to be despite what Disney might say so do your research see what add-ons will actually be worth the cost and save the rest of your money for something else like a souvenir or a snack or just turn it into your extra safety net money for later and just a little extra info on this for Park Hoppers Disney Genie individual lightning lanes and Magic bands you can add all of those once you get to the parks and see if you actually need them same with Memory Maker but it's going to cost a lot a bit more if you don't book it before your trip so let's dig into magic bands a little bit what happens if you don't pay for a Magic Band to hold all your Park info well then you'll hold all of that exact same reservation info for free on your My Disney Experience app through the magic mobile option if you want to skip the magic band and Magic Band plus purchases entirely because you totally can if you have a Magic Band that you've purchased for previous trips you can reuse it for your current trip without having to pay for a whole new band that being said if you want to experience those magic band plus features like the lights and haptic vibrations that are triggered by the nighttime spectaculars or the Star Wars Galaxy's Edge bounty hunter game over in Hollywood Studios your magic mobile can't do that for you so you'll still need to save 35 to 50 dollars per band in order to take advantage of those fun extras if you think they're worth it Disney tries their best to pitch you this really great deal while you're purchasing your Park tickets telling you that you can add the Memory Maker option before your trip to save an extra 30 on your purchase but even with that thirty dollar savings still going to wind up paying 169 dollars for this add-on and let's be real here how many of us really want every single one of those PhotoPass pictures pit stains and all instead of paying for an entire Memory Maker package you can opt to just pay for the pictures you want after your trip a la carte two 4x6 prints will cost you 18.95 and one 5x7 print will be 20.95 that means technically you could still purchase up to eight different five by seven PhotoPass pictures before you start to break even with the Memory Maker package but if you want to skip paying for your family pictures entirely you can always just ask a PhotoPass cast member to take a picture of your group with your personal phone and they'll happily oblige free of charge instead of trashing your hydration goals during your next Disney visit please don't do that those water bottles are really expensive though so here's how you save you can grab free cups of ice water from most any quick service restaurant around the parks as well as from the snack stands that have drink machines there are also several bottle refill stations in various locations that'll help your replenish everything you're sweating out all day long don't think that'll save you a hundred bucks remember bottled Dasani water runs you around six dollars per bottle each time you purchase it so after 16 bottles you're definitely pushing over the hundred dollar Mark and if you're paying for multiple waters for multiple family members each and every day 16 bottles will creep up on you faster than you think several character dining experiences are available for breakfast lunch and dinner like Chef Mickey's at Disney's contemporary resort Cinderella's Royal table in Magic Kingdom and the Crystal Palace also at Magic Kingdom just to name a few if you want to book one of these meals strictly for the character meet and greet experience and the food is just a happy bonus on top of the one-on-one interaction time then plan to book your reservations earlier in the morning for breakfast instead of after 11 A.M breakfast tends to be the cheapest dining option for these character experiences since they'll offer up the typical breakfast spread which costs less instead of something more unique but breakfast will still get you filled up fueled for the park day and provide lots of hugs and pictures from some of your favorite characters without having to wait in lines for them inside the parks not to keep talking about breakfast or anything but breakfast is the most important meal of the day for more than one reason if you hit up one of the Disney World breakfast buffets as late as possible like around 10 30 or 10 45 then you can get the breakfast buffet and the lunch buffet too when it switches is out so it's kind of like two meals for one price and not just any price if you book your reservation when it's still breakfast time then you'll still only have to pay the breakfast price even though the lunch options will come out for you to try during the second half of your meal that way you won't have to worry about stopping somewhere for lunch and you'll get to try out all the different Buffet options in a single setting so basically fuel up at this Meal Pay Less pay the breakfast price and then you probably don't have to eat again until dinner and even then you can probably just grab a small Quick Service meal if you can't or don't want to Shell out the big bucks to get annual passes for your family it might be worth just purchasing one and calling it good nope I don't mean abandoning the fam and flying solo though if that's your speed I am totally team solo trip through and through what I actually mean though is that there are still plenty of benefits you can score in the parks with just one annual pass holder in your group we're talking 10 off most table service restaurants specialty hotel room discounts throughout the year free parking at the theme parks 20 off at most merchandise locations it's an even savings on specialty after hours events like Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween party and Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party it'll take you crunching the numbers and pulling out your handy dandy calculator to see if the price of an annual pass is going to end up saving you money in the long run thanks to the discounts but if you're planning on taking multiple trips out to Disney World in the same year it might be even more worth the initial Splurge now I saw so many guests using this next strategy during my last visit and I am here for it if you don't want to pay for an expensive meal or even a quick service meal every single time you need a bite to eat pack your own food and take it into the parks with you I saw tons of families with PB and J sandwiches cucumber slices packages of grapes Lunchables and several other picnic-like food options that they pulled out during lunch and dinner and munched on while they sat at one of the outdoor tables near the Quick Service locations well I do love a good Disney meal they do add up quickly so being able to swing by the grocery store before your big Park day and pick up some easy to pack snack foods is going to save you a whole lot of money in the the long run it could also save you a lot of time too because don't forget if you're just kind of pulling stuff out of your fanny pack and eating it as you go along you're going to be able to ride a lot more rides now just make sure the foods you pack follow Disney guidelines meaning you don't have to keep them Frozen you don't need to reheat them they don't have too strong of a smell and they're not being kept in glass containers oh and no alcohol eater whether you're staying at a Disney World Resort with a kitchen or kitchenette or you're staying in an Airbnb with a full-size kitchen and dining area you can purchase even more grocery store food to store in your rental units fridge then if you decide you want a home-cooked meal during your vacation and you're able to head back to your home away from home during your Park day or even on a break day you can end up saving money on food yet again rather than dining at a whole other table service restaurant on property and dropping thirty dollars plus per entree for each person you can choose to whip up something quick and easy and satisfying for the whole family right there in the kitchen some affordable and super Speedy meals we like to rely on when we're trying to save a buck include those TV dinners Ramen packages grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup frozen pizza or even loaded microwavable baked potatoes and if you don't feel like cooking while you're on vacation then consider ordering in in the past few years those food delivery services have absolutely exploded doordash ubereats GrubHub they can bring cheaper and nearby fast food options directly to your Resort from outside the Disney bubble depending on what you order and where you order from the food you pick may not be all that much cheaper than what you normally pick up from a quick service on property after delivery fees and tips are added in but promotional codes and seasonal savings opportunities could cut down those delivery fees and still provide you with a pretty decent deal in the end just keep in mind that you won't be able to have your food dropped off at your hotel room door instead you'll have to pick it up from bell services in the lobby of your resort once it arrives that's cool though you don't want some Rando coming to your door right right now preferred parking at each of the Disney parks is 45 to 50 dollars per day just for the ability to park closer to the front gate and that could be worth it if you want to make sure you're not parked way out in the boonies when you arrive later on in the day but often you'll still be able to park fairly close to the front of the park if you arrive during early theme park hours or even by rope drop and not have to worry about the extra expense not to mention even if you do get preferred parking at Magic Kingdom you're still gonna have to take the ferry or monorail over to the transportation and Ticket Center and up to the front gate of the park so in the end doesn't really get you all that much closer to the park than anyone else who just stuck with the free parking available for all guests staying at a Disney owned hotel now how about the ticket you choose how can this change how much you pay well there may come a time when you're faced with a very important decision do you choose to buy Park tickets for a regular Disney day or do you buy tickets for the after hours party instead there are no 100 right or wrong answers here but if you're wanting to save money choose one or the other instead of splurging on both sure buying both a regular day ticket and a party ticket for the same day will give you so much extra time in the park which might be just what you're after but it'll also cost you double the amount for each person in your group since party tickets tend to cost around the same as if not more than regular day tickets again no wrong answers here but if you do decide you want to stick with the regular tickets instead of say a holiday after hours event for Magic Kingdom then make sure to get your money's worth out of those regular tickets by choosing to visit the park on a day when the party is not going to be happening otherwise your Magic Kingdom visit is going to be cut short and you'll be asked to leave by 6 pm to make way for the party folks you'll be able to check on park hours ahead of time via the hours and events calendar on the Disney World website now in the same way that you've got all of those food delivery services that are going to bring you fast food from outside the bubble you can also order groceries much more easily than you used to be able to at Disney World and there are lots of nearby grocery stores and big box stores just right outside the Disney bubble you can hit up for some cheap and easy meal options even mini fridges can hold a few TV dinners if you want something super cheap and quick to buy microwave back in your hotel room but bigger fridges that'll come with hotel room kitchenette and full-size kitchens allow you to hold more fresh produce and meats to possibly cook a full meal for the fam if you don't have a rental car you don't want to take an Uber to the local grocery store you can have food items delivered to your hotel through grocery app services like Amazon Fresh and instacart that way you can save money by ordering items like breakfast bars or sandwich fixings for a picnic inside the theme parks which yep you're totally allowed to do just maybe leave the checkered blanket at home now again groceries won't be dropped off at your hotel room but you will be able to pick them up from bell services in the lobby once they arrive so Disney accepts lots of forms of payment cash credit card and Disney gift cards and this is where we're gonna help you out buying discounted Disney gift cards but it does depend on where you purchase them now for example BJ's is a Wholesale Club that offers a variety of discounts on Disney gift cards of different amounts typically members can get a 500 gift card for 480 or four percent off Sam's Clubs is another Wholesale Club that offers a variety of discounts on Disney gift cards of different amounts where members can often get a 200 gift card for 185 or 7.5 off in Target a story you're probably more than familiar with already issues red cards for its members so when you make purchases from Target using your red card you get five percent off while this discount excludes purchases of Target gift cards it does not exclude purchases of Disney gift cards an easy five percent savings right there now it did something come up and you're not going to make it to your dining reservation on time please make sure to cancel it at least two hours in advance for most Disney World restaurants you'll be charged a ten dollar per person no show fee if you fail to cancel your reservation in time however if you're required to prepay for a meal when making the reservation like you'll have to do for hoop to do Musical review in Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort or Cinderella's Royal table in Magic Kingdom then you'll forfeit the price of your entire meal by not canceling the reservation in time and don't even get me started on Victoria Alberts so check on each restaurant's specific cancellation policies so you won't be caught forking over a whole bunch of money for a whole lot of nothing okay this next tip has to do with your packing now how can your packing save you money well you'd be surprised so shoes can blister your heels shorts can create the most uncomfy chafing problems your socks can start sliding into your sneakers and drive you up a wall yes Disney does sell these items around their gift shops just in case you're in dire need of a wardrobe change but it's going to save you a whole lot of money if you remember to pack extra shoes socks shorts Etc beforehand also please wear this stuff around before you go to Disney World wear whatever shoes you're going to wear for a very long day walking around at work or something wear the shorts you're gonna wear the cute new dress you bought you never know when these things are going to start to annoy you if you haven't had the experience of wearing them all day in very very hot sun doing a bunch of stuff right so just test out these clothes beforehand because it's the worst when you are at Disney and you are in pain something's chafing something's blistering and you have to end up up buying a bunch of products to deal with it whether that's extra clothes or other products like mole skin and Band-Aids and who knows because whatever you buy in the Disney bubble is gonna cost you double what it would cost you anywhere else so if you do happen to forget this stuff it might be worth driving outside the Disney bubble to purchase these last minute articles of clothing or those blister Band-Aids or moleskin or even a chafing stick those things are awesome and you can get them much cheaper at the outlet stores or the drug stores nearby where you can also get them for way less than you will on Disney grounds now a good example of this when I was bringing my son on a cruise I forgot to pack shirts for him why I don't know I guess I was just really tired who can say but I didn't pack any shirts for him so I had to figure out how to get him seven days worth of shirts in the next 12 hours and I certainly didn't want to go buy them at a Disney gift shop because I would basically be dropping 700 at that point so I used Amazon Prime in those grocery delivery services to get had a bunch of like undershirts for him because he was like nine he doesn't care I'll wear a bunch of undershirts so I just had him wear under shirts every day on the cruise and it worked out but please don't be like me bring the clothes you need and test him out before you wear them now I love this next tip and it's totally okay for you to do it you don't have to order a full adult meal at the Disney quick Services if you don't want to it is A-Okay for grown-ups to purchase a kid's meal for themselves for smaller portions at smaller prices ordering kids meals means you can save stomach space for a more substantial meal later on in the day or for more snacks around the park just listen to your taste buds they'll tell you what they want what they really really want if your head is pounding skin is burning or your stomach is twisting into queasy knots you don't have to purchase those overpriced over-the-counter medications at your Disney Resorts each of the parks has a first aid location that can hook you up with free sample size meds to help you treat any of those minor ailments that might be dragging you down during your Disney day so even though we totally recommend packing your your own meds ahead of time by picking them up from your local drugstore it's nice to know there is free relief available inside the parks if you need it for non-emergency situations Ari look at you becoming all Frugal in Disney World did you even know the words Frugal and Disney could exist in the same sentence new discoveries are made every day my friends hey remember that free festival guide I was talking about earlier the one where you'll be able to learn how to succeed at any Epcot festival no matter which one you choose the offer still stands you can download that guide for free right now by heading over to disneyfoodblog.com festivals and dropping us your name and email then we'll have this festival guide sent over to your inbox immediately so you can jump straight into planning thanks for listening everyone and thanks for watching as always this is AJ for Disney food blog and we'll see you real soon

Channel: DFBGuide

Views: 75,148

Keywords: disneyfood, disney, disney world, disneyland, disneyvideo, disneyvacation, food, disney parks, disney travel, disney tips, disney guides, disney planning, disney trip, disney how to, disney vlog, disney vlogger

Id: VZPWR9YQ4Qo

Length: 46min 19sec (2779 seconds)

Published: Mon Sep 18 2023