Money Saving Tips

Finally! I know I have been talking about doing this post for awhile, and here it is! These are my tips on saving money at Disney.

Don't get Memory Maker:

For those of you who don't know, Memory Maker is a PhotoPass package you can buy that allows you to use PhotoPass as many times as you want during your vacation. And once done with the vacation you can download the photos right off of your Disney account. 

 Honestly Memory Maker is great if you want professional pictures done, but if you are trying to save money, it's something you can skip. During my program, I would take a lot of photos using my phone, and I am just as happy with the quality of those photos as I was when I used Memory Maker. If you go to meet a character, you can just ask the PhotoPass person or Character Attendant to take a picture for you on your phone. They'd be happy to do it!

Bring Your Own Water Bottles:

I had mentioned this in a previous post, ("What's In My Backpack?"Check it out!) but I'll post it again. Bring an empty, reusable water bottle into the park and go up to any quick-service restaurant and ask for a cup of ice water (it's free!!) Then poor the cold water into your empty water bottle and there go! Free cold water. A couple reasons why you should do this. 1) You can carry the water bottle in a backpack and not worry about it spilling, and 2) Most indoor queue lines don't allow open food or beverage in their line, so keeping it in a water bottle (and not in the cup) lets you put it away easier.

Take Advantage of Bus Transportation:

This might be self-explanatory, but if you drove to Disney and stay on property, use the buses! Don't drive your own car to the parks everyday. The buses pretty much drop you off near the entrance, you won't have to spend money on gas and it will save you parking fees. Yes, you might have to wait a little bit for a bus, but your wallet will thank you.

Free Souvenirs!:

Believe it or not, there are free souvenirs all around Disney Parks and Resorts. No, they're not your typical plush Mickey Mouse, but they are just as good at preserving the memory of your vacation. Some of my favorites are..

-Maps and Times Guides

-Celebration Buttons

-Stickers

-Magic Bands

-Ticket Cards

-Shampoos and soaps (from hotel room)

-Magical Moment Cards (handed out by Cast Members)

-Christmas Party or Halloween Party bracelets

-Passports (from Food and Wine Festival or Holidays around the World at Epcot)

-Wilderness Explorers Handbook (Animal Kingdom)

-Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom Cards (Magic Kingdom)

-Bookmark from Enchanted Tales with Belle (Magic Kingdom)

-Character Autographs

-Luggage Tags

-Pressed Pennies (well they cost $.51)

- Pool Party Prizes (get from winning a game when at your resorts pool)

Bring your own food:

Yes! You can bring your own food and beverages into the park. Especially if you are someone who likes to constantly be on the go. Sometimes having a handy granola bar can save you a lot of time and money! Also if you have picky children, bringing your own food for them is great! A lot of Disney's food is different so don't waste your money on something your kids won't eat.

Bring your own Ponchos/Umbrellas:

My family and I got sucked into this trap during one vacation. We had forgotten our rain gear and were forced to buy ponchos at the park when it down poured. Never again.

Gift Cards:

One year for Christmas, my parents gave my brother and I $100 dollar gift cards for Disney before we went on our trip. And looking back at that, it was probably one of the smartest things my parents did for saving money during our trip. Given at the time, my brother and I were 19 and 17 and could have bought our own stuff if we wanted to, but when you go with elementary-middle school aged kids, giving them a gift card is smart. It's sort of giving them a limit without them knowing, So once the money on their gift card is used up, that's it. No more souvenirs, and it won't burn a hole in your wallet either.

Okay well that's it my Disney friends! If you have any questions send me a tweet or leave a comment down below,

-S