8 Ways to Enjoy a Budget Friendly Disney Vacation
#1. Visit Disney During Off-Peak Times of the Year.
My first budget tip for you in planning a value-centered and budget-friendly Disney vacation is to visit Disney at off-peak times of the year. This is the best way to save the most money when you plan a Disney trip. Now, you might have to sacrifice the best weather, but you are going to save the most money and get the most value for your trip. I would recommend:
Early January
When winter break is over and children go back to school rates are lower for the first 2 weeks in January. If you can take your vacation time AND take your kids out of school, maybe for one or two days, then you're going to find deep discounts at this time of year.
September
That first and second week of September are also deeply discounted times of the year. You're just starting school, so it may be a challenge, but the rates are low.
Mid-July through all of August
The heat and hurricane season deter some visitors from coming during this time of year, but if you can manage the heat, it’s a great time to visit.
You're going to find the very lowest rates in August. Yes, you have a chance of getting bad weather, but I've gone in August many times, and we've hit rain, but we've been lucky enough to never be part of a hurricane, and if anybody knows how to handle a hurricane, it's Disney World.
Enjoy larger than life theming at Disney’s Pop Century Resort! Here you can see Mickey Mouse on the side of one of the 1970s buildings.
#2 Stay on Disney Property
If you want to save the most money and get the most value out of your vacation, there are so many reasons to stay on property.
There are three types of Disney resorts:
Deluxe Resorts: The Deluxe resorts are the luxury resorts. They cost the most money. They include the most when you're staying at a deluxe resort, so you're paying for what you get.
Moderate Resorts: The moderate resorts are the mid-tier resorts and have some of the amenities found at luxury resorts without the price tag and convenience to the parks that the luxury resorts possess, and there's only a few moderate resorts. The moderate resorts have spacious rooms to accommodate a larger sized family. Caribbean Beach Resort and Port Orleans Riverside accommodate families of five really well, so those make sense to look at for cost savings.
Value Resorts: The value resorts are the lowest tier of resorts at Disney World, but they still hold three-stars. The designs of these resorts are amazing with big theming everywhere for children. The rooms in the value resorts are all pretty much the same size, except when you book a family suite at the All-Star Music Resort or a family suite at Art of Animation. The family suites cost more at Art of Animation, so, if you're looking for the most budget-friendly room for a larger family, the All-Star Music Resort will accommodate you with the best price. You are getting a more character-driven Disney experience at Art of Animation, however, so, if that's what you're looking for, then maybe paying a little extra is worth it for you, but just so you know, there's a difference in those prices.
The budget resorts are:
All-Star Music
All-Star Sports
All-Star Movies
Pop Century
Art of Animation
The All-Star resorts are themed to their titles, while Pop Century focuses on popular culture from the 1950s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s. Finally, Art of Animation is a tribute to all of the very amazing Disney animated feature films of the last few decades or so, such as The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, Finding Nemo, and Cars. Most of the rooms found in the Art of Animation resort are family suites with the exception of The Little Mermaid rooms. If you're looking for the most budget-friendly room, and you want to stay at Art of Animation, then The Little Mermaid rooms are the way to go.
Oftentimes, I stay at Pop Century, and the reason is because it's a value resort, so it is at that lower price tier, along with the three All Stars and Art of Animation, however, the rates are lower than Art of Animation, but Pop Century shares the Skyliner transportation system with Art of Animation.
Art of Animation and Pop Century share a Skyliner hub, and the Skyliner, also known as the sky gondolas, is another form of transportation in Disney World, besides buses, the monorail and boats. If you are at a resort that is on the Skyliner, you just hop on the Skyliner, and you can go to Epcot, and to Hollywood Studios. It's so nice to be able to do that and not have to take a bus everywhere.
That's why I think there's a great value in staying at Pop Century, because you have access to that other form of transportation, while still staying in the value budget.
Other Reasons for Staying on Property:
Early Entry into the Parks
Early entry is usually a half hour before the park opens, but sometimes security will start letting people in closer to an hour before the park opens. The coffee shops and certain places are open already, and you might have a chance to grab a coffee, and then head to the ride you want to explore first and get in line there.
Disney Transportation
I have zero interest in renting a car and paying extra money when I don't have to. That just sounds stressful to me, and it costs more. You have to pay for parking (most places). You have to pay for the car rental. You have to drive the car all over. Why would I want to do that, if I can stay on Disney property and use all the transportation for free?
Disney Vacation Package Perks
If you book a Disney package, which is where you're booking the hotel along with your tickets, and if you're getting a dining plan as well, included in that package, you get a free round of miniature golf, and you get discounts on specific shopping and food throughout the park.
Access to Lightning Lane passes Seven Days Ahead of Your Arrival.
Okay, so, anyone who's not staying on Disney property cannot book their Lightning Lane passes until three days before they come, if they have a park reservation. If you are booked at Disney World, that means you have four days ahead of everybody else who's coming to the park that day to book your Lightning Lane, so you're going to get the best choices and the best times that are available to book your most desired rides!
That is worth it. Trust me. I'm going to explain a little more about why Lightning Lanes are worth it in your budget. Use Lightning Lane passes because even though you have to pay extra for Lightning Lane passes, in the end, you're going to wind up saving so much time by using it that you're getting more value for your money because you'll be able to enjoy more rides and have more experiences in your day, and you won't be spending that time standing in a line.
Disney uses dynamic pricing for Lightning Lanes, which is one of the reasons I recommend going during the off-peak times-those Lightning Lane passes are going to be much lower in price. For example, I was just looking at Animal Kingdom and a Lightning Lane for mid-week in September is $15 to add on to your tickets. This would cost a family of four an extra $60, but that family is going to be able to do a lot more with their day. I highly recommend using Lightning Lane Multipass.
#3 Use the Disney Dining Plan in 2026 If You Have Children Aged 9 and Under
It’s FREE for children 9 and under. This may not be the most budget-friendly choice forever, but for the year of 2026, it's absolutely worth doing, because you're going to save so much money when you don't have to pay for your children to eat. If you're like me and you have a child who doesn't eat a whole lot, sometimes you feel like you're wasting money anyway buying the meals, because they eat half of it, and then they're like, “I'm done,” and then an hour later they want snacks, right?
Enjoy cost effective character meals when using the Disney Dining Plan. The Crystal Palace, found in Magic Kingdom, is a beautiful restaurant where you can meet Winnie the Pooh and friends like Piglet!
#4 Limit Your Trip and follow this Schedule:
Four Nights - 2 Park Days - 1 Rest Day
OR
3 Nights - 1 Park Day -1 Rest Day
A lot of people will tell you, “Oh, you’re going to Disney World, you have to do like a six night stay or a five to seven night stay.”
I don't think you have to do that. If you want to have a budget-conscious vacation and have a wonderful time, you don't need to go to all four parks. If you book a four night or even a three night stay at a value resort, add the dining plan to that reservation, use your Lightning Lane passes when it's time, and you're only going to visit two parks or one park then you can have a wallet-friendly magical Disney vacation.
*If you are booking online, you will only have the option of booking a minimum of 2 park days when creating a package, however, if you call Disney, they can create a “basic” package for you, which will allow you to add the Dining Plan and 1 park day, if you so choose, so don’t be fooled by what you see online!
If it's your first time going to Disney, one of those parks has to be Magic Kingdom, because it is the center of Disney World.
Prioritize what you want to do on your other park day. Do you want to go explore Animal Kingdom, try some amazing food there, go on the safari, see the shows, go on a hiking trail and see the Gorilla Falls? Or do you want to go do some Star Wars experiences at Hollywood Studios? Or do you want to do the World Showcase in Epcot? Pick two parks.
My other advice is, you know, small trips make big memories.
I have done both types of vacations. I have done longer trips, and I have done shorter trips. 100% of the time, when I have gone on a longer trip, I always think, ‘Hmm… I didn't need to do that. That was too long. I didn't need to be there that long. I didn't need to stretch my budget that far.’
You need to put a rest day in there, otherwise you burn yourself out. Disney is more demanding on your body than you will ever realize until you do it, so you have to have downtime. Remember, you are not going to a park, you’re going to Disney World, and it’s the size of SanFrancisco! You also want to take some time to enjoy the resort where you're staying. You know, all the resorts have beautiful pools and activities at them. There's also Disney Springs, where you can shop and explore some of the offerings there like the Lego store, or Cirque du Soleil, etc.
Rest Day Magic
Relax on the beach and listen to the music in the evening when visiting the Polynesian Resort.
#5 Use Carry-On Luggage Only
This is a tip for people who are flying, because like me, many visitors to Diseny World live pretty far away. Do not waste your airfare paying for luggage. You do not want to pay the extra fees to check a bag. Use carry-on luggage. Pack in a smart way, okay? Be organized, plan ahead, only take what you need. You do not need to take 10,000 outfits. You only need to take a few outfits, a bathing suit, pajamas, your toiletries, etc. You know what I mean. You don't have to overpack, okay?”
Keep it really simple and concise, and don't waste money on checking luggage. That's going to cost you so much more added on to your airfare. Save your money there.
Every resort has laundry services, so if you're afraid you're not going to be able to do it on a carry-on luggage, well, think about it this way. Would you rather spend $100-$200 each way to check a bag, or would you rather spend $5 walking a bag of laundry over to the little laundry service area in your resort and throw it in the washing machine and come back an hour later to put it in the dryer? You could spend $5 doing that or $200, you know, checking two suitcases on an airplane. That is too much money.
Don't do it. Don't do it. Use carry-on.
#6 Use Mears Shuttle Service
Mears is the shuttle service that will take you right to Disney World and pick you up from Disney World and bring you back to the airport. Don't waste time on an Uber or a private service or anything like that. You're going to pay so much money for those. A one-way Uber is going to cost you close to $100. You don't need to pay that much money. Let's say you're a family of four. Okay, today's pricing as of the publication for a Mears Shuttle Service Ride, is $15 each way per person, so with tax, it's $33 per person round trip. You're going to pay around $132 round trip for your family of four to go from the airport to Disney World and back.
You've already saved at least $70. If you were going to use an Uber, you'd be paying around $200 to do that. Don't do that, save your money. I have no affiliation with Mears. I'm just telling you, because that's what I do, and I think the other services are more expensive.
#7 Place a Grocery Order
Place a grocery order delivery to your hotel room 2-3 days before your arrival date. You can get groceries delivered from all the different services like Walmart, Amazon, and Publix. Make sure you choose the delivery window that matches your estimated arrival time, and don’t worry about cold items, because Disney resorts have refrigerators to store your items for you until you get to your resort.
If you're following the plan above and staying at Disney for four nights, you’ll want to order some staples for your room. Here are a few suggestions:
bottled water
some snacks
cereal packets
candy
fruit
hand soap for the sink (hotel hand soap gets messy)
extra sunscreen
You don't want to purchase the above items by going into the gift shop in your resort, because you're going to pay more for them there than you should, so place your grocery order delivery, save your money there, and get the things that you need, especially water, okay? You're going to need lots of water in Disney.
#8 Set a Budget for Souvenir Spending
If you're taking children, I would recommend setting a souvenir budget and then buying Disney gift cards with the specific amount of money chosen. Follow that up with having a conversation with your kids about the gift cards. You could even buy smaller card amounts so that the kids can track their spending a little more easily. You know, you can think outside the box on this and how you would best approach it.
I feel like using gift cards and setting that budget ahead of time will keep everybody in check and set the expectations so you don't have meltdowns and, you know, kids saying, “But I really, really want this too,” when they already know how much they have left on their gift card. The children can choose and they can also have independence with that, which is really great for kids as they grow.
Enjoy Your Budget-Friendly Disney Vacation!
I hope this has helped you plan a Budget-Friendly vacation. For a more in depth experience, please listen to my accompanying Podcast episode listed below. Thanks and Delight in the Magic!
From Delighting in the Magic Podcast: Disney on a Budget: 10 Smart Tips for a Wallet-Friendly 2026 Disney Vacation, Sep 21, 2025
This material may be protected by copyright. Delighting in the Magic Podcast: Disney on a Budget: 10 Smart Tips for a Wallet-Friendly 2026 Disney Vacation, Sep 21, 2025
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/delighting-in-the-magic-podcast/id1836662070?i=1000727738272&r=633