Planning disney vacation on a budget11/9/2023 The wonderful independent website is another great source of discount information. Additional discounts might be available for Disney annual pass holders or AAA members. If you’re looking for room discounts, try asking a travel agent or using one of the online services listed in the transportation section. I had no loss of Disney benefits, I still got Magical Express service, Extra Magic Hours, and the like, I just paid less for them. Twice this year I have saved about $20 per night at the Pop Century simply by booking through Expedia rather than through Disney directly. This highlights the promotions Disney itself is offering.Ī little more sleuthing can often uncover discounted prices on the exact same room. You’ll also want to check the room and package special offers page of the Disney website. This will tell you the standard “rack rate” for the room. Declining insurance on the rental can also provide big savings.Īs a starting point, log on to and get a price for your preferred hotel during your travel dates. These often make the purchase of insurance on a rental car redundant. When renting a car, be sure to check your personal auto insurance policy and your credit card benefits. If you decide to fly to Orlando, many of the sites above also offer discounted rental car opportunities. Sometimes a Saturday night stay or a brief stopover can save you hundreds of dollars. Try playing with departure dates or number of connections. These tools make it easy to experiment with your flights to find the best deal. You may want to check out a recent New York Times comparison of air travel search sites. Popular choices include Kayak, Google Flight, Trip Advisor, Expedia, Orbitz, Priceline, and Travelocity. When looking at the cost of flying, there are now dozens of online tools and apps that can help you locate the most cost effective flight. The Swan and Dolphin are particularly notorious for their steep parking rates. If you’re driving and staying off-site, you will need to pay for parking at the theme parks (unless you are a Walt Disney World Annual Passholder) and possibly also at your hotel. If you’re flying and staying off-site, you’ll need to pay for a car service or rent a car to get to your hotel. For example, if you’re flying and staying at a Disney resort hotel, you have the option to use Disney’s free Magical Express bus service to get you to your hotel. For a good rough estimate of gas cost on your trip, try consulting AAA’s Fuel Cost Calculator.Īdditionally, your fly/drive decision will impact transportation charges once you’re in Orlando. Longer drives may even include a night in a hotel along the way, depending on the length of the drive and the number of drivers in your party. Would using your miles for this trip impede your ability to take a more expensive trip later on?ĭrivers must consider not only the cost of gas, but also meals on the road, wear and tear on the car, and possibly more on-the-road entertainment. You may also want to consider the opportunity cost of using frequent flier miles. Even if you are using frequent flier miles, many of these ancillary charges will apply. Fliers should also consider the cost of parking or taking a taxi to the airport, tipping for baggage handlers, and other related expenses. For example, if you’re flying, you’ll need to get on the phone or search the airline website for hidden fees such as baggage or onboard snack charges. gas, but also factoring in all related expenses. Your ultimate choice must be based on real numbers – not only the cost of plane tickets vs. However, for most of the rest of us, the decision may not be so easy. In some cases, the choice will be clear if you’re coming from Tampa then you’re driving, if you’re coming from the UK then chances are you’re going to fly (or get very wet □ ). The main get-to-Disney transportation options are flying vs. Let’s go through these one by one to see where you can find information on obvious costs and hidden costs, as well as where you can find information on ways to save money. You’ll see that there are seven main areas in which you’ll spend money on your vacation: As a first step, download the TouringPlans Budget Planning Worksheet. What you should know right off the bat is that planning an accurate and economical trip budget is going to involve some math, some research, and possibly some hard decisions. I’m going to walk you through the process of creating a budget for your trip, and suggest some areas of potential savings. There are plenty ways to conserve funds and still have a magical vacation. Let’s face it, a trip to Walt Disney World can be an expensive undertaking a good budget can mean the difference between a relaxing vacation and a major migraine.
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