There are so many cheap Disney World packages offered that it’s hard to find the one that’s just right for you and your Walt Disney World vacation.

The Disney company always seems to be offering various packages and discounts on it’s own site but almost always will advertise their new DisneyWorld Deals on other websites, such as this one, for the duration of the offer’s availability (sometimes past the available dates- so be sure to read the fine print). Often on their own front page there will be some special deal shown, and clicking that offer will take you to a page with more detail. There is another page on the site that describes all of the various deals, packages, and Disney World discounts that are offered directly through Disney, but this can be a bit complicated to find.

There are other ways to save money on a Disney World vacation. You can take advantage of value season prices, the Disney Dining Plan, making use of Walt Disney World transportation or free parking pass (available if staying in a Walt Disney World owned hotel), sharing meals (they’re quite large), bringing your own food to the park, and more. You can even bargain hunt by shopping at the outlet malls nearby for souvenirs before heading to the parks, or check out the $10 and under store at DownTown Disney.

Various associations such as AAA offer discounts and cheap Disney World packages by staying on property at Walt Disney World hotels as well as many nearby hotels and resorts. Disney World vacation packages can be booked through AAA, or directly through Disney’s hotline with a mention that you’re a AAA member and would like the discount (usually around 10%, but varies).

Travel agencies are well versed in how to save money in travel, and Disney travel is no exception. You can book through any travel agency, or through a Disney travel specialist. Several exist online, and some regular travel agencies have a specialty in Disney travel among their other vacation planning offers. For example, Boscov’s department store has a travel agency inside which specializes in Disney World vacations. It may be particularly worth your time to look into this option, because travel agencies can save you money on airfare and car rentals as well as the hotel stay and park visits. Plus, some agencies will take care of adjusting your vacation for you should a new discount become available prior to your trip.

Some guide books even offer discounts and coupons for Walt Disney World, such as Birnbaum’s Walt Disney World 2009. Other Disney World guide books may have much advice to offer when it comes to saving money at Disney World, and there are many websites devoted to just this subject.

My husband and I have obtaining cheap Disney World packages down, almost to a science. For example- you may want to book your trip as far in advance as possible for planning reasons. Maybe you take your vacation at the same time every year and this year you’re heading to Florida. Or maybe there’s a special anniversary, birthday, or other event coming up that you already know that you want to spend at the Happiest Place On Earth. You can book your vacation up to a year in advance, and 6 months in advance is recommended if you plan to visit during a busy time. You can book this early- but you shouldn’t if you want to save money.

Disney World packages are available year round, but the best deals are only offered 2-3 months in advance. Because booking early is encouraged, the Disney company knows ahead of time approximately how many guests they can expect at any given time. If a certain time period doesn’t appear to be as fully booked as they would like, they start offering discounts.

Now, this doesn’t mean that you can’t book your vacation or risk loosing out on one of the better cheap Disney World packages. The Disney Parks are all about customer service, and you can book as far in advance as you want, and if they offer a better deal closer to the time that you’re traveling, you can call, cancel your current reservation, and put in a new one. Technically, you can’t “change” your reservation (aside from little things, like adding a person to your room), but the cancel/re-reserve process is just as smooth as simply changing.

There are certainly other ways to get cheap Disney World packages, but you’ll be hard pressed to find any better than what you can get straight from the Mouse himself- if you know where, and when, to look.

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 30th, 2009 at 2:55 am and is filed under Disney World Discounts, Planning. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.