Going on a Disney vacation is expensive. Trust me, I know. After visiting Walt Disney World for more than 30 years and going to Disneyland at least twice a year for the last five years, I understand that families save up to plan and execute a Disney theme park vacation. Since I’ve been going to the Orlando and Anaheim theme parks for so long I’ve also learned some valuable tips and tricks to save money at Disney World and Disneyland.
Whether you’re planning a trip to Walt Disney World for a big multi-generational family trip of a lifetime, or heading to Disneyland for its 70th anniversary in 2025, there are still ways to stretch your budget and ensure everyone in your group gets to do everything on their priority list. Keep reading to learn more about the best ways to save money at Disney World and Disneyland.
Five ways to save money at Walt Disney World
There are plenty of ways to save money at Walt Disney World in 2025. No matter what your budget is plan to take advantage of these tips.
1. Skip the parks on your arrival day and head to the water parks instead
If you’re staying at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel like Disney’s All-Star Movies, The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort, or Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, you’re privy to a host of amenities to make your park days easier. One debuting in 2025 is going to the Disney water parks for free on your check-in day. Regardless of whether you’ve checked into your hotel yet, you’ll have access to either Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon or Disney’s Blizzard Beach water parks.
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This is a great alternative to spending money on a park ticket that you may only use for half of the day. The water park benefit also includes complimentary towel rentals. This is usually an additional cost at the water parks. Of course, you’ll want to bring sunscreen, water shoes, swimsuits, and whatever else you need for a fun water park day. Both Disney water parks have large changing facilities so it is easy to change from your travel clothes to your swimsuits. Then after you’re done at the water park, you can use the changing rooms again to put on dry clothes to head to your hotel.
2. Consider staying at a Deluxe Resort for Moderate Resort prices
One of my biggest tips for families looking to have a great time at Walt Disney World is to stay at a Deluxe Resort or Deluxe Villa. These resorts are often closer to the parks and have larger rooms, better restaurants, and more amenities than Disney’s Value Resorts. That said, the Disney Deluxe Resorts and Deluxe Villas are expensive. Prices can be easily over $500 a night. Enter Disney Vacation Club rentals.
With Disney Vacation Club rentals, you can stay at some of Disney’s best resorts for a fraction of the cost. I like using David’s Vacation Club Rentals and looking at the confirmed reservations to plan my trip around. With confirmed reservations, you’re booking a room at a set hotel for a set price on set dates that cannot be altered.
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In the past, I’ve seen studio villas at Disney’s Old Key West Resort or Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa for around $200 a night. This is often cheaper than a night at one of Disney’s Moderate Resorts. To further prove that confirmed reservations are actually a deal, David’s currently has a single-night room reservation on May 20, 2025, at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas as a studio with a savanna view, for $386 total. The same room for the same night is $715 before tax to book directly with Disney.
Just know that this is a great way to save money at Disney World and Disneyland, so you can use David’s Vacation Club Rentals no matter what coast you’ll be vacationing on.
3. Take advantage of promotions to save money at Disney World
Walt Disney World usually runs hotel or ticket deals for visitors. These can be found on the special offers page of the Walt Disney World website. It’s always worth looking at the offers to see if any can be applied to your vacation at Walt Disney World. Some offers for 2025 include specially priced theme park tickets for United States Military Members, saving up to 25 percent on rooms for stays from February 23 through April 30, 2025, and saving up to $200 per night on a three-night room and ticket package for arrivals on most nights from February 26 through June 30, 2025.
4. Spend a day doing some of the free resort activities
If you’re staying at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel there are an abundance of free activities to do. You could likely spend an entire day enjoying them or just exploring the resort. A few of my favorite free things to do at a hotel are nightly marshmallow roasts and movie nights. The calendar of movies and timing can always be found at the front desk.
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The pools at the Disney hotels are always a big hit with kids. If you’re staying at a Moderate or Deluxe hotel the pools also have fun water slides. And if you or your kids love Disney characters, they often stop by the hotels to say hi and take pictures with guests.
Depending on what hotel you’re staying at you may have access to some other free perks, like viewing the Magic Kingdom fireworks from a beach near Seven Seas Lagoon or Bay Lake, watching the Electrical Water Pageant, riding the Disney Skyliner, riding the Friendship Boats, and more. The front desk at your hotel can share more about the free activities that take place every day.
5. Bring your own souvenirs to save money at Disney World
Let’s face it, Disney souvenirs are expensive. If you’re traveling with younger children who just have to have the bubble wand or light-up toy from the souvenir carts that magically appear on the streets of Magic Kingdom right as the sun is going down, consider bringing your own with you. Bubble wands and light-up toys can be found online at Amazon or in most stores for a fraction of the price. Just don’t forget to bring batteries and bubbles. No kid wants to get a bubble wand that doesn’t actually make bubbles. And let’s be honest, no adult wants to fork over more money for a new bubble wand when you already brought one with you.
Five ways to save money at Disneyland
When it comes to saving money at Disneyland, there are options, but you have to get a little more creative.
1. Look for cheaper tickets for adults and kids
Just like Walt Disney World, Disneyland offers a host of ticket and hotel deals. The first big savings of the year come in the form of a kids’ special ticket offer for youngsters ages three to nine. From January 7 through March 20, 2025, kids can get into the park for as low as $50 with a one-day, one-park ticket. Additionally, United States Military Members can get specially priced tickets. If you’re not in either of those groups but still want to get a deal on tickets, consider looking for tier-1 days on Disneyland’s ticket calendar. These are the cheapest tickets for single-day, single-park entry, and start at $104.
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2. Consider staying at a Good Neighbor hotel
The hotels at Disneyland are pricey, and because there are only three of them, they book up quickly. If you’re looking for hotel options that won’t break the bank, consider staying at a Good Neighbor hotel. These are Disney-approved off-site hotels.
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My favorite Good Neighbor hotel is the Hotel Lulu, which is about a 10-minute walk to the entrance to Disneyland Park. The hotel has a cool laid-back California beach vibe, which is evident from the art around the hotel and in the guest rooms. While the rooms are not fancy, they are clean and comfortable. Even better for adults, the hotel hosts a happy hour every day, and you can enjoy a welcome drink upon arrival. I loved this touch after a long flight to California from Florida in November.
3. Stay longer at a Disney-owned hotel
If you absolutely have to stay at a Disney-owned hotel consider booking for four nights or longer to save up to 25 percent on stays from January 7 through March 20, 2025. If you’re a Magic Key holder, you can save up to 25 percent on hotel rooms, with no length or stay requirement, during the same time. As the year goes on, Disney will continue to release new hotel deals for guests, whether you are a Magic Key holder or not.
4. Get groceries delivered
Drinks, snacks, and quick breakfast items are expensive. One way to mitigate the charge for things like Uncrustables, sports drinks, bottles of water, and granola bars is to get them delivered to your hotel. You can do this with most grocery delivery services and set a date and time for your groceries to be dropped off. Not only are you going to save some money by doing a quick online shop, but you’re also guaranteed to have the snacks that your children enjoy. This can save major headaches at the parks when they inevitably don’t have the exact snack cracker or juice brand that your kid likes. Save money at Disney World and Disneyland by doing this.
5. Ditch the Park Hopper add-on and get this instead
It’s tempting to get a Park Hopper add-on at Disneyland, especially because the two theme parks are so close together. I would advise most families to ditch the add-on. Park Hoppers add anywhere from $65 to $75 per person, per day, to your ticket, which adds up very quickly.
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Instead, I suggest spending two days at Disneyland Park and one day at Disney California Adventure. In those three days, you can easily hit all the highlights of both parks and often get everything on your must-do list done.
Instead of a Park Hopper, I suggest getting Lightning Lane Multi Pass for everyone in your group. This will allow you to skip the long lines at some of Disneyland and Disney California Adventure’s best attractions. Lightning Lane Multi Pass is on a flex pricing model but starts at $32 per person, per day. If you do decide to get Park Hopper tickets, Lightning Lane Multi Pass is good for both parks on the selected day without an additional charge.
