Disney World on a Budget...It Can Be Done!

Disney and Budget are usually NOT words that work well together. And of all of the theme park attractions in the Orlando/Kissimmee area Disney is by far the most expensive, though the most magical. Read on to find out how to take your family of 4 on a Disney vacation for under $1600, including transportation, theme park and water park tickets for the entire family for 10 days total plus hotel stay.

You have so many options when it comes to planning out your vacation that it can literally boggle the mind. Should you fly and get a car rental or drive? Should you stay on Disney property and use their wonderful and free Disney transportation or stay off property and save big, and I mean big? Also how many days will you need tickets for? Like I said so, so, many options.

As for me, the nitty gritty lies in the numbers since that is the determining factor for most of us when we plan any vacation, below you will see average numbers for a 6 night/7 day summer vacation for a family of four. And so without further ado here they are (please note all prices INCLUDE tax):

Air (from the East coast) average: $225

If you are not a camper, the least expensive Disney hotel is one of the All Star properties: $824 (this includes transportation to and from airport)

Car rental:$225

Off Site 2 star motel with good reviews and free breakfast: $209.30

Off Site 3 Star Hotel, ex, Ramada Orlando Celebration resort: $289.50

Hotwire 3 star property with free breakfast: $187.87

Another thing I recently discovered is that if you purchase Disney tickets they are good for 14 days and do NOT have to be used on consecutive days, this is especially helpful if you add the Water Park option, you essentially double the days you purchase or you can simply do a park and water park every day)

Disney parks:

Magic Kingdom

Epcot

Disney's Hollywood Studios

Disney's Animal Kingdom

Water Park option includes one visit to each of the following:

Blizzard Beach

Typhoon Lagoon

Disney Quest

Wild World of Sports

Disney Tickets with Water Park, Fast Pass and Disney Quest...on Disney.com (no park hopper)

5 day Adult: $298.21

5 Day Child: $263.07

From Undercovertourist.com

5 Day Adult: $279.95

5 Day Child: $247.95

Driving round trip (gas): $245 if you get 25 mpg, I've used $300 to include tolls

To put the following numbers in perspective I looked up a quote on www.disney.com for a Disney hotel room and Disney tickets ONLY for 2 adults an infant and a teenager and it was $2333, no gas or airline tickets just a Disney hotel room and tickets, that's just nuts people.

Possible Itinerary choices for a family of four, 2 adults and 2 children:

Air

Disney Hotel, including transportation

Tickets from Undercover Tourist

$2779.80

Air

Offsite Hotel 3 star

Tickets

Car Rental

$2470.30

Air

Offsite Motel 2 Star

Tickets

Car rental

$2390.10

Air

Offsite 3 star hotel via hotwire

Tickets

Car rental

$2368.67

Driving from Upstate New York about 18 hours or so (adjust with your address on mapquest.com)

Disney Hotel

Tickets

$2179.80

Driving

Disney Tickets

Offsite 3 star hotel via hotwire

$1543.67

As you can see from the above possible choices you can save over $1200 if you chose to drive and stay off property over the first example of flying and staying on Disney property. That is a huge savings and for most, well worth the driving, I mean that could fund a whole different family vacation the following year.

However, if you still find this to be too expensive for this years vacation budget you can always do the "Taste of Disney Vacation". What I have dubbed the "Taste of Disney Vacation" is a fun filled, theme park thrill vacation in where you only visit the Magic Kingdom for a day or two. So how can I say it will still be a super theme park vacation if you only get to visit Mickey for a day? You will spend the rest of your days at Universal Studios (home to the new Harry Potter Theme Park), Islands of Adventure and even Wet and Wild! It can be done my friends.

Air

Car Rental

Hotel

1 Day Disney Tickets

4 Day Universal/Island of Adventure Ticket

$2154.33

Driving

Hotel

1 Day Disney Tickets

4 Day Universal/Island of Adventure Ticket

$1329.33

Add Wet and Wild, half price admission after 5PM

$1419.25

Leave out Disney altogether this time around and save even more. No worries Mickey and the gang will be there next year.

Hotel

Driving

4 Day Universal/Island of Adventure Ticket

$1035.33

You can use every other day to enjoy the pool at your hotel or stroll along the board walk at Universal (included in your tickets) and watch some cool street performers and mini concerts all gratis or splurge on a "Movie and a Meal Deal" and enjoy the enormous, air conditioned and beautiful theatre before or after a fabulous dinner at a boardwalk restaurant for around $25 per person.

There are of course a myriad of other tips and tricks to save money: all you can eat bands, picnics, free hotel offerings and kids eat free coupons. But that's another article in and of itself.

Happy Vacationing!