I’ve planned over 40 Disney World trips. 6 park money-saving techniques

To save money on breakfast, snacks, and even alcohol, order goods to your resort.

Drizly delivered my wine to my room, and I’m enjoying it.
Becker, Kari

As a travel planner at Marvelous Mouse Travels, my clients frequently inquire about strategies to save money when visiting Walt Disney World.

Because all Disney resort rooms feature a small fridge, you may easily stock it with your own groceries. We usually keep milk, yogurt, water bottles, cheese sticks, and soda on hand.

There are delivery services that will bring groceries directly to the resort’s bell-hop station. Although there is a little price if you want them brought to your room, you can pick them up for free in the lobby.

We normally order breakfast to eat in the hotel, which saves us a lot of money and time.

We also bring snacks and water bottles with us to the parks. You are permitted to bring in your own food and beverages (but not in glass containers), and soft-sided coolers are permitted if you wish to carry larger items for lunch.

Because alcohol costs at Disney may be quite exorbitant, my husband and I recently used Drizly, an alcohol-delivery service, to buy drinks to enjoy at our resort.

Purchase a reusable mug and a popcorn bucket.

Refillable containers are a good deal if you’re going to buy drinks and popcorn anyhow.

Becker, Kari

The refillable mugs and buckets have a higher initial cost, but if you know you’ll be sipping coffee or Coke and snacking on popcorn during your vacation, they’re worth it.

The mugs are presently $19.99 and can be refilled at the resorts for free for the duration of your stay. Drinks at the resorts cost roughly $4 each, so if you have more than five, you’ve made your money back.

The mugs cannot be used in the parks, but they can be filled before leaving and brought in. Plus, you get a fantastic souvenir to take home – my family anticipates the new patterns each season.

Similarly, depending on the design, you may get a popcorn bucket at any of the parks or Disney Springs for between $10 and $25. Refills are merely $2 instead of $5 once purchased.

I set spending boundaries for my family’s souvenir purchases.

Before we reach the gift shops, everyone knows what their budget is.

Becker, Kari

Souvenir purchases might be extremely expensive. And if your children are anything like mine, they will want everything they see.

Before the trip begins, I like to set a clear spending limit for my children and myself.

Before we go, I usually make things simple by purchasing Disney gift cards for everyone. There are no more souvenirs once the gift card has been depleted.

It causes you to reconsider some of your purchases, and my children are more deliberate in their choices.

Instead of scheduling table-service or quick-service restaurants, snack in the parks for certain meals.

Many of the snack selections are substantial enough to satisfy you.

Becker, Kari

Disney’s table-service and quick-service restaurants can be expensive, so I try to avoid having three sit-down meals in the park every day.

Snacks can be filling and less expensive than a full meal. It also allows you to sample all of the delicious refreshments available at the parks.

The cheeseburger egg rolls from the carts outside of Adventureland, the giant cinnamon rolls from Gaston’s Tavern, and Walt’s chili-cheese fries from Casey’s Corner are all large enough to serve as a meal.

We occasionally split meals or opt for children’s meals.

We shared a few sandwiches.

Becker, Kari

We split meals in sit-down restaurants to save money unless the food is served family-style.

We’ll do the same at quick-service restaurants or order a kid’s meal. The kids’ portions are frequently not much smaller and come with extra snacks that you may keep and enjoy later.

You can use Disney gift cards to pay for your entire vacation.

Using Disney gift cards has saved me hundreds of dollars.

Becker, Kari

Disney gift cards can be purchased in quantity at places like Target, Sam’s Club, and BJ’s.

These can be used to pay for almost anything, including your resort stay and park tickets, as well as food and souvenirs.

We saved over $300 on our last vacation just by purchasing inexpensive Disney gift cards.