Five Tips to Save Money on your Disney Vacation

So, you've read all the posts and now you want to take a Walt Disney World vacation, right? While a trip to Disney, or any theme park really, is expensive, you can keep costs down. Here are five ways to save money while having the magical vacation of your dreams.

1. Travel during the off season (Late August, September and January) for lowest prices on Disney lodging. Right now, Disney is offering a 15-30% discount on lodging for stays between August 15 and September 29, 2012. Staying off property can be less expensive. Large groups, especially, might want to consider renting a house for the week instead of multiple hotel rooms.
2. Take snacks into the parks with you. Disney allows snacks: granola bars, bananas, apples, baggies of dry cereal, peanuts, etc. so take advantage of that Disney kindness and bring a small bag with you each day. Coolers are not allowed in the parks, unless you have a dietary medical need, so make sure your snacks fit in your bag and do not need refrigeration. We bring protein bars, fresh fruit and water bottles to snack on somewhere between 10:00 and noon which carries us over to a late lunch, which is the next tip.
3. Eat your big meal at lunch, not dinner. Most of the time, lunch prices are lower than dinner prices at WDW restaurants. Eat one big meal in the early afternoon (1:30-3:00) and grab something small at dinnertime. You'll save both money and time eating only one sit-down meal.
4. Purchase multi-day passes. Disney park pass values improve the more time you put on them. Currently, a one day adult ticket to the park is $89. However, a five day ticket works out to be only $53.60/day (total $268). Buy tickets for the full number of days you plan to visit rather than pay as you go. A note about discount ticket sites: Not every ticket discounter is legitimate! Do not save money by purchasing Disney tickets at ebay or Craig's list. At this time, Undercovertourist.com and VisitOrlando offer small discounts on multi-day tickets. Use due diligence when purchasing tickets from any place other than Disney, though, because your dream vacation could be ruined by fraudulent tickets.  Our family plans a couple years ahead and makes Disney our vacation for two consecutive years. We go in September, benefitting from the discounted off-season hotel rates, the first year. Then we return the following year in August, just before school starts, still saving on hotel costs. Making two trips, we purchase annual passes and use them 12-14 times, costing about $50/day. The passes include dining discounts of 10% or more, adding to our savings. 
5. Buy souvenirs at home! I head to the Disney store at our local mall before we travel to pick up t-shirts, stuffed animals, and other Disney toys -- shopping only the clearance racks -- for my kids. Each night, they get a new "surprise." Strategically, I give them something that glows the night before we head to the Magic Kingdom night parade. They are thrilled with their surprises, and I don't waste precious time or money in the expensive park stores. Occasionally, something comes along that we do purchase at the parks, but not often. I'm not Scrooge! Our daughter was three the first time she went to WDW. We scheduled a princess lunch at Askerhaus in the Norway Pavilion at Epcot. Just before we went into the meal, I pulled a Cinderella dress from the bag to surprise her. She was so excited - no $100 boutique visit required! 

A Disney vacation is expensive, but with some creative planning, you can experience the Disney magic for less!

Fellow Disney experts, share your favorite money saving Disney tips in the comment section below. 

Still have questions? Please ask. 

Additional resources for money savings can be found at these sites:

• Mousesavers.com - offering current Disney savings info and tips
• Allears.net - a thorough site on all things Disney
• Mouseketrips.com - an independent, Disney only travel agency based in Utah. While not BBB accredited, the BBB of Utah gives this company an A+ rating. 

Happy travels!

Karen