Save Money on Tickets:
>> While you can buy tickets once you get to the park, it's not advisable. You'll pay the top price for them this way. It's also not advisable to buy tickets from a neighbour or through an auction site as you won't be able to verify them and Disney won't refund your money.
You can get cheap Disney World tickets by purchasing them through an officially authorized discount Disney ticket seller like DW Tickets.
Discount sellers buy in bulk so they can offer lower prices.
Another one to try is Greater Orlando Discounts. They are also a licensed discount wholesaler and also offer Disney group discounts.
>> Adding the park hopper option to your base ticket is a handy option to have - especially if you're going to be skipping to different parks each day.
But if you're not planning on doing this, ask yourself if you really need the park hopper option. With the base ticket you can only go to one park per day. But if you have young children, they may only be up to doing 1 park a day. Skipping the park hopper option is an easy way to save money.
>> If you plan on going to Disney world again in the next couple of years, consider adding on the 'No Expiration' option to your tickets. This may cost you a bit up front, but since Disney tickets tend to go up in price every year, it may actually end up saving you money in the long run.
Save Money on Food:
>> Depending on where you're staying, call ahead and ask for a fridge in your room. That way, you can pick up snacks outside the park (or even take home you leftovers from a Disney restaurant for a late night snack) and store them in your fridge.
Of course you can also buy snacks that don't need refrigeration also. But a fridge is a great place to store some bagels, buns, muffins, peanut butter and jam, lunch meats, water bottles etc - so you can save a bundle on breakfast, lunch and snacks.
>> Use the Disney Dining Plan - This can save you up to 30% on your meals. With the dining plan you get 1 snack, 1 quick service and 1 table service (sit-down) meal.
To make the most of this, most people use their table service for dinner - as that's usually the most expensive menu in most Disney restaurants.
You can also save money by using one quick service meal (which includes 1 entree, 1 dessert and 1 drink) and splitting it between two people.
>> If you have the Dining plan, ask the cashier what constitutes a Quick Service meal before you buy.
Different cashiers sometimes give different answers to this question - which can cost or save you money.
For example, we had the exact same meal two days in a row. One cashier charged it as 1 quick service meal - and another charged it as 3 snacks (ouch).
Save Money on Resorts:
>> Go in the off season - if you're not too fussy about weather or have a more open schedule, you can save a lot just by going in the off season.
Usually these times are when the kids are in school. The cheapest times to go to Disney are in January, July-Sept and the first few weeks of December before Christmas break. While these times may be a bit cool or a bit on the humid side, some people consider saving hundreds of dollars well worth the trade-off
You're also more likely to get a 'free room upgrade' in the less busy seasons, which can again, give you a better room for less.
>> Price out the different seasons - Use tools like the online travel agencies below to get an idea of which times of te year are cheapest:
A) Expedia Disney Packages - They make it easy to find resort packages plus there's a lot of variety in your Disney resort options.
B) Travelocity Disney Packages - Again very easy to get resort/air packages - just type in 'Disney world' into the search box. You'll also get non-Disney hotel packages mixed in for comparison.
