How to do Disney world cheaply

[Rossigigi]

Posting for traffic- basically the above. Want to take dc in 2019 but obviously need to start saving now.
What tips do you lovely people have to keep costs down please? We are looking at 14 nights....

Country deal on in my travel agents for £1750 family of four two weeks in June on I-Drive, add in about £900 for tickets so not far off! Orlando is a larger scale too of course so more park for your money

We've done Paris 4 times with annual passes to keep the costs low and Florida 8 times. We still love Paris as some of the rides are better there, like Pirates, Big Thunder Mountain and Space Mountain. You can't really compare the two as they are aiming for different things!

Get yourself on the Dibb and read, read, read. It is rimmed full of stuff you won't have thought about and loads of helpful people to point you in the right direction. My kids will be 20, 14 and 12 when we go next year and we've opted for Universal and a 4 day Disney cruise.

OP, I would definitely prioritise Universal over Disney for the ages of your children. My kids love Disney but they LOVE Universal iyswim?

Offsite it would be about from $5 to $15 per person. Drinks are refillable and portions are big in most places. Onsite it would be about $15 pp for counter service (like McDonald's) and $40 pp for a table service/evening meal type.

The resort is the size of 44 square miles so you need transport. It is hard to grasp until you get there but it's like a small city. Once onsite you can use any Disney transportation as it's included in tickets. Parking is per day but valid all day across all parks if you hop. Boats and monorails are also available and nice for relaxing! You can walk Epcot to the Studios in about half an hour but noone really does.

Spending money is entirely subjective. I've gone with $700 and about $2000. Shopping is not as cheap as 20 years ago sadly but the outlets still have plenty of deals. Disney offer Memory Maker photo packages which are valid for your visit for about $180. This includes ride photos, character photos and general park photos. There are lots of photographers stationed around the resort and it's really nice for family photos!

Factor in insurance cost especially if you have health issues. You need everything covered including pre existing conditions.
Re tickets we used attraction tickets direct. Disney do special deals for U.K. Residents when you buy them in advance and 14 day tickets will be cheaper than buying at the parks. You can call attraction tickets and they will talk you through various options and free extras that might be included e.g. Photo pass.
Flying indirect will save lots and should be doable with older kids no problem. Or like others have said look at other airports etc Tampa or Miami.

A few years ago we (DH and 4 kids aged 7-12) stayed the 1st 5 nights in a beautiful Disney Hotel to take advantage of the early park opening and then another week in a cheaper motel with a pool on I Drive to do Universal and the water parks. Hotel rooms usually have 2 "super king-size"beds.. We used Disney transport for the 1st few days and then public buses for the rest which was fine. We had an unexpected upgrade to concierge level where snacks are provided in the Disney Wilderness Lodge but went to supermarkets to buy cereal, milk and plastic bowls to selfcater while we were on Idrive. We also took lunch food into the park although this is discouraged. Villas in Orlando can easily be 30-40 minutes drive to the parks. Sizzlers restaurant was really cheap. I was cynical about the whole Disney experience but it was a fantastic holiday, we went at this time of year. Go to the Kennedy Space Centre too.

Flights (direct) alone are 5k for easter next yr on skyscanner. How do you all find them so cheaply?

Thanks for the insurance tip! I'm really grateful for all the replies so far it's giving me lots to think about that I hadn't. Keep them coming!

We went in January to Florida (took son out of school). Stayed at Clarion Inn which had free shuttles to parks. Just did Disney Parks this time (have been years ago just doing Universal, Seaworld, bush gardens.) There was enough for 2 weeks with just Disney parks. Didn't hire a car. Got buses to Celebration, Walmart, etc, plus odd uber. Took a suitcase full of food for breakfast and lunches. Cereal, tinned tuna, mayo, Nutella, brioche, etc, so just had one meal out a day. Flights, hotel and transfers for 4 of us were £1900 with Virgin. Then park tickets, plus probably about £50 a day on essential spends. Going on Disney dining plan would have been nicer but definitely dearer.

We went term time well we flew out 4 days before end of term our summer holidays are June and we flew from an English airport took £££s off the price of our holiday we also stayed on idrive buses run from the hotel the park tickets are pricey though

Taken mine every year for the last 5 years and always on a budget. Went in January this year and cost was as follows:

Flights for 4 to Orlando £1550

10 nights in Disneys Port Orleans, 14 day Disney passes and dining plan £2100

This also included $200 spending money and a free memory maker.

We bought cereals and milk from hotel shop and had that in room for breakfast. All other food included. We had dinner with the Beast in his castle, a meal with Mickey and friends, lunch with chip n Dale and lots more. Snacks such as huge ice cream sundaes included too!

No car as Disney transportation is amazing. They pick up and drop off from airport and buses go from the resort to the parks and Disney Springs every 10 minutes. We went to Orlando shopping mall and that cost $40 for a return journey.

Everything including spending money cost around 1k each

That should be we brought packets of cereals from home and bought fresh milk from hotel shop. Also brought breakfast bars and snacks from home too. Took up half a suitcase but got eaten there so made space to bring things home !

Given that you have had health issues I would check that you can get watertight medical insurance before you even book a holiday. It will cost £££££.

I also get offended when people say the food is rubbish on site.

I agree. There are some really good restaurants as part of the WDW chain. It really isn't just fast food joints!

You can save money on fights if you fly in term time.
You can also save money if you fly indirect - I will only do direct so can't help there. I just know a few people who have done indirect - one say its okay, some have had issues, one a total nightmare. It varies - but as we generally only go for a week these days I am not willing to compromise on flight times.

Oh - and we didnt like using Disney transport. We used the bus for Epcot but got so frustrated at the end of a long day stood waiting for 30+ minutes for a busy bus (and ours was less busy than some resorts) - we could have been home and in bed in a fraction of the tie.

I know some swear by it though. But we prefer our own car to get about - and parking is free at Disney if you stay in a Disney hotel. Else it is about ¢20 a day.

We stayed onsite at AOA this year, didn't work out much more expensive than when we have stayed in a villa, it's $20 dollars to park the car at the parks and we used a lot of petrol plus bought tonnes of food that we didn't end up eating at the villa as there were so many restaurants we wanted to try!

Personally, I'd stay onsite, eat smart - plenty of cheaper options if you aren't fussy! Go for 2 weeks during a quiet period and you can get deals as cheap as 907 per person excluding park tickets.

There is no way that USA is cheaper than Paris for a Disney visit.
People who say that have not actually done it🙄

2014 that was my point exactly. Yes its a very different experience etc but no way is it cheaper!!

There will be plenty of conflicting information, but honestly if I were to advise you, I would say shop around for your flights, and stay on site in the cheapest hotel, this may seem expensive but it saves you having to have a car so you don't need to worry about the deposit for the car, the insurance or car hire (really depends how you do it- if you get a "free" car the insurance is more expensive than the whole thing through car hire companies. As pp have said $20 a day parking too!

Staying in a villa means another deposit, $500 once we've paid- we will get it back but it means we've got £900 put aside for deposit on car and villa which we could've put into dollars otherwise.

A lot of people are split on this, but I think dining is worth adding to your booking. You don't need to worry too much about food then, you get snacks and you get a refill cup to take around with you.

Plus staying onsite you get bands which are otherwise $20 each.

They also allow you to book for a small deposit £150-£250 and then pay as you like until 14 weeks before you go.

I booked flights &villa through Thomas cook, tickets through Orlando tickets, car through enterprise. It's worked out more expensive than staying on site which is what we will do next year.

Hmm - much as I love disney, if your kids are 19 and 14 I would stay at universal in one of the better hotels so that you get the free express passes.

Disney is great but Universal is far more geared up to older kids.

I have to say when I priced them up, Disneyworld Florida isn't that much more expensive considering flights alone cost thousands with a family. It wasn't that much more to go to Florida in a cheap disney hotel, than it was to do Paris in a mid range disney hotel. This is during school hols though.

I'd do Universal over Disney tbh. And only that, because Disney and Universal tickets are going to cost you a fortune!!

The fancier hotels onsite will give you the express pass, but Cabana Bay, one of the cheaper ones I think gives you early entry?

Yes it does

Look for when the Disney dining plan is available on offer - you can get some great meals at lovely restaurants in the parks with it and it also includes some of the character dining