How to Save Money at Disney World 2023? 15 Tricks

Discover ways to cut costs on lodging, meals, souvenirs, and more during your trip to Walt Disney World in 2023 with these tips and tricks.

A Disney vacation can be magical, but it can also quickly empty your bank account! If you’re asking “How can I pay less for Disney?” or “How can I go to Disney and spend the least amount of money?” we’re here to help! At Disney World, we are aware of ways to cut costs. Here are some of our top tricks and advice!

Regardless of your strategy, you can save a few dollars or a few hundred dollars at Disney World by using these money-saving tips and tricks.

Further Reading: How to Save Money on Flights?

Shop Around for Your Tickets

Did you know that there are ways to get discounted tickets to Disney World? You may not always get those discounted prices if you purchase them directly from Disney. It is possible to save 5% to 15% on your tickets by using one of the many ticket brokers.

This can be a little difficult because you need to do your math and understand what you are comparing. It’s not always a good idea to purchase your tickets separately. even more so if you plan to stay at a Disney World resort. Disney World frequently offers package deals that include discounted rates on both tickets and lodging.

Never Pay Full Price for Disney World on Property Resorts

Generally speaking, Disney World offers discounts all the time. Paying rack rates is a surefire way to lose hundreds or even thousands of dollars, though there are a few exceptions to that rule. Don’t do this and you may be as mad as Donald in the picture above!

Now, there might not always be a discount available when you book your resort. There are still discounts available, so don’t worry. For more information, continue reading number 3 below.

Keep An Eye Out for Discounts, Even After You Booked Your Trip

You shouldn’t assume that trying to save money for your trip is over just because you’ve made reservations and paid a deposit. If Disney World announces a promotion or discount, you can actually apply that discount back to your reservation if it meets the requirements of the deal.

Finding a deal to save an extra 10%–20% on your reservation is not at all uncommon. Unless you travel during a period of high demand, such as the week between Christmas and New Year’s, this is typically true. If that’s the case, it’s going to be pretty hard to find a discount.

If you already have a deal, the discounts may not be as substantial or may not be present at all. These are discounts from rack rate pricing. There are also lots of restrictions on room type, stay length, the actual days, and the list goes on and on. However, it’s worthwhile to call Disney and request that it be applied, then calculate how much money you can save.

Know When Disney Publishes Their Discounts

Disney is a big business, so they rely on routine and processes to systematize its operations. What does this imply for you? Disney has a schedule for releasing its discounts. For roughly the same time window of travel, they typically publish the same discounts at the same time of year.

If you want to see what discounts have been offered in the past, when they were offered, and how deep the discounts were, we recommend going to Mousesavers. All of these inquiries can be answered by their multiyear tracker of data. As you look through the information, there is a consistent pattern to the deals offered and when they come out.

Stay at Hotels Off Property

We’re not ashamed to admit that we adore the majority of Disney resorts, but not all of them. However, we also acknowledge that they are not always the least expensive option for lodging at Disney World.

The Disney World resorts have incredible pools, immersive themes, and the convenience of being in the Disney bubble, but you have to pay for all of that. There are a number of inexpensive hotels right next to Disney property, so you can undoubtedly cut your lodging expenses there.

Utilize Your Member Discounts

Whether you’re a DVC Member, Annual Passholder, or a Disney+ subscriber, there are often opportunities for discounted hotel stays at various WDW Resorts.

Watch for announcements regarding these special discounts that are only available to participants in specific Disney programs and services; they may be sizable. Member discounts are often between 25 and 30 percent off the base room price.

Keep An Eye Out for Seasonal Offers

Disney often releases seasonal hotel and resort offers, which can save you a percentage off the cost of your Hotel reservations at Walt Disney World. If you keep an eye out, you can save pretty much all year long because it’s common to find seasonal deals in the spring, summer, and fall.

These seasonal resort and hotel offers are usually up to 25 percent off, though the discount varies depending on the hotel category you choose. Flexibility is essential because these discounts are typically valid only during certain times of the year.

Save on Grocery Deliveries

You don’t want to blow all of your money eating at resort restaurants or in theme parks every meal. Use a grocery delivery service to save money! You have the option of ordering food delivery straight to your hotel room, which will enable you to prepare meals away from the theme parks and lower your overall food costs.

Several of the most well-known delivery services, including Instacart and Publix, offer delivery to the Walt Disney World Resort. It’s a great way to stock up on things like bottled water, breakfast items, and even snacks.

You can arrange for as much or as little to be delivered to your vacation home by contacting private delivery services like Garden Grocer.

Buy Discounted Gift Cards

Did you know that you can buy discounted Disney Gift Cards? It’s true—you can buy gift cards for less than their face value! It’s a great way to both stick to a set budget and saves a little money by paying for your next With these discounted gift cards, you can go to Walt Disney World.

When you use a Target REDCard or make a purchase as a club member, retailers like Target, Sam’s Club, and Costco frequently offer promotions like a 5 percent discount on Disney Gift Cards.

Utilize a Vacation Planner’s Help

Another way to save money on a Disney World vacation is to enlist the help of a professional – a professional vacation planner or travel agent! These experts are knowledgeable about all of the ongoing promotions, offers, and discounts that are readily available.

They can therefore assist you in coordinating your theme park visits, provide tips on how to maximize savings and help you make the most of your money and your upcoming trip to Disney World.

Skip Genie+

The line-skipping options at Walt Disney World are Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, which are contentious because they essentially function as paid FastPass. Even though they can save you a ton of time, these cumbersome systems can make you go back or make you wait for return times.

From a money-saving perspective, that covers when not to buy Individual Lightning Lanes or Genie+. While many visitors to Walt Disney World are upset about Genie+ and Lightning Lanes and have boycotted them, that isn’t our viewpoint.

We aren’t “for” or “against” the system. Instead, we advise using these options sparingly (in addition to itineraries, rope drops, early entry, etc.).), and not wasting money on When they are not required, use Genie+ or Lightning Lanes.

Avoid Upcharges

We have gone to both Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party every year since they began in 2007. We wouldn’t miss either one of them, and that’s despite both parties roughly tripling in price during that time and getting more crowded.

While many upcharges will enhance your trip, they’re far from necessary to have an enjoyable vacation. Contrarily, the majority of them don’t merit the money (objectively). Sure, they’re a fun splurge–but if your vacation dollars are limited, you should absolutely put those towards the core experience (tickets, hotels, dining) rather than the extravagances.

Consider the desire for up charged amenities at Walt Disney World as a way to keep up with the Joneses (or Kardashians, as the case may be) online. This is made worse by the fact that some in-demand experiences fill up quickly, but this is more a result of the limited supply and the FOMO machine than it is of quality and demand. Almost always exaggerated, don’t fall for the hype.

Use Credit Cards

We have earned tens of thousands of dollars in rewards on credit cards, without ever paying a cent of interest (although we have paid annual fees on certain cards).

Beyond travel-specific credit cards, getting a good “everyday” credit card for daily purchases can be a great way to earn money that you can earmark for vacations. This gives a different meaning to “saving” money, but it’s an idea nonetheless.

We advise using cards like the Chase Freedom Rewards or Amex Blue Cash for regular use rather than the Disney Chase Visa credit cards, which are well-liked by many Disney fans. Additionally, you don’t necessarily need to steer clear of credit cards with annual fees; frequently, the extra benefits, better cashback, or other rewards more than makeup for the cost.

Skip the Park Hopper

If we were not Annual Passholders, Park Hopping is not something we could live without, but your mileage may vary on that. We like to stay in the park that is open latest, and that usually means hopping to that park towards the end of the day.

Even if we were on a tight budget and had to give up something else, we would unquestionably consider the additional expense to be worthwhile.

Since many visitors, especially those with young children, don’t stay up late, calling it a night rather than visiting the park that opens the latest each evening won’t be a big deal to them. Think about how important Park Hopping is to you and whether you can live without it if you’re on a tight budget.

This has a major caveat in that your chances of seeing Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance will be greatly reduced if you don’t have the Park Hopper option. There is no doubt that you should think about it.

Eat Outside the Parks

With that said, our recommendation here is not to do every single meal off-site. On the contrary, that would be a huge waste of time, and at Walt Disney World, time is money. (It’s crucial to understand the value of your time and to avoid being an excessive slacker!)

There’s also the fact that some Disney restaurants are a ton of fun or serve delectable food and improve your Walt Disney World vacation.

Instead, we advise taking a more methodical approach. First, think about eating meals more frequently outside of parks during midday breaks. One benefit of doing this is that you can visit other resorts while avoiding the busiest times of the day.

For another, resort dining establishments frequently don’t charge as much as those in Magic Kingdom or other theme parks for premium meals. (Similar to how they must be more competitive with their counterparts in the real world, Disney Springs restaurants have higher prices.

Conclusion: Save Money at Disney World

There is no escaping the fact that going to Disneyland and Disney World keeps costing more, as is the case with most things. These suggestions are a great place to start if you need to get creative in order to keep your travel expenses low.

You can save a lot of money at Disney World by using these straightforward money-saving tips and tricks. Utilize as many of these suggestions as you can, but make sure you still get what you want from your trip. If it will cause you to feel as though you were missing out on a significant part of your time at Disney World, there is no point in cutting corners.

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