So you’re interested in taking your family to Walt Disney World or Disneyland, but aren’t quite sure where to start, when to book and how to budget for your vacation? Trust me when I say you are certainly not alone here!

Budgeting for your Disney vacation can be one of the most important aspects of your trip. Fortunately, there are many ways to make planning a Disney vacation more manageable when it comes to your bank account.

Below are our top tips for budgeting for your Disney vacation:

  1. Book EARLY! Booking in advance gives you lots of great opportunities to avoid price increases as well as the most resort availability. As soon as you book your vacation, you lock in that year’s ticket pricing so even if Disney increases their ticket or resort prices, you will be grandfathered into the previous year’s pricing. Booking early also offers the most resort availability. When you book your vacation 7-12 months in advance, you should have the pick of the litter when it comes to your resort and your room type. When resorts and rooms start booking up, availability becomes much less and you end up choosing a hotel that is more expensive and/or possibly an upgraded room type that has a higher nightly rate than a standard room would have cost.
  2. Take advantage of our zero-interest payment plans. Disney World and Disneyland vacations only require a $200 deposit. That’s it! And your final payment is not due until 30 days prior to your arrival. With the final payments not due until a month before your arrival, you can make payments towards your trip so that you don’t feel that big hit a month before your vacation. Same goes for cruises! Disney Cruise Line requires a 10-20% deposit with the remaining balance due 75-120 days in advance. Pay your deposit and then we can help break down a monthly payment schedule that fits your budget. This is exactly how we pay for our family’s big vacations and it is very beneficial for budgeting purposes. Plus, there’s no interest charge!
  3. Visit the parks during non-peak seasons. Not only can you take advantage of better pricing, but there’s usually less crowds and more availability when it comes to the resorts, FastPasses and dining experiences. At Disney World, mid-late January, February, late April, early May, late August, September, October, early-mid November, and early-mid December are all considered non-peak times. Not only will you find better pricing and availability, but Disney typically runs promotions during these timeframes to encourage consumers to book and help fill occupancy at the resorts.
  4. Ask for/give gift cards instead of birthday/Christmas gifts. Your entire Disney vacation can be paid for in gift cards. Instead of giving birthday/Christmas gifts to your family, give them an experience gift by wrapping up Disney gift cards! They will love receiving them, and so will you!
  5. BOOK WITH A TRAVEL AGENT! Sure, this may seem like a shameless plug but this is the number one tip when it comes to getting the absolutely best bang for your buck! Not only are our services 100% FREE, but we discount hunt for our clients every single day and apply new promotions to pre-existing reservations! When Disney releases a new promotion, it is our TOP priority that day to apply the new promo to all existing reservations. We don’t like to pay full price for anything, and we don’t want our clients to either.

Bottom line: A Disney vacation can be very affordable no matter what your budget may be. We absolutely love working with our clients to craft a vacation that is personalized to your family’s wishes and needs, but also one that suits your budget, too.

If you’d like to get started planning your Walt Disney World vacation, click here to request your complimentary quote today.

Remember, our services are always complimentary and $200 gets your Disney vacation on the calendar!