Can you really do Disney without spending an arm and a leg?! We already had booked our big trip to Hawaii, which would be a few weeks after my proposed Disney trip, so my husband was hesitant about going. I accepted the challenge that we can do Disney on a budget and I convinced my husband that’s what I wanted to do for Mother’s Day and my birthday celebration. I broke down the budget to him and ways we can save. Here are ways we saved on our Disney trip:
Points & Rewards:
For years, we have used the Chase Sapphire reserved credit card for its great travel benefits. The points are worth 50% more if used for traveling. Currently, they have benefits for Doordash (free dash pass for 2 years), peloton ($120 credit), and free access to VIP airport lounges. When we signed up, we received 100,000 points. Since the points are worth 50% more, it was worth 150,000 points, equivalent to $1500. At that time, we were able to use it to pay for our hotel in London & downtown San Francisco. Most recently, Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Orlando for our Disney trip. Also, points add up quickly with 3x the points for travel and dining purchases. ** if you have issues using a credit card, please opt out- don’t go in debt for rewards. we have the cash for all our expenses & pay our cc off right away **
On-or-off property:
We did something crazy this time around. dum dum dum…. we stayed off property! Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress was perfect. It is a short drive to Disney, a grocery store, and it had an awesome pool & beach area. Using our points pays for the hotel, but did not include the resort fees & parking fees so keep that in mind. Since we were off property this time, we also had to pay for a rental car & parking at Disney. We did get Disney magic at 2 parks since it was my birthday/ Mother’s Day celebration. The option they gave us: free standard parking or preferred parking for $20 (usually a $50 price tag). We opted for the preferred & was worth it for us.
Flight:
As previously mentioned, we used our rewards to pay for our entire flight. We usually fly Southwest unless it is not available. We have always had a basic Southwest rewards card; we even started one for our oldest at 2years old when her tickets were not free anymore lol. We have gotten flights for free before using those rewards, but recently Southwest offered a companion pass if you sign up for a credit card. Along with the companion pass (free ticket for a friend), we received 40,000 reward points. So, using our points we booked 2 adults flights (infants are free) and used the companion pass for 1 adult flight, only paying for fees- which is $5.60 per flight. The companion pass is good for the year. We only have 1 cc, but with the offer of a companion pass seemed too good to pass up as this year as we will be traveling quite a bit.
Food:
Since there is not currently a dining plan at Disney World and food can be expensive, we had to make a plan. Disney allows you to bring food in and even bring a small cooler (but I did see people with a Yeti cooler in a stroller!). We went to the local grocery store and bought food for our trip. The kids had lunchables for lunch (a big hit since they don’t eat it at home) and also peanut butter & jelly sandwiches. I also brought snacks (chips, z bars, fruit snacks) and drinks (milk & juice). At the grocery store, we also bought 3 gallons of water. We filled our Hydroflasks up with water before the park entry and were able to find water filling stations or requests free water at the restaurants or Starbucks. We did eat at the parks, as well, but bringing food for the kids helped with the budget a lot!
One night, we door dashed some food for dinner. I wanted pasta so we had Romano’s Macaroni Grill. It wasn’t local, but it was nice to be able to Door Dash options and it was free delivery with our chase card.
Souvenirs:
Souvenirs can break you! We spoke to our 5 year daughter about being mindful of the prices for souvenirs that she wanted beforehand so she knew what to expect. Having that communication with her before our trip helped her understand we’re not millionaires lol. She did sell toys on FB marketplaces to make a few purchases. I used my Target Redcar (debit) to get 5% off on a Disney gift card for her. She earned $50 to spend on whatever she wants in that range. At first she wanted a balloon, but I reminded her we are flying. Then, she was between 3 items. I said, “One of these has to go. You’re over your limit.” She kept walking back and forth holding each item and finally decided on baby Rapunzel and an Elsa doll. I was so proud of her! I also bought a Toy Story bubble maker, some glow sticks, and matching Minnie Ears from amazon before our trip to ease the cost on souvenirs.
Overall, our entire stay (including rental car, parking fees, resort fees, etc) was cheaper than if we would have stayed at the Contemporary again. It’s crazy to think just our hotel stay last time was more expensive than our entire trip this time! There are definitely other hotels on the resort that are less expensive than being on the monorail line, but staying off property using our points definitely saved us big time.
Comment if you have any questions!
loving the splash pad at the hotel 
so happy 
quality time at Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress 
s’mores 
eating our Ronto Wraps while the kiddos enjoyed their packed lunch 
baby girl enjoying her pb&j 
big sis enjoying her pb&j, too 
our rental truck & preferred parking tag
MRSABBYS 
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