How We Did Disney World on a Budget: Under $450 Per Person

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Discover How to Visit Walt Disney World on a Budget

Picture walking into a realm of enchantment and excitement without overspending. Walt Disney World Resort, the ultimate getaway for dreamers young and old, can often seem financially daunting. But what if we told you that you could experience Walt Disney World magic for less than $450 per person?

Smart planning makes a budget-friendly Walt Disney World trip not only possible but incredibly rewarding. By making thoughtful choices you can use maximize savings while still enjoying one of the most joyful places on Earth. See if becoming a Disney World annual passholder is right for you.

Maximizing the Disney Incredi-Pass for Ultimate Value

Imagine experiencing the magic of Walt Disney World Resort not just once but all year long! With the Disney Incredi-Pass, this dream becomes a reality, allowing us to visit the parks anytime with no blockout dates.

There are other Disney World annual passholder types, however they are only available to Florida resident or DVC members. The other annual pass types include the Disney Sorcerer pass, and Disney Pirate pass which have various blockout dates.

To stretch the value of our Disney annual passes, we are planning four trips to Walt Disney World Parks this year.

Benefits of Being a Disney Annual Passholder That Save You Money

Disney Annual passholders have lots of benefits:

✅ Access to all four Walt Disney World resort theme parks
✅ Park Hopper flexibility
✅ Complimentary standard theme park parking at resort theme parks
✅ Discounts on select dining, merchandise, and Disney resort hotels

Passholder discounts on dining and merchandise can add up quickly. We also added Disney PhotoPass service for just one person and water park access for everyone to our annual pass purchase. Disney PhotoPass service includes attraction photos and is a great way to have great photos of your magical experiences.

Including tax and the water park option, the cost of each Disney annual pass came to $1,755.

Our kids love the Disney water parks, they can easily spend 2 days at Typhoon Lagoon. As a Disney Annual Passholder, you get free park hopper, so we enjoy hopping to Magic Kingdom, Epcot or Hollywood Studios after a day at a Disney Water park. Another great time to use park hopper is after a day at Animal Kingdom, as it tends to close earlier than Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios or Epcot.

A side note, theme park reservations are are needed for a park visit using a Disney Annual pass. There are certain good-to-go dates where Disney Annual Pass Holders will not need theme park reservations. The amount of reservations you can hold depends on your annual pass type.

Cost Breakdown Per Person:

Each trip costs less than $450 per person with the Disney World annual pass, making Walt Disney World far more affordable than purchasing separate tickets each time!

Comparing Incredi-Pass to Regular Park Tickets

If we had purchased individual theme park tickets each time for our 4 trips, here’s what the cost would have been:

*Estimated, as 2026 ticket prices are not yet available.

Annual Passholder Discounts with the Incredi-Pass: The individual ticket prices and standard theme park parking would have been almost double the price of Disney World annual passes! We are saving $480 in standard parking fees alone. Add in annual passholder dining and merchandise discounts for dining and merchandise, and perks like park hopping, it’s clear how much value a Disney World annual pass can provide.

Hotel for Free Using Marriott Bonvoy Points

While many love staying on-property at Disney Resorts, the cost can add up quickly. Instead, we stay off-property to Marriott Bonvoy points for free hotel stays.

We booked TownePlace Suites Orlando Flamingo Crossings Town Center for FREE! This amazing hotel, just minutes from the theme Parks, is not only budget-friendly but also pet-friendly, allowing our furry friends to join the adventure.

How We Earned Free Hotel Nights:

We used points earned from credit cards:

• American Express Marriott Bonvoy Bevy credit card

• Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless

Marriott Bonvoy allows guests to get the 5th night free when making a reservation using Marriott bonvoy points. We combined this with 2 free night awards to receive our 7 night stay at TownePlace Suites Orlando Flamingo Crossings Town Center for free. Free night awards are a great way to add onto the 5th night free benefit for longer stays. Free night awards are available on many Marriott co-branded credit cards such as the American Express Marriott Bonvoy Bevy credit card and the Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless.

Another way to earn Marriott Bonvoy points is if you have a card that earns American Express membership reward points, you can transfer those points to Marriott. Rakuten is a great way to earn American Express membership reward points on your everyday spending. Check out our post about how to earn American Express membership rewards with Rakuten. Use our Link when signing up for Rakuten.

Marriott Bonvoy points can be used at many hotels including the Marriott Walt Disney World Swan, Marriott Walt Disney World Swan Reserve, and Marriott Walt Disney World Dolphin hotels. Guests at these Marriott hotels have the same perks a Deluxe Resort Hotel. Deluxe Disney hotels get early theme park entry, early access to Lightning lane multi pass, and extended evening hours. Extended evening hours is only available on select dates.

Free Car Rental Using the Go Pepper App

We are driving from New York to Orlando since we’re traveling with our dogs. Instead of putting miles on our own cars, we opted to rent a car for free!

How We Got a Free Rental Car:

We used the Go Pepper App to accumulate points for a gift card to Hopper.com, which covered our rental.

Important Tip: When booking with Hopper.com, always select the Pay Now option. If you choose Pay Later at pickup, you won’t be able to use Hopper gift cards.

Check out Go Pepper and use our promo code: 622198 to get $20 after spending $200!

With smart strategies like maximizing benefits available to Disney Annual pass holders, using hotel points, and earning free car rentals, you can enjoy Walt Disney World magic at a fraction of the cost.

Your unforgettable, budget-friendly Disney World trip awaits!