Planning an Amazing Trip to Disney World on a Budget

Last updated on December 27th, 2021 at 10:19 pm

Visiting Walt Disney World can be expensive, but it doesn’t have to be out of your price range. I’m going to help you with planning a trip to Disney World on a budget!

Unless you’re a millionaire (which I’m definitely not), everyone could benefit from doing some budgeting for their trip to Disney World.

First thing’s first, come up with your budget number that you want to stick to. You can’t stay on budget if you don’t have a budget to start with!

Second, as a family/group, decide where you want to save and where you want to spend a little more.

There’s ways to save based on your preferences, and on your overall trip.

Before you start your planning, talk as a group about what’s most important to you on this trip. Is it staying on property? Is it having good food?

This will help you figure out where you want to save money, and where you want to spend.

Planning a trip to Disney World on a budget doesn’t have to be hard if you know what your priorities are!

Using Rakuten

When you’re making purchases on Shop Disney, or the other stores for gift cards below, make sure you check out Rakuten.

It’s totally free to you, but you earn cash back on everyday purchases. So when you shop at a participating store and activate the Rakuten cash back, both you and Rakuten earn back a percentage of whatever you spend.

I have the extension installed in my browser so I never miss activating my cash back. I’ve been using Rakuten since 2016, and have earned over $800 in cash back.

If you want to sign up for Rakuten using my referral code, when you join and spend $30, both you and I earn $30 cash back! Drop me a line if you’re interested!

Plus, if you have a credit card that earns you Points or cash back, make sure you’re using it so you can save even more money!

Gift Cards

Did you know you can buy Disney gift cards at a discount? Start taking advantage of this discount as soon as you know you’re going to be taking a trip!

Disney gift cards can be used for almost anything Disney-related:

Vacation Packages
Resort Hotel Rooms
Theme Park Tickets
Food/Drinks
Merchandise

There’s a couple options for places you can get gift cards from, and we’ll cover the pros and cons of each!

Target

Target doesn’t directly offer discounts on Disney gift cards, but with a RedCard you automatically get a 5% discount on all purchases. A $50 gift card will cost you $47.50.

And Target also offers a debit card too, so you don’t have to sign up for a new credit card if you don’t want to.

Pros:
Can buy anywhere
5% discount

Cons:
Need a RedCard
Rakuten cash back doesn’t apply

Sam’s Club

With a Sam’s Club membership, you can get Disney gift cards for a 4-5% discount ($50 gift card for $47.98), plus 1% cash back when shopping online using Rakuten.

You’ll need a Sam’s Club membership, starting at $45, but check out Groupon to see if there’s discounted memberships available in your area.

There’s also a $100 membership option that offers additional perks, like 2% cash back on qualifying purchases (up to $500 per year). But, gift cards (of any kind) aren’t eligible for cash back.

If you’re thinking of just buying a Sam’s Club membership to buy Disney gift cards, you’d need to buy at least $1,115 worth for that $45 investment to be worth it.

You’ll definitely spend more than this when you go to Disney World, it’s just a matter of how much you want to pay for in gift cards.

If you plan on using the Sam’s Club membership for other things, or can get it for a discount, it could be worth it!

Pros:
Save between 4-5%
Earn more back with Rakuten
Can use any payment method

Cons:
Need Sam’s Club membership – starting at $45
High spend threshold for $45 membership to be worth the price

BJ’s Wholesale

You can purchase Disney gift cards for up to 4% off through BJ’s Wholesale – as of right now, a $100 gift card can be purchased for $95.99.

You’ll need a BJ’s Wholesale membership, but there is a workaround we’ll come back to.

A membership is $55 per year, or there’s an option for $110 per year with 2% cash back on most purchases. But, gift cards aren’t eligible for the 2% cash back at BJ’s Wholesale either.

Groupon will also offer discounts for memberships, so make sure you take a look.

Similar to Sam’s Club, BJ’s Wholesale will also have a high spend threshold for the membership to be worth the price, if you’re just using it for gift cards.

HOWEVER, BJ’s Wholesale offers a FREE one-day pass. So if you plan ahead, sign up for the one-day pass and buy all your gift cards at the same time.

Pros:
One-day pass
Up to 4% off gift cards
Earn more back with Rakuten

Cons:
Need a BJ’s Wholesale Membership – starting at $55
High spend threshold for $55 membership to be worth the price

Resort Hotel Stays

Value Resorts

If you want to stay on property at Walt Disney World on a budget, check out the Value Resort category, which includes Pop Century, Art of Animation and the All-Star Resorts.

The All-Star resorts will be the most affordable options, somewhere in the $100-300 price range per night, depending on the time of year. You’ll need to travel by bus to get to the parks and to Disney Springs.

Other options in the Value Resort category are Pop Century and Art of Animation.

Pop Century rooms will run between $150-400 per night, depending on the time of the year.

Art of Animation rooms will be slightly higher, starting in the $200 range for single family rooms, or between $400-700 for family suites, depending on the time of year.

Art of Animation has family suites that sleep up to 6. Which is a great option if you have a larger family, and would otherwise need to rent two hotel rooms.

Family suites include a bedroom with one queen-size bed; one double-size convertible TableBed; one double-size sleeper sofa; living room; 2 bathrooms and a kitchenette.

Another great benefit of staying at Pop Century and Art of Animation is staying right on the Skyliner. There’s a Skyliner station right in between the two resorts, and you can get to Epcot and Hollywood Studios without having to take a bus! The Riviera Resort is also on the Skyliner route, so you can do some resort hopping, or try out Topolino’s Terrace!

Renting a car may help with the convenience factor, however it likely won’t be a money saver. You’ll need to pay to park each night at your resort, but you’ll get standard parking at each of the theme parks.

Select Deluxe Hotels

The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotels are deluxe hotels on Walt Disney World property, but they aren’t official Disney resorts and are managed by Marriott.

The Swan will be slightly less expensive than the Dolphin, and are considerably less expensive than the surrounding resorts.

The hotels are located near the BoardWalk Inn, Yacht Club and Beach Club resorts, and are within walking distance of Epcot and Hollywood Studios.

These hotels are a great option if you want to stay within walking distance of theme parks, but want a more affordable rate!

Keep in mind these hotels don’t get complimentary Magic Bands or Disney’s Magical Express, but starting in January 2022 these perks will go away for onsite guests too.

More Great Accommodations

On the Disney World website, there’s a category of hotels that are off Walt Disney World property, but are recommended by Disney.

Take a look at each of the hotels in this category to see what works best for your family. Some offer packages with theme park tickets, free parking, free breakfast, and complimentary shuttles to the park.

If you’re ok with not staying on Walt Disney World property, then staying at an offsite hotel could be a great option for you!

Just keep in mind you might need to rent a car for your trip. Parking might be free at the resort, but you’ll need to pay at the parks if you decide to drive.

Park Tickets

If you’re planning a trip to Disney World on a budget, along with resorts, park tickets are going to be a big part of your budget.

Things to keep in mind for park tickets –

Park ticket prices will be different depending on the time of year you visit. So, tickets around Christmas time are going to be more expensive than in the summer when the parks are less busy.

The more days you have on your ticket, the less it will cost per day. But you’ll still pay more if you plan on going into the parks for more days.

Tickets will also cost more if you add on the Park Hopper option, which means you can go to more than one park per day. If you think you’ll be happy just going into one park a day, you can save some money by skipping the Park Hoppers.

Some companies will offer discounted tickets for Walt Disney World. However, make sure it really is a better deal! The discount offered at my husband’s company is on tickets for any day of the year, which means by default it’s based on the most expensive park tickets.

If you’re visiting during a busy time of the year, it might be a better deal. But if it’s quiet, it might be cheaper to buy through Disney.

Another option for discounted theme park tickets is through Undercover Tourist. They’re a Disney authorized seller for theme park tickets. We’ve bought Walt Disney World tickets through them, because they were the best deal we found!

DO NOT buy any tickets from an unauthorized seller, or from anyone that feels fishy. If you buy a park ticket “with a couple days left on it”, there’s no way of knowing until you get to the park. And there’s a chance you could buy tickets from an unauthorized seller and never get them!

Food and Dining

Food and dining are great to keep in mind when planning a trip to Disney World on a budget.

I’ve done a post on Walt Disney World Restaurants, so check that out for recommendations on specific restaurants.

Even if you love food and want to try Walt Disney World sit-down restaurants, you can still save money!

Did you know that you can bring food and drinks into the parks with you? When you get to Disney World, order groceries to your resort and bring them into the park with you.

We bought breakfast foods, so we could grab a Larabar on the run and get right to the parks. You could even make sandwiches to bring for lunch! Just keep in mind, you can’t bring in loose ice to the park, but you can bring ice packs. So if your hotel room has a mini fridge with a freezer, you could bring and use ice packs.

Prioritize where you want to spend money on meals and save everywhere else!

You can ask for a free cup of water at almost any quick service dining location. We bought a Brita water bottle, and filled it up at every water fountain we walked by!

So if you plan ahead, you can eat at the restaurants you want, and still stay within budget!

ShopDisney.com

Keep an eye on ShopDisney.com for sales and deals leading up to your trip! There’s occasionally some good sales, so you can get things like Minnie ear headbands, or spirit jerseys for the park before your trip!

If you think your child will want a princess dress or jedi robes, get them for a discount on ShopDisney. And then surprise them when you get to your resort!

Something amazing I’ve found on ShopDisney is they’ve started making adaptive costumes and wheelchair covers. So all kids can dress up and have fun.

Make sure you save some room in your budget for souvenirs, because you can’t get everything on ShopDisney. And no doubt you or your kids will find something they have to have!

Watch for Deals

Working with a Disney travel planner can help you find all the best available deals. And you don’t have to wait for a deal before booking your trip.

If you’re booking with a travel planner through Disney, they can keep an eye out for new deals. And save you some money!

Look into any offers that might be available while you’re visiting, or if a vacation package works with your budget.

Are you planning a trip to Disney World on a budget? What are some tips you’re following to save some money?

The Walt Disney World Planning Guide

Get all of these tips, and more, in The Harper Girls Walt Disney World Planning Guide! Over 70 printer-friendly pages of information, including planning checklists, fun things to do in Disney (for free!), budget tips, resort and park info, and more!

Purchase the guide here, or sign up for our newsletter and get a code for 20% off!

Other Disney World Planning Posts –

How to Plan a Trip for a Large Group in Disney