How to Take Your Family on a Budget Friendly Disney Vacation

Last Updated on June 29, 2021 by Kimberly Stroh

Many families dream of taking a family vacation to a Disney theme park. Unfortunately Disney is really expensive. Not only are the park tickets expensive but food, souvenirs, hotels, and transportation costs can all add up. There are ways to plan a budget friendly Disney vacation, you just have to plan it right. Read on for to find out how to take your family on a cheap Disney vacation.

How to Plan Your Budget Friendly Disney Vacation

The first thing you’ll want to do is subscribe to the Disney Parks email list. They will periodically send you emails with special travel discounts. Sometimes they send deals that are just too good to pass up.

Set a Budget

Determine the amount you will need to go on your budget friendly Disney vacation. If you plan your trip right, a family of four can travel to Disney World for about 4 thousand dollars. (I have seen packages for a family of four in the 2K range but it didn’t include travel to Florida or California.) This price will increase and decrease depending on the amount of time you want to stay. A three day trip will be a lot less than a seven day trip.

Figure out how long you want to stay and a ballpark of how much it will cost. If you determine how much you need, it will be easier to save.

Create a Savings Plan

If you’re planning a year in advance, break up the amount you want to spend into 52 weeks. Then figure out where that weekly amount will come from. You can designate a certain amount from your budget each week to go towards your Disney trip. You can also try to make extra side income for your Disney vacation.

 Disney Savings Plan Ideas:

• Involve your family in the savings plan. It will be hard to do all this work alone. Make saving for Disney a family affair.

• Use an installment plan. If you book through the Disney Parks website or use a Disney Vacation planner, you can pay off your vacation package in installments.

• Do all your shopping online and use Ebates. Ebates will send you a rebate check once a month. Make sure to shop the Ebates homepage for stores that have the highest cash-back that day, then divert all your Ebates earnings towards your Disney trip.

• Use Swagbucks. This is an all-in-one app where you can take surveys, watch videos, and shop through the app to earn “swagbucks” that you can redeem for gift cards. Redeem your points for Target gift cards and turn those into Disney giftcards. Use the Disney cards to pay for your travel package or for souvenirs in the parks.

Shop Around

A package trip might be a good idea if this is your first Disney trip. The benefit of buying a package deal as opposed to making arrangements one by one is the time and (sometimes) cost-savings involved. Different websites have different packages and they can vary drastically in price so make sure to shop around.

Use a Disney Certified Travel Agent

Disney Vacation Planners do not charge anything extra to plan and book your trip. You can tell them the amount you want to spend and they can build a cheap Disney vacation around your budget.

Disney’s Vacation planners tend to know the best deals and how to score them. Plus, they are great at recommending hotels, events, and restaurants you might not have been aware of.

Consider Staying Off-Property

Non-Disney hotels are usually cheaper, which means you can afford a larger room with a kitchenette. This is a great cost-saving option because you can eat breakfast in the room and make sandwiches and snacks to take with you into the park.

Budget Friendly Disney Vacation Travel Tips

Go during the off-season if you can: The parks tend to be busiest around early summer, Christmas, Thanksgiving, long weekends like Labor Day, and Easter. Also, consider going during the middle of the week. The parks are less crowded on weekdays and hotel prices are lower.

Consider renting a house and sharing it with another family: There are plenty of websites that offer vacation home rentals. You can split the cost of the home if you go with another family.

Drive instead of fly: The cost of driving can be significantly cheaper than flying.

Don’t let the cost of a Disney trip deter you from taking your family on a dream vacation. If you’re motivated to plan and use some unconventional ways to earn extra money, you can make your dream a reality.

About the Author:

Elizabeth is the women behind www.crazybusyhappylife.com. She’s been a work-at-home entrepreneur and mom for eight years and loves sharing ways to make money online, manage work and family, and be more productive. Her blog is for busy women and warrior-moms who need a little help and encouragement to love the life their living.