I have had several military mom friends comment on how often we take our kids to Disney and expressed how expensive they think it is. They ask "How can we afford to go to Disney so frequently?' I mean, I get it. It can be expensive. For the record, we don't go "frequently". This month will be our fourth time and I know that we are definitely fortunate to go even once, much less four times. A little backstory... My hubby is stationed at Eglin Airforce Base here in the Florida Panhandle, or the Emerald Coast, or Northwest Florida or as some affectionately call it, LA (Lower Alabama). We have been here for four years and have no idea when we're leaving but such is military life. We are only a 6 1/2 hour drive from Disney and our kids, 7 and 5, are currently obsessed with all Disney Movies, old and new. We all want to go to Italy after watching Luca 10+ times. But we settle for eating pasta every week. We know that they will soon outgrow this stage and the magic will be a little less magical for them so most of our vacations are centered around Disney and other things to do in the Orlando area for now. What other time or resources we have to travel, we currently invest into going back "home" annually, which for me is Belize (I will definitely have to do a post about Belize very soon) or Arizona (hubby). I can tell you, that both of those trips always cost more than what we spend to go to Orlando.
Anyway.... here are some tips and tricks for how we do Disney and Orlando on a budget using available Military discounts.
Where to Purchase your Tickets: First of all, if you are military and are not familiar with where your ITT (base travel agent office) is, I highly suggest you take a moment to google it and drop in when you get a chance. This is strictly where I purchase our Disney Theme Park tickets. They have several options. These are called the Military Salute tickets and Disney World releases them at the beginning of every year available for purchase from any ITT office. They are good until almost the end of December with no black out dates and you don't have to use all of the days consecutively. We have purchased the 6 day park pass before but didn't use it all in one trip. I think they have done away with that option but you can still get 4 day park passes for around $290 per person. Another option for local Fl residents is to check for the Fl Resident tickets. We have gotten 3 day park passes for $175.00. I even recommend buying these through ITT because anything you buy on base is tax free. By the way, a 1 day ticket purchased either online or at the Disney ticket center once there will cost you $109. It is definitely worth it to get the Military Salute tickets or the Florida Resident tickets. Once you figure out your tickets, the next step is to figure out lodging.
Where to stay at Disney if your Military and on a budget:
We posted an article earlier about Amazing Military Deals for your stay at Disney. I would highly recommend reading that article if you haven't done so to get some ideas of where to stay at Disney. However, I do have a few other tips for you. We have stayed at Disney's Art of Animation (considered one of their value resorts), Shades of Green (which is strictly for military and DOD), AirBNB, and this last time at the Springhill Suites by Marriott at Flamingo Crossings. Shades of Green can be pretty reasonable, however, you do have to plan way ahead and book because they book up fast. I am a last minute planner myself and have never been able to secure Shades of Green on my own. Of all of these options, Springhill Suites ended up being the cheapest for us. This hotel had free parking (not all of them in this area do and definitely not Disney resorts) and was the perfect location, just 11 minutes to the Magic Kingdom parking lot. We did have to pay $25 for parking at the park but it was good all day in case you wanted to leave mid-afternoon and go back later. Even with the extra $25 for parking, it worked out to be cheaper than staying on Disney property. Trust me, I checked by getting a quote from a Travel Agent prior to booking. Budget was important to us this trip and we definitely did not feel like splurging to stay on Disney property. Oh and this hotel offered free breakfast daily which everyone took full advantage of. The kids actually looked forward to their Mickey waffles at breakfast every day. Yes, the same Mickey waffles you would get at the Contemporary resort or at the Ohana Breakfast at the Polynesian. I would recommend finding a hotel with free breakfast because it saves you money and time.
I found this particular hotel on Expedia but we went directly through the Marriot Bonvoy app to book instead. Peep below for Disney theming inside the hotel...
This looks like a ride but it is actually the inside of an elevator at the hotel.
Also, folks, if your spouse is military and they go TDY, which we all know that they do, please have them sign up for hotel reward points. We have signed up for Hilton Honors and Marriot Bonvoy and with the amount of TDYs that my husband goes on, we have racked up so many points that we have been able to get many free nights stays all over the country using points. It is worth it! Don't miss out on this great opportunity to earn free nights on their TDYs so your family can use them later on for vacations.
How we Budget for Food on Vacation:
As far as your expenses for food goes, just keep your budget in mind. We have splurged for the Disney Dining Plan when they still had those pre-Covid and used it to do all of our Table Service Character Dining Meals. What does this mean? At Disney there are many options for eating. You can walk up to a restaurant/snack service window and order food which is then picked up by you on a tray and then you go and find your own seating, usually outdoor patio style dining. That is considered a quick service meal. It's really just like a regular fast food meal but at Disney Prices. We have found that many of these are shareable. Plus with popcorn, mickey gold fish, obligatory Mickey ice-cream and other snacks along the way, our kids aren't terribly hungry and asking for food. In fact, they never ask for food because they are alway so busy thinking about the next ride. Aside from quick service meals, you can always make a reservation to dine in at a restaurant, either in the park or at one of the resorts.
These are usually more expensive, often accompanied by characters ranging from princesses to Daisy to Stitch to Mickey and you are waited on by staff. This is your table service meal.
Above pictures are from Ohana Breakfast at Disney's Polynesian resort.
Characters at Hollywood and Vine
If you are on a strict budget, I would skip this altogether, or I would choose just one table service meal for your whole trip with the characters that your kids most want to interact with. Expect to pay around $200 for the meal for a family of four, possibly more depending on what you order. Keep in mind, if you are spending a week at Disney, then you aren't buying a week's worth of food at home, so your food expense is only over and beyond what you would have spend if you are eating home. This can be your biggest expense (if you are picky eaters) or your cheapest if you're cool with McDonald's or other fast food days in a row. Also, depending on where you stay, you can always do a grocery store run and cook some meals in your hotel or microwave some meals, whatever your preference.
Go ahead, plan that dream Disney vacation you've been thinking about. As always, if you have specific questions or would like a post about dining at Disney, leave a comment below. We'd love to hear from you. If you like this article, the greatest compliment would be a like and share.
XO
Janine
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