So you want to go to the happiest place on Earth, but you don’t want to break the bank?

The most frequent question people ask me is: “How much does it cost?”

That question is more complex than it might seem. There are many factors in the cost of a Disney World Vacation: The season you are going, how long you stay, where you are staying, type of tickets, dinning options, and the list goes on and on. So Lets start with the seasons.

Disney World has its own “seasons”: Value, the least crowded, Regular, Summer, Peak, and Holiday Seasons, the most crowded. By choosing the right season you can save a lot. If your dates aren’t flexible and you must or want to go during a higher cost season, then you must look at the promotions the big cheese is offering and other discounts available. In the past Disney has offered some pretty generous discounts like free dinning. They seem to be tightening their belt a lot with discounts, but you can still find a good deal if you check out their special offers. Also they have been running a terrific offer for active duty military members.

Choosing a Value, Moderate, or Deluxe hotel will also greatly affect your bank account. Value = cheaper Moderate = mid priced Deluxe = most expensive. With each “tier” of hotel you get a little more perks. You’ll have to decide if the extra expense is worth it to your family’s needs.

Next will be to decide if you will be adding the dinning plan (if it is not a part of your special offer). Using a Disney Dinning plan can save you up to 30% on your meals. I am not a fan of the dinning plan. Mostly because we do not do a lot of Table Service meals. If you are into character dinning then this will save some of your hard earned cash. I have found that taking lunches and drinks into the parks and eating breakfast in the hotel room save my family of 5 loads of money. Disney DOES allow you to take food and drink into the parks. NO hard sided coolers, glass bottles or alcohol of any kind is permitted and the cooler MUST fit in the lockers at Disney.

We always drive to Disney so when we arrive we hit up a local Wal-Mart or Publix and pick up sandwich stuff, snacks and bottled water and the most important is the crystal light/Hawaiian punch single serving powdered drink packets. The drink packets alone can save you about $80 on drinks for a week’s vacation. ANY Disney vendor will give you a cup of ice water for free (or fill water bottles at the drinking fountains that are all over the parks). Just mix in your drink powder and you have a cold drink you didn’t have to pay $3 for.

If you do not have a car to get around and do not want to take a taxi, you can check out Garden Grocer. They will deliver groceries right to your hotel room or Owners Locker. From what I have been told their service lets you pack what you need at home then ship it to your room (non perishable foods, clothing, diapers, wipes, formula ect…).

Here is a list of ways my family saves on a Disney vacation.

• Food/Snacks – Take trail mix, granola bars, drink packets, sandwich stuff to the parks with you, we also like to buy peanut butter, jelly, bread, cereal, cereal bars, fresh fruit, bagels, pop tarts and a half gallon of milk (that we keep in the cooler with other “cold” foods), instant oat meal, Easy Macs or Soup at Hands for a lunch/dinner in the room or any other shelf stable microwave meal. If you can mange it, take a toaster with you. You can make toast, bagels, or English muffins in the room. Add a little peanut butter or jelly and you will have breakfast or snack. Don’t forget plastic spoons and disposable bowls and paper towels. Or ask if you can grab some from the food court. They have always given them to us in the past. Doing all this allows us to only buy 1 meal a day at the parks.

• Glow sticks & glow toys – stock up on glow sticks/toys at local dollar stores. Your kids will have all the glowing fun they can stand, and you will have spent a fraction of the money you would have spent from impulse buying at the parks.

• Strollers - The great stroller debate. Should you take your own or rent at Disney? Always take your own, it will save you money and more than likely it will be more comfortable for your child. If you do not have one or prefer to rent, look at cost. Disney will rent out single strollers for $15 a day or $13 a day for renting multiple days at once. A double will run you about $31 a day or $27 a day for renting multiple days at one time. Disney is not the only place to rent strollers from. Magic Strollers by Owners Locker  and Orlando Stroller  are companies that rent out Baby Jogger City Mini strollers. They are more comfortable than the hard plastic strollers from the park, they have cup holders and you can take them back to your room or use them out side of Disney property, and normally run less for a weekly rental than the park strollers. As a bonus perk they will deliver/pick up the stroller right to/from your resort.

These are not all the ways to save, just a few basics to get you started in the right direction. If you do your research, and plan plan plan, you can save a little on your next vacation to the World.

This article comes to us from Carla Cicero she is a fan of Chip and Co and a new member of the Chip Panel.

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