Tips to Save You Some Bucks (and to maximize your time) in your Walt Disney World Vacation.

More often than not, vacations can get really expensive. On our previous vacation at Walt Disney World, we spent quite some bucks. What are the things we should have done to make this staycation a little less expensive?



First, let's talk about what we did to make our Disney Vacation less expensive.

➢We planned our vacation ahead of time.  This is a no-brainer. Planning out your vacation ahead of time will give you more chances of getting lower rates on hotels and good ticket deals. Cheapest hotels are the ones that get booked first, so plan ahead and grab those great hotel and ticket offers! Disney offers a great variety of deals sure to fit any budget!

➢We signed up to My Disney Experience account online. Signing up will make your planning easier. You can easily search a vacation package that is right for you, create reservations, get FastPasses and view and plan your daily itineraries.

➢We saved and saved. Going on a vacation without enough budget can be frustrating and, of course, not fun at all. So while you are planning ahead of time, make sure to start saving money for your planned trip to Disney World. Believe me, between $30+ meals, neat souveniers, lightsabers and Mickey Mouse ears, your hard earned cash disappears faster than a FastPass to Toy Story Mania!

➢We used the FastPass+ service. Upon registering online and buying our tickets, my husband and I discussed about the things that we would likely want to try in each park. FastPass+ service allows you to reserve access to up to 3 select Walt Disney World theme park attractions, entertainment and Character Greetings in advance. It's free so maximize it! If you have a hotel reservation, you can start making your FastPass+ selection as early as 60 days prior to your check-in date or if you only have a valid ticket or annual pass you can make selections up to 30 days in advance. FastPasses can run out quickly, so save your spot early and enjoy 3 selected rides, entertainments or attractions. Another Tip: If you can make reservations as early as possible, try to make all your FastPass+ reservations in the morning because once you redeem your initial set of FastPass+ selections (or the last arrival window has passed), you can make another FastPass+ selection for the same day and another set of selections (one at a time), subject to availability, of course. This can save you more time and enjoy more of what each theme park has to offer!

➢We did the Online Check-In. Online check-in is complimentary and available to all registered Disney Resort hotel Guests at Walt Disney World Resort. Checking-in online reduces your registration time upon arrival at the hotel, because they will already collect your information online which they usually collect in the standard check-in process. You can do this within 60 days of your arrival date.

➢We arrived at the hotel early. The earlier you arrived, the longer time you'll have to enjoy the theme park. Theme parks open at 9:00 am, so try to arrive before that time and if your room is still not available, just leave your luggage at the front desk and head to your desired park to start the fun! If you bought your tickets online, make sure to activate your magic bands at guest relations before getting in line to enter the park. Nothing is more annoying than waiting in line and getting turned back last minute because your magic bands aren't active.

Okay, so now these are the things we should have done, during our vacation:

➢We should have brought some snacks and drinks. Food and drinks in the hotel as well as in the parks were expensive. So, if you are planning to save a little, bring some packs of water, soda or juice and snacks with you in the hotel.  There's a mini refrigerator where you can stock your drinks and cabinets to put your snacks. It will definitely save you a ton! Well, if you don't want to do this, you can save some bucks from buying drinks if you purchase the hotel's tumbler. We failed to do this in the first day of our stay so we spent so much buying drinks. As in, $70 for two days worth of drinks.

➢When going into the park, if you can, DO NOT bring a bag. This will save you some time. Instead of lining up in those long lines for checking bags, you can just enter the park and start your day! I should have done this too, but I can't (I have my monthly visitor, bummer!) But actually, bringing a bag can save you some money too!

➢Bring yourself some snacks and a bottle. You are actually allowed to bring your own food in the park given that they do not require heating. Small snacks will do to save your day from spending too much for food. Plus, if you have your own bottle or a tumbler, you can just refill it with water from water fountains inside the theme parks. It won't taste that good, but you can bring yourself some powdered juice that you can mix with your water.

➢Think before you buy! I know, I know, there's a lot of good stuff that you would like to buy, but you don't have to buy everything that you find cute. Before buying anything, make sure you have seen enough of everything, then decide what you really want to buy, maybe, one or two (or maybe three). It's the memories that count anyway! :)

Lastly, if it's your first time visiting Walt Disney World, as what my husband told me, just enjoy the moment. Do not try to capture every photo of all the places, rides and attractions. There will be plenty of time for pictures on the next visit, after the newness has settled. Live the moment! Enjoy and have fun!