Don't waste your money: a former employee talks about how to save money at Disney World
With park tickets, accommodation, food, and transportation, a trip to Disney can cost a pretty penny. And that's before you even start counting bonus purchases like souvenirs and treats. Business Insider Kelly Price, who worked at Disney World for two years. A former employee advises skipping some purchases to save money at the parks. Next - from the first person.
Water bottles
Water is essential at Disneyland Park because spending time in the Florida heat can lead to dehydration. But instead of buying a $5 bottle of water every time you get thirsty—and trust me, you will get thirsty—you can go to any fast food restaurant in the parks and ask for a free cup of water.
Take advantage of this. Depending on the size of your group and how many days you spend in the parks, this could save you hundreds of dollars towards the end of your trip.
You can also bring your own water bottle and fill it at any of the beverage machines around the hotel. I recommend this so that you always drink a cold drink under the blazing Florida sun.
Pin badges
For those unfamiliar with this, Disney has a concept called pin trading where guests can exchange pins with employees and sometimes other tourists as well.
If you collect Disney badges and bring them to parks specifically for this exchange, there are ways to save some money. I suggest investing in bulk packaging of cheap Disney Pins online, or buying any of the cheapest pins from stores. You can then trade whatever cheap badges you don't like with the Disney staff.
I've seen many guests buy and exchange $ 15 pins when they could instead buy a pack of four pins for $ 15 and do the same. By doing this, you increase your resale price and trade the pins you don't like for the ones you like.
Cute toys and goods
I can't tell you how often I walk out of Disney parks with items I never intended to buy. Sometimes when I am in Disney stores, something comes over me and I feel the need to buy everything there is to see.
But I'm here to remind you (and myself) to practice your self-control and ask yourself if you will ever use this memento again.
Before setting a budget and making a list of what you think you want, just ask yourself if you really need it. Or, like me, you just might find an unused bubble blower in your car a year after your trip to Disney.
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T-shirts
Disney clothing can be expensive, so if you want everyone to dress the same, shop for tees outside of the park. When I worked at Disney, I saw many families wearing the same T-shirts they bought at the hotel. It's cute and the photos are amazing. But all I can think of is this family of five spent about $ 125 on T-shirts alone.
Instead, you can go to Walmart, for example, and buy similar matching T-shirts for about half the price. You can even go to Etsy and make your own custom shirts, and they'll probably still be cheaper than buying clothes at the park.
Photos PhotoPass
Many Disney visitors pay for PhotoPass photos at the end of the trip, which can be very expensive. It is very important to have photographs as a keepsake of your Disneyland vacation, especially since you paid a lot to get those memories. But you don't have to buy professional photos for this.
Each PhotoPass employee can take pictures for you from your personal device, such as a phone or camera. All you have to do is ask.
This applies to photographs anywhere in the park. And you can get all the beautiful pictures for free.
Reusable Popcorn Bucket
Disney offers a variety of decorative popcorn buckets to choose from—seasonal, Mickey-shaped, standard—and it's tempting to collect them all.
But you don't need multiple popcorn buckets. One is enough. I have heard many times guests say that they buy new buckets every year or every trip, and if you collect them as a hobby, then buy. But this is optional.
You can bring a popcorn bucket that you bought years ago and it will be filled anyway.
But if you're a fan of Disney popcorn, buying a bucket is a great way to save some money on your snack because it cuts the refill price from $5 to $2. But again, you don't need multiple buckets.
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Resorts
Disney has a wide variety of resorts throughout the area, offering a variety of themes, characters, restaurants, locations, and prices. Some of the cheapest resorts can cost as little as $ 150 a night, but the more expensive ones can cost thousands of dollars.
If your only purpose for staying at Disney is to go to the parks every day, why would you spend all your money on a resort if you won't even be there for most of your trip?
One of the fastest ways to cut your Disney costs is to choose cheaper accommodations. Disney offers free buses to parks, water parks and other resorts. And even the cheapest options have fun themes, dining areas and pools.
Disposable drink
If you are spending money on staying at one of the hotel resorts, you can at least benefit from it. Every Disney Resort sells reusable mugs that can be refilled an unlimited number of times during your stay at the resort.
Although the mug is $ 20, trust me when I say it's best to just buy it early in the trip. You can save a lot of money.
By comparison, each soda from a vending machine at Disney costs between $ 4 and $ 5,50, which means that if you get five of these drinks during your stay at the resort, a reusable mug is worth it.
Paid parking
Disney Park tickets already cost over $ 100 per person, but that doesn't include parking. If you don't want to spend the extra $ 25 per car per day and have a little extra time, you can get around those costs.
First, parking at Disney Springs (a large shopping and dining center in Disneyland) is free, so if you're heading there first to shop or eat, you can hop on one of Disney's free resorts buses and hop on the parks bus.
If you only want to travel to the parks for a short time, you can also avoid parking fees by ordering breakfast at any of the Disney resorts. Of course, this means you have to pay for breakfast, but if you need food anyway, you can kill two birds with one stone.
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Please be aware that meal reservation parking is only valid for approximately three hours.
Finally, if you're staying at any of the Disney resorts, even the cheapest ones, parking is free at all parks. But if you're in the mood for the convenience of parking in real parking lots, just keep this pass with you if you change parks or need to leave and return. This works for any of Disney's all-day parks, so you don't have to pay double the price.
One of the easiest ways to save money at Disney is to simply pack everything you need for your trip. Otherwise, you'll end up spending an incredible amount of money on something you already have at home. For example, be sure to bring sunscreen, pain relievers, swimwear, sunglasses, clothing, and aloe.
Disney sells all of these items because some tourists will need them, but you will pay an overpriced price for something that would be cheaper to bring with you. Make a list of your essentials and double-check it before you leave to avoid wasting it.
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