Disney on a Budget: 17 Rookie Mistakes That Can Cost You At Disney World

Disney World can be expensive. There is no way of getting around that…or is there? Here are some of the easiest ways you can save money at Disney. Learn from some of the most common mistakes to avoid if you are doing Disney on a budget.

Picking the Wrong Resort for You

Your home resort for your trip can change your perspective of your entire trip. There are people who spend more time at their resort than they do in the park! They might be traveling with kids who need naps and love pool time, they could enjoy the amenities and entertainment at the resorts, or they just simply find the resorts more enjoyable than the parks.

There are other families that only are at the resort to sleep. There is no “right” way to do a Disney vacation. Which means there is also no perfect Disney resort. It is all about what you are looking for.

Every resort and every level of resort has reasons to stay over others. If you are simply looking for a budget-friendly option that keeps you in the Disney bubble, go with a value resort like Pop Century.

If you plan on splitting your time between the parks and your resort, consider a moderate or deluxe. Compare different amenities and activities that each offers. Plus, be sure to check out what transportation they offer. If you plan on spending a lot of time in Epcot, staying around the Boardwalk area or at a Skyliner resort, can be worth the extra money.

The issue you want to avoid is overspending on a resort that you won’t be at or selecting a budget option when you’ll be spending a lot of time at the resort and get bored quickly.

Booking Deluxe Resorts vs Renting at a DVC Resort

This one is a big mistake. If you have decided you want to stay at a deluxe resort, you can save thousands by renting points through David’s Disney Vacation Club.

There are numerous reasons why renting points is better than booking directly. Saving thousands of dollars is simply the biggest one. We stayed at Saratoga Springs for a fraction of the price. We were able to stay in the Congress Park section and walk to Disney Springs for the same price as staying at a moderate resort.

Renting points is extremely easy and David’s Disney Vacation Club is incredibly easy to work with. I go into more detail about how to rent points in another post too.

Buying Park Tickets Before You Plan Your Trip Out

A Disney vacation is sadly not a trip you can easily adapt the “wing it” method. You should definitely have some sort of game plan before you go down. This plan will help you decide what parks you will be visiting on what days.

Deciding in advance what parks you will be heading to each day helps with your dining reservations, fastpass reservations, and park tickets.

There are a few different types of tickets to choose from, but the most common are one park a day tickets vs park hopper. The more days you buy for, the cheaper your ticket is per day.

The reason not planning your trip first can cost you money is you might decide in your planning you want an extra day or maybe a non-park day. You want to be certain you have the correct number days and selected the right type of ticket before you purchase.

Trying to add a day on is fairly easy at guest services if you truly want more time. They will just charge you the difference in rate. For example, if you bought a 4 day ticket and now want a 5th day, they would charge you the difference.

However, it won’t be as cheap as buying the correct number of days from Undercover Tourist first. Also depending on how far in advance you bought the tickets it is entirely possible that Disney has raised park ticket prices.

Assuming Annual Pass is too Expensive

This one takes some math and number crunching to know if it is right for your family. There are a few instances where buying an annual pass can save you money.

The first one is seeing if you will be visiting twice within a year. If you are debating multiple trips, work on pushing them within a year. You could go for food and wine the first week of October one year, and the next year go the last week of September. You would be within the year of you annual pass and receive discounts for both trips.

Another time it can be worth it, is not getting it for everyone in the family. Often there are room only discounts for annual passholders at the same time there are discounts for the public, but the annual passholders have a larger discount.

Between the room discount, dining discounts, access to tables in wonderland, merchandise discounts, PhotoPass and more, the savings can add up for just one trip.

Buying Park Tickets Directly

This can add up quickly if you are booking for a large group. Unless you book a vacation package at Disney, you have the option to not buy tickets directly from them.

There are a few types of discounts you could qualify for and places to get less expensive tickets. Military families get discounts throughout the parks, including tickets.

If you are a AAA member, you are also eligible to get discounted tickets (you can also use them for travel agents as well which we will talk about later).

My personal recommendation for saving money on tickets is to purchase through Undercover Tourist. They are an authorized seller of Disney World, Disneyland, Universal Orlando, Universal Hollywood, LEGOLAND and Sea World tickets.

You can save as much as $79 per ticket. That extra savings add up quickly.

You will also find discounted tickets for special ticketed activities such as:

Using A Park Ticket During a Party Day

Between August to December at Disney World, it is party season. Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party started in mid-August and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party goes until late December. The parties start at 7 pm and anyone without a party ticket has to leave.

If you are going to the party you can get in as early as 4pm. Instead of paying for an extra ticket to get into the park earlier, spend that time doing a non-park activity. Explore Disney Springs, go resort hopping, or enjoy the resort’s pool, as a few examples.

If you are not going to the party and do not have a park hopper ticket, I suggest avoiding Magic Kingdom on party days, since you get kicked out when the party starts.

Handling Everything Yourself vs Using a Travel Agent

I know using a travel agent, might seem like it would cost more money, but they can actually save you a lot! Planning a trip to Disney has become incredibly complicated. There are fastpass reservations, dining reservations, touring plans, where to stay, and more!

Having a travel agent who specializes in Disney trips can save you a lot of time and headaches. They will monitor Disney deals to make sure you are getting the best room price. They can help recommend and even make dining reservations so you don’t have to be up 180 days in advance to do so.

Destinations in Florida is an authorized Disney vacation planner. That means they know the ins and outs of planning a magical trip so you don’t have too! They have an extensive amount of knowledge specific to Disney so they can help take a lot of the stress away from you and answer any questions you may have.

The reason I recommend a travel agency that works with just Disney over somewhere like AAA is because of how much information changes at Disney. AAA is also an authorized Disney vacation planner, however, depending on the location, they aren’t always as well informed as travel agencies that work solely around theme parks.

Packing Incorrectly for the Parks

Incorrectly packing for a vacation is a problem even outside of the Disney parks. You want to make sure you bring everything you need, and things you might just end up needing.

Depending on the time of year, there are certain items that are more necessary than others. For instance, it does actually get “cold” in Orlando. Not freezing cold, but enough that you’ll actually need a jacket or two. It also rains…a lot. Chances are you’ll see a quick shower or two on a trip there. It is important to bring rain gear for the parks.

Packing correctly helps eliminate extra spending on things you need for your trip, but forgot at home. The big things to remember are the items for your Disney parks bag. This is the bag that you’ll be carrying with you daily inside the parks. A water bottle is one thing that can always be found in my bag, among a few others I highly recommend as well.

There are also a few things I suggest overpacking. Remember that rain I mentioned? How would you like to put on your shoes that are still damp and have to wear them all day because you didn’t bring a spare? That sounds like my nightmare. There are definitely a few things that you should consider packing extras.

Not Bringing Outside Food or Water

I will repeat this until my last breath. Bring your own food and water bottle into the parks! Florida is insanely humid and it is important to drink plenty of water. Even if it isn’t blazing hot, you are still walking all day and need to stay hydrated.

Pack a water bottle with you and fill it up throughout your day. You can go to any quick service location and ask for cups of ice water. They will give them to you for free! I usually ask for one with less ice because it is usually way more ice than water.

The food in the parks can be fairly priced or crazy expensive, it just depends on where you want to go. However, if you are on a budget and would rather save the money for an extra day in the park, you can absolutely bring in food into the parks.

Whether it is snacks to keep you filled and help avoid spending money on multiple mickey bars, or a full meal. Every little bit counts!

Not Considering a “Non-Park” Day

There is so much to do in Disney World that doesn’t involve entering one of the four parks! Disney Springs is a clear favorite of mine. You can explore shops, activities, or just take in the views.

Another favorite pastime for many Disney World go-ers is resort hopping. People like to travel around to different resorts, especially the deluxe ones, to see what gives them the extra magic.

If you are interested in resort hopping, try hopping around on the monorail or jumping on the Skyliner. Both provide easy access to get to and from multiple resorts, without having a car!

For a full list of non-park day ideas, check out this post by Mickey Chatter.

Automatically Ruling Out the Disney Dining Plan

Disclaimer: there are three Disney Dining Plans so they are not a “one size fits all” type of situation. Also, just because there are three doesn’t mean you should select one of them.

The Disney Dining Plan is one of the most debated topics for a lot of Disney vacationers. Some families swear by them, others are insistent that they waste money. You really have to crunch the numbers on this.

Personally, we use the dining plan on larger trips and use it as an excuse to dine at the expensive locations we want to try, but can’t justify the price (here’s looking at you Cinderella’s Royal Table).

I suggest making a list of the locations you would like to eat first. Don’t let the prices sway your decision just yet until you decide if you will be using the dining plan or not.

Dad’s Guide to Walt Disney World has downloadable excel documents that you can use to help you crunch the numbers. Simply select which plan you are thinking of getting and fill in the prices for the meals you believe you would get.

Don’t forget to factor in the snacks (if you will use them or forget about them) as well as the refillable mug. I don’t really care about the mug because I don’t drink soda, however, some families love this for their kids, especially if they plan to spend lots of time at the resort pool.

Going Right After a Child Turns 3

I thought this was common knowledge, but quickly found out that our friends had no idea that their 1-year-old was free at Disney World! Any child under the age of three gets free admission in the parks. They also eat for free at buffets too.

Our family friends purposely planned their first trip with their kids when the oldest was 5, but the youngest was just under 3 still. The 5-year-old could enjoy everything, and while the youngest might not remember it, they were free so the parents voted this worked best for their family.

The last sentence is important there…it worked best for their family. Every family is different and every Disney trip is different too. That is part of the magic. While it does save you money to bring your child under three for the memories, some families want their child to remember their first meeting with the mouse himself.

Not Knowing When Peak Season vs Value Season Is

It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that not every day at Disney is the same. Clearly, around the holidays it is much more crowded and since the demand for rooms is so high, prices at Disney are much higher during times like this.

Avoiding peak season absolutely can save you money. The park ticket prices are higher and the room rates are higher. More than just the rates being higher, it is usually a safe bet when it is peak season it is going to be crowded. This means you will have longer waits for rides, shoes, and transportation.

Now, just because it is considered a value time of year for prices, doesn’t necessarily mean there will be no crowds.

To get the best idea of crowds for your trip dates, check out Touring Plans. They have park hours, what is taking place that day, and the expected crowd level for every park. You can also view past dates to see just how accurate their information is. Before booking a trip, I always review their crowd calendar to make sure there aren’t other dates that would be better.

Forgetting to Check Out Freebies

There are freebies everywhere in Disney World. In fact, I did an entirely separate post just to share everything you can get for free!

Personally, some of these I love for keepsakes, but a lot have uses while you are in the park. My personal favorite freebie that I recommend to people are the games in the parks!

Magic Kingdom has Sorcerer’s of the Kingdom, Epcot has KidCot stops, and Animal Kingdom has Wilderness Explorers! These are fun activities for kids (or adults) to do during their park day.

I love Sorcerer’s of the Kingdom! Every time we play we always get families asking what it is, how much it costs, and how they participate. It is free! just head to the firehouse when you enter Magic Kingdom!

There are plenty of free items around the parks. If you are on a budget it is always nice to be able to swap out a paid for souvenir for a free one right?

Not Using Your Credit Card Rewards

Let your credit cards work for you. Double and triple check what rewards your credit cards offer. Save up your cashback, your travel rewards, or whatever you earn.

I personally have both a Chase Freedom card and a Chase Sapphire Reserve. I use them together to earn 5% cash back with my Freedom card, then transfer those points to my Sapphire Reserve. When you travel through Chase you can use 1 point as 1.5 points. So $500 becomes worth $750!

If you sign up for the Chase Freedom card and spend $500 in the first 2 months, you’ll earn $200!

Now, make sure you research all of your credit card options and don’t just open a card for the bonuses if you cannot afford it. The point is to make the cards you have work for you and to help with your travel. You should absolutely not make this decision lightly.

Buying Full Meals or Snacks

This one is a bit harder to explain, but Disney doesn’t (typically) care if you split meals. They also are fairly lax about the kid menu, especially if you are in a quick service location and are using mobile order.

I regularly buy off the kids meal because sometimes I just need something smaller to hold me over until dinner. The majority of kid’s meals include a drink and a snack as well, which is nice. Now, they don’t have to let you do this, but I’ve never had an issue when going to quick-service and ordering a kids meal.

There are some full meals and snacks, especially at quick service locations that are large enough to split. Couponing at Disney has a full list of delicious meals, sorted by park that you should consider splitting between multiple people.

Most cast members are honest about the size of a meal as well. You can simply ask how large or small a dish would be if you need to decide. Personally I would rather have to go back to get more food because I’m still hungry than waste food and money.

Staying Off-Property Without Calculating Extras

Staying off-property is one way people like to save money. It can absolutely save you money, especially in comparison to paying for a deluxe hotel directly from Disney.

However, one thing some people fail to consider is the extra expenses that come with the off-property hotels.

- Resort Fees – these add up quickly. Depending on the hotel you selected, you most likely have a hotel with resort fees. You have to check what they are nightly and be sure to factor them into your “savings” for your stay. Now, some of those resort fees do cover items you might want, so it is important to decide if you think they are worth it. You have to pay the resort fee regardless of if you use those amenities.
- Rental Car – just because you are staying off-site doesn’t mean you need a rental car. However, not all otheovr hotels provide park transportation or it is not as reliable. Most people prefer to keep that control and want to rent a car.
- Gas – depending on the size of the car you need and the amount you plan on driving this can add up quickly. Make sure you estimate approximately how much you will need over your stay and compare it to Uber/Lyft, or if staying somewhere with theme park transportation is worth it.
- Parking Fees – over the past few years, Disney resorts have also added parking fees, but they were one of the last resorts in the area to do so. Most off-property hotels charge you for a car too.
- Parks Parking – if you stay at a Disney resort, you park at the theme parks for free!
- Airport Transfers – Disney resorts offer magical express to get you to and from the airport. This service is “free” (you aren’t charged extra for it, but it is one of the perks you are paying for). It is not as common to find airport transfers included for free for resorts that are close to Disney World. Don’t forget to research how much a taxi, uber, lyft, etc. would cost you both ways.

There a few perks to staying off-property as well though. Maybe you have loyalty to a certain hotel chain and would like to use or earn points. Swan and Dolphin are considered off-property hotels but is within walking distance of Epcot.

There are some off-property resorts that still get a lot of the magical extras you get from staying at a Disney resort. You’ll still get MagicBands, you’ll still have access to Extra Magic Hours, and access to FastPass+ reservations 60 days in advance.

I want to be very clear, you can absolutely save money by staying off property. However, just be sure you include everything in when you are comparing prices.