These 6 Hacks Will Give Your Kids the Disney Trip of Their Dreams

Disney promotes its park hoppers as value options. Yes, they are cheaper than buying individual park passes. However, long lines and small kids make park hopping more chore than value.

Three-day park hoppers for two adults and two children under 10 will cost you at least $1,800. Children 10 and older pay adult ticket prices. A five-day park hopper starts at about $2,300. These tickets don’t include parking, food, or souvenirs.

Purchase a one-day, one-park pass to the Magic Kingdom instead. A one-day park pass can cost from $581.50 for a family of four and less if you are a Florida resident. Also, check with your hotel, which may offer discount tickets. Then, plan to spend the entire day at the Magic Kingdom sometime later in the week. Make it the finale for your Disney dream vacation.

You don’t have to enter the parks to spend $5,000 to dine with Mickey. Disney offers character dining at a few resorts accessible outside the parks. Reservations for these dining experiences go fast. Disney recommends booking character dining 60 days out from your visit. The best character dining experience is at Chef Mickey’s restaurant at the Contemporary Resort, which serves breakfast and dinner. Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy, and Donald Duck will come to your table while you feast on an all-you-can-eat menu. The meal costs about $35 to $59 per adult. So, expect to spend at least $160 for a family of four. That’s more than you’d spend at a local steakhouse. However, you’ve given your kids a memorable day at Disney for a fraction of what you’d pay in the park.

For other options, The Wilderness Resort Lodge has Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs character dining, and The Grand Floridian Resort’s Wonderland Tea Party at 1900 Park Fare has characters from Alice in Wonderland (although it is temporarily closed).

Chandra Thomas Whitfield is a host and producer for Colorado Public Radio. In 2018, she and her husband took their sons, ages six and four, on a Disney vacation. Before the trip, Whitfield called friends who warned her about the expensive Disney merchandise. So, she decided to buy items online and at discount stores. She purchased Disney family T-shirts on Etsy, where they cost as little as $5 each, compared to the $20 to $30 you will pay at Disney stores.

“We had our shirts with mom, dad, and brother with little Mickey ears,” Thomas Whitfield said. “To make it feel dramatic, I didn’t give the shirts to the kids until we got to Disney.”

Before they left for the park, Thomas Whitfield presented the kids with Disney-themed gift bags that included the shirts, a Disney water bottle, and other goodies she picked up at a dollar store.

“Of course, this might not work with a 14-year-old,” said Thomas Whitfield. “But for young kids, they don’t know the difference. They were totally convinced that Mickey had given them the gifts.”

Disney Springs is a shopping district with a Disneyesque vibe. Formally “Downtown Disney,” this outdoor shopping extravaganza features a mega movie theater, restaurants, Starbucks Reserve, entertainment, music, and many attractions, including a Lego store with a 3,000-square-foot outdoor play area. The best part? It’s free.

Daucom recommends letting your children walk around Disney Springs in costumes. “They’ll remember they were in their princess dress,” she said. “To them, that’s like they were at Disney.’”

You can buy the costumes from party rental stores for less. For example, a Beauty and the Beast’s Belle costume costs $50 at the Disney Store but less than $20 at Party City.

Even if you drive to Orlando, you can save big bucks taking advantage of the area’s free or affordable transportation. Whitfield said she only paid for transportation from the airport to the hotel. For the rest of her stay, she used the hotel shuttle and Lymmo, a free bus service with stops throughout downtown Orlando.

Disney operates a free shuttle service that stops at all the resorts, including BoardWalk, a resort reminiscent of 1940s Coney Island. You can also use SunRail, a train service that operates Monday through Friday, connecting Orange, Osceola, Seminole, and Volusia counties. Sunrail destinations include museums, attractions, parks, hiking, shopping, and dining. Roundtrip fares range from $3.75-$9.50 with 50 percent discounts for kids ages 7-17, seniors 65+, and disabled individuals. Children 6 and under may ride for free with paying adults.