Six Ways to Cut Costs at Disney

I love a good Disney trip where I don’t have to worry about the budget and can splurge on any treat I want. But there are also times when I have just wanted to be at the park and have to squeeze it into our budget. So here is a list of small and easy ways I have cut costs while at the parks:

1. Bring our own drinks into the park:

I stock up on our favorite sodas, energy drinks, and water bottles and bring enough for us to sip on throughout the day. I keep a small cooler in the bottom of our stroller and fill as many as I can in it. If you are going without a stroller, I recommend putting what you can in backpacks or carry in a cooler and storing it in a locker to come back to when needed.

2. Bring snacks and/or sack lunch to eat in the park:

Make sandwiches or get Uncrustables to bring into the park instead of spending money on lunch. I often take granola bars, applesauce pouches, crackers, and nuts to snack on during the day.

3. Bring a reusable water bottle:

There are water refill stations throughout the park and you can also get free water cups at select restaurants like Pizza Planet. If you are a soda drinker, bring your favorite drink tumbler and those 16 oz bottles of your favorite drink in a cooler to refill your cup. I also like having the tumbler to pour fountain soda into instead of using their paper cups and paper straws. (This tip works best if you have a stroller in the park with you.)

4. Buy souvenirs before the trip:

Things like bubbles, t-shirts, stickers, and even Mickey ears can all be found and bought for cheaper at the local Target in Anaheim (or ordered online from Target, Amazon, or Etsy)

5. Go without Lightning Lane Passes:

If you are really trying to scale back on costs, maybe choose to go without the Lightning Lane Passes and save the extra $30 a ticket for something else.

6. Instead of buying multiple treats get 1 to share:

Disney’s portion sizes are huge! So often my husband and I will opt to share a treat instead of buying 2 of the same.

Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram @extra.magical.mama for more tips and help planning your next trip to Disney!