This Summer, I’m Savings-Hacking a Trip to Disney World & Here’s How You Can Too

From May 27 through September 20, you can save 50 percent on kids’ tickets to Walt Disney World for stays of three days or longer. This is not a drill. Disney is also offering a three-day, three-park ticket starting at $267—roughly $89 a day—that’s valid at Hollywood Studios, EPCOT and Animal Kingdom. The one thing to note here is that while the kids’ discounted tickets can be used at any park (Magic Kingdom included), they cannot be combined with other admissions discounts, so you’d have to choose between deals here, and it requires purchasing a full-price adult ticket. (Full details here.)

This is honestly the best reason to stay at a Disney resort—and the most underrated perk Walt Disney World offers. Right now, Typhoon Lagoon is open, but its sister water park, Blizzard Beach, reopens on May 21, so you’ll have your choice of either destination all summer long. A one-day ticket to either water park costs $74, but if you stay overnight at a Disney Resort between now and the end of the year, everyone registered for that room will get free admission on check-in day. It’s only available on your check-in day and cannot be transferred, so it’s worth planning your travel accordingly. For a family of four, that’s $296—roughly the cost of a night’s stay itself. (Actually, when I searched for rates at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort for early August, prices on Viator were as low as $217 a night.)

Both water parks are packed with things to do, from floating in a lazy river to shockingly fast water slides and over-the-top wave pools. There are even plenty of activities for toddlers and younger kids, from a Frozen-themed splash pad at Blizzard Beach to a sand castle-themed one (featuring several mini slides and a water canon-topped mini tugboat) at Typhoon Lagoon.

If you’re staying a few days at a Disney Resort, it’s worth shelling out roughly $22 for a refillable mug, which can be used at any soda fountain or Coca-Cola Freestyle station at the resorts and water parks. (They’re not just good for sodas, or the Freestyle machines’ sparkling waters, teas, juices and lemonades; you can also use ‘em for unlimited coffee and hot chocolate refills.) Considering most drinks will set you back about $4 a pop, it can add up fast. The mugs are sold at most quick-service shops and food courts, and in some resort gift shops.

While the mugs can’t be used for free refills within Disney’s theme parks, such as EPCOT and Magic Kingdom, I like to fill them up and bring them with me that morning, then use them to fill with the parks’ courtesy water later in the day.

Before booking anything, it’s worth scrolling DisneyWorld.com/offers to see what promotions are running. Right now, Florida residents can save up to 30 percent on select Disney resorts, Disney+ subscribers can get rooms as low as $99 a night (plus taxes) and anyone planning a stay of five nights or more can save up to 30 percent a night this summer.

Parking at one of the theme parks will set you back $30 a day—or up to $55 for preferred. However, if you stay at a Disney resort, standard parking is included, and if you don’t want to deal with driving, resort guests have access to shuttle buses that will take you to the theme parks, other resorts and Disney’s downtown shopping and restaurant mecca, Disney Springs. I used the buses daily during my last visit, and they were very reliable and easy to navigate, with buses showing up about every 20 minutes. (The one caveat I’d note is that you must fold up your stroller to get on and off, making transit a bit challenging if you’re traveling solo with a rambunctious toddler.)

Better yet, select resorts are connected to Disney’s Skyliner service, free, fully enclosed gondolas that give you a sweeping view of the area and can take you to Disney’s Riviera, Pop Century, Caribbean Beach and Art of Animation Resorts, as well as Disney’s Hollywood Studios and EPCOT. The lines were almost non-existent, and at EPCOT, for example, you’re dropped off at a back entrance that allows you to practically walk right into the park, breezing through security with hardly a line. (Seriously, there were two families in front of us when I was there in early May.)

Lastly, if you’re headed to the water parks, it’s worth noting that parking there is free. With that kind of savings, it’s easy to justify dropping $17 for a sand pail sundae to split with the fam, no? 

If my years of dragging my family through theme parks has taught me anything, it’s that you need a rest day—both for everyone’s sanity and for your wallet. But that doesn’t mean you need to sit inside and stare at the walls.

Most resorts offer free movies under the stars each night, and you could always call ahead to find out what will be showing—and decide whether it’s worth taking a shuttle to another resort to catch their feature of the night.

They also offer a surprising range of group fitness classes—the Contemporary hosts pickleball lessons on Wednesday mornings, for example—on top of having a range of pools to splash around in, and courts with complimentary paddle and ball rentals for tennis players, pickleballers and the like.

Select resorts offer treats like roasting gourmet s’mores over a fire pit (with cinnamon-y Mickey-shaped cookies that put standard graham crackers to shame, I might add). You can find a full listing of resorts offering that perk here.

And, as if that weren’t enough, you can schedule crafts and DIY projects for kids too, like mosaic making or tie-dying Mickey-themed T-shirts and pillowcases. Costs and timing can vary, so it’s worth checking with the lobby and booking in advance, since they make for a fun (and memorable) souvenir. Tie-dye, for example, costs about $15 to $20, depending on the resort and the item you’re dyeing—which still makes it a more affordable pick than a bubble wand ($25) or many other theme park buys.

So, all that said, meet you with sunscreen and a neck fan in July?