As soon as you say the word "Disney" you can already feel your pockets draining. Even though the lands are the happiest places on earth, do they have to rob you of your heard earned cash? To help you travel without breaking the bank, here are tips and tricks I've used on my visits to Disney.

1. Keep an eye out for 25% off promotions that usually come up twice a year. Tickets are normally valid for 1 year from purchase date (double check) so if you see them and will use them, grab them.
2. If there are promotions on multi-day passes these sometimes work out to be cheaper than just buying a 1 or 2 day pass so check the prices before buying. Also, if you are planning on being at the park 2 days but score a 3 day pass, remember that a "day" pass is not a 24 hour period so you could show up late on the first night and only catch the fireworks show, then spend the next 2 full days. Voila! You've used your three day pass.
3. eBay is an option but you take the risk of the tickets being partially used, fully used, or expired so buyer beware! For Disneyworld, tickets are connected to a person via photograph and finger print so you can't use them.
4. There might be BCAA or AAA travel discounts so call and ask. Military member? Normally that will get you a discount.
5. Travel Agent? Complete the online academy and score discounted passes, free day passes, and cheap resort options. No food packages though....
6. Not sure if you want a hopper or one park per day pass? If you buy the park per day pass you can upgrade your ticket to a hopper as long as your ticket is still valid. Just visit guest services or the ticket booths. If your ticket is partially used then you will just be charged the hopper price difference for the remaining days. You cannot remove the hopper from a pass. Once a ticket is bought, it is non-refundable.
7. Visit in the off season: not only will the hotels will be cheaper but in late 2019, Disney introduced scaling ticket prices so slow / off season dates will be cheaper

1. Brita Water Bottle - the water doesn't taste all that great everywhere but you need to drink it. We always back a brita water bottle with a fresh filter that we fill up at water fountains when we don't want to wait in lines for the restaurants to fill them. Add a clip and you can attach it to your purse or belt for hands free access.
2. Counter-Service Water - This not so secret, secret is handy if you don't want to drink fountain water. Most of these stops will give you a cup of ice water if you ask.
   
3. Snacks - you can bring food into the park so make use of this.
   
4. Dinner - most restaurants carry their lunch menu until 3/4pm so have an early dinner and snack later in the evening if you get hungry.
   

1. Check out the Disney shop website to see what they have on sale and then have it shipped to your hotel. If you are staying at a Disney Resort, call your travel agent or the Disney hot line directly to get the address of where to ship your stuff (*hint* the address is not the resort address. The address you are given will be for an off site, out of state security office where it will be checked and then forwarded onto your resort.)
   
2. See if there are discount shops in the area (there should be a few) that sell official Disney merchandise for heavily discounted prices.
   
3. Staying for a fireworks show? Pick up glow sticks and other light up items at the dollar store.
   
4. If you want to buy stuff in the parks, check things out the first day and then go back later in the trip to see if you really want it or if you really wanted it at that moment in time.
   

1. Don't stay at a Disney hotel or on-site, check out a good neighbor hotel in the area to still get the Disney feel and access the Extra Magic Hours (a must in busy season!)
2. Bring your own costumes if your kids want to dress up and then swing by Harmony Barber Shop on the Town Square in the Magic Kingdom for glitter or paint in their hair for U$ 5.
   
3. When you are in the parks, there are first aid stations where you can get free Band-Aids and ice plus (depending on your symptoms) you may get free aspirin, power-aide, and gravol. Certainly cheaper than buying at the hotel gift shop.
   
4. All the parks have free Wi-Fi available, it is not the fastest (just think about all the thousands of other people using it) but if you turn on your Wi-Fi calling or use an app like WhatsApp to make calls it might work well enough for you to make some free calls
   -- speaking about cell phones -- if you are not planning on receiving any calls but want to use it for videos & photo's then make sure to put it onto airplane mode. This will help save the battery
   
5. Check their website for specials: disneyland.disney.go.com/special-offers