Whether you're long-time Disney fans looking for a post-Covid return to your happy place or planning a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Orlando, it's fair to say that in the last few years prices for Walt Disney World holidays have increased significantly.
Meanwhile a lot of the perks and freebies that made some of the more expensive deals worthwhile have been chipped away as both Disney and tour operators like TUI try to claw back some of the money they lost during the pandemic.
But, if like us, you still yearn for some pixie dust in your life there are plenty of tips and tricks to save money on your Walt Disney World Orlando holiday - whether that's saving thousands of pounds on how you book your flights and accommodation through to saving $25 on those all-important ears you wear round the parks.
Here's our guide on some of the ways, big and small, to save money on your Disney World 2023 trip.
Pick your time
As you can imagine, prices for Disney World holidays vary wildly depending on the time of year, but there is also a trade off to be made. While, once the Christmas decorations are taken down, early January until February half term is firmly low season the trade off is that the average temperature in Florida in January is just 22 degrees Celsius, so you're not going to get much opportunity for lounging by the pool.
But for British tourists, surprisingly, late August is worth looking at if you have school-age children and have to work around holidays. While August is peak time for Brits, with American school holidays going back earlier if you aim for the later weeks of the UK summer holiday prices and crowds will reduce. Peak holiday seasons include the obvious Christmas, Easter and summer but also the American holidays around Thanksgiving and Spring Break so if you crunch the numbers and they seem especially eye-wateringly expensive that may be why.
Top tip: If summer is your only option, try and arrive after around August 20 when US schools start to go back. Barring early January this is the cheapest you'll get your park tickets, although you'll still be subject to UK peak pricing for flights.
Book a Disney holiday package
The two key ways to do a Disney holiday are on- or off-property. When Walt Disney first conceived of the idea of the resort that would take his name he bought great swathes of barren Orlando swampland which he dried out in an ambitious project involving thousands of eucalyptus trees.
Nowadays Walt Disney World resort is over 27,000 acres, housing four theme parks, two water parks, untold shops and restaurants and more than 25 different resorts and hotels of varying styles and budgets people can stay in.
Booking to stay on-property gives you insider access to a host of perks that day visitors aren't privy to plus a lot of additional convenience in terms of extra park hours, transportation between areas and such-like. You can either book a full travel package including flights or accommodation and park tickets only.
The main companies to book with are TUI which partners with Walt Disney World directly but often offers a few extra perks like discount codes to reduce the price of your holiday by a few hundred pounds and a host of last minute Disney holiday deals.
The alternative is to book direct with The Walt Disney Travel Company which covers any and all kinds of trips to Walt Disney World, Disneyland Paris and Disney Cruises. This tends to be the more expensive of the options, especially if you're looking to book your flight through them too - often it's cheaper to do that separately yourself. That said, you get the peace of mind of the entire booking being completed in one go, you can pay a deposit and then have time before paying off the balance, which isn't the case for booking flights direct, and the add-ons they give you as part of your package can work out significant.
For example, Disney World holiday bookings for 2023 booked by September 29, 2022 will get $1,200 dining and merchandise credit to spend at Disney shops and restaurants, 14 day for the price of 7 park tickets, $100 gift card, the Disney Memory Maker photo package worth $199 and complimentary resort transportation included in the price. This offsets the cost of a stay considerably.
Do your research on resort types. You can stay on property in everything from a campsite or chalet through to Animal Kingdom Lodge, a stunning hotel where you can open your curtains and look out on giraffes roaming in the park. In terms of balancing value and quality the best options are moderate resorts like Port Orleans or Caribbean Beach.
Top tip: One way to save some money with an on-property stay is to start your stay the day after you arrive. With UK flights tending to arrive in late afternoon, it's possible that you might not get to your resort until bedtime. At that point, why spend hundreds of pounds on a day where you haven't been to take advantage of everything the resort has to offer?
Instead, check into a cheaper hotel for the night - we've done the Holiday Inn close to the airport which worked out around £100 for four of us and was perfectly fine as a bed for the night - and then head to Disney after breakfast. While your room may not be ready until 4pm, the concierge will take your luggage early and you can check in and take advantage of the pool, a park or anything else you fancy while you wait. If you leave a mobile number at reception they will text you when your room is ready - and often it is before that 4pm deadline.
Or go it alone
While there are lots of perks of staying on Disney property including a real feeling of being in a bubble which many visitors love, there are two main perks to staying off-property - the price, which can be thousands of pounds cheaper depending on where you stay, and also the freedom to travel more easily around the rest of Florida taking in other tourist destinations like Universal Studios, Cape Canaveral and the dozens of other places you can visit across the state.
There is a lot of money to be saved by shopping around for hotels with International Drive particularly popular for people who want to explore further afield than the House of the Mouse. Search Booking.com for hotels around Kissimmee if you do want to stay close to Disney. In particular, The B Resort and Spa, which even in the height of UK summer we've seen for as little as £71 a night, has an amazing location just 15 minutes' walk from Disney Springs making it great value for money.
Sitting somewhere between being on- and off-property are what Disney calls 'Good Neighbor hotels' which offer some of the perks of being on-property like early entrance to the parks, character dining in their restaurants at an additional fee and more. Arguably the most well-known is the Swan and Dolphin, but others worth a look around Lake Buena Vista include Holiday Inn Resort Orlando Suites Waterpark which has amazing facilities for children, Hyatt Place and Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace which is basically on the doorstep of Disney's own Saratoga Springs.
If you're looking for something with plenty of space it's worth scoping out villas in the nearby areas. Windsor Hills is a stone's throw from Disney in a gated community with its own mini water park as well as individual villa pools. You can find villas to rent via Expedia, VRBO or other holiday let companies. Even TUI takes booking for them if you want four or five bedrooms and your own pool but would rather have the peace of mind of still booking through an ABTA travel agent.
Top tip: If you are booking a villa watch out for hidden extras and make sure you've factored in any housekeeping or pool heating costs to any price comparison you're making. That villa might not actually be cheapest once you've added on $30 a day to keep your private pool heated for the duration of your stay (and yes, even if epic Floridian summers you'll want the pool heated unless you are particularly inspired by the teachings of Wim Hof).
Consider airports other than Orlando
While all aspects of holidays seems to have crept up post-pandemic as regular Disney visitors from the UK we were shocked by the prices of flights when it was finally time to make our return, with two adults and two children flying from any London airport to Orlando MCO coming in at an eye-watering £4,300 for late August. We were able to knock £1,700 off this bill by booking to fly into Miami (Tampa and Orlando Sanford are also options) instead. Even factoring in a night at the hotel in Miami Airport, literally up an escalator once you get through bag pick up and passport control, we were able to save more than £1,500 on flying direct. It just involves a couple of hours' drive the following morning.
If you're not keen to hire a car even an internal flight can save you money if you travel into a hub like Atlanta or New York. Bear in mind that airlines charge different amounts to travellers from different places, so sign up for a free trial to NordVPN or something similar and compare the prices you're offered if you don't have the UK set as your location. This can often save a considerable amount.
Top tip: With many airlines now charging for baggage even on standard economy flights if you're planning on doing shopping out in America consider flying out with hand luggage only and then buying a suitcase while you're out there to travel back with so you're only paying for luggage.
Shop around for car hire
With many car hire companies selling off their stock to survive during the pandemic and now struggling to fulfil pent-up demand as people return to travelling, car hire prices particularly for family friendly vehicles can now cost hundreds for a 14-day stay. We were able to knock £650 off the quote by using NordVPN but keeping all our other (UK-based) details the same for the booking.
Keep saving once you get Stateside
While no-one wants to be counting the pennies while on holiday, there are plenty of other ways to make your money go further while you're away.
Top tips:
- Before you start spending money on merchandise in Disney shops take a trip to Walmart or Target, especially if you've got children lobbying you for treats Mickey ears, ponchos, bubble wands and all the souvenirs children of all ages could want are available at a fraction of the price of the Parks and it is all fully licensed, official Disney products. If you really do have a hankering for those all-important park exclusives, it's also worth checking out the Disney Store at the Outlet at Vineland Malls - we've picked up Disney exclusive Pandora and Vera Bradley there over the years and while it's still not cheap because they're premium brands, the savings were considerable.
- Consider shopping on Amazon for essentials depending on where you're staying and what you need to bring with you. When we had a baby with us we bought a $20 baby bouncer and got it delivered to our resort and passed it on to someone else when we left. Beware if you're on property though - Disney now charges $5 per package handling fee and nothing will make you weep more than finding your order has been split into three boxes and has now cost you an additional $15. Consider getting it delivered to a nearby Amazon locker instead.
- Food is going to be one of your biggest expenses once you're out there. Use a VPN - because many US sites won't let you view them from the UK due to data collection legislation - to check out happy hour/discount menus for favourites like Denny's, iHop and Red Lobster, all of which offer off-peak deals on dining. If you're eating in the Parks, consider that many so-called 'snacks' are big enough to count as full meals or for people to share - our favourite is the cinnamon bun in Gaston's Tavern in the Magic Kingdom, which is plenty big enough for four of us to enjoy as a breakfast on early morning park days.
- If you're going to be relying on free buses and the occasional Uber while you're away also make sure to download Lyft. It works in a similar way but prices can vary between the two so if one looks particularly expensive - or doesn't have driver availability - go for the other.
- Know that sometimes it's ok to splurge. For us our 'must-do' is a character meal. You get your iconic photo with Mickey without having to queue for ages in the park and it tends to be more chilled out for potentially overwrought children. Breakfasts tend to be cheaper than dinner. Tusker House at Animal Kingdom has a particularly delicious spread and a good range of characters although if you've got littlies who like Disney Junior it's worth doing their dining experience at Hollywood Studios which incorporates Vampirina alongside some of the more classic characters. Meanwhile Chef Mickey's at Disney's Contemporary Resort has all five.
Do you have any additional tips or advice you want to share? Email us your essential Disney trip tips.
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