Walt Disney World on a Budget Part 2

In part 1 of this post, I discussed budgeting tips associated with tickets and hotels and the ways to save money. In this post, I’m going to discuss airfare, rental cars, and food.

Airfare

I almost always book my airfare separate from my hotel and I would recommend this to anyone as well. Even though different travel sites advertise specials for combining the two; we have found our best discounts when booking separately, especially at Disney World. Some of the biggest hotel discounts are room only. For Disney World hotel discounts, please refer to Walt Disney World on a Budget Part 1. One way to find the lowest airfare rate is to search far in advance and then set an alert on the search, which will email you when a lower rate is found. It’s also usually cheaper to fly mid-week (Tuesday or Wednesday). 

Rental Car
One simple way to save money is deciding if you need a rental car. If you plan to stay at Disney World your entire trip, you do not need to rent a car. Disney has awesome transportation, including buses, boats, and the monorail.















We have never had any problems with Disney transportation. I personally love the boat rides!

 


















However, during busier times of the year, the transportation may get packed and you might have to wait for a second bus. The busiest route we've found is from Downtown Disney back to the hotel. In addition to the transportation within Disney World, Disney even has free bus service from the airport to your hotel called Magical Express. When your vacation is over, Magical Express also picks you up at your hotel and takes you back to the airport.

I would recommend getting a rental car if you are staying off-property or if you are planning on going to places outside of Disney World. We got a rental car on our last trip because we stayed off property and we wanted to spend a few days at Universal Studios. Another thing to consider is if you’re traveling with your kids. It might be easier going to/from the parks if you have a car since you won’t need to wait for the bus; however I personally still think renting a car is a waste of money if you’re staying in Disney World.

Food
When booking a "Magic Your Way" vacation package, one of the options you can add is the Disney Dining Plan. There are a variety of different dining plans you can add, from the basic plan to premium plans with more food. The basic dining plan includes the following each day:

One table service or buffet meal – includes your entree, drink, and dessert

One quick service meal – includes your entree, drink, and dessert

One snack (ice cream, churro, popcorn, etc..)

One refillable drink mug per package (free refills at your hotel)

You are given all dining credits at the beginning of your trip to use as you like throughout your stay. For example, if you got a 5 day dining plan, you can use all your snack credits in 1 day or you could spread them out over your entire trip. In addition, you can trade two table service credits for one signature dining credit or dinner show (i.e., Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue). Signature dining are more deluxe restaurants throughout Disney World. If you tend to eat a lot and get dessert every meal, then this package might be a good deal for you; however if you’re a lighter eater, it is probably cheaper to skip this option.

In previous years, Disney has offered free Disney Dining plans with the purchase of a Magic Your Way package at certain times each year. Since this offer must be used with a vacation package, you will NOT be able to combine free dining with a "room-only" discount. However, if the dining discount is offered during your trip, I would compare the cost breakdown of each. Sometimes there are no hotel discounts available for your travel time or the discounts are small (5-10%); it might make more sense to go with free dining (if it’s being offered).

In addition to everything I've listed above, I want to provide you with 2 GREAT resources for checking out discounts:

www.mousesavers.com – the most comprehensive list I’ve found of current and past Disney discounts. I would sign-up for their newsletter which emails you whenever a new discount is announced.

www.disboards.com – This is an awesome forum for all topics Disney. I tend to go to this on a daily basis leading up to my trips. I cannot express enough how great this site is. In addition to great tips and information, this forum also has a page dedicated to Disney Discount codes and Rates (found under the Disney Resorts section). People will discuss discounts they've received on their upcoming trips and any other great deals they’re found. This site also has threads for pretty much any Disney question you can think of: from recommendations on the best hotels if you’re traveling with kids to recommendations on which parks to visit on which days of the week.

In my next post, I’m going to discuss Disney World accommodations, including looking at the various types of Disney Hotels and the pros and cons of staying on or off property.