While you are pretty much guaranteed to have a great time when you visit the Disney theme parks, you’ll have an even better time if you manage to save money on your trip. By saving a little bit over a lot of areas, you can significantly reduce the amount you spend on your Disney World vacation. With just a little extra planning, you may save enough to pay for extra days in the park or even your airfare. Use these great ideas to minimize the cost of your next Disney vacation.

1. Stay Offsite: While Disney resorts offer interesting themeing and a few minor perks, they can’t match the amenities offered elsewhere. Some Disney resorts are so far away from the theme parks themselves, you have to ride on a bus for over 30 minutes just to get to the front gates. Staying offsite generally for example in a Florida rental villa provides you with far more luxurious and roomy accommodations with many more amenities than you’ll find in a similarly priced Disney room.  You may also find you’ll have better access to some of the Orlando areas other offerings if you stay in a site that is not Disney-centric. Universal Orlando, Islands of Adventure (including the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter) and Sea World are all more accessible to guests staying off of Disney property.

2. Travel off season: Plan your trip for less busy months; the best months for Florida travel include non-holiday dates from September-March each year. Not only is the weather better, but you‘ll save quite a bit on your travel and your accommodations as well.

3. Buy only the tickets you need: Disney World tickets can be confusing. Each ticket is purchased based on the length of your stay–so if you plan on visiting Disney World three times, buy a three day ticket, not three one-day tickets. You’ll save hundreds  just buy buying multiday tickets (called “Magic Your Way” tickets by Disney).

Don’t buy options you don’t need–the “Park hopper” Option is a useless expense if you don’t plan on going from park to park every day of your trip–and the water park option only makes sense if you plan on spending an entire day at a Disney-owned water park.

4. Pack essential items: Bring along items like over the counter medications, diapers and personal grooming items from home instead of purchasing them in Florida. Simple items like disposable rain ponchos can be found for under a dollar in your local big box store, but they will set you back $8.00 each in the Disney theme parks.

5. Pack some snacks: You don’t need to drag along a full-sized cooler each day, but bringing a few basic snacks along for the ride will save you quite a bit of cash each day. Pack a granola bar or similar non-perishable snack for each member of your party (even small children can wear a little backpack or belt pack). If you add a bottle of water or other beverage for each member of your group, you’ll save $2.50 a bottle. Simply packing a single snack and water a day will save you about $5.00 per day per person, adding up to over a hundred dollars a week for a family of four.

You’ll enjoy the same great rides, service and fun no matter how much you spend on your vacation, so plan ahead and save a bundle on your next Disney vacation.

Great but you should ask a few questions first to avoid any disappointment.

What is the distance of the car park to the airport?

Is there a shuttle service?

What is the transfer frequency of the shuttle?

Is there someone to help lift luggage?

Does the shuttle run 24 hours and will it be operational when you get back?

What is the entry procedure to the Car Park – What documentation do you require on arrival?

What is the exit procedure to the Car Park – What documentation do you require?

Is there a free phone in the airport to call the car Park staff?

What are the security measures in place for safe and secure parking?

Are there any valet services?

What is the minimum stay in the car park?

What are the height restrictions?

Are trailers permitted?

While you are in the United States, you will need some U.S. currency that comes in a range of denominations as follows:

Penny $0.01
Nickel $0.05
Dime $0.10
Quarter $0.25
Half Dollar $0.50
Dollar $1.00
Five Dollars $5.00
Ten Dollars $10.00
Twenty Dollars $20.00
Fifty Dollars $50.00
One Hundred Dollars $100.00

You can exchange foreign currencies at the airport or at a large bank or tourist center, but the exchange rate will often be higher at the airport. The best place to get currency is from an ATM or Automated Teller Machine that can be found just about anywhere although some will charge fees of $1 to $2 per transaction and most will give you twenty dollar bills only. Coins will be used for pay phones, parking meters, buses and subways with quarters being used most often.

Using a credit card to pay for purchases is a standard form of payment and they are accepted in most businesses, restaurants or tourist attractions. Hotels usually require a credit card when making a reservation and credit cards can be used for just about any major purchase especially higher priced items. Save your cash for emergencies and for paying for smaller items like purchases at a convenience store. Besides U. S. currency, many people use traveler’s checks that can also be saved for emergencies or to use as needed.

Any purchases made in the United States will not include sales tax on the price tag as the country does not have a national sales tax like the value-added tax (VAT) or goods and services tax (GST) as other countries often do. For example, if you purchased an item of clothing it will have a price tag of $29.99, but that will not be the final total because sales tax will be added by the clerk that rings up the purchase. In the U.S. each state determines the amount of sales tax with some counties within the states having additional taxes so it can vary from state to state and even city to city within a state.

The sales tax you pay will depend, therefore, on where you are and also what you are buying as it will vary depending on the merchandise. Sales tax on food items in a restaurant or grocery store is often lower than that for clothing or other purchases and yet tax on gas for a car is often higher. It can be confusing but the tax will be clearly marked on your receipt so you will see how much you are paying for it.

Some states like Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon don’t have any sales tax while two other states, Louisiana and Texas, have a limited sales tax refund program and you can find more information about those states at www.louisianataxfree.com or www.taxfreetexas.com. Because sales tax is not collected on a national level, you cannot obtain a refund upon departure. You can often save money though on the sales tax if the merchandise is shipped outside the state, but if you have to pay the postage, it might not save you enough money to be worthwhile.