Walt Disney World Tips
for Saving Money and Time

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Walt Disney World, located in Orlando Florida, offers four different theme parks, two water parks, an intense sports complex, and a waterfront shopping and entertainment center. You could easily spend a month at this world famous family vacation destination and not see everything there is to see, in addition to going bankrupt doing it.

A fun, frugal Disney World vacation requires lots of planning. Take your time and use this list of Walt Disney World tips to help you make it a memorable and affordable experience for your family.

Walt Disney World Tips

• Use the Magical Express: If you're staying at a Disney resort (on property) make sure to take advantage of the Magical Express. This red carpet coach bus ride takes you from the airport directly to your resort. Disney even picks up and delivers your luggage right to your room. The whole thing works in reverse when it's time to go back home. :(
• No need to rent a car. Since Disney has it's own free transportation system you never have to rent a car as long as you're staying at a Disney resort, and visiting Disney parks, resorts, or entertainment venues.

• Consider ticket options carefully. Disney park tickets are not deeply discounted. Period. If you find someone trying to sell you tickets at prices that sound too good to be true they probably are. There are Disney ticket scams out there, so your best options are discounted tickets included with your Disney vacation package, or a reputable Disney discount ticket retailer. We use DWTickets.com. They give some of the best breakdowns and prices out there. They also add bonus days to certain tickets.

  Consider how you want to spend the days you'll be at Disney and consider your options carefully to get the most bang for your buck.

• Choose accommodations wisely. My families favorite option is to stay at a Disney resort. We enjoy all the amenities but that doesn't mean we spend tons of money. Disney offers some very nice economy resorts that give clean rooms, themed pools, and large food courts with plenty of choices.

They also offer the Fort Wilderness campground where you can bring your own gear and camp, park your RV, or reserve one of their cabins. These are the most affordable accommodations Disney offers.

These Walt Disney World tips will help you save regardless of where you stay.



Rent or bring your own stroller. I must preface this by saying I love Disney's strollers. If you aren't in need of a wheelchair but find it hard to be on your feet for long periods, pushing one of these smooth rolling strollers around can really help give you some support as you walk around the parks...and oh yeah, they're great for giving tired, cranky kids a break too.


The double stroller was great for my two, even at 6 and 7 years old, when they got tired later in the evening.

But.....the rental fees add up. So, if you have a folding, easy to transport stroller for your little mouseketeer and you're watching your pennies, forgo the rental and bring your own. If you do rent a stroller, tie a ribbon to the handlebar so you can pick it out from the bunch in stroller parking.

• Use the Meet and Greets: Character meals are fun and exciting, but they are also pricey, and sometimes hard to get reservations for. But did you know that you don't have to go to a character meal to meet your favorites? Each park has meet and greet venues where you can go to meet the characters. If you need to meet someone in particular call guest relations and you can usually find out where they will be and what time.


We chased after Winnie the Pooh like groupies after a rock star for days. I finally called guest relations and they told me I could find him in Epcot, at the toy store in England. They even told me what time to be there. Pooh and his friends also make appearances in Magic Kingdom. Great Walt Disney World tip for character chasers.

• Take a day or two outside the parks. Just because your vacation is for 7 days it doesn't mean you need a 7 day park ticket. Plan 4 or 5 park days then plan relaxing days using the pool and other amenities at your resort, or visit some of the other resorts public areas for different sights, and sounds.

Disney's Boardwalk resort has a Coney Island-styled boardwalk with street performers, food vendors, midway games and lots of live entertainment once the sun sets. Fort Wilderness Campground has a campfire and movie that anyone can attend for free. Bring your own marshmallows to roast on the fire.

• Use Extra Magic Hours. A Walt Disney World tip that we took advantage of for the first time last year. If you're staying at a Disney resort you are entitled to Extra Magic Hours. Each day one of the parks will either open early or stay open later. Only resort guests can use the parks during these hours. Less crowds means less waiting for your favorite attractions, so plan your days around the Extra Magic Hours and get the most park time for your dollars.
• Use Fastpass / Baby Swap: Two great perks to save you time in line. Fastpass rides have machines that will issue you a ticket with a return time. It frees you up to go have a snack, see a show, or ride something else while you "wait" for your ride time. Come back at ride time and go right to the front of the line.

Baby Swap is for families with children too small to ride certain attractions. The whole family gets in line then one adult rides with the bigger kids while the other stays with "the baby". Then when that ride is over the adults switch places, so everyone gets a chance to ride without having to wait in line twice. Very nice.

• Visit the Animal Kingdom Lodge. This is a totally free must-see. You don't need to stay at this resort to enjoy it's beauty and the culture it represents. This resort boasts one of the largest collections of African art in the world and most of it can be enjoyed up close and personal. Take the tour and enjoy the Savannah viewing area.


Catch a free parade. A water parade that is. One of my favorites, the Electric water pageant can be viewed from the beach of any of the Magic Kingdom resorts. The beach at Fort Wilderness Campground is a great place to go see this parade and it won't cost you a thing. Magic Kingdom Fireworks. No need to be inside the park to catch this spectacular display. You can view this perfectly from the beach at the Grand Floridian or The Polynesian resorts.



• Monorail rides....don't cost a thing, and the kids love them. Ask if you can ride up front with the pilot. It's awesome! And don't worry if you can't do it the first time you ask. Just keep riding and keep asking each time. With a little luck your family should be able to get a turn.
• Do the Hidden Mickey Tour. Animal Kingdom Lodge has a Hidden Mickey Tour. Ask for the list. If you find them all you get a neat "freebie".
• Pack a Lunch. Get a Locker. I've seen a lot of people do this, especially in Magic Kingdom, probably because there are a lot of nice places to have an impromptu picnic. Pack a cooler with sandwiches, snacks and drinks, and leave it in a rented locker available just inside the main gate. At lunchtime go to the locker and pull out your picnic. You can save quite a bit by not having to buy a full meal in the park.
• Celebrate a Birthday! If you're there celebrating a birthday (or anniversary, or first visit...) go to guest services and let them know your group is celebrating. You'll get a button for the birthday person and maybe even some 'family celebration' buttons for everyone else. After that the birthday person will get a "Happy Birthday!" from practically every cast member who sees the button.

We did this for my sisters birthday. She wore her button the entire week, a Walt Disney World tip we got from a Cast Member. She got birthday wishes throughout the entire trip. She even got a couple of special treats because it was her birthday.

photo credit: Scott Smith

• Pin Trading: Once my family started pin trading we were hooked. The pins aren't free. You'll pay top dollar if you purchase more than one or two at the parks. Follow this pin trading link to learn more about it. If you decide you want to give it a try, purchase some starter pins on Ebay. You can buy official Disney pins for A LOT less $$ than in the parks.
• Ice Station Cool: In Epcot be sure to visit Ice Station Cool. Sponsored by the Coca Cola company, this exhibit, located just past Innoventions west, is a great place to get cool and try free samples of Coke flavors from all around the world.
• Kidcot at Epcot: My absolute favorite of all the Walt Disney World tips, and it's a freebie! As you tour the world pavilions in Epcot look for the Kidcot stations sponsored by Sharpie. Each station provides a make-and-take craft for the kids representing that country. At the end of their trip around the world, your kids have a totally free, totally cool Epcot souvenir that they made themselves. Learn more about it here.
• Decide on how best to handle souvenir buying before you get to Disney. One thing about Disney that I don't like, is that as you exit some rides and attractions you have to walk through a souvenir shop to get back outside. Good marketing plan for them, but annoying at best, for parents who get blindsided by it. So make a plan for souvenir spending before you go. Explain the plan to the kids before you get there, then stick to it. You can read about how my family handles this and other vacation budgeting issues here.
• Visit Downtown Disney: Take an afternoon and window shop and people watch in Downtown Disney. You can also check out the neat Lego sculptures at the Lego Store. Then make your way over to the free magic demos at Magic Masters, the store for magicians. Very cool. All free.

These Walt Disney World tips are things my family has done during our visits to Disney World. For more money saving tips and insider secrets I recommend you download The Ultimate Disney World Savings Guide.

After many trips to Disney I purchased this guide because I'm always looking for new Walt Disney World tips that will save us money, and give us new Disney experiences. It was great!

Fun to read and full of insider Walt Disney World tips and tricks, and best of all-- real, sensible ways to save money on a Disney vacation.

The author, Beth Haworth, is a best selling travel author, and was a Disney Castmember for years. (How cool is that?!?) She knows all the insider secrets. Another nice thing about this E-book is that purchasing it entitles you to lifetime updates.

I'm usually a skeptic when it comes to purchasing downloads, but this was well worth the price. I use this guide every time we vacation at Disney and it's already paid for itself in real savings many times over.

Plus, I just think it's fun to learn new Walt Disney World tips and actually use them during our trips there. We're big time Disney fans who've visited the parks for over two decades, and this book still had lots of information, and Walt Disney World tips and tricks we didn't know about. :)