Reading Time: 3 minWe all love a magical vacation, and nowhere does it better than Walt Disney World. Like many, I grew up on Disney, which is one reason why I find so much to love at its theme parks. But Disney World isn’t exactly affordable; anyone pricing out a vacation has likely gotten sticker shock from the cost of staying on-property, buying tickets, and paying for meals.
That’s why I’ve made it my goal to make visiting Disney as inexpensive as possible. Here are my top tips for doing so.
Orlando is rife with hotels, whether you’re looking to stay at a five-star resort or just want somewhere clean to lay your head. However, for those who can afford it, staying on Disney property means extra perks, including early access to reservations and exclusive theme park hours.
There are a few different ways you can go about saving money on Disney hotels. The easiest is to redeem Marriott Bonvoy points to stay at the Walt Disney World Swan, Dolphin, or Swan Reserve hotels.
However, Marriott charges $50 per night in resort fees, which you’ll need to pay even if you’re redeeming points.
Instead, consider booking a hotel that’s not quite on Disney property, but very nearby. There are plenty of Hyatt and Hilton hotels surrounding Walt Disney World, and both of these programs waive resort fees when you redeem your points. This way, you’re paying almost nothing out of pocket — though taxes or incidental charges may still apply.
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Level up your in-flight hygieneIt’s fairly difficult to save money on theme park tickets because Disney doesn’t tend to discount such a wildly popular product. However, there are a few tricks you can employ.
The first is to look for redemptions via travel portals, such as Citi ThankYou travel. This isn’t a great use of your Citi points in terms of the value you'll get compared to redeeming rewards with transfer partners, but it does help keep costs low.
You can also look for discounts on sites such as Undercover Tourist, which drops the cost by a few dollars over buying directly from Disney.
Chase Travel also offers the ability to redeem Ultimate Rewards for attractions, and though it doesn’t sell Disney tickets, it does include Disney Springs redemptions.
Quite a few credit cards offer an introductory period of 0% financing as a perk when you first open the card, including the Blue Cash Preferred Card® from American Express and the Citi Double Cash® Card.
However, Disney’s co-branded credit cards from Chase offer a unique spin on this, allowing you to finance a Disney vacation package at 0% interest for six months.
This isn’t one-time use, either. You can take advantage of the 0% financing each time you head to Walt Disney World, giving you a little breathing room to save up the money to pay off the balance.
Be aware, however, that once the six months expires, your rate will go back to a standard APR, so it’s not worth taking advantage of this if you’re not able to repay it completely before the promotional period is over.
We never recommend going into debt to afford purchases like this, but if you're able to pay off your balance before the intro period ends, it could be a worthwhile option for stretching your budget.
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