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How to Plan an Affordable Disney World Vacation

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One of the biggest hurdles is making that vacation to Disney World cheaper. To help you out, here is how to plan an affordable Disney World vacation.

Planning a trip to Disney World is probably the easiest thing you will ever do.

It’s really not hard and it’s really fun because you get to dream up all the excitement you are going to have.

disney world castle framed by minnie mouse ears

The overall concept of Disney World is really overwhelming, though, which might cause some hesitation.

There are a lot of things to learn about properly planning a Disney World vacation.

One of the biggest hurdles is making that vacation to Disney WOrld affordable, along with how to make it stress free trip!

To help you out with that part here is how to plan an affordable Disney World vacation.

How to Plan an Affordable Disney World Vacation

Book Your Stay at a Good Neighbor Hotel

Walt Disney World has three tiers of hotels that you can choose from that are owned by Disney.

What you may not know is that there are also hotels at Disney World that Disney does not own.

These hotels maintain a positive relationship with Disney and uphold their standards of quality, so they are called “good neighbor hotels”.

The benefit of a good neighbor hotel is that you can often get better accommodations for the money you spend and frequently it costs less than a value resort owned by Disney.

Good neighbor hotels are mostly in the Disney Springs area of Walt Disney World only quick walk away.

In addition to staying on Disney property, there are Disney perks such as Extra Magic Hours, early Fastpass+ access, and ticket/information kiosks at the hotel.

Some of these good neighbor options include other benefits such as complimentary shuttle service to the parks and complimentary breakfast.

Keep Down The Number of Park Visits

Step 2 of how to plan an affordable Disney World vacation is fewer park days.

Although the average cost per ticket goes down with each multi day ticket you purchase, you don’t need to buy too many.

Instead, focus on maximizing your time within the parks so you can get a full day into your visit rather than splitting it up.

As you plan your vacation, leave a few open days for resort hopping instead of admission into parks.

You can also purchase your tickets online to save money over the ticket booth pricing and even buy Discount tickets online from authorized sellers.

When you purchase your tickets, keep them affordable by avoiding the additional charge for the park hopper option.

Park Hopping eats up time and it cuts down your experience in each park. It’s better to experience each park fully on days of their own.

Remember, the park hopper option includes all days of a multi day pass. You can’t just buy one.

Budget Your Meals

Walt Disney World has the best website for informing guests and helping them prepare for their vacation.

Part of that site is the extensive and up-to-date archive of restaurants and menus.

These menus not only help you plan where to eat and what to order, but they also help you budget.

You can search for restaurants based on price range, guest rating, dining type, cuisine, and location.

It’s the perfect way to budget an affordable meal plan while you are at Walt Disney World.

Booking Travel

If you are flying to Walt Disney World and want to know how to plan an affordable Disney World vacation, schedule your arrival and departure dates during the week to avoid weekend travel fares.

Look for discounted prices on Tuesdays and book your flight between 4 and 6 weeks prior to your check-in date.

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