After years of trying to avoid Disney World, LOL, we have decided to treat our little girl with a trip of a lifetime. Her prayers have been answered and we are going to Disney World! Let me tell you, Disney terrifies me versus Europe because of all the planning one must do to have a successful time. Thankfully I have an awesome sister who has been to Disney like 12 times, no joke, and is a pro at getting the best prices and deals! It’s amazing how much some people can spend at Disney when I’m like, “OMG, you so could’ve gone to Europe for a third of that, LOL”! Fortunately for us we are a party of 3 so let me fill you in on how we are going to save and make the best of this Disney adventure.
I personally prefer to purchase our flight and hotel together. Families don’t realize this but they can save a ton when doing this versus getting an Air B&B. On this specific trip I decided to use Expedia.com because I found it to be the best deal. For a 5 day and 4 night trip, upgraded to a junior suite, round trip direct flight ticket, I found a deal for $1500! We will be heading out in early May which is considered “off-season” but for this price it’s a steal! I will confess, we are NOT staying at what is considered a “Disney Resort” but that is just a ploy to make families pay waaaaay more than than they should. If you have never looked into Disney one would automatically think a Disney Resort is the best option but it seriously isn’t. They are dated and just because they offer a meal plan and extended Disney hours does not make it that appealing to me, especially after speaking to my sister who is a pro at Disney.
When one travels to Disney World in Florida it is a massive area! There are very few hotels or resorts that are on site or near the Disney parks. There are 4 parks in Disney World: Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Disney. These parts are all spread apart just like regular hotels. Seriously, take a look at the map and you will see exactly what I am talking about. Because of this new found information, I decided to book the Hilton at Lake Buena Vista that coincidentally offers Disney Resort hours (go in earlier or stay later) if you choose to purchase that, like ALL Disney resorts. We are not investing on going in super early or staying super late with a 3 year old, I’ll be happy to survive 4 hours straight, LOL! We booked the Hilton because we will not have a car (the Hilton provides FREE shuttle to all Disney parks) and it’s a skywalk away from Disney Springs. Disney Springs is an area that provides a ton of shopping, restaurants and the famous Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique.
Now that we have our accommodations settled we need to buy the Disney park tickets. Instead of buying the park tickets directly through the Disney website my sister told me about a very reliable site called Undercovertourist.com that saves you money versus purchasing directly through the Disney website. We saved about $150 for 2 adult tickets and 1 child tickets, a way better value! If you purchase an E-Ticket you can save about $15 for all 3 tickets. Please keep in mind that if you decide to purchase an E-Ticket you wan to invest in a Magic Band so that you can use that as the primary way to get into the park, store your fast pasts, store pictures if you decide to have Disney employees take pics of you throughout the park, etc. The Magic Band is an additional $13 but a great value because it is easy to keep on your wrist (like a bracelet) and store all major information and not have to worry about losing a paper ticket.
I hope these tips will help you as you look into Disney World for your own family. Once I schedule out fast passes (how you schedule your rides in the park so you don’t have to wait hours) I’ll let you know how easy or difficult it is!
