Whether you want to visit Walt Disney World Resorts or take a fabulous Disney cruise, use the tips and tricks below to score Disney discounts on all manner of Disney fun!
Theme Park Ticket Discounts
Some are surprised when they learn the cost of Disney World base tickets. Happily, there are a few ways to save money on your theme park tickets.
More Days = Lower Cost Per Day
The best way to lower your cost-per-day for visiting the theme parks is to pay for several days on a single ticket. For example, if you buy a pass that is good for your entire seven day stay, you will pay about half of the cost per day of a single day ticket. Of course, this is only a good deal if you use all of the days purchased, but don’t make the expensive mistake of buying a ticket for too few days.
Finding authorized, deeply discounted Disney tickets is not an easy task. There are, however, two places where you just might find them: military bases and college campuses. Both of these places often have a recreation department where you can purchase discounted tickets to a variety of attractions – including Disney World. Keep in mind that not every base and campus will have such tickets, and those that do will only have them in limited supply.
Authorized Reseller
There are a couple of authorized resellers of Disney tickets that may, from time to time, offer a discount on the at-the-gate price. These will not be huge discounts, but you may be able to save a bit, especially on a ticket that is for several days.
Online Auctions
This is a risky method of buying discount tickets to Disney theme parks. The reason that it is risky is that Disney will not honor a ticket that is expired or otherwise invalid. It is difficult to learn all of the details about tickets that you buy at online sites, but there are steps you can take to lower your risk.
- Only buy from sellers with a strong history and high rating
- Pay with a credit card that offers protection should the tickets be unusable
If you are willing to take the risk, you may be able to find Disney tickets at a substantial discount.
Disney Dining Discounts
When you are trying to trim your vacation budget, every detail of your trip should be viewed as an opportunity to save. Here are a few tips and tricks to help you save on the cost of dining while at Disney World.
Look for Packages
The best way to get Disney dining discounts is to choose a vacation package that includes all or some of your meals. This will help to reduce the cost of the meals while still allowing you the fun of eating at some of the many wonderful Disney restaurants.
Suites
Another great way to save on the cost of dining is to stay in a suite. How can a suite help you save on dining? It is because many of the suites include a kitchenette where you can prepare simple meals. Even if you only eat one meal in your suite, you will save hundreds of dollars over the course of your stay. Eat a filling breakfast and you will only need a light lunch while in the parks. Then you can splurge on a nice dinner each night. To save even more, eat breakfast and lunch in the parks and then munch on food that you prepare at night. Since dinner tends to be the most expensive meal to eat at a restaurant, by eating your evening meal in your room, the savings can be substantial.
You can get an overall discount on your Disney vacation by buying packages. This will provide a good discount over booking airfare, hotel, rental car and theme park tickets separately. Many packages even include a discount at the Disney stores so that you will be able to stock up on Mouse related souvenirs.
Disney Cruise Discounts
There are many ways to enjoy a Disney vacation. While visiting Walt Disney World and exploring the theme parks is certainly a great vacation, there is another Disney option that continues to grow in popularity: The Disney cruise. Disney Cruise Lines offer cruises to many destinations on its fleet of four fabulous ships. Here is how to cruise your way to a discount on these amazing vacations.
Book Early
When cruise lines first announce their itinerary for the coming year, they often offer discounts to those who book a cruise early. These discounts may include a two-for-one fare, free fare for children, special onboard credits or other incentives.
Book Late
Booking late can save you even more money. Once the ship pulls out from the port with an empty cabin, that cabin stays empty for the entire cruise. An empty cabin means less people eating, drinking, shopping and otherwise spending money. For those reasons, cruise lines often offer deep discounts in the 90 days before a cruise in order to fill up those empty cabins. Not everyone can plan a cruise on such short notice, but if you can, you can save up to 60% or even more!
Shop Around
There are online travel sites that specialize in offering amazing deals on cruises. Disney cruises are often offered at discounts of up to 50% off the brochure rate. Sometimes the best rates will be found by dealing directly with Disney Cruise lines. Other times, you may do better through one of these travel sites. When booking a Disney cruise, always shop around to be sure that you are getting the best rate.
Whether you opt for a Disney Resort vacation or a Disney cruise, with a bit of planning and research, you can save hundreds of dollars by finding Disney discounts that will make your dream vacation affordable without sacrificing quality.