How to Plan The CHEAPEST Disney World Trip EVER

what are the best days of the week to book a flight to Disney World where can you pick up free Disney souvenirs for you and your kids and where can you stay near the parks that'll give you tons more room at potentially hundreds of dollars less find out how to plan the cheapest Disney World trip ever today on dfb guide [Music] hey everybody it's AJ for Disney food blog you might be currently planning an end of the year trip to Disney World right now I hope so or you might be in the process of planning for 2024 or even later but whatever your vacation time frame might look like you're gonna need to know all the best ways to save no matter when you decide to travel which is why we're making this budgeting video that you can turn to today tomorrow or even a year or two from now we're gonna break down the cheap cheaper and cheapest ways to save money on your next Journey to the most magical place on Earth sounds like there's birds in here or something but before we start crunching numbers you can go ahead and start the savings by downloading our totally free digital guide to all the Disney World hotels right now that'll help you compare the price ranges and the different offerings in one convenient location just scan that QR code up on the screen now or head over to disneyfoodblog.com hotels now y'all might be looking at this point rolling your eyes already and I get it flights are by no means cheap but they can be and this is how to make it happen first book early you should definitely be booking your flight more than three weeks out since airline prices tend to rise after that point of no return more often than not the highest flight prices you're going to see are just a couple of days before a flight happens so procrastinators don't wait too long although flight prices could decrease as a flight gets closer to take off time if the airline's trying to get rid of unsold tickets that's a super risky bet to take better to be safe rather than dropping the major dough on a flight you could have gotten for hundreds of dollars less two cut down on the extra stuff those luggage fees are going to add up many airlines allow each passenger to bring one free personal item in one free carry-on bag so if you can fit everything in the carry-on and personal item you won't have to pay extra for luggage three know what to do after you land okay you made it to Orlando now what Disney no longer offers free bus transportation to and from the airport rip Disney's Magical Express so you'll have to pay for transportation to your hotel you got a few options here when you book a shuttle with Mir you'll know exactly what price you're paying for your ride over to the resort and back again because you'll usually pay for it well ahead of your trip usually a standard round trip is going to be about 40 bucks per adult though these shuttles do have seasonal discounts that might help bring it down to 30 instead meanwhile ride shares like Uber or Lyft have flux prices that literally change by the minute normally prices from MCO into your Disney Resort average around 35 dollars but that's just one way but again it really depends on personal preference in the end because you still might want to opt for the most expensive option or rental car to give you the freedom to explore around the Orlando area without having to wait for the complimentary shuttle services to take you everywhere cheaper is driving now whether or not driving to Disney World is actually going to be the cheaper option for you in the long run depends on a few different factors like where you live what season it is what airlines are available Etc but typically if you're traveling with a larger group of folks traveling by a car is the way to go there are a few downsides for taking your car versus take taking a flight for starters it's going to be a longer trip on your end and you're going to have to take frequent stops to stretch and potty breaks and fill up on gas which is definitely a big price Factor you're going to want to consider you're also more than likely going to have to stop for the night at a hotel along the way or two hotels depending on how long the trip is for you and how you decide to break it up to keep everyone in the car as sane as possible so between the gas prices and the hotels how is driving going to be cheaper than flying well it might help if you join a few free rewards programs if a gas station you tend to stop at frequently has a free Rewards program then join it yep you'll have to give them your personal info like your name and email and yeah you'll have to download another app for each Rewards program you join but several of these memberships are gonna make that worth your while and it's not just gas that you can save on through rewards programs it's hotels too lots of hotels do have rewards programs that'll let you earn points each time you stay at one of their properties and with those points you'll be able to cut down on the cost of your next room you book or depending on how many points you've racked up you might even be able to redeem them for a free stay now cheapest option driving without ceasing go drive drive like your life depends on it I'm just kidding please drive responsibly what I actually mean to say is depending on where you're driving from or how you plan to Pace out your time on the open road you might be able to make it into the Orlando area without having to book a hotel along the way and that can save you a good chunk of money to do this though you're gonna need to start your driving day early early so that you can take breaks throughout your trip A good rule of thumb is a 15 minute break for every two hours of driving that is based on much anecdotal evidence from our team here at dfb who often drive through the night to get to Disney World now you're also probably going to want to try to split up driving duties if that's an option for your group taking shifts and rotating drivers can prevent anyone from getting too tired and needing to pull over to rest at a hotel finally don't forget the road trip snacks packing lunches and snacky items ahead of time will keep you from having to make frequent fast food or restaurant stops because we all know how maddening some of those fast food drive-through lines can be when you're already on a tight schedule okay time to talk Hotel sorry you can't take your house with you unless you're living that RV life but I assume that's not the case for a lot of us out there so let's find an affordable home away from home inside or at least close to the Disney bubble we're gonna start with a cheap option Disney value Resorts value resorts are Disney's version of an affordable hotel quote unquote now the term affordable in Disney speak is still very different from what you and I probably would consider to be affordable on average a standard Value Resort can still put you back 200 per night when you compare that price tag to the moderate Disney Resorts which tend to range between three and four hundred dollars or even the deluxe Resort which can range between 500 and a thousand dollars then sure the value Resorts I guess are a better deal but it can be even better if you want to try to book a value hotel room at its lowest price point below that 200 average try planning your vacation around Disney's slower Seasons because less guest traffic means less demand and less demand means lower prices slower Seasons tend to happen each year around mid-January mid to late February early May mid to late August and pretty much the entire month of September this is when we can start seeing Value Resort prices drop way down to 140 to 150 dollars per night especially if you're booking a room during the week rather than on the weekend but hold on that's still not the best deal you can get on a Value Resort Room Disney's special offers deals and discounts page on their website does frequently post updated Hotel savings for not just their annual pass holders and DVC members but for everybody they call it general public looking to visit during a certain time in the season so let's say you're looking to book a standard room over at Disney's All-Star Music Resort before you select one of those room offerings make sure there's not a discount you can apply first special offers will be noted to the right directly above the room list if you tap on that first you'll be able to see what rooms are still available with a discount applied warning though whenever Disney releases hotel discounts that are open for all guests the these special offers do tend to book up real fast so if you want to get ahead of booking those discounts before all the other people out there have a chance to you may want to reach out to a travel agent we always recommend Small World Vacations and they have a special eye for discounts they'll keep watch out for you to make sure you're getting the best savings ahead of your trip they can even apply discounts after you've booked so click on the Small World Vacations link down below for a free quote if you want to chat with literally some of the nicest people who just want to make sure your Disney Vacation goes smoothly cheaper is airbnbs and VRBO so rental properties doesn't matter whether or not you're planning a full week to play around the Disney parks or just a few days you don't have to stay at a hotel on Disney property if you don't want to lots of off property options out there will cost you hundreds of dollars less and we'll even give you more room to spread out and some other extras that'll be more worth your money take airbnbs and vrbos these vacation rental services take real houses or town homes or apartments and help the owners rent them out to guests to stay at when they're coming in from out of town often this is a good route to choose for bigger groups because it's difficult to find budget-friendly Disney owned accommodations that have multiple rooms but with an Airbnb or VRBO you could end up paying hundreds of dollars less per night for multiple bedrooms full kitchen area potentially a private pool in your backyard plus a really Decked Out interior with some over-the-top themed rooms now I know I'm making this sound like a win-win situation but there are definitely downsides you have to consider before booking an Airbnb like how you're going to be missing out on those Disney Resort perks that hotel guests staying on property have like early theme park entry and complementary transportation to and from the parks and extended evening hours and then of course there's the biggest factor of them all these are third-party companies we're talking about here pretty much anybody can get their home ready to rent out on an Airbnb or VRBO which means you're gonna have to do your research ahead of time make sure the rental you're planning on booking has good ratings and good reviews okay moving on to cheapest the Good Neighbor Hotel so Disney World can be a team player when it wants to be which is why Good Neighbor hotels exist Good Neighbor hotels aren't owned by Disney but their partner with Disney to give guests cheaper room rates and potentially the same kind of perks that Disney Resort guests receive too a handful of these Resorts offer up free transportation services to and from the parks and some of them have early theme park entry which will get you into the parks 30 minutes before they officially open each day and that's not all some of these Good Neighbor options also give you bonus perks that you're not going to get at Disney owned hotels or you're going to have to pay a whole lot of extra money if you stay with a Disney Resort such as complimentary breakfast buffets happy hours drink coupons bigger rooms and maybe even a balcony with fireworks views but the best part about these hotels the price tag depending on where you stay these good neighbors can be potentially hundreds of dollars less than a stay with Disney if you're looking for deluxe Good Neighbor perks for a more moderate price point than Swan and dolphins rooms start at 206 to 273 dollars during during value season and won't just give you early theme park entry but also extended evening hours which is only for deluxe Resort guests and considering the fact you're normally gonna have to pay 500 plus per night to get access to Extended evening hour hotels staying with the Swan and Dolphin will literally save you hundreds at the same Deluxe benefits plus it's only steps away from both Epcot and Hollywood Studios so that's very convenient safe to say we here at dfb are big big fans of good neighbor hotels mostly these do come with their downsides like how the shuttle service can be really slow or how your bus pick up and drop-off locations can be way out in the boonies at each park or how you're not going to get that over the top Disney theming in any particular location or even how not every good neighbor hotel is going to provide you with the perks I've been talking about so just like I recommended with airbnbs and vrbos you're gonna have to dive in and do a little more research on your end before booking a good neighbor Hotel solely off the price tag moving on to park tickets before you can even think about heading into the parks you're going to have to secure those Park tickets but since those ticket prices are Mighty steep especially if you're getting them for multiple people in your group then you'll need to know the best possible ways to cut down on those pre-trip costs so cheap version use our ticket trick while Disney's park ticket prices are different each day you never have to be caught off guard by the constant switching prices ticket prices are listed for the rest of the year and Beyond on the Disney World website they're not hiding anything when you're looking to buy tickets just select the ticket option you're interested in and the ticket price calendar is going to pop up this means you can see when the cheapest ticket prices are and plan accordingly when it comes to a standard ticket for all four theme parks across four separate days ticket prices can be as low as 115 dollars per day which we saw at the end of August or as high as 159 dollars per day which we're seeing at the end of December but here's where the ticket trick hack comes into play each individual price you see on the ticket calendar doesn't reflect each Park price you'll pay daily rather these prices reflect your start date of when you're going to start visiting the parks and that start date price that you choose will be what you pay for all your Park ticket days for the rest of your trip okay this kind of confusing so let let's visualize this let's say you're planning on visiting Disney World in October and you want to visit the Parks from October 3rd to the 6th you'll be buying a four day one Park per day ticket for your trip your natural inclination is probably to select October 3rd as the start date for your tickets when buying them right that would make your total ticket price around 572 dollars per ticket because the starting price listed on October 3rd is 143 dollars but did you notice how far out that blue ticket range extends tickets can be used on non-consecutive days within a certain range and that range may actually go past the days you actually plan on being there by buying a four-day ticket and choosing a start date you're actually able to use these four tickets on non-consecutive days between October 3rd and October 9th so what happens if you move that start date up a little bit well if you actually select a start date of October 1st instead you can use your tickets on non-consecutive days if you want from October 1st through October 7th this will still cover the days you you are already planning on being in the Parks but since October first start date is 139 dollars instead of 143 the cost ends up being less so instead of 572 dollars you'll be paying 556 dollars for those four part days now I know I've talked for a long time about basically a six dollar difference and it might not seem like huge savings at first but if you're buying tickets for multiple people in your group The Savings can add up and every dollar saved counts so be sure to play around with those start dates to see how to get the best deals for your particular vacation timeline now how about cheaper well shortening your trip 572 dollars per person 556 dollars AJ that's still a lot of money to put towards a trip yeah I agree visiting all four Parks even during Disney's non-peak season can get real expensive for families which is why you might want to consider condensing your days in Disney instead yeah it's true you may feel queasy thinking about leaving out any park in particular but if you were to just choose the two parks your family wants to go to the most then you're cutting down your Park ticket cost significantly instead of 556 per person for four Parks you could instead be spending around 290 per person giving you the chance to use those other days during your trip taking advantage of the resort pool or exploring the Disney Springs shopping district doing a little Resort hopping or even exploring different parts of Orlando outside the Disney bubble so you're not shortening your trip per se you're just going to fewer Parks so which Parks do you choose well you're definitely going to have to talk that over with your group but here's a super brief springboard to help you out of it if you're wanting a classic Disney Parks experience with tons of rides that are built for all ages you're going to want to go to Magic Kingdom if you and your friends are big into World Travel and about learning about different cultures maybe drinking around the world then epcot's where it's at and if you got a couple of tweens or teens in your group who are big on the thrill rides Hollywood Studios is where you want to be finally if your family loves animals as well as easy going vacation days Animal Kingdom might be the best fit of them all and your cheapest way to go to the parks a one day ticket only of course we got to talk about the cheapest option just choosing one park to rule your trip single day ticket pricing Works differently than multi-day ticket pricing where multi-day ticket prices are based by day single day tickets are Base by day and park so you may find yourself paying less for say a day in Animal Kingdom versus a day in Magic Kingdom now if you go to the park hopper route which allows you to jump over to multiple parks in a single day each of the parks will be the same price again for October 1st that'd be 224 dollars per person which includes the park hopper add-on now Park Hoppers can be a great way to check out multiple Parks without paying for extra Park days I can remember going to Disney World when I only had two days and I got two park hopper tickets and I went to all four parks and I rode as much as I could but these will force you to cut down time in the parks that you decide to visit instead of getting to thoroughly explore one whole park of your choosing to its fullest but if you'd rather get a taste of two or more parks in a single day rather than spend a full day at any Park Park Hoppers could be the alternative you're looking for just keep in mind that for the remainder of 2023 Park hopping doesn't start until 2PM each day by the way they haven't changed that at all we're just I guess hoping that they change it in 2024 but as of right now they have not changed Park hopping period then that means you have to start your day at the park you initially made your park pass reservations for before you can jump someplace else we're going to keep you updated if they change those rules but for now that's what we got now let's talk food next a well-fed family is a happy family but keeping full and satisfied inside the Disney bubble can be an undertaking for your wallet however if you're strategic about where you eat and even what time you eat you might not have to Fork over nearly as much Moolah as you thought you would okay the cheap version double up Disney has quite a few breakfast buffets on property and you can actually use these breakfast buffets to your advantage to help your family fill up while still saving a buck or two in the process let's use Crystal Palace over in Magic Kingdom as an example the Crystal Palace is a Charming buffet style restaurant steps away from Cinderella Castle which gives you the chance to eat hearty portions of food as well as meet the Hundred Acre Wood gang including poo and Tigger and Eeyore and piglet for lunch and dinner prices for this table service can be pretty steep starting at 59 per adult and 38 per kid however if you book a table here for breakfast instead the price drops down to 45 per adult and 29 per kid this is pretty much the case that every Disney buffet or family style restaurant if there's a breakfast option it's going to be the cheapest meal of the day but it'll still give you the chance to check out the atmosphere of the restaurant without paying full price if you book a later breakfast maybe around 10 30 to 10 45 you might even be able to cover two meals in one for those Disney buffets that serve breakfast lunch and dinner the buffet line will switch over to its lunch offerings starting around 11 A.M so if you book a breakfast reservation right before that lunch takeover then you'll still be paid breakfast prices but might also be able to try out the lunch portions when they first hit the buffet line for the day like I said it's all about timing cheaper is fast food or Quick Service locations now eating theme park fast food for every meal might sound like a stomach ache waiting to happen but Disney's fast food isn't all grease all the time which quick services around Disney World are going to give you the best bang for your buck though here are just a few of the ones we gravitate toward while out and about and in need of a quick yet cheaper hearty meal Columbia Harbor House and Magic Kingdom is a popular seafood spot located in Liberty Square where entrees typically run between 10 and 17 layal belangerie Patisserie is in the France Pavilion of epcot's World Showcase and is basically a bakery that serves pastries and soups and other more substantial options like sandwiches sandwiches range in price here from seven to ten dollars while items like lobster bisque in a bread bowl can be purchased for around six which is unbelievably cheap for a quick filling snack you can pick up a full baguette fresh from the oven for just three dollars and fifty cents Woody's lunchbox inside Toy Story Land at Disney's Hollywood Studios has the faint favorite tachos for about 10 bucks but all the Woody's lunchbox entrees fall into that 10 to 13 dollar range with breakfast being even less expensive than that and for a snack or dessert you can add on a lunchbox tart for under five bucks too these homemade Pop-Tart like treats come in a variety of flavors and are definitely big enough to share and your cheapest option for food eating off-site or bringing your own yep we love Disney food obviously otherwise I'd be changing our site name right about now but we can't Overlook the truth Disney restaurants are unbelievably expensive it's basically like eating in Vegas in New York City and Paris all at once that being said just because you're vacationing inside the Disney bubble doesn't mean you're trapped inside it there are several affordable fast food options near Disney World like the largest White Castle in the world for instance or the PDQ fried chicken restaurant that just opened in Flamingo Crossing or Portillo is a Chicago-style rock and roll themed Diner at the intersection of Palm Parkway and Daryl Carter Boulevard or if you're not interested in leaving the Disney bubble straight up you could always knock on Mickey D's door since they've got a location just a few minutes away from the All-Star resorts at the intersection of Osceola Parkway and West Buena Vista Drive and that's not even scratching the surface friends there are so many restaurants just minutes away from your Disney Resort at all times that might prove to be even cheaper than Disney's own fast food options or for an even less expensive option than eating out for every meal you might want to DIY a few of your breakfast lunches and dinners too if you know you got a big lunch planned in the parks that day Skip the extra breakfast expense and pack some cereal boxes or granola bars from home to hold you over before your reservation time I can highly recommend Pop-Tarts so you don't have to dish out any extra cash and if you want to prevent spending extra dollars toward lunch and dinner you can bring a full-on picnic into the Disney parks Disney's totally cool with you bringing your own food from home like sandwiches and Uncrustables and Lunchables Etc just make sure you're still following those Disney park guidelines meaning no alcohol no food that needs to be heated no food that needs to be kept Frozen no foods with pungent odors and nothing that's stored in a glass container if you're worried about being able to pack food ahead of your trip since your flight probably won't allow you to bring on a smorgasbord of options in your carry-on then you can use a grocery delivery service to deliver goodies to your hotel once you arrive whatever you do just don't waste your money on those often overpriced pre-packaged goldfish type snacks in the parks that you can get for way cheaper at the grocery stores even when you factor in delivery fees on your grocery store purchase more often than not you'll find that what you've purchased is still going to be way less expensive than what you would have paid for inside the parks now we've got so many more dining budgeting tips that we want to share with you that we just can't fit into today's video So when you buy our dfb guide to welcome Disney World dining you're going to get immediate access to our downloadable worksheets for planning your trip and Sample One Day dining itineraries and lots more tricks on how to save money on food inside the parks and Resorts be sure you type in YouTube before you hit the checkout button so you can save money on your total guidebook purchases and remember that your purchase is completely 100 percent money back guaranteed if this book doesn't work for you if you don't like it no problem let us know and we'll refund your money all right going through merchandise speaking of money can't go to Disney without a little Memento from your trip right unfortunately those little mementos can still add up and become an unexpected money suck in your vacation fund so how's about we find a cheap cheaper and cheapest solution for you instead there are those birds again so first cheap shopping online before you drop any cash at one of the Gift Stores in Disney World stop everything you're doing and check the shop Disney website first this website often sells their park specific merchandise online for cheaper than you'll find it in the actual stores thanks to their fairly assistant stream of online sales and discounts it's not always a guarantee that the item you're eyeballing on property is going to be available on shop Disney or if it's even going to be on sale once you find it there but it might be worth the gamble for you if it means saving a few bucks in the process now cheaper look for the off brand so younger kiddos might not yet know the difference between an authentic pair of mini ears or the ones you got off Amazon in a package deal so you might be able to save some money my friends just by pre-purchasing your kids souvenirs in advance Disney items like Bubble Wands and plushies and hats and dolls and coloring books you name it they can all be found online or at your local Big Box store dollar store for way way way less than you're gonna pay for them on property but if you don't think your kids will be able to have the wool pulled over their eyes that easily then make sure you have a family meeting ahead of your trip and set a souvenir budget for everybody parents included a good way to help everyone keep track of their gift shop spending is by pre-loading Disney gift cards before the trip if you have a Target red card then you'll automatically get five percent off when you purchase your Disney gift cards through Target Sam's Club also sometimes offers discounted Disney gift cards as well so be on the lookout for these savings so you can potentially pay to save cheapest is grabbing the freebies you don't have to pay an extra cent in Disney World to still take home a bunch of cool stuff there are so many free things you can pick up around the parks including scavenger hunt booklets stickers Festival passports celebration buttons you name it we've even got a whole video on our Channel dedicated to 50 different freebies hiding around Disney World so be sure to check that out before your trip and reap the benefits and just like that you've saved hundreds maybe even thousands of dollars before you even step foot on Disney World property good for you thanks again for chilling it's even major moolah with me today don't forget to head over to disneyfoodblog.com hotels and pick up your very free guide to every Disney World hotel to get your trip planning started 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: 127,033

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: xSWDpWyajTw

Length: 25min 19sec (1519 seconds)

Published: Mon Sep 11 2023