Looking for the best types of Disney World Hacks to Save Money on your Disney trip in 2024? We’ve got you- check out our favorite tips and tricks to boost your Disney budget!

Welcome to the ultimate guide to saving money on your next Walt Disney World vacation! If you’re planning a trip to the happiest place on Earth in 2024, you’re in luck. We’ve compiled the 25 best Disney World hacks to help you make the most of your Disney vacation without breaking the bank.

This post is all about how to save money in Disney World, and there is a fillable budget planner google sheet! Fill out this form to get sheet direct to your email. Please don’t forget to check the spam folder if you don’t get it in 15 minutes.

The 25 Best Disney World Hacks to Save Money in 2024!

Let’s start with planning- Disney trips require a significant amount of planning, particularly when you are trying to get the best deals.

1. Strategically Plan Your Vacation Dates to Trim Ticket Prices

When it comes to saving money on Disney World tickets, strategically planning your vacation dates is key. By choosing the right time to visit, you can significantly save money on ticket prices, especially if you are planning a Disney trip for multiple people.

Choosing Off-Peak Days

One of the best ways to save is to opt for off-peak seasons when planning your Disney World vacation. Off-peak days are times when the parks are less crowded, resulting in lower ticket prices. These off-peak times and days usually fall during weekdays and non-holiday periods.

The absolute cheapest days to go to Disney World are after marathon weekend in early January but before President’s Day weekend, and during the late summer after most schools start in mid-August.  Over the last few years summer in general has been a better time to go.  Walt Disney World has even been offering discounts in early June to help boost their visits during this time.

There are some great tools to track how crowded (and thus how expensive) Disney World will be.  I love using crowd calendars like those from Touringplans.com or WDW Prep School Crowd Calendar.

2. Take Advantage of Special Offers and Discounts

In addition to choosing off-peak seasons, taking advantage of special offers and discounts can further help you save money on Disney World tickets. The Walt Disney World Resort frequently offers promotions and package deals that can provide significant savings-  you just have to know where to look!

Keep an eye on the Disney World website (or work with a travel agent specializing in Disney vacations) for discounted ticket prices.  These could include multi-day ticket offers, or bundle deals that include park tickets along with other perks like dining discounts. These special offers and discounts can help you stretch your budget and make your Disney World vacation more affordable.

It’s worth noting that some offers may have certain restrictions or limited availability, so be sure to plan and book in advance to secure the best deals.

3. Book Your Stay at a Disney Resort for Extra Perks

When planning your magical trip to Walt Disney World, you may want to book your stay at a Disney Resort. Staying at a Disney property isn’t cheaper (usually) but this type of stay provides you with exclusive perks and benefits.  These benefits may be worth the extra money to you because you will have exclusive early entry to the Disney theme parks, and if you stay at a Deluxe resort you will have extended evening hours at either Magic Kingdom or Epcot (for more on this see below).  And then there’s free transportation which can save you money as well!

Don’t pay rack rate

Never pay full price for a Disney resort- if you keep an eye out for special offers and are flexible on dates and resorts you can save significantly.  You can also check Priceline and Undercover Tourist to see if you can save even more than the special offer, or if special offers aren’t available at that moment.

Check out the Disney Value Resorts

These are the cheapest of the Disney resorts but you will still get the same perks of free transportation, and Early Theme Park Entry.  Your options for Value resorts include:

• Pop Century
• All Star Movies, Sports, or Music
• Fort Wilderness Campsites (they are not technically value resorts but are the cheapest on property option with all of the same perks- as long as you don’t mind camping.  You can bring an RV or Campervan if you have one but those sites are a little bit more expensive).

Rent Disney Vacation Club Points

If you are already planning on staying at a Deluxe Disney Resort (but keep in mind these are the most expensive hotels on site) you can book this at a discount.  Definitely don’t pay full price for this type of resort! In addition to the offers page above, you can check out renting DVC (Disney Vacation Club) points.  This can save you up to 65% off rack rates for Deluxe Disney Hotels! To save money on DVC resorts I like using either David’s Vacation Club Rentals or DVC Rental Store.

4. Look for Disney World Hotel discounts after you book

Check for discounts even after you have booked your vacation- they will retroactively apply discounts.  This is even easier if you use a travel agent (which is free).  Trust me making changes to your Disney reservations is not easy, you may be on hold for up to 2 hours or more during busy times.  But book with a travel agent and they will be on hold for you, and it will cost you nothing.

5. Utilize Disney Gift Cards

I have a whole blog on how to save money on gift cards so check that out to dive deep.  You can use Disney gift cards to pay for your hotel, merchandise, food, or tickets.  If you book your room, tickets, or a package using a gift card be sure to hold onto it in case you need to cancel your trip- Disney will only be able to refund your money to that card. 

You can load money from multiple cards, up to $1000 on each card, by going to Disneygiftcard.com.

In summary, you can buy gift cards throughout the year or just before your trip at the following places and save between 2-5%.  Every dollar counts when saving for a Disney vacation!

• Target- if you have a Target Red Card you can save 5% on Disney Gift Cards
• BJ’s- this is a Canadian wholesale club that sometimes offers 4%-6% savings off Disney gift cards
• Sam’s- an American wholesale club that usuall offers up to 5% on Disney Gift cards savings (for both of these clubs you have to factor in membership fees, see my gift card blog for more info on this.
• Best Buy- this doesn’t happen often but sometimes Best Buy will offer 10% off Disney Gift cards so checking at Best Buy, online or in the stores, around the holiday season, or just after New Years is always a great idea.

6. Credit Card Rewards

To maximize your savings on your Disney World trip consider using your credit card rewards.

Disney Visa Cards by Chase

I know this isn’t technically a savings as you could use this money anywhere BUT if you have a Disney Premier Chase Visa card you can transfer your rewards onto a Disney Rewards card.  They call them Disney Rewards dollars and can use these Disney Dollars anywhere you would use your regular Visa at Disney.   At the time of this post you can earn in Disney Dollars:

• 5% on any purchases on Disneyplus or ESPN plus.
• 2% on purchases at gas stations, restaurants, grocery stores, and most Disney locations
• 1% on all other credit card purchases

You can also use your Disney Rewards dollars to get a credit back for airline travel.  Just purchase airline tickets with your Disney Premier Visa Card on any airline to any destination, and then pay yourself back by redeeming your Rewards Dollars for a statement credit.

Here’s the downside: the Disney Premier Visa has an annual fee of $49.  However, they do offer a regular Disney Visa with no annual fee.  One difference between these two cards is you get a $300 statement credit with the Premier card after spending $1000 on your credit card.  With the regular Visa, you don’t get this big of a credit AND you only get 1% in Disney Reward Dollars for every purchase, and that’s all purchases, no matter where they are.

Other Credit Card Rewards programs

Other credit card companies offer rotating 5% cash back offers too.  So, if you use one of these cards at a store where you can purchase Disney gift cards you can technically get that 5% in cash back.  However, as you can see it’s a more roundabout way of getting your “savings”.  You can also participate in a grocery store, like Kroger, fuel points program and use the points you earn to buy Disney gift cards with your fuel points money.  Is that really saving you money? Not necessarily as you could use those points for groceries but it is a way to save throughout the year.

7. Disney Visa Cardholder Discounts

And speaking of Disney Visas- another benefit of this type of credit card is the discounts you can get at shopDisney.com  You could use this 10% discount to buy Disney merchandise before you head out on your Disney vacation.   Walt Disney World Resort also has certain merchandise locations where you can save 10%, as well as 10% dining savings locations, and some recreational activities.

For the coffee lovers in your group, you can get 20% off your total Joffreys coffee order at Walt Disney World Resort (excluding alcohol).  Joffrey’s is a great place to get a cup of coffee, a fancy coffee drink, or a cup of tea.  They have locations all over Disney World, and in each theme park, and are MUCH less crowded than any of the Starbucks locations on site.

Though not technically a discount if you are a Disney Visa card holder you can have exclusive character photos taken during certain hours at Epcot in Futureworld or at Hollywood Studios in the Launch Bay section.  See the Disney visa site for more info on the complete list of perks.

8. Opt for Off-Property Hotels

Wait, what? Didn’t you just say to stay at a Disney resort? Well, yes, but there are savings benefits to staying at an off property hotel close to Disney World.  Staying at a more budget-friendly hotel allows you to allocate more of your vacation budget toward creating magical memories in the theme parks.

Off-property hotels are typically located near Disney World and offer competitive rates, often at a fraction of the cost of on-site Disney resorts. Off-site hotels can be as low as $70-150/night and often offer free breakfast and family suites.  Many of these hotels also provide shuttle services to the parks, allowing you to enjoy the convenience of transportation without incurring the higher costs of staying at a Disney-owned hotel.

When searching for off-property hotels, consider factors such as location, amenities, and guest reviews before booking.   A great site to check is

Remember to compare rates and read guest reviews to find the best value for your money!

9. Avoid Booking on Friday or Saturday

Friday and Saturdays are the most expensive nights at any Disney resort, and at off-site hotels too.  The theme park tickets are also sometimes more expensive on these days as well.  As are the plane tickets if you are flying to Orlando.  So, if you have the option to be flexible then it’s best to avoid these days when you can.

10. Use your Disney + Discount

If you are a Disney fan you may have a subscription to the Disney streaming service, Disney +.  Walt Disney World resorts often offers a room discount to Disney + patrons so be sure to check the offers site and use that discount.  The most recent offer was for 35% off select rooms during the Holiday season in 2023.

11. If you’re a Florida resident check for discounts

Walt Disney World ALWAYS has some type of Florida resident discount so if you are a Florida resident definitely check the offers page.  Most of the months of the year (but not every month so be sure to check) you can save significantly (up to 40%) on a 3 day or 4 day theme park ticket.  You will have to have a Florida ID or valid proof of residency.

You also have access to the cheapest type of Annual Pass, and Disney will sometimes offer Florida Resident hotel discounts.

12. Pick the most affordable Transportation Options to Disney

When planning your Disney World trip, choosing the right transportation options can make a significant difference in both convenience and savings. Here are some tips to help you get to and from Disney efficiently while keeping costs down.

Affordable flights

Look for the most affordable flight.  You can use a service like FlightsFinder to find the best prices.  This service will scan Kayak, Cheapflights, Momondo, Skyscanner, Priceline, and more to try and find you the best price.

After they give you this price it’s best to go to the airline site directly to make sure that it truly is the best price.  If you are ok with flying a discount airline like Frontier or JetBlue you might get a better deal by booking with them directly, and packing light as they charge for bags.

Transportation

Unfortunately 2022 marked the end of Disney Resort Hotels free transportation from the airport option, RIP Magical Express, we miss you! So, you need to factor into your costs how you will get to your hotel from the airport.  If your off-site hotel offers a free shuttle- great, that makes it even more worth it! If they don’t, particularly if they don’t have a free park shuttle, then add that into your overall costs too.

It may work out to take a bus that caters to Disney resorts like the Sunshine Flyer (now changing names to the Mears Connect Driven by Sunshine), or if you have a large group it may be cheaper to use a rideshare service.

The most expensive option will be to rent a car.  You will have to pay for the daily rate of the car rental, gas, and parking at your Disney resort hotel.  If you are staying off-site try to choose a hotel that offers free parking if you plan to rent a car, but keep in mind if they don’t have a shuttle you will then be stuck with paying for theme park parking which adds up quick!

13. Take Advantage of Free Water and Bring Your Own Refillable Water Bottles

When exploring Walt Disney World, staying hydrated is essential.  It gets very hot.  So pack your refillable bottle as Disney World offers free water sources throughout the parks

Free water stations can be found near restrooms, and at quick service dining locations.

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14. Book breakfast or lunch instead of dinner

Dinner tends to be the most expensive meal at Disney World.  Followed by lunch, with breakfast being the cheapest option.  The cheapest dining locations are quick service (Disney’s version of fast food type restaurants) restaurants.  The most expensive (in the parks) are character meals or prix fix meals.

If you plan on eating at a more expensive restaurant yet want the cheapest meal available then definitely choose a breakfast time.  Try bringing a portable breakfast item from your hotel room (see money saving ideas below) to keep you going if you plan to arrive early at the parks.  If you do this you can book a late breakfast, just before they start serving lunch.  That way you still get breakfast prices but it will hold you over for a few hours into the early evening.

The same idea could apply to lunch- book a late lunch, just before dinner.  Then you just need a light snack in the evening and you are good to go! Be careful though, many of the lunch prices at the more expensive restaurants often match the dinner prices.  You can view all Disney restaurant menus and prices on the My Disney Experience app.

In addition, if you don’t book a character meal or fancy prix fix meal, you can share meals and save money, or even order a kids meal!

15. Save on Dining by Packing Your Own Snacks and Meals

One of the easiest ways to save money on dining expenses at Disney World is by packing your own snacks and meals.

When packing snacks and meals for your Disney World vacation, it’s important to consider the park’s guidelines for food items. Here are some tips on what types of foods are allowed:

• Non-alcoholic beverages in plastic or stainless steel bottles or containers (no glass is allowed)
• Small snacks, such as pretzels, fruit, trail mix, or granola bars
• Packaged sandwiches or wraps
• Individually packaged items like chips, crackers, or cookies

By packing your own snacks and meals, you can have quick and convenient options on hand throughout the day, saving both time and money.   This will also keep away the “hangrys” and help avoid impulse buys (looking at you overpriced cookies).

16. Buy refillable popcorn buckets

You don’t HAVE to (but you can if you like) get the fancy, premium souvenir bucket.  But buying a regular Disney popcorn bucket gives you both a cheap snack and a cute bucket to take home.

The prices on these buckets can vary but generally, the cheapest option is $13.  The refills cost $2.25 and you can refill these buckets for the duration of your stay.  That beats any other snack price, and you get a snack with some fiber to fill you up!

17. Use a grocery delivery service

Purchase grab-and-go snacks for early mornings and rope-dropping by having a delivery service bring grocery items straight to your hotel.  Try to bundle your purchases into one delivery though as you will have to not only pay the delivery fee but also a fee, at least at any Disney resort, for the hotel to receive your items.

I like to order Prime grocery delivery from Amazon and stock up on protein bars, small bags of trail mix, mini oranges, and drinkable yogurts.  We also often buy cereal and milk if we have a decent refrigerator, as we can eat that as breakfast or a late-night snack.

If you stay at a Disney deluxe resort or an off-site hotel that has suites with kitchens you will have access to everything you need to cook meals.  This will save you money, and you can bring your leftovers to the park with you the next day!

18. Consider an annual pass

Walt Disney World Resort offers four different annual passes- the Pixie Dust (only for Florida residents), Pirate(Florida residents also), Sorcerer (Florida residents or Disney Vacation Club Members), and the Incredi-pass.

Annual passes can be a savings hack if you a) have a long vacation planned with lots of park days or b) you will be visiting Walt Disney World a few times over a 12 month period or c) you are a Florida resident and plan on going on off-peak times.  You can also factor in your Annual Pass discounts which are up to 20% off select dining and merchandise locations.  Disney also offers hotel discounts for annual passholders and is currently offering 25% off select rooms.

Here’s the Disney World Annual Pass Breakeven Point:

• Pixie Dust Pass $439 – Three one-day park tickets or Two one-day park hoppers.  This only applies if you are a Florida resident and can visit during off-peak times and you can visit on weekdays only.  HOWEVER, if they have a 4-day Florida resident Park Hopper deal available you can get this for $371.50 for off-peak days.  You also don’t get free parking on this pass but you do on all of the other passes.
• Pirate $799- Five one-day park tickets or three one-day park hopper tickets.  Again this pass is only for Florida residents, but you can go to the parks during the weekends and have a bit less blackout dates.
• Sorcerer’s $999- Six one-day park tickets or Four one-day Park Hoppers, depending on the time of year.  Another pass that’s only for Florida residents but also for DVC members.  But this pass comes with a lot fewer blackout dates, usually just Thanksgiving week and Christmas time.
• Incredi-pass $1449- Nine one-day park tickets or Six one-day park hopper tickets.  This is the only pass for non-DVC or non-Florida residents.  With free parking, the best discounts, and no blackout dates this offers the most access and perks.

Another thing to consider is that you can only hold a certain amount of park reservations at this time with each pass.  Check out this page for all of the details.  Hopefully, this will change soon!

19. Disney World Hacks to Save Money on Souvenirs

Definitely pre-purchase your Disney World merch- both to avoid impulse buys, but also to save money!

Where to Find Affordable Disney Merchandise

When it comes to saving money on Disney souvenirs, there are several options to consider:

• Outlet Stores: Disney has its own outlet store, the character warehouse stores, located near the theme parks, where you can find discounted merchandise from previous seasons or special collections.
• Amazon carries a lot of affordable Disney-licensed merchandise.  This is a great option for stuffies and light up wands for little ones.  You can secretly pack them and then bring them out for a magical surprise!
• Etsy has some amazing Disney-related merch like T-shirts, Minnie Ears, bags and more!
  

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20. Bring your own stroller

You can save $27-$31 per day by not renting a Disney stroller and bring your own! Another option is to use a stroller rental service like Kingdom Strollers (1-3 nights for $55 total).

21. Skip the Park Hopper

I love Park Hopping, jumping from one Disney World park to another on the same day, as much as anyone but when it comes to saving money just skip it! This will save you $60 per person per day.  The only time I would say park hopping is worth the extra money is if you only have 1-3 days in the parks and are trying to hit all of the popular attractions.

22. Skip the Dining Plan

It’s really hard to make the Dining Plan actually worth it.   The Disney dining plan will now be available again starting in January of 2024.  This plan is a pre-purchase option so that your meals are paid ahead of time and budgeted for before your trip.  This must be part of a Disney World Ticket and Hotel Package.

Walt Disney World now offers only two dining plans.  This is a change as they have (for now) omitted the Deluxe dining plan.  Let’s check out the details on the Disney Dining Plan 2024 edition:

The Standard Dining Plan

• $94.28 per adult per night ages 10 and up; $29.69 per child per night ages 3 to 9.  Everyone in the travel party will have 1 Table-Service meal per night, 1 Quick-Service meal, and a snack/nonalcoholic drink per night of their package stay—along with 1 Resort-refillable drink mug.
• Beverages are included with each meal. Guests under 21 years of age may choose from a variety of nonalcoholic beverages. Guests 21 and older with valid identification may substitute for beer, wine, and cocktails.

The Quick Service Dining Plan

• $57.01 per adult per night ages 10 and up, $23.83 per child per night ages 3 to 9.  Everyone in the travel party (age 3 and over) will receive 2 meals at quick-service restaurants and a snack/nonalcoholic drink per night of their package stay – along with 1 Resort-refillable drink mug.
• Beverages are included with each meal. Guests under 21 years of age may choose from a variety of nonalcoholic beverages. Guests 21 and older with valid identification may substitute for beer, wine, and cocktails.

So, do the math- if your travel party wants to eat out this often and like to order expensive meals, it might be worth it.  But for most people, it’s just too much food and not budget-friendly.

23. Consider checking for discounted Disney tickets

Check out the next section for more ticket-related info but, sometimes, you can get cheaper tickets from an AUTHORIZED Disney ticket reseller.  I love Undercover Tourist, but always check their prices against multi-day tickets or packages through Disney, to make sure you are getting the best deal.

24. Reserve Multi-Day Tickets Instead of Single-Day Passes

When planning your visit to Disney World, consider reserving multi-day tickets instead of purchasing single-day passes. This strategy offers both savings and flexibility, as your days have a range and not a specific date.

By opting for multi-day tickets, you can enjoy significant savings compared to buying individual single-day passes for each park. Disney offers discounted rates for multi-day ticket packages, making it a cost-effective option for guests looking to explore all of the theme parks, Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and Hollywood Studios, and you can even throw in some water park days!

25.  Take advantage of all of the FREE things Disney offers

So, as you have gathered, a Disney World vacation can get very pricey, very fast.  But did you know there are free things to do at Disney World also?

Here are some free things they offer:

• Celebration Pins- you can get a Celebration pin at any Disney World theme park or hotel and write on it what you are celebrating.  They also have first-visitor pins.
• Taste Coca-Cola from around the world! Club cool at Epcot allows you to sample, for free, sodas from all over the earth.  Beverly, anyone?
• Kidcot activities at Epcot.  Epcot sometimes gets boring for kids, Disney has you covered! Stop by any Kidcot location in the World Showcase for free activities for kids, just ask a cast member if you have trouble finding the Kidcot center.
• Resort Hopping.  Save money on a park ticket one day and travel around the Disney World resorts.  This is particularly magical during the Holiday season!
• Outdoor nighttime movies.  All Disney resort hotels offer evening movies under the stars, and they usually have some free snacks too!
• Low-cost (not free) pressed pennies- these are available at all of the Disney theme parks and are a great, and cheap, souvenir!
• Ghiradelli at Disney Springs offers free chocolate squares to all customers.  Yay, free chocolate!

Conclusion

These Disney World money-saving tips can help you make the most of your vacation while keeping your budget (somewhat) intact. By strategically planning your visit dates, carefully picking your hotel, and utilizing Disney gift cards and credit card rewards, you can trim costs and enjoy extra perks. Pre-purchasing park tickets, packing your own food to bring in the parks, and choosing the right transportation options to and from Disney will further contribute to your savings.

Don’t forget to take advantage of the free water sources and bring your own refillable bottle to save money on expensive water or sodas at the parks. When it comes to souvenirs, explore affordable options and set a budget to avoid overspending.

Consider reserving multi-day tickets instead of single-day passes for added savings and flexibility. By implementing these Disney World hacks, you can have a magical vacation without breaking the bank.

You may also like:

5 Essential Disney Packing Tips: How to Pack and Plan like a Pro for any Disney vacation!

Disney Budget: How to Choose the Best Value Resort at Disney World

Is the Disney Dining Plan Worth It in 2024? Find Out Now!

Shelley Meyer

Shelley has been going on Walt Disney World trips since she was a toddler growing up in South Florida. Since then, she has expanded her interests and passion to include Disneyland and runDisney trips. She is a Disney College of Knowledge-certified Travel Planner, runner, Physician, mom of three, and all-around Disney fan. She believes the magic is in the details of any Disney or runDisney trip!