I'd highly recommend staying in a Disney resort,
but if your budget is really tight, then consider staying in an offsite
resort. This will save you a lot of money, but you may need to hire
a car to get around. (Offsite hotels often have shuttle buses to the
major parks, but they won't run as frequently as Disney transport).
Whereas if you stay in a Disney resort, you don't need to hire a car,
you can just rely on the Disney transport system to get you around.
Stay offsite for less, at our featured resort
- the Radisson Resort Parkway.
Stay in a vacation
home! It can work out much cheaper than a hotel especially for larger
families or groups. Homes
have full kitchens which means you can save a lot of money instead
of eating out every night.
Instead of paying a lot of money to stay in one
of the deluxe WDW resorts because they are nearer to the parks, save
money by staying in a moderate or budget resort. If you don't want to
use the Disney transport system, then take a taxi to the parks. This
will cost anything from $8 per trip, but compare that to how much you've
saved by not staying in a deluxe resort.
Room discounts are
also available to Annual Pass holders. It might be worthwhile investing
in an Annual Pass if you know there are discounts available for when
you want to go, especially as you'd have to buy a park pass anyway.
An annual pass costs less than an 8 day unlimited magic pass. If you
plan to go there next year, book a couple of weeks earlier, then you
can still use your annual pass.
See the
resort discounts page for details of current discounts available
at Disney Resorts.
Look
at the season rates when you book at a Disney Resort. If the first day
of your stay is in value season, you get the value season rate for the
whole of your stay. But if the first day of your stay is in peak season,
you pay the peak season rate for the whole of your stay, even if the
stay only covers 1 day peak season, 5 days regular season.
If
you're only going to arrive at your hotel late because of a long drive,
or late flight, consider spending the first night at a motel or
airport hotel. It will be a lot cheaper & you won't have wasted
a day at the more expensive resort.
If you really want to experience the higher end
WDW resorts, but can only afford to stay at a budget resort, visit each
resort for a snack or a meal. Explore the resorts & take part in
any activities on offer, e.g. the tour at the Wilderness Lodge.
Alternatively, stay at a deluxe
resort for a night or two, and a moderate/value resort for the rest
of your stay. Disney will transfer your luggage for you free of charge.
If you
want some of the advantages of a Disney Resort, but wothout the extra
cost, consider staying at one of the Downtown Disney
Resorts. They are near to the parks, and offer some of the benefits
associated with WDW Resorts.
If you've
booked your stay at a WDW Resort through Disney CRO, once you've paid
your deposit, there's nothing else to pay until you get to the resort.
Start to put money away each week into a high-interest savings account.
This can be used to pay for the resort, and the interest you make could
be used as spending money at WDW.
Book the cheapest room available,
for example standard view. When you check in, ask if a free upgrade
to a better view is available.
Once you are staying at a
Disney Resort, they may offer you discounted rooms if you want to stay
longer than planned.
AAA
members can sometimes get discounts at WDW Resorts, just call CRO and
ask if tey have any AAA discount rates. Rates are usually similar to
those for Disney Club members.
The
Swan & Dolphin Resorts are on Disney property, but not owned by
Disney. Rates can be lower than those in Disney-owned deluxe resorts.
Do you have any money-saving tips to add?
Email me.
