My Family's Been to Disney World Multiple Times. Here's How We've Saved Money

Some people absolutely love Disney World. I could take it or leave it. But because it's a place my kids enjoy visiting, we've made an effort to get them there three times over the past five years. 

As you might imagine, a trip to Disney has the potential to result in quite the hefty credit card tab. In fact, the site Mouse Hacking says that its baseline Disney World vacation for a family of four (two adults, one child aged 10+, and one child aged 3-9) costs $6,320, or $316 per person per night, in 2023. 

This cost includes flights, transportation to and from Disney World, and a five-night stay at Pop Century, a Disney resort. It also includes a five-day ticket without the park hopper option, the Genie+ service at two parks, quick service meals, snacks, and two table service meals.

Meanwhile, I have a family of five, but the last time we went to Disney World, we managed to spend considerably less than $6,320. And that included five full days at the parks. Here's how we managed to save money on our trip. 

1. We drove instead of boarding a plane

Disney World is about a 16-hour drive from my home, so clearly, driving isn't the easiest option. But the last time we looked at flights, they were coming in at around $450 per person, or $2,250 for all of us. And that didn't even include the cost of getting to the airport or checking bags. 

We decided to make the drive instead. Between the cost of gas, lodging (on the way down to Disney, we broke up the drive with a hotel stay, but we powered through the entire 16 hours on the way back), and food on the road, we spent somewhere around $700 to $800. That's far less than what a flight would've cost us.

2. We stayed at a non-Disney property

Full disclosure: I have a friend who owns a home near Disney World, and he's been generous enough to give us a free week's stay. So clearly, this was a huge source of savings for us, and I recognize that most people do not have the option to score a free stay.

However, before taking my friend up on his generous offer, I researched prices for non-Disney hotels in the area and found that we could've easily saved $150 a night by staying off-property. And I also found that the Disney-adjacent hotels were very convenient for getting to the parks. Many even offered a free shuttle.

3. We didn't really eat at Disney

Disney World's food policy is actually quite reasonable -- you're allowed to bring in your own food and beverages if you don't want to pay the sky-high prices you'll be charged inside the parks. On our last trip, most days, we ate a quick breakfast at the place we were staying and packed sandwiches for lunch. We also brought in our own snacks. 

Now, we did allow our kids to choose one Disney snack per day -- usually ice cream, since it was so hot when we went. And we did eat dinner out most nights. However, we opted to dine at non-Disney restaurants, which were way cheaper than the ones in the parks. 

The only exception to this was when we visited Epcot. Epcot is known for its cuisine from around the world, so we treated ourselves to dinner onsite that day only. 

Visiting Disney World is not going to be an inexpensive trip. This especially holds true for a larger family. But there are steps you can take to lower your costs, so consider doing some of the things I did this last go-round. Because we spent less than expected, we had money left over to take another family trip later on in the year. And that's something I'm really grateful for.