13 ways to save at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom
Filed under: Bargains, Kids and Money, Saving Money, Travel, Video, Economizer
You could argue that if Walt Disney World went belly-up tomorrow, the National Parks system would have to take it over. It means that much to modern American society.
Some 17 million people visit its original park, the Magic Kingdom, every year, and visiting a Disney park is an essential part of childhood that many of us share.
But, Jiminy Cricket, is it expensive! A one-day adult pass is now a blistering $84, and parking is $14, so saving money in every other department is critical.
But what would you say if once you got through the gates, WalletPop could show you how to get a lunch of a huge, wobbling hamburger and a gooey ice cream cookie sandwich for a total of $5.75 per person? What if we showed you where you could play games for $1 and how you can find free one-of-a-kind souvenirs?
This month, for the Magic Kingdom's 38th birthday, WalletPop's Jason Cochran hit the theme park on a steaming hot day, guerrilla-style, armed with with a video camera and an eye for savings. Cochran, the author of a guide book to Disney and Orlando, spent the day digging up and documenting savings tips that you can take with you on your next vacation.
Do you have more tips of your own? Share them here! Spread the magic in the comment section below so that we can all afford a little dose of pixie dust.
Some 17 million people visit its original park, the Magic Kingdom, every year, and visiting a Disney park is an essential part of childhood that many of us share.
But, Jiminy Cricket, is it expensive! A one-day adult pass is now a blistering $84, and parking is $14, so saving money in every other department is critical.
But what would you say if once you got through the gates, WalletPop could show you how to get a lunch of a huge, wobbling hamburger and a gooey ice cream cookie sandwich for a total of $5.75 per person? What if we showed you where you could play games for $1 and how you can find free one-of-a-kind souvenirs?
This month, for the Magic Kingdom's 38th birthday, WalletPop's Jason Cochran hit the theme park on a steaming hot day, guerrilla-style, armed with with a video camera and an eye for savings. Cochran, the author of a guide book to Disney and Orlando, spent the day digging up and documenting savings tips that you can take with you on your next vacation.
Do you have more tips of your own? Share them here! Spread the magic in the comment section below so that we can all afford a little dose of pixie dust.



Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-09-2009 @ 12:59PM
buzzlightyear said...
Saving at Disney world is easy, we go 3 times a years o listen up rookies, Stay on property like a value resort such as Pop century, the place is clean and beautifull, Use your car to drive down towndown on Hyw192 all the restaurants are very affordable, and the food is always great, then stop at the grocery store such as publix, pick up subs, chips, sodas, beer, wine, and bring that all back to your resort room, and It will always be on hand bring a cooler and keep it loaded with ice for your cold cuts and drinks, well I did my part, Downtown is only a 5 minute drive from pop century so its very simple. SMILE!!
BUZZ
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10-09-2009 @ 5:56PM
Tink *~*~* said...
In general, Florida tap water tastes DREADFUL and those water fountains in the parks are no exception. It would be really helpful if you packed in your own sport bottle with a filter on it, such as from Brita. Should improve the taste of the water considerably.
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10-10-2009 @ 1:34PM
Doug said...
One way to make the water taste better and to save money is to bring with the individual Crystle Light/Hawain Punch packets into the park. They will give you free cups of water and now you can add flavor to it for almost free.
10-09-2009 @ 5:57PM
Julie said...
I am seriously writing some of this stuff down and taking it with me next time I visit the Gouging, er, Magic Kingdom. Fantastic tips!
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10-09-2009 @ 9:11PM
Jackie said...
You can get a free cup of water at any of the counter serve restaurants. All you need to do is ask.
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10-10-2009 @ 1:53PM
Sarah said...
Whenever we are on vacation, if it is possible with the schedule, we always eat a large, late breakfast (brunch) and an early dinner (lupper). That saves us the cost of lunch everyday, and fill in with fruit, granola bars and other healthy snacks that you can buy cheaper outside the park and carry with you. I have to add that the food at Disney is very good and usually almost worth the price. The Chinese food in Tomorrowland is great and very reasonable!
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10-22-2009 @ 12:11AM
Ricardo said...
All are very good tips but how can I save on the admission price?
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10-11-2009 @ 8:47PM
allen jones said...
the best way to save moniez is to not do any business with
those greedy rat bastards,go to busch gardens instead.
Budweiser is selling its theme parks so expect the new owners
to fire up the cremation ovens against disney prices.
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10-11-2009 @ 8:53PM
Phil Hudgins said...
My family and I go down once a year a couple of things that we do is we send packages from home to our resort. Things like cereal, fruit snacks, bowls, toaster (that we leave there) anything that will loosen your load on the plane. The other thing we do is we order from garden grocer and have it delivered to our room. They are a little pricey but in the long run it is a whole lot cheaper. We buy cases of water and bring a cooler into the parks with the powders mentioned above and that usually is a 40 to 50 dollar savings per day. We will make up snack bags everyday of pretzels, cereal, fruit snacks and goldfish this proves to be a huge savings on the pocket book. It can be quite a lot to carry but if you rent a locker and store some of the stuff you have access all day to it and it lightens your load.
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10-12-2009 @ 10:34PM
Edmund said...
Here is the ultimate way to save at Disney World. And this comes from my visiting DW at least 4-6 times a year since 1983. To begin with, I book my vacation 23 days in advance to get the best price on airfare (usually $180.00 r/t from NYC most airlines). Staying on Disney property can be nice, and a convenience, but getting a room off property can save you a bundle. I find hotel rooms within a 6-mile radius of Disney for about $250.00/week ($36.00/day with 2 double/queen beds). Most of them have a free shuttle to take you to the parks and back. If you want to rent a car, they are as cheap as $99.00/week for a compact car. Now, here comes the biggest saver of all – FOOD. Usually off property you will see displays in front of souvenir shops or at the hotels themselves with coupon books – get some. Look at the restaurants in the area but you are looking for the big buffets. Most of the time the coupons get you a BOGO or a discount off the total check. When you go to the buffet, bring your secret weapon – a few Ziploc bags. You see, most of the large buffets have fresh fruit and things like muffins and nut breads, which are excellent for breakfast. Each time you go to reload your plate, grab something for the next day, and place it in the Ziploc bag. The next morning all you need is coffee/tea, which is usually free at the hotel. While riding the rides, you do not want a heavy meal in your stomach so this is where the fruit comes in. The fruit will hold you over until dinnertime when you do it all again. Hopefully this info helps..
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10-14-2009 @ 2:27PM
Gabriele said...
You should NEVER bring ziploc bags to take food home from buffets. It's stealing.
10-12-2009 @ 11:18AM
Tami said...
Can anyone give me info on Disney Land in California. We are planning a late winter trip and only going to spend a couple days at Disney land and want to make the most of it. Thanks
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10-12-2009 @ 12:06PM
David said...
Best way to save money is to not even go to Disney. It's turned into a recycling company. Snow White is back for it's umpteenth "limited edition" DVD. Disney hasn't had a new idea in years and the theme parks reflect this as well.
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10-17-2009 @ 1:06PM
rock said...
CHILDRENS SHOULD GO IN AT HALF PRICE AND ADULTS GET 20% OFF HELP OUT FAMILY WITH LOW INCOME STATUS AND THOSE THAT ARE UNEMPLOYED FLORIDA RESIDENTS ONLY, IN THESE TOUGH TIMES. THANKS IN ADVANCE.
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10-12-2009 @ 1:00PM
fallstonslowlife said...
Great tips & advice for saving money and getting discounts at Disney World. I think that you can also take advantage of getting in for free on your birthday if I'm not mistaken. Also if you buy the card for multiple days / parks they don't expire for a long time. I know that my mom took my younger sister to Disney using the same passes we used when I was a child.
Ben @ http://giftcardrescue.com
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10-16-2009 @ 11:20PM
dmiami said...
Go early on superbowl sunday and have the place to yourself, you'll be sick of the rides by the time the game starts.
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10-31-2009 @ 10:44AM
joe hannigan said...
can you tell me cost of the souvenir drinks cups at magic kingdom.can they be used at the other disney theme parks or do i have to buy one at each park i attend.and what is the cost to refill them.if i bought a souvenir cup at universal studios can i refill it at island of adventure.and lastly if i got a drinks cup at busch gardens can it be refilled at sea world . thank you
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11-08-2009 @ 1:04PM
jeremiah said...
found disney like so many other parks a victom of the ecomony but stagmented no, their movies are just as fresh as when I was a kid .
rereleasing old movie has given my grandchildren a chance to enjoy the movie I grew up with
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