Where to Stay, What to Do, and Where to Dine on a Tight Budget at Disney World

Disney World vacations aren’t exactly easy on the wallet. That said, there are ways to make your trip to the most magical place open earth a little more affordable. From finding the cheapest lodging to saving on dining, you should be able to cut your expenses by quite a bit, meaning that amazing vacation you’ve been dreaming of might just be within reach.

Of course, if you’re going to cut costs, it helps to have someone in the know telling you exactly how to go about this. Below are our best tips on where to stay, what to do, and where to dine in order to make your vacation as affordable as possible without losing the magic that every Disney vacation should offer.

Where to Stay

Let’s begin by discussing lodging. This is one of the most expensive parts of any trip, so finding ways to save on this particular aspect of your vacation is sure to leave your wallet a little bit bigger.

Value Resorts

The first (and most obvious) option is to stay in one of Disney’s Value Resorts. Of these, the All-Star Resorts tend to be cheapest, and of those, All-Star Sports and All-Star Music give you the best bang for your buck. Look for special discounts offered at certain times of the year, and you might be able to get your onsite Disney World room for under $100 per night.

Fort Wilderness

If you have an RV or don’t mind staying in a tent, there is also the option of staying in Fort Wilderness, the onsite Disney campground. This campground is beyond clean and well kept, and is easily one of the nicest campgrounds out there. While rates are much higher than the rates at most other campgrounds, they do still tend to be cheaper than the rates at the onsite Value Resorts.

Offsite Hotels

Finally, there is the option of staying in an offsite hotel or motel. While this can be done on the cheap, it is important to consider the fact that staying offsite might mean paying for some type of transportation to and from the parks. This could mean paying the steep Disney’s World parking rates as well as the cost of a rental car.

That said, if you can find a hotel that offers a free park shuttle that runs at decent times, this option might be worth looking into.