33 Brilliant Ideas That Will Save You Money at Disney World

If you've seen the headlines or planned a vacation yourself the last few years, you probably know just how expensive Disney World vacations can be. Airfare, park tickets, dining, lodging, souvenirs, and other costs can really add up.

In the last couple of years, Disney began charging for several extras that used to be included in the cost a Disney trip. Most notably, it eliminated free Magical Express airport transfers and replaced free Fastpass+ with new pay-to-play Lightning Lane systems.

In this new landscape, is it really still possible to do Disney World on a budget?

While Disney will never be as inexpensive as some types of travel, I actually think it can still be more accessible than many families realize. You just have to do the work! Research and planning are powerful tools for money-saving success in all kinds of travel, but they are especially powerful at Walt Disney World.

I travel to Disney destinations multiple times a year and use all sorts of tricks to save money along the way. I just returned from another trip to Orlando, Florida to go to Walt Disney World and found a lot of ways to do Disney on the cheap(er). It can be done!

After dozens of trips to the Florida parks and a few money-wasting mistakes along the way, here are my very best tips for saving money at Walt Disney World.

(Trips With Tykes uses affiliate links which means I may earn a small commission if you purchase through links in this post. See our full disclosure policy linked in the menu at the bottom of this site.)

My Top 33 Tips to Save Money at Disney World

1. Schedule a trip during low season.

The single easiest way to save money across the board on a Disney World vacation is to go when demand is lowest. Everything - from hotels to park tickets (plus that new paid Lightning Lane) - costs less if you go at an off-peak time.

How much can the difference be? I priced out a sample 4 day, 4 night vacation for a family of four in 2025, staying in a water view room with an extra sofa bed at Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort (a moderate hotel). If you want to take this vacation during the Presidents' Day holiday weekend in 2025, it will cost $4782.95. That same room and ticket package is just $3847.14 on a weekend in early September 2025 - a savings of nearly $1000 (approximately 20% less).

What are the cheapest times of year to go? January and February (avoiding the MLK and Presidents' Day holidays) are traditionally a good value. Late August and early and mid September (avoiding Labor Day) are also often quite discounted.

And believe it or not, most of summer no longer commands peak pricing. More and more guests now try to visit Walt Disney World during the cooler school holidays like spring break, Christmas, and Presidents' Week instead. You won't find the cheapest pricing in summer, but summer is now often cheaper than many other school breaks.

Going during low demand times can, of course, be challenging for many families tied to school and sports/activity schedules. But for those who have some flexibility, the payoff can be big savings. If your kids are younger, consider skipping school to take the trip. Speaking from experience (with my oldest now in high school not able miss much), missing a few days of elementary or middle school won't make one bit of difference for most kids academically!

2. Buy discount Disney tickets.

Did you know that there are several authorized resellers that sell the very same Disney park tickets that Disney sells, but at a discount? These tickets carry the same perks and access that you would have if you purchased from Disney itself. The discounts aren't enormous, but every little bit of savings adds up. These discount agencies also sometimes offer additional deals like adults-at-kids prices promotions, Black Friday specials, and other sales throughout the year.

I personally use and recommend Get Away Today, which sells discounted Disney World tickets with a wide variety of options (including tickets to after-hours events, holiday parties, and more). If you ever find a better deal from other sellers, Get Away Today will price match as well. Other similar resellers in this space include Undercover Tourist, aRes Travel, Tickets at Work, etc.

Get Away Today also sells discounted Disney World vacation packages that include tickets and a hotel (often with some special perks thrown in on top of the discounts). Trips With Tykes readers can save even more off of these packages with promo code: Tykes10.

3. Use date-based variable ticket pricing to your advantage.

Disney World charges different prices for park tickets depending on the dates the tickets are valid. What many guests don't realize is that there is an opportunity to get your tickets costs down using this date-based system a bit strategically.

How? Disney expects guests to take rest days in the middle of their vacations. So Disney World park tickets are valid for longer than the consecutive number of days a guest plans to visit the parks. A four day ticket has 7 days of validity, a five day ticket has 8 days of validity, etc. And that's where the opportunity comes in. By adjusting the start date of your ticket, you may be able to save money on it.

One example to demonstrate. Say you plan to visit the theme parks for four days: Friday, January 10 through Monday, January 13, 2025. You could buy park tickets that start on Friday, January 10 for $576.80 per person (an average price of $145 a day).

Or you could use that 7 day validity window more strategically. If you bought theme park tickets with a validity that started a few days earlier (on Tuesday, January 7), they'd still be valid for the four days later in the week you actually plan to visit the parks. And those same tickets cost less - an average of $139 per day or $555.01 total.

That's a ticket savings of $21.79 per person in your traveling family - over $100 for a family of 5. (And, you can always purchase those tickets from a discount agency too to stack the savings even more!)

4. Look for special ticket offers.

Historically, Disney hasn't made a lot of discount ticket offers available, and the ones that usually were available were often limited to Florida residents. That's changed - for the better!

Disney World has increasingly offered special limited time tickets that are a whole lot cheaper than standard theme park tickets. These tickets often include unique rules and limitations, but depending on how you tour the parks, the restrictions may not make a difference in your vacation plans at all. Just this summer, for example, Walt Disney World had two ticket deals valid from early April to late September 2024 that were an excellent value. Those were:

• 4-Park Magic Ticket: Price started at $99 per day. Ticket valid for one entry in to each of Walt Disney World's 4 parks on 4 separate days.
• 3-Day, 3-Park Ticket: Price started at $89 per day. Ticket valid for one entry in to Hollywood Studios, EPCOT, and Animal Kingdom on 3 separate days.

Look for similar deals potentially to return in future months. If you can make the dates of these deals work and if you are willing to manage around a few restrictions, it's possible to use these tickets to build a very inexpensive trip.

5. Stay off-site.

Disney hotels often have immersive theming and cool perks, but many are more expensive than equivalent off-property hotels not owned by Disney. Staying elsewhere can sometimes save you a lot, especially for larger families who need a suite, more than one room, or even a whole house. There are a breathtakingly high number of lodging options in the greater Orlando area to consider and price compare.

One caveat: just be sure to calculate in extras like parking charges, resort fees, and transportation costs when doing the price comparison to make sure the hotel savings aren't chipped away by extras you aren't thinking about in advance.

6. Stay on-site.

Wait, didn’t I just tell you off-site hotels are often cheaper? That’s true, but not always, particularly at Walt Disney World. Don't write off on-property hotels without fully investigating the options and doing a price comparison.

Even though Disney has eliminated some of its freebies, there are still quite a few privileges that being a Walt Disney World hotel guest entails. Those include free parking at the theme parks for Disney hotel guests (and free parking at your hotel too), free early entry into all the Disney World theme parks daily, and free transportation from your resort to the parks.

Disney also gives its on-property guests priority Lightning Lane booking privileges 7 days in advance (for the length of their stay). This means you may be able to ride more attractions with less wait staying on-property if you plan to purchase this extra one or more days of your trip.

So how do you do on-property Disney hotels on the cheap? At Walt Disney World, there are several on-property Disney hotels classifies as "value" where standard rooms are often priced about $150ish a night before tax. Sometimes Disney World's moderate hotels aren't a ton more expensive than that. (I recently snagged one of them, Disney's Coronado Springs Resort, for $258 all in, including tax.) Read more about Walt Disney World's different resort categories and pricing in my Value vs. Moderate vs. Deluxe hotel comparison guide.

7. Look for lodging sales.

Disney sets rack rates on all its hotels at several different seasonal price levels, but there are often ways to pay less than rack rate. Disney usually releases multiple lodging sales several times a year, ranging from 10-30% off those standard rates. These sales are well-advertised on Disney's website (always check Disney World's Special Offers page) and in major media, so it's easy to find out about them as well.

As of the time this article is being published, for example, Disney World has multiple hotel savings offers live. One of them offers savings of up to 30% off hotel prices for fall and early holiday season stays in late 2024. Another is for up to 25% on stays most nights from February 23 to April 30, 2025 or up to 20% off most Sunday to Thursday nights from January 1 to February 20, 2025.

You can apply new sales to already-existing reservations or even use sale offers to change your plans into a different hotel where the deals may be greater (usually the percentage savings are higher on more expensive resort hotels). Personally, I almost never end up staying in the original hotel I book when I plan a Disney World vacation. I'm always searching for and applying better deals.

8. Use a travel agent.

Disney is one of the few destinations that still pays commissions to travel agents, which means there is no cost to you for using them. Travel agents often have access to and knowledge of the best deals, so it can even pay to use them. The best ones will even automatically apply new sales to your existing reservations so you don't have to monitor Disney's sales once you've booked a trip. They can save you a ton of time, and time is money!

9. Split your stay.

Many families visit Walt Disney World for a week or more, and there's no reason you have to stay in the same lodging that entire time. Splitting your stay between a budget hotel and a more splurge option may allow you to enjoy a more luxurious vacation overall for less.

I personally love split stays (especially now that my kids are older and more able to pack themselves up for a room switch) because I get to experience the amenities and theming of more than one Disney hotel.

Bonus that Disney offers free luggage transfer services between its own hotels. When I do a split stay, I drop our bags with the bell desk at one hotel before heading to the parks that morning. I then find them magically delivered to my next hotel when I return there later in the afternoon or evening from the parks.

The smartest application of the split stay strategy is to use it to take advantage of a perk available only to guests of Disney World's deluxe and deluxe villa resorts: extended evening hours. This benefit is offered only a couple of nights a week (often Monday night in Magic Kingdom or EPCOT and Wednesday night at Hollywood Studios, but check the calendar because this changes seasonally quite a bit). These evening hours are super-valuable because the lines are usually even shorter than during morning early entry, as fewer guests are entitled to the privilege.

Guests who want to take advantage of these hours for short lines might consider staying at a deluxe resort for a night or two on the nights the hours are offered and then switching to a less expensive hotel for the remainder of a trip.

10. Cash in frequent flyer miles or hotel points.

Some of the biggest Disney trip costs are airfare and hotel, but there are ways to pay nothing for either of those aspects of your trip if you have miles and points in your loyalty accounts. I regularly fly to Orlando without spending any cash out of pocket using Southwest Rapid Rewards points. I also fly at least one family member free with the Southwest Companion Pass.

Related: Tips for flying Southwest Airlines with kids

You can't use points for Disney-owned hotels but you can use them at other hotels in the Orlando area. My favorite redemption? Using Marriott Bonvoy points to stay at the Swan, Dolphin, or Swan Reserve (redeeming points at Marriott hotels entitle you to the 5th night free as well).

These hotels are independently operated and owned but they are actually located on Walt Disney World property. And they have some of the same key perks that on-property Disney-owned hotels do: early entry privileges, extended evening hours for deluxe hotel guests, and priority 7 day Lightning Lane booking rights.

If you are new to maximizing travel rewards, learn all the basics for travel hacking your Disney vacation.

11. Check Priceline.

Priceline is a money-saving travel site that has been around for so long that many travelers forget about it these days. Even if you do use it for other destinations, a lot of people don't know that Disney-owned hotels are sometimes available on the site.

How do you find these discounts? Search the Lake Buena Vista area and look for options located in the Walt Disney World - Bonnet Creek or Disney Springs categories. Those are likely to include Walt Disney World-owned hotels as well as hotels owned and operated by third parties that also get access to some on-property perks.

If you are willing to gamble with Priceline's semi-opaque Express Deals option, you can save even more. Usually, it's possible to decipher which hotel the deal is for if you dig around a bit and look at the number of reviews, star ratings, and hotel amenities listed. For example, I'm 99% sure this Express Deals listing is for the Walt Disney World Dolphin hotel (compare it to its transparent listing below):

Priceline is most efficient somewhat last minute. So I recommend having a hotel booking you are happy with well in advance of your trip but that you can cancel. Then look at Priceline's availability starting a few months before your trip and cancel your earlier booking only if Priceline yields a screaming deal. This post from Touring Plans has additional details and tips worth reading if you are going to seriously pursue consider Priceline bookings.

12. Rent Disney Vacation Club (DVC) points.

Another strategy for saving on lodging, particularly at the higher end, is to rent someone else's Disney Vacation Club (DVC) points. DVC is a timeshare-style operation that Disney runs, and many Disney fans become owners in DVC to save money on lodging. Often the savings amount to the equivalent of getting a deluxe hotel at a moderate hotel price. But you don't have to own DVC to enjoy those savings!

Many DVC members won’t be able to use their points in a given year, so they will "rent" them out in order to not lose them. They do this by booking a stay for another person using their points. The renter gets a discounted rate while staying at a deluxe Disney property while the DVC member doesn't waste his or her points.

You can rent from an owner directly if you happen to have friends or family in the system. Or you can use one of several third-party companies who work as middlemen to broker a deal between owners and renters. These companies cost a tad more than renting directly but provide safety from scams. I've personally worked with and used David's Vacation Club Rentals for over a decade and recommend them highly as a safe and reliable option.

The main drawback to renting DVC points is that these bookings are usually not refundable or changeable. So you lose flexibility in exchange for the savings.

13. Bring your own stroller.

If you have kids ages 5 and under, a stroller at Disney is a good idea even if they’ve outgrown using it at home. Rental costs from Disney are costly at $15 a day for a single stroller and $31 a day for a double. Consider bringing an umbrella stroller from home instead of incurring rental fees on-site.

See my recommendations for the best strollers to use on a Disney parks vacation.

If you can't juggle traveling with a stroller or don't have the space to bring your own, consider renting from a third party company for less. Orlando service providers include: Magic Strollers, Scooter Bug, Orlando Stroller Rentals, Kingdom Strollers, or BabyQuip (which rents additional baby and toddler gear).

14. Bring your own parks gear.

Any and all essentials you need to buy at the parks will cost more than they will back home. If you can bring many basics with you on vacation instead of purchasing in Disney gift shops, you'll save a lot.

What are my must-bring essentials?

• Refillable water bottle (my family's current inexpensive favorite)
• Ponchos & umbrellas (this is my most-used super-compact umbrella that fits in my purse at theme parks)
• Baby supplies (diapers, formula, wipes, etc.)
• External power pack to charge phones (with cord) (our family owns 3 of these Anker charging bricks and never travel without them)

Check my packing list for Disney parks day bags to see what other essentials my family has used at various ages and stages in the parks.

Of course, if you are flying and suitcase space is at a premium, choose carefully! For many travelers, checked bag costs can more than cancel out the potential savings of buying a few things on-site if you aren't paying attention.

15. Souvenir shop before your trip.

Disney-licensed products can be found everywhere these days. Consider purchasing Disney-themed magical extras like t-shirts, autograph books, princess dresses & accessories, bubble wands, glow necklaces, and trinkets beforehand for a cheaper price.

In my family, “Tinkerbell” brought each child a small Disney character gift each night we stayed at Disney destinations when they were younger (usually purchased at Target for $1 apiece). This strategy drastically reduced the whining for pricey park souvenirs throughout the day.

16. Stock your hotel room with groceries.

Dining in the parks every day for every meal is a budget buster. The average guest can save a lot by eating a couple of meals in their hotel using using supplies you can easily stock there. All Disney World hotel rooms include clear front beverage coolers/mini-fridges so you can keep perishables as well.

If you are driving in, bring some groceries from home or stop quickly at a grocery store as you enter the Orlando area.

Flying in or don’t have time to make a trip off-site to get groceries? There are now so many inexpensive grocery delivery services in the Orlando area, from Instacart to Walmart+ to Amazon Fresh. You’ll still save a ton off of park prices even paying the delivery fees for these services.

I often order bottled waters, plastic bottles of soda I can also take into the parks (I'm partial to Diet Coke), and breakfast essentials like granola bars and cereal single-serving cups with milk.

17. Snack your way across the parks.

Chances are you'll want to enjoy some of Disney's food as well, even on a budget. I've found you can save a lot of money by simply making a meal of a few signature Disney snacks rather than a dining at a table service (or sometimes even a quick service) restaurant.

My favorite snack values? For meat-eaters, the giant turkey leg is a hands down winner. The refillable popcorn bucket can also be a great value for a family to share. Refills are just $2.25 after an initial $13 purchase. You'll more than break even over the course of a vacation if you buy three or more servings of popcorn (sold separately, popcorn is $5.50).

Even more inexpensive snack options abound during special events like the EPCOT Festival of the Arts (winter), Flower and Garden Festival (spring) or Food and Wine Festival (fall). I usually snack my way around World Showcase in between riding rides, enjoying several of the small bites sold at these various festivals.

18. Buy kids meals.

Disney offers kids meals at all of its restaurants with smaller portions and more kid-friendly flavors. But often these portions are more than generous for an average adult to eat.

Adults can't purchase kids meals at table service restaurants, but the same is not true at quick/counter service restaurants. There are no limitation or rules prohibiting adults from purchasing a kids meal there. So go ahead and mobile order the kids burger and fries and save a few bucks!

19. Do the math on the dining plan.

A lot of Disney visitors are big fans of the Disney dining plan which allows guests pre-pay for a certain set number of meals over the course of a vacation. Having budget certainty can be quite valuable for a lot of frugal guests.

But, the dining plan is not for everyone. I personally have always thought the plan included more food than I wanted to - or had time to - eat on my Disney vacations. And the price of it has gone up in recent years, so it often isn't the deal that many people may remember from the past.

My advice? Do the math! Are you really going to be able to use all the credits included in your plan? Is the plan more food than you really want to eat because you'd rather be riding attractions or seeing shows? Do you really want to do the extra work that it often takes to get full value out of the plan?

One more thing to watch out for: Disney does sometimes offer a "free dining plan" package some times of year which may seem like a solid deal. However, booking this deal means you won't be eligible for other hotel room discounts. Do the math to find out which offer will save you more. Often many guests may save more getting, for example, 25% off a moderate hotel room instead of paying full freight for the room and getting the Disney Dining plan for "free."

20. Spend a day or two doing non-park activities.

The largest cost of a Disney World vacation for a family (unless you are staying in one of the very priciest deluxe Disney hotels) is the theme park tickets. If you can cut down on ticket costs, you can still enjoy a lot of Disney at a reduced price.

A lot of guests just don't take into account just how much there is to do outside the parks in Orlando. So save on tickets by taking a theme park break one or more days of your trip. Instead, spend a day enjoying one of the awesome Disney hotel pools, schedule a character meal at a non-park location, or explore activities, shopping, and dining at Disney Springs.

You may find that going each and every day to a theme park is too exhausting, especially if you are doing early entry or staying until park close each evening. So a non-park day may actually give you some rest on a Disney vacation while saving money too!

21. Skip the park hopper option.

Another way to save on ticket costs is to skip some of the add-ons, particularly the park hopper option that allows guests to go to multiple parks in a single day. Park hopping takes time, particularly at Disney World, and might be too challenging anyway for those with young kids or seniors in their traveling party.

Related: Which Walt Disney World park to skip on short trips

How much can you save skipping out on park hopping? Park hopping usually adds about $75-85 to the cost of a three day ticket and $85-100 to the cost of a 7 day ticket. For a family of 4, the savings are in the many hundreds of dollars.

22. But if you do buy park hopper tickets, consider Park Hopper Plus.

If you can't live without park hopper tickets (I'll be honest - I really can't), you may find you can get better overall value on your vacation by springing for the slightly-more expensive and often not very widely-discussed Park Hopper Plus ticket. How does that math work?

The Park Hopper Plus ticket entitles guests to additional entries into offerings like Disney's water parks (Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon), mini-golf courses (Fantasia Gardens and Winter Summerland), regular golf course (Oak Trail), and into the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. You get an additional one of these entries for each day of your park ticket. For example, a 4 day park hopper ticket gets 4 park entry days plus 4 additional allotments to water parks, mini-golf, etc.

The cost to upgrade a park hopper ticket to a park hopper plus ticket is about $20 per person overall regardless of the length of ticket. Go to just one water park or play just one round of mini-golf and it more than pays for itself.

Where the savings really can come in is that buying a Park Hopper Plus ticket means you may be able to purchase a ticket with a lower number of theme park days, lowering your overall ticket cost. For example, if you plan to take a 5 day vacation, you could purchase a 4 day Park Hopper Plus ticket and spend one of the five days in a water park. That costs substantially less than purchasing a 5 day Park Hopper ticket. Save even more overall when you use those extra Plus allotments for activities on Day 6, 7, etc.

23. Go right before your child turns 3 (or 10).

I've always told friends who ask me when the best time is to take a Disney vacation is that the answer is when your child is 2 years and 364 days old. Why? Because Disney admits kids ages 0-2 into its Florida theme parks for free. Once a child turns three, their family must purchase park tickets for them.

Although child park tickets are discounted, they are still quite pricey - usually upwards of 95% of the cost of an adult ticket. As a result, it really pays to go to Disney when one or more kids in your family are still free.

Can you really get value out of a Disney vacation with a toddler/preschooler? If it isn't a once in a lifetime trip, I think you can. At this age, most kids will enjoy the milder rides and will be familiar with quite a few Disney characters from toys and movies/TV. I know from seeing my own kids in the parks at this age that families will definitely experience quite a few magical moments and interactions with kids just shy of their third birthdays. Getting those moments for free is quite the bonus.

(Note: if your child turns 3 during the middle of a Disney trip, they are still free for the entire vacation. The key is that they not yet be 3 on the first day you plan to enter a theme park!)

The second best time to go to Disney World? When your child is 9 years, 364 days old. Once kids turn 10, Disney charges them the full adult price - both for for park tickets but also for many dining costs like the Disney Dining Plan or table service and character meals.

24. Skip the MagicBand+ (or pre-order for discounts)

Walt Disney World sells MagicBand+, a wearable device that guests can purchase and secure to their wrists like a FitBit or Apple Watch. After linking it to your Disney account, guests can scan the MagicBand+ at park entry points and Lightning Lane scanners like their park ticket as well as at restaurants and stores as payment. (See all the details on Disney's MagicBands in this guide.)

MagicBands used to be free for Disney guests but since MagicBand+ has been released, guests must now purchase them. And the cost is pretty significant - standard bands retail for $34.99 and ones with more elaborate special character designs can cost up to $54.99.

As much as I go to Disney destinations, I personally really like the convenience of being hands-free and having a MagicBand. But they are definitely not essential and there are alternatives that are absolutely free. Guests can use their mobile phones now for many of these same features. Alternatively, you can still use a standard RFID card to scan park tickets and at Lightning Lane entrances.

If you simply must have a MagicBand+, then be sure to pre-order to save. Guests staying at on-property hotels can log into their My Disney Experience account at least 11 days in advance of check-in date to pre-order band designs at a discount (usually $10 off per band).

25. Buy & use discounted Disney gift cards.

You can use Disney gift cards for nearly all of your expenses at Disney, from paying off a vacation package before your trip to mobile ordering food in the My Disney Experience app in the parks. Getting those cards at a discount initially means you’ll save on nearly every aspect of your Disney vacation when you spend them.

There are a number of ways to get discounted gift cards. My personal favorite (and often the easiest) is getting Disney cards at Target using the Target RedCard which offers 5% off Target purchases. There are also often deals at wholesale clubs like Sam’s and Costco. You can even save at grocery stores or office supply stores if you have a credit card that offers 5% back at those stores.

See my complete guide to discount Disney gift cards to see all the tricks for stacking the savings - often much higher than 5%!

26. Buy Lightning Lane sparingly but strategically.

Disney World's new Lightning Lane system will save you a ton of time. But unlike Fastpass+, Lightning Lanes cost money. And at $16-39 per person per day for Lightning Lane Multi Pass (and $11-25 per ride with Lightning Lane Single Pass), it probably isn't in the budget to purchase Lightning Lane products for your whole family every day of a vacation.

Carefully research which rides matter most to your traveling party and plan accordingly. I'd recommend perhaps budgeting for one day of Lightning Lane Multi Pass in your favorite park or a couple of Lightning Lane Single Passes for the most popular thrill rides. You can get a lot done even if you can find an extra $50 per person in your overall budget (maybe skip out on a sit-down meal if you need to swap out a line item).

Personally, I think guests can get the very best value from Lightning Lane purchasing it for Magic Kingdom. Yes, it has the highest cost of all four parks but you'll get the most rides from it there without having to work as hard.

And for those who have park hopper tickets, buying Lightning Lane for the least expensive park (Animal Kingdom) and then use it to park hop to the most expensive park (Magic Kingdom) later on the same day is a smart strategy that you can use to knock out a ton of rides. In fact, this is exactly what I did on my most recent Walt Disney World vacation with great success.

27. Don't sleep on Early Entry (literally)

If you are paying for an on-property Disney World hotel, you get early entry privileges. Under the current system, all four theme parks are open 30 minutes early every single day for guests paying for a Disney hotel and select partner hotels. You are already "paying" for it bundled in the room rate, so don't leave this benefit on the table!

If you are committed to getting up early most days of your vacation, you can get a lot done both during early entry and in those following few hours in the morning when standby lines are shorter. In fact, you can often get enough rides done that you can skip on purchasing Lightning Lane entirely.

Disney can, of course, be exhausting with day after day of early rising (I don't call it the forced march of happiness for nothing!). Plan to take an afternoon break on days you get up and hit the ground running early or plan a rest day in the middle of your vacation. But please (please!) don't get to the parks every day at 11am and expect to get your money's worth.

29. Get a Disney Chase credit or debit card.

Chase bank offers several Disney credit cards that frequent Disney travelers should consider as another way to save money on a Disney trip. Using these credit cards earns Disney dollar rewards that can be redeemed for all aspects of a Disney vacation.

Personally, I think there are non-Disney credit cards that earn more lucrative travel rewards (see my best credit cards for a Disney vacation). But the Disney cards also entitle holders to dining and merchandise discounts, further helping you save.

My advice to Disney fans and regular park visitors is to get a Disney Chase card but use it to unlock these discounts only rather than using the card more broadly for non-Disney purchases. You could also consider getting Chase's Disney debit card alternative which doesn't include the Disney dollar rewards but does unlock the in-park and other Disney discounts.

30. Take advantage of Disney freebies.

Although there are plenty of things in Disney parks that are expensive, Disney is actually exceptionally generous with certain freebies. Make use of them!

What can you get for free at Disney World? Here are a few of my favorites:

• Free cups of ice water at all counter service restaurants
• Kidcot Fun Stop activities in Epcot's World Showcase
• Stickers & buttons (be sure to grab a My First Visit or Birthday button)
• Movies under the stars at your Disney resort hotel
• Transportation (the monorail and Skyliner are attractions unto themselves for transit-loving kids!)

Related: Complete Guide to Walt Disney World Transportation

31. Consider a single annual pass

I've already covered a lot of ways to save money on tickets, but one hack that is often overlooked for saving money is Disney's Annual Passes. Annual Passes entitle the holder to exclusive dining and merchandise discounts, a lower Photopass price, discounts on special event and after hours tickets, and occasional hotel deals. Most non-local guests won't visit enough to justify the cost of a pass, but it could potentially make sense to have one or more family members spring for an annual pass to unlock these offers.

To be sure, this is not a deal that works for as many guests as it used to a few years ago when Annual Passes were quite a bit cheaper. The break even point is definitely higher. This is one where you really have to do the math and consider carefully how and how often your family is likely to visit the parks. Disney Tourist Blog puts the break even point at about 10 or more parks days, split between two or more vacations, so take a look at that analysis if you are seriously considering this option.

32. Book a bounceback offer.

If you plan to visit Disney more than once, you can save on your next vacation by booking what is called a "bounceback offer" within 7 days after a vacation. You do this simply by putting down a $200 vacation package deposit on a room and tickets for your next trip. Disney offers an extra deep lodging discount for that future stay that usually beats publicly-available room sales. You can cancel or move that booking to another date (subject to offer availability) up until 30 days before the date you booked, so it's quite flexible.

Disney has been really inconsistent of late letting guests know about bounceback offers. Theoretically, their systems are supposed to send you a reminder email after your trip. But I didn't get one after my most recent stay. Instead, call your travel agent or Disney directly and find out what the eligible dates and hotel properties are and lock in some additional savings.

33. Hit the water parks upon arrival (coming in 2025).

Closing out this very long list is a brand new money-saving benefit that is coming to Walt Disney World next year. Registered guests of select on-property Disney hotels with a check-in date from January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025 will be able to visit a Disney water park for free (no additional ticket need) on their check-in day. Note that this benefit is limited to Disney-owned hotels and not partner hotels like the Swan, Dolphin, etc.

If you live close by and have a short drive or have a flight that arrives in the morning or early afternoon, this means you can get started with your vacation early. And you can perhaps experience an offering you wouldn't have enjoyed if you weren't planning to purchase Park Hopper Plus tickets. Of course, there are plenty of non-park amenities guests can still enjoy, like their hotel pools or visiting Disney Springs, but having even more options at no extra cost is a real bonus.

How do you save money on your Disney vacations? Share your best tips on ways to save money at Disney World!

Disclosure: Walt Disney World hosted me for part of my most recent trip, providing park tickets, flights, accommodations, and other complimentary experiences. I extended my trip to Disney World at my own expense. Most of my other Walt Disney World travels are at my own expense as well. All opinions are my own.