A Trip to Disney World Does Not Have to Break the Bank

So you want to take a family trip to Disney World? Plan a year in advance and take the next 365 days training to be a Himalayan Porter and champion Iron Man athlete. That should get you ready for the amount of stuff you will be carrying over long distances. Be prepared to complete this training while subsisting on nothing but mac and cheese and sale bin ramen noodles because this trip needs to be funded somehow and your budget for nutritious food will probably be the first thing to take a hit. Oh I’m kidding, well not about the walking- you are going to walk a lot, but a trip to Disney World does not have to break the bank. First off, save yourself some money by staying at the Art of Animation resort. It is considered a “value” resort, but with great rooms, pools, and amenities, you’d never know it.

Art of Animation

I have visited Disney World three times with my family in tow. The last two times we stayed at the Art of Animation resort. This value resort is split into four areas: The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, Cars, and Finding Nemo. Finding Nemo is the coveted area because it is closest to the main resort building and has a really cool pool with a splash pad and graduated wading area for the little ones. As a resort guest, you can use any of the three pools here though, so everyone is welcome to come check out the Nemo pool and see if they can hear Dori while they are under water in The Big Blue. Personally, I like the Cars pool with the cozy cone cabanas because that is just plain fun.

The rooms at the Art of Animation are fun and whimsical. Everything is themed including the art and carpeting in the hallways. I know it sounds weird, but there is something about hallways that my kids really enjoy. When we stayed in a Lion King room my kids would have a blast while trying to follow Pumba’s footprints to our room. This time they made a game of trying to find the hidden Mickeys in the bubbles on the way to our Nemo suite. The rooms themselves are comfortable and clean and again decorated to fit the theme of one of the four movies. For my family of six, we get a one bedroom suite that has queen bed, a double sized murphy bed, and a double sized pull out sofa. I think Disney really has some magic happening there because the sofa bed is super soft and comfy with no hard bars to be seen (or felt). There are also two bathrooms and a kitchenette, all of which were put to good use during our stay.

Dining

I have used the Disney Dining Plan every time I have stayed at Disney World. I get the mid level plan with one snack, one quick service (like a cafeteria type meal), and one table service (sit down restaurant meal) per person per day. It is pricey, but after a bit of comparison it still makes sense (cents?) for my family. I do find it a bit confusing though because something might be considered a snack, but then when combined with something else it is a quick service meal and when my tray is crammed with food for multiple people it’s hard to be sure about what meal credits I am using. My only advice for you on this is to ask. The staff (a.k.a. Cast Members) are super friendly and will go out of their way to help you.

We really only ate breakfast at the Art of Animation resort as we were out and about for the rest of the day. Our breakfast options included pastries like muffins and bagels, cereal, smoothies, fresh fruit, yogurt, waffles with bacon or sausage, breakfast sandwiches, and custom omelettes. Yum!

There are some really great restaurants scattered throughout Disney World. Whether you are a larger party or not, I suggest you book your restaurant reservations in advance, especially if you want to do any character dining. Be sure to check how many table service credits your restaurants of choice charge, as some of the more upscale restaurants or dining entertainment shows will require you to use two of your table service meals.

If you are a party of six or more be aware that a gratuity of 18% is automatically added to your bill for table service meals. Of course, everyone regardless of party size needs to tip, but for my family of six, I needed to factor in an extra $30-$40 per day for our table serve meals.

Backpacks – to each their own

This tip is not really related to Disney World itself, per se, other than Disney World is big and if you want to see it all you will be putting in some milage. I often refer to myself as a Himalayan Porter because of all the kid stuff that I wind up carrying, but I refuse to do it at Disney World. It is just too much. To stop this from happening I gave each child their own small backpack and charged them with carrying their own sweaters, coats, and water bottles. If they want to take anything else along like a book or a toy, that goes into their backpack too. I have to say, my kids were super responsible about their backpacks, they packed only what they needed and never misplaced them. This was a huge weight off for me, literally, and it also gave me a break from having to get out and repack six water bottles when kids were feeling thirsty. Having the kids be self sufficient was good for all of us and made our Disney World experience even more enjoyable.

Disney really is a great place for a family vacation. There is so much to see and do. Maybe one day, I will follow some else’s advice and go to pal out with Mickey and friends sans children. No Himalayan Porter training needed for that trip!

Safe travels!

Image Source: flickr, uk.hotels.com, disneyparks.wikia.com, disneyeveryday.com, wdwmagic.com