"The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing."
-WALT DISNEY
When a client approaches me about booking a Disney vacation it usually is about 6 months-1 year in advance. Usually within that time frame is either a holiday or a birthday, right? Well if your family is anything like mine, the number one question before a birthday or a major holiday is "what do you want?" or "what does your little one want?" Well...Tell them Disney gift cards! Disney gift cards can be used towards payment of your trip, souvenirs, and snacks or meals in the park. If you have a Sams Club near you, you can purchase Disney gift cards there, $45 for a $50 value. Believe me, the $5.00 savings will add up! You can link multiple gift cards to one card or you can charge everything to your magic band, and periodically throughout the trip, you can visit guest services and use your gift cards to pay your band charges.
Staying on property is a must! Not only will you save with not having to rent a car but the experience all Disney resorts have to offer is just amazing. Walt Disney World currently has over 25 different hotels to choose from. From budget- conscious and value resorts to glitz and more luxurious resorts, this means you have many options to fit different budgets! Now don't think Disney's value resorts wont be as good as their deluxe resorts, I explain to my clients that everything Disney does is magic, so you're more budget friendly resorts will still be just as magical for you and your family as all the rest. I also try to remind them, only very little time will really be spent in your room. With all of the parks expansions Disney has been recently renovating a lot of their value resorts, one of the most recent being Disneys Pop Century resort. It is one of the first value resorts to now offer queen size beds, one of which is hidden inside the Murphy style pull down which doubles as a table. If you are traveling as a couple and will only need one bed, then the room will feel much larger! The bed is not hard to pull down and can be left down once pulled out. Rooms at Pop Century start out at $116 a night, which to me, is worth every penny, especially with all the new upgrades and refurbishments!
Another perk about staying on Disney property is you will save on parking. Each resort has complimentary shuttle busses that go to every park and also Disney Springs. They come about every 15 minutes. By staying on property and using the shuttles, it will save you anywhere from $17-$40 a day just in parking! Not to mention what you will save by not renting a car! Walt Disney world also has partnered up with the driving company Lyft, which for those of you who don't know, its similar to Uber. Lyft offers "Minnie Vans" which are driven by a trained Walt Disney World employee. Similar to uber you order your van in an app, when you check in at guest services at your resort they will give you a coupon code which will give you a special rate just for guests staying on property! The vans only go to Disney Properties, such as any parks, all Disney resorts and Disney Springs. It is a red and white polka dot van and they offer car seats for little ones! During your ride you can expect to hear classic Disney music, and my favorite part was talking with the driver. Each time I've been in a Minnie Van, our driver has told us some awesome behind the scenes info about the parks and even about Mr. Disney himself!
Another way to save on Disney Vacations is try to travel during off-peak seasons. Not only will you be able to save on your airfare but typically the hotel rates are lower as well. My advice for finding airline tickets is download the app "HOPPER" and type in your dates. You can then choose to "watch this flight" which will set up alerts to be sent to you when the price drops or is expected to rise. The app will tell you when they think the best time to buy is. Now of course a major way you can save on airline tickets would be to drive. Depending on where you live, that may be an option for you. A girl from upstate N.Y. like me, may choose the 3 hour flight option over the 15 hour car ride, but those of you who don't mind long car rides and look at it as a "road trip adventure" then this is a great way for you to save HUNDREDS!
One Question Im asked often when planning a Disney Vacation for a client is, "Is the Dining plan worth it?" Well, that is a hard one to answer.. I feel it is based more on opinion rather than facts. My personal opinion is.. No. If you are interested in the dining plan i suggest you plan your trip in fall time when Disney often offers a free dining plan package. The 2018 Disney Dining Plan costs: Adults - $75.49 & Children (3-9) $25.80. The Dining Plan includes 1 Table Service meal credit, 1 Quick Service meal credit, and 2 Snack credits per person per night of your stay. Also each guest gets a refillable mug. My personal experience is that you will not spend $75.49 a day on food. Also for young kids you may be able to get away with them possibly splitting a meal.
When suggesting restaurants to clients on a budget I explain to them that the Beauty and the Beast castle is a must! It is a little more on the pricier side and is a full sit down meal, but You and your family can go for lunch rather than dinner. The Lunch menu is cheaper than the dinner menu but in my opinion the dinner options are not unreasonable. Again, really the only way I truly think the Disney dining plan is worth it, is if you plan on eating at the expensive restaurants every night and ordering expensive meals, but you can save money by planning ahead and checking out all the restaurants the parks and Disney springs has to offer before traveling. And plan on only doing one to two character dining experiences! Research where in the park you can see who and see them there!
Make the most of your stay and cut your costs by adjusting the length of your stay. There are four parks, try planning a trip for 5 nights, 4 days. You may not get to do everything, but lets be realistic..even in a 7 day trip you still wont do everything, but if you plan correctly and ahead of time you can make the most of 4 days and save on food and hotel costs!If traveling with younger children, save money and skip the hopper ticket! Going to one park a day will be exhausting, but doing multiple parks in a day will be too much for most young children, so save the money and maximize your day with one park per day. For a family of four, thats about a $220-$270 savings! One of my most important tips would be, price it out before you rule it out. A lot of times when a family is wishing they could go to Disney but is scared of the cost, they are just going based off what others have told them. 9 times out of 10 when I end up pricing a vacation out for a family, their response is "oh my goodness I thought it would be way more!" Price it out and set a reasonable budget in a comfortable time frame for you and your family. Give your children budgets for souvenirs! Don't max out your credit cards for the same toys you can get year round online or during Disney's online sales! Buy kids costumes before you go & use etsy for family shirts! (I will be writing a blog about where I get all my park gear soon!) No vacation is worth getting in the hole over and your vacation will be ruined if the whole time you're worrying about the credit card bills you'll have from Disney Parks once returning home, so plan ahead, budget and set boundaries!I hope some of these tips will help you guys plan your magical vacation within a comfortable budget!
Another perk about staying on Disney property is you will save on parking. Each resort has complimentary shuttle busses that go to every park and also Disney Springs. They come about every 15 minutes. By staying on property and using the shuttles, it will save you anywhere from $17-$40 a day just in parking! Not to mention what you will save by not renting a car! Walt Disney world also has partnered up with the driving company Lyft, which for those of you who don't know, its similar to Uber. Lyft offers "Minnie Vans" which are driven by a trained Walt Disney World employee. Similar to uber you order your van in an app, when you check in at guest services at your resort they will give you a coupon code which will give you a special rate just for guests staying on property! The vans only go to Disney Properties, such as any parks, all Disney resorts and Disney Springs. It is a red and white polka dot van and they offer car seats for little ones! During your ride you can expect to hear classic Disney music, and my favorite part was talking with the driver. Each time I've been in a Minnie Van, our driver has told us some awesome behind the scenes info about the parks and even about Mr. Disney himself!
Another way to save on Disney Vacations is try to travel during off-peak seasons. Not only will you be able to save on your airfare but typically the hotel rates are lower as well. My advice for finding airline tickets is download the app "HOPPER" and type in your dates. You can then choose to "watch this flight" which will set up alerts to be sent to you when the price drops or is expected to rise. The app will tell you when they think the best time to buy is. Now of course a major way you can save on airline tickets would be to drive. Depending on where you live, that may be an option for you. A girl from upstate N.Y. like me, may choose the 3 hour flight option over the 15 hour car ride, but those of you who don't mind long car rides and look at it as a "road trip adventure" then this is a great way for you to save HUNDREDS!
One Question Im asked often when planning a Disney Vacation for a client is, "Is the Dining plan worth it?" Well, that is a hard one to answer.. I feel it is based more on opinion rather than facts. My personal opinion is.. No. If you are interested in the dining plan i suggest you plan your trip in fall time when Disney often offers a free dining plan package. The 2018 Disney Dining Plan costs: Adults - $75.49 & Children (3-9) $25.80. The Dining Plan includes 1 Table Service meal credit, 1 Quick Service meal credit, and 2 Snack credits per person per night of your stay. Also each guest gets a refillable mug. My personal experience is that you will not spend $75.49 a day on food. Also for young kids you may be able to get away with them possibly splitting a meal.
When suggesting restaurants to clients on a budget I explain to them that the Beauty and the Beast castle is a must! It is a little more on the pricier side and is a full sit down meal, but You and your family can go for lunch rather than dinner. The Lunch menu is cheaper than the dinner menu but in my opinion the dinner options are not unreasonable. Again, really the only way I truly think the Disney dining plan is worth it, is if you plan on eating at the expensive restaurants every night and ordering expensive meals, but you can save money by planning ahead and checking out all the restaurants the parks and Disney springs has to offer before traveling. And plan on only doing one to two character dining experiences! Research where in the park you can see who and see them there!
Make the most of your stay and cut your costs by adjusting the length of your stay. There are four parks, try planning a trip for 5 nights, 4 days. You may not get to do everything, but lets be realistic..even in a 7 day trip you still wont do everything, but if you plan correctly and ahead of time you can make the most of 4 days and save on food and hotel costs!If traveling with younger children, save money and skip the hopper ticket! Going to one park a day will be exhausting, but doing multiple parks in a day will be too much for most young children, so save the money and maximize your day with one park per day. For a family of four, thats about a $220-$270 savings! One of my most important tips would be, price it out before you rule it out. A lot of times when a family is wishing they could go to Disney but is scared of the cost, they are just going based off what others have told them. 9 times out of 10 when I end up pricing a vacation out for a family, their response is "oh my goodness I thought it would be way more!" Price it out and set a reasonable budget in a comfortable time frame for you and your family. Give your children budgets for souvenirs! Don't max out your credit cards for the same toys you can get year round online or during Disney's online sales! Buy kids costumes before you go & use etsy for family shirts! (I will be writing a blog about where I get all my park gear soon!) No vacation is worth getting in the hole over and your vacation will be ruined if the whole time you're worrying about the credit card bills you'll have from Disney Parks once returning home, so plan ahead, budget and set boundaries!I hope some of these tips will help you guys plan your magical vacation within a comfortable budget!
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