Written by monthly contributor, Kristen of Celebrate Every Day with Me

 You may as well know that I am a Disney World fanatic.  I love the place.  I could go every other . . . month!  And while I have been there over 15 times in my life, I don’t go as often as I wish because a trip to Disney World is expensive.

There is the cost of hotel, tickets, food, any travel expenses and yes, souvenirs.  And for this Disney mama, staying on property is a must in terms of convenience and fun.  But vacation packages add up quickly, so I am always looking for other ways to save money . . . and I have my best tips for you!

13 Ways to Save at Disney:

1.  Pay for your trip with Disney Gift Cards and earn fuel perks or other rewards from your local grocery store.  Our grocery store gives you 10 cents off a gallon of gas for every $50 spent.  At the holidays and other special times of year, they double it to 20 cents.

On our last trip in February, we were able to save $450 on gas because we paid for the entire trip (2 reservations) with Disney Gift Cards.   My husband drives a truck and a typical fill-up is $100.  We filled up four and a half tanks.  Savings?  Oh yes!

**Things you should know before you buy:  purchase the $500 gift cards so you (or your travel agent) don’t go crazy with a bazillion cards.  Yes, I said a bazillion.

Also, DO NOT THROW OUT THE CARDS once you have paid your balance.  If you cancel for any reason, the funds go back to those cards.  Keep them in a safe place until you return.

2.  Travel during a special promotion or best of all, when free dining is being offered.  Disney is always offering some sort of discount.  My favorite time to travel is during the free dining promotion.  If you are staying at a value or moderate resort, the discount does not get any better than this.  Be sure your travel dates fall within the right period.  See #10 for more info.

3.  Pack Breakfasts.  Breakfast foods are easy to pack and a great way to save on food when at the parks.  While my husband and I are big proponents of the dining plan, we only eat a couple breakfast meals out at the park restaurants.

For most days, I pack instant oatmeal, breakfast bars and bagels.  We stop at the hotel’s cafe for fresh fruit and then we are on our way having spent very little on the first meal of the day.  (Extra Tip:  Skip buying milk in the morning.  You choose milk with kids’ meals later in the day.)

4.  Buy Ponchos at the Dollar Tree Before You Leave.  If you are fortunate to live reasonably close to a Dollar Tree, be sure to hit it before your trip.  They sell rain ponchos for $1 each.  This is a great savings when you consider that ponchos in the parks cost upwards of $7 each.  Family of four = $28!

The ponchos come compact in little bags that you can stick in your back pack or stroller and only use if needed.  I also love to buy Disney coloring books and other goodies as travel activities from the Dollar Tree!

5.  Rent a Stroller from an Outside Company.  The Disney strollers are convenient in that they are right there at the park and you don’t need to fold them up for bus or train rides.  But not only are they uncomfortable, they are more expensive.

There are several companies that deliver a stroller right to your resort and are significantly less money.  I have used Orlando Stroller Rentals and always had a great experience.

Also, I would suggest a stroller for kids up to age 7 or 8.  The average guest walks 15 miles a day.  Weary little feet mean grumpy and tired kids . . . You’re on vacation.  Sure, visit Snow White but leave Grumpy at home.  Get a stroller.

6.  Take a Cheap Rain Cover for Strollers – AKA $1 Dollar Tree Shower Curtain.  Now if you renting a stroller from the above company, rain covers are free.  But if you are taking your own stroller or renting elsewhere, pick up a $1 shower curtain before your trip.  It makes a great rain cover for the strollers.

7.  Pre-Buy Your Disney Trading Pins on Ebay.  If your kids would enjoy trading pins while at Disney, hop on Ebay and buy before you fly.  Cast Members at the parks and resorts wear lanyards with all sorts of Disney Pins.  You can ask to trade one of your pins for one of theirs.  It is a fun little thing to do on the side while on vacation, especially if you or the kids want to search for a pin of a favorite character.

At the parks, trading pins start at $8 each.  My cousin recently bought 50 Disney pins for $30 on Ebay before she left.  She let her kids choose a fun Disney lanyard at the parks ($10 each) but she saved a lot of money and her kids had fun trading.

8.  Take a Permanent Marker and Reuse your Water Bottles.  No matter what time of year you head to Disney, you will want to stay hydrated.  On our last trip, I took a black sharpie marker and after getting bottles of water with our first lunch, I put initials on the lids and we used them for a couple days at a time.

Not only did it save money later in the day when we were thirsty, it also allowed us to get other drinks that were on the dining plan instead of water.  (Milk for the kids, iced tea for Dan and diet soda for me!).

9.  Buy Glow Sticks Ahead of Time.  Let’s face it.  It gets dark, the parade is about to start and every kids wants one of those cool light-up toys.  Save money and run to the dollar store before you travel.  With a little assortment of glow-in-the-dark bracelets and necklaces in your backpack, you will save big on nighttime fun.

10.  Use a Travel Agent.  If you go with a travel agency that is an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner, you will not pay any fees for their services.  Agents are paid on commission from Disney and can actually save you money.  They know when the promotions are coming and can roll their existing reservations into new promotions for big savings.  They also have the insider info that can make planning and vacationing not only easier and more fun, but also less expensive!

11.  Dining Plan Quick Service Meal Tip.  If you are using the Dining Plan, here is something you should know.   Disney only differentiates on Table Service points for kids and adults.  For the Quick Service meal, they do not separate out child and adult meals.  They only total the points for your family.

What does this mean?  If you have a child between 3-9 years old, they can order off the adult menu for quick service meals.  This can help if you have a child with different tastes or if you have another child under 3 who doesn’t qualify for the dining plan.  The two kids can split the adult quick service meal for larger portions.  And you don’t have to buy an extra kid’s meal with cash.

12.  Buy Disney t-shirts and clothing before you leave.  Stores like Wal-mart and Target have a great assortment of Disney gear.  Before we left for our last trip, I bought my daughter a Minnie dress for $10.00  The dresses in the parks were being sold for $25 and more!

13. If you use credit cards, consider the Disney Visa.  Not only can you get a special character Meet & Greet and a discount on souvenirs, you can earn Disney dollars with each purchase you make on the card.  Then use your reward dollars towards the balance of your trip and bring that total package price down!  (You can read more of my thoughts on this here.)

Do you have tips or questions?  Leave me a comment!

Be sure to check out these other Disney posts:

• Top 10 Disney Vacation Planning Tips
• Make It Magical:  10 Tips for Getting the Most out of Your Disney Vacation
• 20 Not-To-Miss Moments at Walt Disney World (most of these are FREE!)

You can also get a free Disney Vacation Planning DVD here.

Kristen of Celebrate Every Day With Me is a fun-loving mom to two kids who keep her busy and laughing. Add her great husband and the Lord to the mix and her life is one fantastic (and sometimes crazy) adventure. She is a former youth leader, professional wedding and event planner and has a degree in Christian Thought/Christian Ministry. She loves long lists, diet soda and playing jokes on her husband.

Kristen is the author of Teach Me To Serve:  99 Ways Preschoolers Can Learn To Serve & Bless Others.  On her blog, you’ll find fun ideas for children’s activities, creating memorable moments and party planning.