Best strategies for an inexpensive Disney family trip??

[heidijanesmith]

For us saving money is on water, Gatorade and adult drinks.

We either order from gardengrocer or take a trip to the grocery store.

We drink lots of water and Gatorade, so we buy our own instead of at the parks.

 

[Disneylover99]

If you do free dining, book a standard room at a value resort and stick to quick service dining for maximum savings.

So many people upgrade to regular dining, order the most expensive entrees, drinks and desserts and then end up paying a fortune in tips.

 

[ClapYourHands]

If you do free dining, book a standard room at a value resort and stick to quick service dining for maximum savings.

So many people upgrade to regular dining, order the most expensive entrees, drinks and desserts and then end up paying a fortune in tips.

That's really useful advice. I hadn't thought of the extra you pay on top of the meals, but it's a necessary expense when eating TS.

On a related note, I think you might have just made up my mind about declining Mousekeeping because it means I would not only get the $10 GC per day, but I'd also save myself the $5/day for Mousekeeping tips.

 

[ClapYourHands]

If you have a Disney Store near you, stock up at the Twice Upon a Year sale. It's January and June when they clearance items to make room for new. Actually, my store continues to stock TUAY merchandise beyond the advertised parameters of the sale until most of it sells, and the more picked-over the merchandise becomes, the better the deals. I'm waiting on the Coco mugs to drop a little more in price, and then I'm getting one for ODS for his birthday. If you have any extra space in your luggage, stock up before you go to WDW.

If you have a kid who wants to dress like a character, that's a great way to get discounted costumes. Princess dresses are usually like $25 at that point. I bought DD the next size up Belle dress last June, and will give it to her for this trip. I realize BBB is expensive, and probably not on the agenda for someone trying to do Disney at the lowest cost possible. But if you have a girl and want to splurge on something, buying the lowest price package and bringing your own dress can be a great way to get a high-end experience at a much lower price point.

Also consider alternatives to higher-priced things. Minnie ears are now running nearly $30! But even if you pay full price for them, the nice metal princess tiaras are only $15. I scooped up a Jasmine one for $6 at the TUAY sale. Much better than buying ears at the park.

 

[jagafen]

When we were kids, my mom used to get souvenirs ahead of time at home. You can get Plush at different stores and not at the parks and other small items that are similar to things you would find in the gift shops. She would bring everything with us and then we got gifts in the room each day instead of buying things in the gift shops. It was so fun and I remember really loving it.

OT, but I did this for DS's first trip when he was 5 or 6. Tinkerbell left him a stuffie and a note for him to find each night when we'd return from the parks. He LOVED it! I even themed the stuffies to the park/rides we did that day.

 

[tguz]

If you direct deposit your paycheck, open a seperate savings account and have $25, $50, or whatever you can afford deposited into the new savings account per pay period and use it as a "vacation" account. Choose an amount that you don't think you would miss and over a year there should be a nice chunk of vacation money available.

 

[Disneylover99]

That's really useful advice. I hadn't thought of the extra you pay on top of the meals, but it's a necessary expense when eating TS.

On a related note, I think you might have just made up my mind about declining Mousekeeping because it means I would not only get the $10 GC per day, but I'd also save myself the $5/day for Mousekeeping tips.

I find many people loosen up their purse strings when it comes to free dining. They’ll add on a couple of extra alcoholic beverages with dinner figuring they’re saving a ton of money anyways. Pretty soon their bill at a character buffet for a family of four is at $300+. That’s roughly a $45-60 tip! Which equals a decent counter service meal for a family of four.

Or people pay out of pocket for extra dinners or add ons like dessert parties because all their other meals were free. Then they end up with extra credits at check out. That’s how Disney gets you.

When people just stick to their free dining parameters, it can be a real money saver.

 

[nkereina]

Food is one of the largest expenses. Many will do grocery orders so they can have snacks, breakfasts, and drinks in the room that they can also bring to the park. If you want to eat in the park, consider sharing QS meals, especially with the kids. Portions can be large. Similarly, if there's any TS meals you want, consider sharing entrees. Avoid buffets and all you can eat/family style meals because you will never get your money's worth with an 8 year old and 4 year old.

Souvenirs are another large expense. I have read where people will purchase inexpensive Disney toys and stuffed animals at home (Amazon, Target, Dollar Tree, etc) and bring them with them on the trip. They will give the kid one item each day so the kid feels like they got something new that day, and its used as leverage to prevent the kid from wanting everything they see in the parks.

If you have a Target card or a Sam's Club membership, many people purchase Disney gift cards there at a discount. I've not done this myself, but I believe paying with a Target card gives cashback and Sam's Club runs promos where you can buy gift card at a discount. People will stock up on these gift cards and use them to pay for items during the trip or to phone in the payment for their tickets or room with the gift cards. People also will purchase a gift card with each paycheck as a means of saving for their trip.

 

[SaintsManiac]

On a related note, I think you might have just made up my mind about declining Mousekeeping because it means I would not only get the $10 GC per day, but I'd also save myself the $5/day for Mousekeeping tips.

Yep! I am so awful about remembering to leave housekeeping tips, since we are always in a rush to leave in the morning. So it saves me money AND guilt.

 

[Disneylover99]

Another tip - it’s easy to spend a fortune on alcohol just walking around the parks. Save your money. Keep hydrated by drinking free water at the parks and buy a bottle or two of alcohol for your room ahead of time and have a drink or two at the end of the day.

 

[AngiTN]

I find many people loosen up their purse strings when it comes to free dining. They’ll add on a couple of extra alcoholic beverages with dinner figuring they’re saving a ton of money anyways. Pretty soon their bill at a character buffet for a family of four is at $300+. That’s roughly a $45-60 tip! Which equals a decent counter service meal for a family of four.

Or people pay out of pocket for extra dinners or add ons like dessert parties because all their other meals were free. Then they end up with extra credits at check out. That’s how Disney gets you.

When people just stick to their free dining parameters, it can be a real money saver.

I've given this advice for YEARS regarding free dining.
The saving point between out of pocket and free dining is very tight.
People almost always (not always but in many cases) order the most expensive thing on the menu, even if it's not what they want the most, to get the most out of that dining credit. That's great but if you order the $85 surf and turf over the $55 chicken you really want, just to use your credit better, then all you've done is a, not order what you really wanted and b, increase the amount you have to tip by $30. You do that over and over again, for a big family and there goes every bit of savings you have from getting the plan in tips. And you didn't really eat what you truly wanted. Plus, most of the time, you eat more meals than you really want.

You have to truly not let dining plan change your eating habits for it to be the best deal.

 

[Disneyfan754321]

We paid for two days of disney for four people doing swagbucks. It took me a 10 months but i did it. Our trip is in three weeks im so excited that i got most of it for free.

 

[MudQueen22]

Much of it depends on your budget, and what you think is worth spending money on.
We prefer to stay in a value, and we are considering off-site for our next stay.

We have also decided that we would prefer to stay for 10-14 days every four or five years than a shorter trip every two years. Once you get to 7 park days, the cost of additional days is very little. The cost to stay is essentially the hotel and food costs.

We bring our own breakfast, but eat in the parks. Breakfast consists of oranges, granola bars, yogurt cups, juice boxes, etc. while we wait on the buses in the morning. The one exception is a farewell breakfast the morning we leave to go home.

We don't get park hoppers. Not only does it cost more, but we waste time switching parks.

Edit: Like others, I've purchased things I knew the kids would want before we left home. Princess dresses for dd came from Disney outlet. Disney plush toys and other items came from either the Disney outlet or JCPenney and hidden in our bags. "Mickey Mouse" would come by when they were in the tub or while they were in the parks and leave them these things.
Glow necklaces and bracelets can be purchased at the Dollar stores or walmart. Same with ponchos.
We also brought in our own water. We would fill up with water from QS locations when convenient.

All the things you need that can be brought in the parks can be purchased ahead before you leave: sunscreen, water, hats and visors, ponchos, hair ties, mini flashlights, etc.

 

[DisneyChris2016]

I think the most important thing to do is think long and hard about what is important to you on vacation. You don't want to cut costs EVERYWHERE or it's hardly a vacation at all. Decide what is worth splurging on to ensure that you really enjoy your trip, and then look for the cost savings where it doesn't matter so much to you.

For instance, FOOD. For some people, dining at Disney is one of the things they look forward to most. They book character meals, get all their ADRs 6 months in advance and determine which park to visit each day based on where they want to eat. On the other hand, you have my family. We need to eat, but with the exception of a few select Disney snacks (my husband would hop to EPCOT just to get a Cronut) we don't care where or when. We don't make any ADRs and most of the time, we ALL order kids meals. Many people don't know, but if you're not on the dining plan, adults can order kids meals at any quick service restaurant. At Pinocchio Village Haus in MK, you can get a cheese flatbread for $11.99. The kids meal for $6.99 comes with half a flatbread, but also includes a yogurt smoothie, some fruit (applesauce, packaged grapes, etc.) and a drink. The drinks being included with kids meals is one thing that really tips the scales in my opinion, if you don't want to drink free ice water all day.

Souvenirs. Lots of people talk about buying them in advance so you have something to give to your kids each day. For our family, we talked about expectations beforehand. We explained to the kids that there were going to be stores EVERYWHERE selling things, and they would need to be really smart. They did chores around the house to earn "Disney Dollars" before the trip (ended up being between $30-50 each) and at the parks, they knew that was all the money they had to spend. We also encouraged them to wait until the end of the trip to actually buy anything, to make sure they were getting what they wanted most. (By the way, our kids were 4, 6 and 8 that first trip.)

If you are getting a rental car, make sure you keep checking rates after you book. Some great deals can be found just before your trip. Just cancel and re-book at the lower rate.

When choosing accommodations, you have to really do a detailed cost analysis to figure out the best deal. For our family of 5, off-site always makes more sense. By booking a condo or townhouse, we get more room for less money and save loads on food by making some of our own meals. But we need to add on the rental car and parking costs ($25/day at the parks) and that adds up quick. If we had a family of four, it would be a much tougher decision.

Finally, if you really need/want to save money, avoid the "extra" events. You don't need to go to a dessert party to see the fireworks. You don't need to do Early Morning Magic to get on SDMT. A lot of those options may enhance your overall experience (I wouldn't know), but they certainly aren't necessary.

 

[Klayfish]

Haven't had time to read the entire thread, so sorry if I'm duplicating responses. It really is the basics where you can save the biggest chunks of money. We spend literally a tiny fraction of what most people do at WDW. There are two really, really big ones.

Stay offsite. Even if it weren't cheaper, we'd do it anyway. IMO, staying offsite is fabulous, I can't imagine staying onsite. There are so many advantages for us being offsite.

Bring your own food. We do. I don't keep exact expense costs, but a good ballpark figure would be that we spend roughly $5-$7/person per day. I've read on here that some people spend $50, $75 or even $100/person per day. So let's say you budget $100/person/day. We're a family of 5, so that would be $500/day. Our actual cost is closer to $25-$35/day for food. Multiply that out times the lenght of your vacation and you're literally talking thousands of dollars. That alone allows us to take longer trips and go more often.

Beyond that, it's little things like shopping in gift shops offsite. You can get plenty of good WDW merchandise far cheaper.

 

[KateKJ]

Many people don't know, but if you're not on the dining plan, adults can order kids meals at any quick service restaurant. At Pinocchio Village Haus in MK, you can get a cheese flatbread for $11.99. The kids meal for $6.99 comes with half a flatbread, but also includes a yogurt smoothie, some fruit (applesauce, packaged grapes, etc.) and a drink.

That's a great tip! Do you know if this can be done at TS meals as well? I have some picky teens that would likely prefer something off the kid's menu, but I'm pretty sure there's an age limit on those.

 

[loves to dive]

That's a great tip! Do you know if this can be done at TS meals as well? I have some picky teens that would likely prefer something off the kid's menu, but I'm pretty sure there's an age limit on those.

Sometimes you can and sometimes you can but they will charge you more for it. I always eat a kid's meal at QS, not to save money I'm just not a huge meal eater and even kid's meals sometimes have too much for me. My adult son and I always split breakfast, if we are getting it at a QS in the resort we get an adult meal, if in the parks some of the pastries and sandwiches are huge. Again, for us, it's not to save money but he isn't a big breakfast fan. Never hurts to ask at the TS restaurants though.

As far as original poster's question, you've gotten some great suggestions. You might look into things like swagbucks and other programs that give you discounts on line and give you cash back. If you are going to shop at some place on line anyway, why not make money off it. I have a cash back credit card and it's cash back on every purchase and I pay it off every month. If you decide to stay off site, really run the numbers. You are going to need a car and pay parking at the parks, you are going to need gas, etc. Always look at third party sites for room discounts as well as Disney's site. I've gotten the Disney discount plus an additional 15% off on Orbitz a number of times. I do split stays so I book the longer stay first, get Orbitz bucks for it, and apply that to the shorter stay along with the discount. As others have said, also look at third party ticket sites, I use UT and Parksavers, I just compare them and go with which ever is less.

 

[Taylor'sMom]

I find little ways add to our vacation fund (a stash of cash and Disney gift cards set aside in a safe place). Things that are small, but add up if you save over a longer period of time...

- Our grocery store gives us reward points. Every time I hit $25 in rewards I get a Disney gift card.
- Our bank gives us reward points for direct deposits, so I cash those in for Disney or Southwest gift cards.
- If I'm at Target, I'll occasionally throw a Disney gift card in with my order, when I know the extra $25 won't be noticed in my overall spending budget.
- Save change and/or small bills. I've heard some save all their $5 bills. They refuse to spend them and set aside when they get them back as change. That can add up big, if you are a cash person.
- In our state, we get a 5 cent refund on reclylable bottles. I let it build up and cash them in. $30 here and there, over a years worth of savings, adds up.

I also do things that save greater amounts, and are more of a mental thing.
- My work reimburses my travel expenses. Yes, I've put mileage on my car and paid for the gas, so its really my own money coming back to me, but when I get it refunded to me as a single lump sum, I set it aside for our next vacation.

For our regular life, food is our biggest money pit. Ways we try to consciously save-
Cook at home more.
Pack a lunch for school/work.
Skip happy hour.
Skip the trip to Starbucks or Dunkin.

Even the small savings can be used to set aside a gift card for souvenirs or a special meal at Disney.

 

[Taylor'sMom]

Also, we exclusively stay on-site and skip the rental car. We are willing to use Disney transportation and skip the other Orlando parks to avoid the cost of a rental car and the additional daily parking fee at the resort.

 

[Duck143]

The above recommendations are fantastic ways to save and keep a Disney vacation from being overwhelmingly expensive. Another thing to remember is that at quick service food, adults can order kid size meals. I find that these are almost as large as the adult portion and they sometimes come with drinks and sides.