A GREAT Tip On How To Save Money At Disney World!
Disney World is an expensive place to do the right way. Park tickets will set you back $100 a day, unless you’re planning to buy a 5-day pass or more. Meals aren’t cheap. Heck, a bottle of water is likely to set you back $3. In the Orlando heat, you’ll need a lot of them. I’ve got a bunch of good tips to save money on Disney, but I learned a really great (and kinda obvious) one today from someone!
One of the tips I normally share with folks is to consider a car service from the airport (and back). Not specifically Uber, but one of the many limo services offered in the area. Sure, Magical Express is a free option. But, that can take a while, between waiting for your bus to load and potentially having multiple stops before your resort. The other big benefit to car services is a grocery store stop. They’ll give you 30 minutes to pick up groceries for the week to store at your resort. Since most rooms at Disney resorts (and many other hotels) have refrigerators and kitchenettes, this can be a great way to save money. Heck, a couple of cases of bottled water can save you the price of the car service.
I Missed The Obvious Easy Alternative
Use Amazon Prime Now. I was helping Jennifer T plan a trip to Disney World and during our discussion she mentioned this tip. I could have smacked myself in the head. What an easy choice for folks who don’t want to use a car service!
Sure enough, some quick research yielded a thread on Disboards, one of the best sources of Disney information. There are a number of different suggestions in the thread. Most folks build their list in Amazon before they fly down. Then, when they land they hit the “order” button. Others use services provided by local grocers like Publix.
The Final Two Pennies
A quick check of Amazon Prime Now shows a $5.49 case of Dasani bottled water. Two bottles inside the theme parks would pay for the entire case of water. I’ve never used a grocery delivery service, Prime Now or otherwise. So, I can’t vouch for the quality of the various services. But, I love Amazon Prime for the sheer volume of low-priced items they’ll bring right to my door.
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Hi Edward, please keep in mind that nowadays most hotels in Orlando will charge you a fee to receive packages on your behalf, even if you already checked in. According to my research, such fees will vary from $5 to $20 depending on size of the box.
Thiago, I’ve heard of some hotels charging a fee, but not sure DVC does. I’ll test in a few weeks!
Disney charges $5 per package for inbound deliveries. Started about a year ago in response to people doing exactly this.
See: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/mail-services/
Thx for the link, Chuck. It sounds like some properties aren’t applying this for grocery deliveries. I plan to test it next trip.
I believe the Disney resorts will deliver packages for free, but the Swan and Dolphin charge a fee for package deliveries.
Thanks for the shout out. From what I’ve read Disney doesn’t charge for grocery delivery, they only charge extra for packages which is different from this suggestion. We love prime!
J, thanks for sharing the info with me! Always like to save money at Disney!
Skip the bottled water for many reasons but for this instance >>> cost. Tap water is fine to drink or bring a refillable bottle with a filter (like Camelbak).
Charles, you know I’m a big fan. But, we part ways on bottled water. I bring a refillable bottle when we travel but I’ not generally a fan of tap.
Note as cheap as bulk purchases, of course, but the on-property Speedway gas stations at WDW have “normal” off-property prices. Besides bottled water and soda dispensers they have all sorts of ridiculously cheap junk food. You can walk to one if you’re by Disney Springs. (Oh, yeah, they have very competitively priced gas too.)
Miss the Hess stations though. They were consistently 5+ cents cheaper than the surrounding area while Speedway is usually at least 3-5 cents higher. Not terrible, but not as good as it used to be under Hess.
Bill G, good tip. I hadn’t thought of that!
The resorts I’ve stayed at on property all have had cases of bottled water in their gift shop. If you don’t see it, just ask. Prices are around $6 a case of 24. Also, you can use your DVC or AP discount on top of it. However, sometimes hauling it to you room is a bit of a pain.
Shannon, I’d haul to my room for a $6 case of water! That’s another great tip. Thanks for sharing!
You can get free water at any quick service restaurant if you simply bring in a water bottle, lugging water around all day is tiring and cumbersome….
You can also get a cup of water from any counter service location
Allen, I can be a bit persnickety about the taste of water. We always fill up ice at the restaurants but usually throw water in the bottom of the stroller. Once the kids outgrow the stroller I’m not sure what’s next….
If forced to drink the water at Disney parks I alway bring one of the water flavorings with me. I try to stick to drinking bottle water or grain alcohol due to fluoridation 😉
Instacart.
I used to order from Costco and Staples but it’s been a few years. I would definitely consider Prime. I also was charged $5 fee by hotel.