If you didn’t read my Money Saving Tips - Part 1, I recommend you start with those, and then pick up here.  If you already read those…. then carry on. :)

  • Discounts… not so obvious.  If you’re planning a little further in advance and there are no discounts released, that doesn’t mean they won’t be.  Think about the purpose of the discount (from their perspective) - to get more guests for that time period.  That being said, don’t expect a discount during the busy times of the year.  There is no guarantee that Disney will release a discount, but there are a couple of things you can do to increase your chances.  
    • First, look up the historical discounts (http://intercot.com/infocentral/discounts/historicdiscounts.asp) they have released.  You might be able to see a common trend.  Again, just to be perfectly clear…. even if Disney released a discount for a certain day for the past 200 years, that does not mean they will this year.  This is just something many people check to see what times are more common for discounts to be released.  
    • Second, sign up on the Disney World website.  You want to get e-mails from them, as well as snail mail.  Disney sends PIN codes…. these are discount codes that can be used by you for certain dates… these are not discounts that are released to the general public.  I have received them in both e-mail form as well as through the regular mail.
    • Third, consider a Disney Visa credit card.  I personally don’t find the rewards themselves that great, however, there are times when Disney releases discounts to Disney Visa card holders.  
    • Fourth, understand the way room discounts work.  Hypothetically, say a hotel has 100 rooms.  When Disney releases a room discount, they will say a certain number of rooms at each resort can be discounted.  So, for this example, say 20 rooms.  If you are already booked, you can call to add the discount, or, if you’re not booked, you can book a room at that resort with the discount.  However, once this hotel has reached it’s limit of 20 rooms with the discount code, that code is considered sold out for that resort.  They may very well still have 80 rooms available, but none are available for the discount.  It is more complicated than that as it is further broken down into what kind of room, is it club level or not, etc.  
    • Use Magical Journeys!  If a discount is released after you have booked we will take care of calling to get the discount added to your existing reservation.  

  • Fooooood!  One of my personal faves about Disney is all the wonderful food.  So, how do you save?  Well, take advantage of free dining if it’s available!  However, it has never been available to me… bummer.  Consider if a dining plan is appropriate for your families.  Depending on how you typically eat in your family, it may or may not be worth it.  All Ears has a FABULOUS section of their website dedicated to menus for the restaurants of Disney World.  http://allears.net/dining/menu  This may help you make your decision.  Second, keep in mind you CAN bring food into the parks… just no alcohol.  Some people bring their own snacks and buy meals, while others bring everything, and some bring nothing.  Garden Grocer, https://www.gardengrocer.com allows you to order groceries online and have them delivered to your resort.  There is a minimum purchase, but many people find this to be a wonderful service.  I have honestly never heard anything bad about them.  I have also heard that Disney will store your perishable items appropriately for you, until you arrive.

  • Stroller/Wheelchair rentals…. if you are flying it may not be feasible for you to bring your own strollers or wheelchairs.  The resorts have wheelchairs for you to use, free of charge, however, they can not be brought to the parks.  You can rent both strollers and wheelchairs at each park (since they can’t leave the park, save your receipt, so if you leave a park and go to another park on the same day, you won’t be charged twice).  Many people choose to use outside rental companies for this.  There are numerous companies around Orlando that will drop off and pick up strollers and wheelchairs for you to use.  Shop around!


I hope you found some of these tips helpful.  Happy (and magical) planning!