Just like the ride vehicles on Dumbo the Flying Elephant, prices at Disney parks keep going up, up, up. If I had a magic wand, I'd use its powers to bring back all the things that used to be free at Disney, like airport transportation, MagicBands and skip-the-line access, just to name a few.
Alas, my fairy godmother seems to have misplaced my wand (or maybe it was lost in transit), so I have no magical powers with which to make Disney more affordable. However, I do have the next best thing: a list of tips and tricks that can help minimize the effects of Disney's rising prices so you can do Disney without busting your vacation budget.
How to save money on Disney tickets
Disney ticket prices increase nearly every year, usually without warning. If you are planning a trip and don't buy your tickets before the prices go up, you'll be stuck paying the higher price. Just recently, Disneyland quietly raised prices overnight, with the average cost going up between $5 and $65 per ticket.
That may not sound like much on its own, but it soon adds up if you factor in the number of people in your party and how many days you plan to visit.
Related: How I saved hundreds on a car rental when combining it with theme park tickets
There is a workaround that allows you to purchase tickets at the old prices, but you only have a short window of time to take advantage of it. Reputable Disney ticket resellers like CityPass, Undercover Tourist and Get Away Today usually have an allotment of tickets that they will sell at the old price until they run out. Savings can run as high as $90 per ticket if you act fast after a price increase. That's potentially hundreds of dollars in your pocket for your hotel, dining, souvenirs and other Disney expenses.
Even when you aren't facing a price increase, ticket resellers like Undercover Tourist sell their tickets at a slight discount over what you would pay going directly through Disney — sometimes as much as $80.
How to get into the parks without paying for MagicBands
I'd be lying if I said Disney's MagicBand+ isn't a ton of fun to play with at the parks. Like the old MagicBand, you can use MagicBand+ to get into the parks, open your hotel room door, access skip-the-line Lightning Lanes, link PhotoPass photos and charge items to your hotel room bill. You can also use it to play interactive games in the parks.
As you might expect, those perks come with a price that runs anywhere between $34.99 and $54.99. You can save up to $10 with a prearrival discount, and Disney Vacation Club members or annual passholders can save 20%. These prices sting more because, until recently, MagicBands were provided free of charge to Disney hotel guests; they had always been free since they were first introduced in 2013.
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The good news is that you can still use any old MagicBands you have lying around from past vacations as long as the battery still works. I have MagicBands that are two or three years old that still work just fine.
In even better news, you don't need a MagicBand at all. At Disney World, you can ask for a "Key to the World" card at guest services or from the hotel front desk if you are staying at a Disney hotel. Key to the World cards look like hotel key cards (but cuter) and perform all of the same functions as the original MagicBands.
At Disneyland and Walt Disney World, you can use each park's respective app on your mobile phone to do everything a MagicBand does; this includes charging select food and merchandise purchases to your hotel folio. For any other purchases, you could use the virtual wallet on your phone without ever needing to pull out your physical wallet.
Look for hotel and ticket discounts
Disney regularly releases discounts that can help you save hundreds on your hotel stay, a Disney dining plan and theme park tickets. We have a list of Disney World discounts to help you stay up-to-date on current offers. You can also apply most of these offers retroactively.
Even if you've already booked your vacation, you can usually still apply any discounts you are eligible for. This rule is one of the reasons we recommend booking your vacation through an authorized Disney vacation planner; they will keep an eye out for any applicable discounts up until the beginning of your trip.
Know the cheapest times to visit Disney
Disney ticket prices can vary wildly based on when you visit. If you visit during peak demand times between Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve, a one-day Magic Kingdom ticket runs as much as $164 per person. If you visit in August or September, you can pay as little as $109 for the same ticket.
Related: These are the best times to visit Disney World
You may not have total control over when you visit, but Disney has a pricing calendar available on its website to help you choose the cheapest, most convenient dates.
How to (sort of) save money on parking at Disney
Another freebie at Disney World is hotel parking for overnight guests. Guests of Disney World hotels used to pay between $15 and $25 per night for parking, depending on which category your resort fell into. Now, though, overnight parking is free for all hotel guests.
You may not know that hotel guests can park at Disney theme parks free of charge. On occasions when I do have a car on property, I usually opt to drive to the park rather than wait for Disney transportation. When traveling with kids (and a double stroller), it can be more convenient to load up the car than lug everything onto one of Disney's buses.
It doesn't change the cost, but the convenience of parking for free at Disney World's theme parks makes the pill a bit easier to swallow.
How to save money on transportation to Disney
Getting between Orlando International Airport (MCO) and Walt Disney World used to be free to hotel guests via Disney's Magical Express (may she rest in peace). In its place, a handful of alternatives have popped up, but they sadly all carry a fee.
Of those, I've seen the best pricing from Mears Connect. The cost is $16 one-way for adults and $13 one-way for kids (or $32 and $26, respectively, round-trip). You can pay an additional fee for express service that will take you directly to your resort with no stops. It also runs occasional promotions where kids ride for free with a paying adult.
Depending on how many guests are in your party, both services are typically less expensive than taking an Uber or Lyft from the airport. Ubers or Lyfts can run more than $70 for a one-way trip during busy times.
How to enjoy the parks without spending money on Disney Genie+
It still pains me to think about the days when skipping the line at Disney World was free using FastPass+. Yes, there was some anxiety around waking up at 6 a.m. 90 days before each trip to try to get the most coveted FastPasses and then refreshing the Disney app throughout my trip to snag a few more.
Unfortunately, FastPass+ has gone the way of the dodo and was replaced in late 2021 with a paid, skip-the-line service called Disney Genie+.
Disney Genie+ is available at Disney World and Disneyland for a fee. At Disneyland, it'll cost you at least $30 per person per day to use Genie+. (FastPass was free at Disneyland, or you could upgrade to MaxPass for $15 per day, which included photo downloads.)
When Genie+ was introduced at Disney World, guests paid $15 per person per day. Disney World recently moved to a variable pricing structure with daily prices ranging between $15 and $39. Keep in mind that these prices don't include the additional cost of individual Lightning Lane access for Disney's most popular rides.
While it certainly can save you time in line, you don't have to purchase Genie+ to enjoy your Disney vacation.
Along with Genie+, Disney also rolled out a free service called Disney Genie that helps you plan your day by displaying rides with low wait times, creating a personalized itinerary based on your preferences and more. You may not get on Disney's most in-demand rides unless you are willing to wait, but it does present an opportunity to check out rides with lower waits that you usually skip over. You may find a new favorite.
And if you find the parks are so crowded that you don't want to wait in line, there are lots of things you can do at Disney outside the parks (even without a park ticket).
Bottom line
As with most things, there's no getting around the fact that visits to Disneyland and Disney World keep getting more expensive. Sometimes, you have to get creative to make your travels affordable, and these tips are a great place to start. You may even have a few bucks left over to treat yourself to a Dole Whip (or two).
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
