Saving Money At Disneyland

My husband and I recently booked our first trip together to Walt Disney World. I’ve been to Disney World several times with my family. My husband has not. I’m sure you can imagine my excitement to experience Disney with him for the first time.

Anyone who knows my husband knows that he is a big saver. He’s the kind of person who still has clothes in his closet that he wore in high school. He doesn’t like spending money and he hates shopping, so he just wears what he’s got.

I’m sure my husband is not the only husband out there who likes to save … which is why I’ve put together this list of tips to help you save money on your Disney vacation. You’ll be happy because you get to experience the magic of Disney and your husband will be happy because the trip won’t deplete your savings account. It’s a win-win trip!

First tip is to shop around for deals. There are a lot of different places online where you can find deals on your trip. Search around and get several quotes. You can choose to bundle your hotel, car and park tickets or choose to buy them separately. Price your trip out. Write down all the quotes so you can make sure you are really getting the best deal. When you write it all down, you’ll be able to determine if it’s cheaper to bundle everything or buy your airfare, park tickets and transportation separately.

Second tip is to bring some of your own food. Now I’m not saying you should pack a huge cooler full of everything you could possibly need for the day – that would be a pain and totally not worth it (though it is allowed, if you really want to). You don’t need to eat in the Disney Parks (or even at restaurants) for every meal of your trip. That gets super expensive really fast (plus it’s bad for your waistline).

When my family does Disney, we like to splurge and rent a condo or house for our trips. It’s a little more expensive than a hotel room, but it’s worth it because we end up with a full kitchen. We plan out menus for the week before our trip and then make a trip to the grocery store the day we arrive. We typically cook a nice breakfast in our room before heading to the park. We pack a small back pack with treats and a few water bottles so we don’t get suckered into buying a $5 bag of popcorn. We have our treats we can eat while we wait in line and a cold drink to keep us hydrated. We typically eat a late lunch in the park and then cook a light dinner at our room when we get back for the night. If you don’t want to carry in your own water bottles, don’t pay $3 for one in the park. If you go to any of the food counters and ask for a cup of water, they’ll give it to you for free. Don’t ever pay for water.

If you are traveling with kids who are going to want special souvenirs, it’s nice to buy some of them in advance. Before your trip you can head to the Disney Store, Target or Walmart and get some fun prizes and clothes for your kids during the trip. Don’t pay $70 for a princess dress in the park … go to the store before and buy it for your little girl for $20. Surprise your kids with these treasures when you get to the park, you can call them welcome gifts from Mickey. Buying some of these items before hand can save you a bundle (and a tantrum or two) in the park.

Along those same lines, make your own autograph book. Head on over to the dollar store and buy a note book and let your kids decorate them however they want. Your kids will be happy to get the character autographs in their special book and you’ll be happy it didn’t cost you a small fortune.

Another tip for those of you traveling with kids is to bring your own stroller. Renting a stroller at Disney is helpful if you don’t have a stroller, but it’s much easier to just bring one from home … it’ll save you money every day. Bring a nice, easy-to-maneuver and comfortable stroller for your kiddos. This is just my opinion, but skip the umbrella strollers. They hold a kid, but they don’t hold stuff (and you’ll have lots of ‘stuff’ with you) and they are hard to steer. Every ride has a stroller parking area with a cast member close by keeping an eye on things. Don’t leave your money in the stroller, but leave the rest of your stuff. No one is going to take it … they have their own crap to carry around, they don’t need yours too.

Oh yeah, and don’t make the mistake of thinking your kid is old enough to walk around the park. You may think they can handle it, but they can’t. By the end of the day, they’ll be riding on your husband’s aching shoulders, crying and dumping their water on his head while you get stuck carrying all the bags. Just take the stroller.

My final tip for you … have a magical time.

Got any other money-saving tips? Share them below in the comments section.

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