If you’re planning your first trip to Disney World — DON’T WORRY! We’re here to help!

Planning a trip to Disney World can be tricky, whether or not it’s your first visit. Perhaps the hardest part of planning is making the money work. Let’s face the facts: a Disney World vacation is never going to be cheap, especially if you’re covering costs for more than just yourself. While the cost anxiety of a Disney World vacation is very real, we’re here to provide some advice that might ease your worries.

When it comes to evaluating Disney World costs, there are some things you can’t really cut around, like park tickets. However, you actually have a lot more control of cost than you might realize…

Budget

The first tip is simple: Budget. 

Figure out what you want to do at Disney World. Figure out where you want to stay, where you want to eat, what kind of upgrades you want to pay for, how much money you want to spend on souvenirs, etc. Your intended itinerary will yield estimated costs, and you can start tailoring down what you’re willing to spend on.

Understand your financial limitations and go from there. Disney World can be done on all sorts of budgets, so don’t be discouraged if you have to cut down your ideal itinerary a bit.

For example, you don’t need to eat at the most expensive restaurants every night and still find really great quality at more affordable restaurants.

Look for Airfare Deals

Depending on where you’re traveling from, airfare can be pretty expensive, especially if you’re traveling with a family. We recommend keeping an eye out year-round for deals.

Airlines will have deals all throughout the year. Keep on eye on consumer-friendly seasons like summer deals in the spring and Black Friday from all kinds of airlines, such as budget airlines like Spirit or favorites like Southwest.

According to experts, to get the best rates, you should book your airfare within 2-3 months of departure for domestic flights and over 90 days out for international travel.

Alter Length of Stay

You may have heard this before: You can’t do everything in Disney World in one trip. Not only is that true, but it may take you several trips to do everything on your to-do list, let alone everything. Because of this, you might be tempted to do a longer stay.

With longer stays and park visits, ticket prices will decrease, so in the long run you’ll be saving cash — but only if you’re going to the parks for basically a week-plus. And this can only really be considered a true savings if you’re a local. The longer the stay, the more you’ll pay in the parks and the more you’ll pay for your hotel (which will likely be super pricey) and food.

If you’re worried about costs to the point of anxiety, consider a shorter trip. You can also return to Disney World when you have more money to play with and you’ll still have an amazing experience, regardless of the length of stay.

Stay at Universal or Off-Property

Disney World hotels can be incredibly expensive. Even the cheapest hotels you’re looking at around $200-300 per night if you’re lucky. If you want any semblance of luxury, those numbers skyrocket.

Universal Orlando’s hotels are operated by Loews and are all much more cost-effective than Disney World’s. The bottom tier of Universal hotels are also pretty nice despite the lower price point, and if you plan on visiting the Universal parks, they’re conveniently located with their own set of Universal perks. If not, you’re still a reasonable drive or rideshare to the Disney Parks.

Similarly, Good Neighbor hotels are local hotels that partner with Disney and are usually much more affordable. These hotels also have their own transportation and many include the same perks you’d get at one of Disney’s hotels.

Consider the Disney Dining Plan

We briefly talked about food, and that’s fair considering it’ll take up a huge portion of your budget. That’s where the Disney Dining Plan can help.

There are two plans:

Disney Quick-Service Dining Plan

• Everyone in the party ages 3 and over receives the following:
  • 2 Quick-Service Meals (per night of stay)
  • 1 Snack/Nonalcoholic Drink (per night of stay)
  • 1 Resort-Refillable Drink Mug

Disney Dining Plan

• Everyone in the party ages 3 and over receives the following:
  • 1 Quick-Service Meal (per night of stay)
  • 1 Table-Service Meal (per night of stay)
  • 1 Snack/Nonalcoholic Drink (per night of stay)
  • 1 Resort-Refillable Drink Mug

The Disney Dining Plan isn’t for everyone, so you’ll have to do your homework to see if it’s right for you and your family. However, Disney World often offers a promotion where you can get the plan FOR FREE with select hotel and ticket packages. In 2025, the dates where this offer qualified are June 29th through September 30th, October 20th through November 1st, and December 6th through the 22nd. To see which hotels qualify for which plan, refer to the Disney Dining Plan website.

Plan

Where are you going to eat? How much are you willing to spend? Do you need souvenirs? Are you shelling out on Lightning Lanes and other upgrades? What kind of essentials might you need to purchase during the trip? Planning it all out takes away from the magic, but if you’re like the rest us and don’t have unlimited money, it’s crucial. Create a budget for food, goodies, and perks and you’ll give yourself so much more control of your vacation.

A Disney World vacation will never be “cheap”, but you can have a full understanding of the costs by planning ahead and staying up-to-date on all the latest Resort developments. We’re happy to keep you in the know and help you get the most out of your vacation, so be sure to stay tuned right here at the Disney Food Blog!

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What are some tips you have for saving money at Disney World? Let us know in the comments!