Walt Disney World on a Tight Budget – Part 1

Walt Disney World on a Tight Budget – Part 1 of a 7 part series on saving money on a Walt Disney World vacation.
I’ve been vacationing at Walt Disney World with my family EVERY single year for the past 11 years.  As a family travel guru I frequently am asked “how families can afford a Walt Disney World vacation?”Well I think every family should have this great opportunity because experiences are the things in life that we remember the most and Disney is the experience of a life time. Its magical, its fun and its exhilarating all in one.

This is a rough outline of what we’re going to cover in our 7 part series (everything you need to know really)

1. Deciding when to go, best months for vacation, park crowds, weather, swimming etc
2. What to bring with u on your trip, rentals, Disney clothing, foods,  Disney vacation club rentals
3.  Where to stay, free hotel breakfast or stay on Disney property with Disney free transportation, deals, how to find them
4.  How to save $ for your trip, coupons, rebates, cutting back, using credit cards with reward programs
5. Should I drive or fly, pros and cons, costs involved
6. What to do when I get to Disney, Kid friendly fun, planning out your vacation days
7. Purchasing Disney World Theme park ticket, deals etc
8. (possible bonus if we need o cover anything else or have more questions)

So this is part 1 – Deciding when to go. Now I’m a home school mom so going on off peak times isn’t difficult for me at this stage in my life, however it hasn’t always been that way. My oldest son used to attend conventional public schools so I too had the dilemma of following a school schedule or taking on the mentally painful task of making up all that work once we return from vacation. Well I’m not going to tell YOU what to do but I will tell you that unless I had kids working towards high school graduation and getting high school credits I always went with the “take them outta school” option. Lets talk dollar signs and you’ll see how much you’ll save and it may just change your mind.  Plus… that decision will also dictate whether or not you’ll stand in line waiting for rides or if  you’ll cruise right in and hop on the next adventure.

Ok so you need to know what is considered “peak season” and what is considered Disney World “off season.”  If you go during peak season and if you want to stay on Disney property  then be prepared to pay for it!  Staying with Disney during peak season can mean a HUGE increase in your room rental. Staying off peak can mean scoring a special room rate deal and even snagging a FREE dining plan thrown onto your package. That can save hundreds!

If you think about it, the peak seasons take place during times when most kids in the United State are out of school and off peak takes place when most kids are in school. Makes sense if you think about supply and demand.

Per the Disney Vacation Club website, (direct quote) “there are 5 seasons at most Disney Vacation Club Resorts. Here are the 5 seasons, presented in an order that begins with the season in the least populated time of year to the one in the most populated time”

• Adventure Season (least populated time at the parks – best times for discount packages, most conventional school kids are back in school or it’s a little cooler temperatures in Orlando)
• Choice
• Dream
• Magic
• Premier  (most populated time at the parks – you’ll pay a premium for packages because these times cover all of your big holidays)

2017 Dates

• Premier Season (most Expensive and most crowded at Walt Disney World) April 9th to April 22nd (Easter Season/Spring Break) December 24th-31st (Christmas holiday)
• Magic Season –  Feb 16th- to April 8th, April 23rd-30th, June 11th to August 15th, November 22nd – 24th
• Dream Season – Feb 1st-15th, May 1st-31st, June 1st-10th, August 16th-31st
• Choice Season – Oct 1st-31st, November 1st-26th, November 30th, December 15th-23rd
• Adventure Season (absolute BEST chance of finding a deal if you travel during any of these dates) January 1st-31st, September 1st-30th, December 1st-14th

Now the next thing you need to think about when planning a date for your Walt Disney World vacation is water play. The pools at Disney are always open and even in the winter Disney World still keeps one water park open but we think its a little chilly for swimming at times. Disney says their pools are heated but if the temperatures outside aren’t at least 75 degrees it seems a little cold to swim in my opinion.  Since you’re in a tropical region you can have high and low temperatures that are unseasonable and have a beautiful day for swimming but don’t plan on it.  Last year we went in December and the kids were able to swim 3 of the days we were there and we were thrilled.  I’ve also been there at the end of November and it was unseasonably cold and we weren’t able to swim at all.  Below are the average highs and lows by month for the Orlando region;

 

Now here is a good chart on the number of days in each month that were above 70, 80, and 90 degrees;

 

Here is another great chart to help you plan your trip;

Final word: Go during the off season and be willing to pull kids out of school. Most schools allow kids an excused absence for 1 week per school year for vacation time. Be sure to put your request to the school in writing, look up any applicable school rules before you book your trip and remind the teacher in writing 1 week before you go.  Once you return from vacation be sure to keep your schedule free for 3 nights in order to help your child catch up on missed classroom work.

 

I’m Maggie and I’m a frugal living expert. Be sure to “like” me on Facebook and follow me on Pinterest to keep us with this 7 part series! Read  Walt Disney World on a Tight Budget Part 2 here.

(thanks currentresults.com for the weather charts)

Disney on a Tight Budget Part 1

1. Deciding when to go, best months for vacation, park crowds, weather, swimming etc

Disney on a Tight Budget Part 2

1. What to bring with you on your trip, rentals, Disney clothing, foods,  Disney vacation club rentals (included checklists I’ve made)

Disney on a Tight Budget Part 3

1.  Where to stay, free hotel breakfast or stay on Disney property with Disney free transportation, deals, how to find them

Disney on a Tight Budget Part 4

1.  How to save $ for your trip, coupons, rebates, cutting back, using credit cards with reward programs

Disney on a Tight Budget Part 5

1. Should I drive or fly, pros and cons, costs involved

Disney on a Tight Budget Part 6 A (big topic 2 parts)

1. What to do when I get to Disney, Kid friendly fun, planning out your vacation days

Disney on a Tight Budget Part 6 b

1. What to do when I get to Disney, Kid friendly fun, planning out your vacation days

Disney on a Tight Budget Part 7

1. Purchasing Disney World Theme park ticket, deals etc