Top ways to save on Disney World tickets and where to stay for cheap!

The number one question I get: "How do you guys go to Disney so often?" Many assume we have annual passes but the cost of annual passes along with the 4.5 hour distance we live from Disney, it has never financially made since for us. We also only go to Disney 3-4 times a year. That may sound like a lot to some but it STILL does not make the annual pass purchase worth it for our family of four. Another reason this does not make financial sense is because we do not always stay on property. The hotels and Airbnb's we use save us SO much money that even the property resorts' discount with Annual Pass perks can not touch the low price we get. So let's start with that: the top two places we stay that save us a TON and are still great for the money.

1) Magic Moment Resort

This is an older motel that has been completely refurbished in recent years. We have stayed here multiple times and I have also recommended to multiple followers who have written me to say they stayed here based on my recommendation and they LOVED it. The phrase "you get what you pay for" can not be completely ignored but for the cost on most nights at this resort, you are definitely getting much more than you pay for. If your trip includes a full day of poolside fun with amazing bars and restraunts a few steps away, I recommend a Disney property resort but if your Visit http://www.magicmomentresort.com/ to check rates. This is definitely the resort we choose when making very last minute bookings for a short getaway.

2) A very specific Airbnb

This Airbnb has a great price with an even better location. We have stayed at a different room in this condo complex (that I will not link) and the only complaint that I had was the bottom floor room we had made for a noisy night while a toddler or dog constantly ran circles above us during the night. BUT the one I have linked for you is a complete Mickey themed complex that sleeps a family of 4 and even provides a full kitchen if you would like to fix your own food or keep certain things cold like milk for the babies. This condo is about a 10 minute drive to Disney Springs and 10 minutes from the Magic Kingdom parking lot and that is with a bit of traffic. So close to the fun! And always remember a bonus way to save is to plan your trip with another couple or small family and split the nightly rate between the two groups. Just be sure that your accommodations are suitable for the amount of people in your group. You don't want to be packed in like sardines after a long day at the Magic Kingdom.

An adorable Airbnb with a fantastic location AND nice little pool!

How to save on park tickets.

Ok so this one is tricky. WDW does not offer very many discounts to non-military and non-Florida residents so is there a way to still save? Yes. Let's start with Disney Chase Visa. Disney Chase Visa is a credit card specifically for Disney incentives. The incentives are not great but if you pay attention and plan accordingly, you can save a lot. I need to add that you should never make credit card purchases unless you can immediately pay the debt off. This tip is simply a way for you to get money back on money you already have and had planned on spending. If you are not already a member, signing up can get you anywhere from $200 to $250 statement credit. (Be sure to read requirements for such). So let's say you have $1000 to spend on a trip to Disney World. After getting signed up with Disney's Chase Visa card, not only will you get your statement credit, you will also get cash back on the $1000 you have spent. You are given a special card for the rewards dollars and you can spend that inside the park. If you want even more cash back, make other purchases on the card that you were otherwise going to use cash/debit for and turn around to immediately pay off the Chase card balance. You can easily access their rewards site to move your rewards dollars to your rewards card. We use our rewards card for meals and such inside the parks. Now for Sam's Club members. You are only going to save a few bucks this way BUT pair it with the Case card above and you save a lot more. You can purchase a $500 disney gift card for approximately $484. Charge that amount (again, only if you have the cash already set aside to pay back) to your Disney Chase Visa and that discounted disney gift card, that you can use to purchase tickets with, will rack you up some rewards dollars on your rewards card. Note that you can not use your rewards card AND gift cards together when buying your tickets, only one or the other, but you can save one or the other to use inside the park. Also remember on purchases of $50 or more at one time, you save 10% using your Disney Chase Card. The best way to do this is to make a note of certain souvenirs you like and purchase them all at one time, at one store, if possible.

This is the one I opt for. I buy two and then purchase our tickets for our family of 4.

They have smaller options as well but as you can see, you don't save a ton.

Souvenirs

The Disney Character Warehouse is loaded with fun things marked down incredibly. There will not be the newest up to date merchandise in the store but still lots of fun goodies. Be sure to stop here before your park visit and knock out some shopping while saving a lot of money. They have two locations:

Located in: Orlando International Premium Outlets

Address: 4969 International Dr, Orlando, FL 32819

Located in: Orlando Vineland Premium Outlets

Address: 8200 Vineland Ave #1252, Orlando, FL 32821

I hope this helps. Disney is very specific about their rates and ticket prices. Saving your money well in advanced is the absolute best way to go to Walt Disney World but sometimes we just want a spontaneous trip to the magical world of Disney and the ways above have helped us on numerous occasions. Cheers!

The Adventurous Alfords