Solo Travelers...How do you afford Disney?

[BlueFairy]

The last few years DW has attended a conference in Orlando and I tag along. While she networks, I go to the parks. Since her firm picks up the hotel bill, I just pay for a rental car and parking at WDW. I'm retired military so I get the Military Salute tickets. I find most of the TS meals to be too large, so I do QS or just snack as I go (ice cream sundae for lunch!). For souvenirs I usually get a few pins. By my calculations, I don't spend any more on food and drink at WDW than I would if I was hanging out at my favorite pub near the hotel where her conference is held.

The last few years we've taken a DCL cruise prior to or after her conference and stay at a DVC resort for a day or two before heading to the port, but we don't visit the parks. DW likes Disney but doesn't like going to the parks more than once every 5 years or so. Last time she went was about 7-8 years ago and she isn't inclined to go again anytime soon.

And by DISboards logic all of that means you're SAVING $$ by traveling solo!

 

[Sir William]

And by DISboards logic all of that means you're SAVING $$ by traveling solo!

True, but I'm also saving money on my tickets and by having QS instead of TS (and not wasting food since TS portions are too much for me). I just have the added advantage that my rental car and parking for 4 days is much less than even a value resort. I'd prefer to stay on property but that's hard to justify when DW 's firm is paying for her hotel in town.

My point was that I save money by combining my trip to WDW with DW's conference in Orlando. I realize that this isn't an option for most folks, but may be for someone who has a spouse or significant other going to Orlando on business.

 

[BlueFairy]

True, but I'm also saving money on my tickets and by having QS instead of TS (and not wasting food since TS portions are too much for me). I just have the added advantage that my rental car and parking for 4 days is much less than even a value resort. I'd prefer to stay on property but that's hard to justify when DW 's firm is paying for her hotel in town.

My point was that I save money by combining my trip to WDW with DW's conference in Orlando. I realize that this isn't an option for most folks, but may be for someone who has a spouse or significant other going to Orlando on business.

Yep - we do that too! The kids and I tag along with DH. I've been known to suggest he attend certain conferences.

 

[YawningDodo]

I'll just have to chime in with the person who said they spread their vacation costs out over the year. I have a vacation fund and a portion of every paycheck automatically goes into it, so I know what I can afford and it's not a strain to suddenly cough it up when the trip happens. This year it's harder because I decided to do Disneyland Paris (I want to eventually visit all the Disney parks in the world), but it's always a combination of spending wisely at home and being realistic about what I can afford. I'd love to stay at the hotel in DLP that's literally built over the gates to the park, but that's not within my means. I might be able to swing the equivalent of a moderate, but more likely I'll be in the lowest tier resort if I stay onsite -- and that's fine because it means I don't have to wait an extra six months or whatever to save up the additional cash, and/or I can have more money for special meals and shows. Whenever I go back to WDW, it's extremely unlikely I'll ever stay in a deluxe, though I might decide it's worth it to save up for a moderate. Things like that.

Seriously, though, the best thing for me has been putting money aside a little at a time. I do tend to spend a couple hundred dollars more than I mean to on most trips, but knowing that I can pay up front for the bulk of it makes my life a lot less stressful. Having the money specifically earmarked for a trip I'm really looking forward to makes it easier not to dip into it throughout the year, too; I actually find myself eyeballing my account at the end of each pay period to see how much extra I can afford to put in my DLP fund.

 

[Stephanator]

I'm 38, single, not married, no kids and live on my own. I have taken up making extra cash by dogsitting for friends to fund my Disney vacation habit. Well, actually any vacation habit, but often it's Disney. The extra money I make from dogsitting I put into a separate account just for traveling. Traveling is important to me, so I make it a priority. I drive an older car, I eat at home whenever possible, get my haircut at a walk-in salon, etc... to save where I can on everyday expenses.

* I live on the west coast, so the flights can be expensive, but I watch pricing on Google Flights in a timeframe I might like to go and book when I find a good deal. Being flexible on dates definitely helps save money.
* I am buying an AP for my upcoming WDW trip. I can stay off property for $50 a night (using hotel reward points) and then drive to/from the parks. The AP includes free parking so that makes up a portion of that for me. Park time is a bigger priority for me than staying on property at a resort. I sometimes take a mid-day break, but it's rare.
* Car rental - as I have in the past, I'm renting a car through Costco Travel for $150 for the week so it's a good deal.
* Food - usually in a week long trip, I do one "special" TS meal. The rest is CS, snacks and sometimes offsite dining. I have no problems not eating every meal in the park and sometimes pickup something like Subway on my way back to my hotel room.
* Souvenirs - I tend to only buy myself one thing I really want on my trip. Often I will pre-purchase or pre-make shirts or items to wear at the park and I'm happy with those. I have a Disney store in my local outlet mall and often find myself a shirt or souvenir ahead of my trip.
* Gift cards - I haven't done this yet, but I was thinking that for my next birthday/Christmas gift, I may just ask my parents for a Disney gift card I can use towards my next 2017 trip. It's nice to have that stashed away and they know I love to go anyways.

 

[MeganMango]

I save money by traveling alone! Haha! 1 plane ticket, 1 person to feed, and 1 person to buy park tickets for. I can be as cheap as I want by not going to TS meals or budget a late breakfast that would count as my lunch. I also pack my own granola bars and breakfasts like bagels and PB.

As a nanny I'm lucky to have great paid vacation. 2 paid weeks over Christmas, 1-2 weeks in the summer, and 1 week of my own choice paid vacation.

I went to WDW in March of this year and am going again next weekend through the following week. It usually costs me $1500 plus food for a week or so. I stay on site because renting a car ends up breaking even price wise because I'm under 25.

 

[YawningDodo]

I'm 38, single, not married, no kids and live on my own. I have taken up making extra cash by dogsitting for friends to fund my Disney vacation habit. Well, actually any vacation habit, but often it's Disney. The extra money I make from dogsitting I put into a separate account just for traveling. Traveling is important to me, so I make it a priority. I drive an older car, I eat at home whenever possible, get my haircut at a walk-in salon, etc... to save where I can on everyday expenses.

I like this idea! Whenever I get any "extra" money (reimbursement for mileage at work beyond what fuel cost me, selling something on eBay or craigslist, etc.) I put it in my vacation fund. Hadn't really thought about specifically setting myself up to do something on commission to fund vacations. I like to paint miniatures and know a lot of people through tabletop roleplaying who like having miniatures but don't like painting them themselves. Maybe I should think about advertising for commissions instead of just doing the odd commission for close friends every couple of months.

 

[JediAng]

I'm 24, I recently graduated college with my Bachelor's in December 2014, and did the disney college program for 10 months in 2015-2016. It took me 5 months coming off of the college program to find an entry level job in my field, but it was so worth the wait. The job i found is perfect, for someone who recently graduated with no real experience in their field (Radio/TV Production) under them. I'm a production assistant for a company that does pre recorded and live newscasts for clients in markets across the country.

The way I choose to save for trips, is by still staying home with my parents. I could EASILY get an apartment, and live alone, if I wanted to, but the way I look at it, is if I stay home, I can save 70% of my paycheck, instead of throwing it away to rent someplace where I will be alone all the time. At home, I contribute by paying for my own phone, my own car (insurance & gas), I help buy groceries, and I help clean / do house chores. By doing this, I save a LOT of money (Hundreds each paycheck, that would otherwise go to a cheap 1 BR apartment), I am using the money I save by doing this to go on trips and travel to multiple places; including Disney, since I love seeing new places. In the next year, I have a trip to St. Louis confirmed, a trip to Disney World confirmed, and when The Backstreet Boys confirm their *rumored* Las Vegas Residency in 2017 I will be planning a trip there to see my favorite band in person again. Once all of that is said and done, my next goal will be my first visit to California, if Fuller House gets renewed for a Season 3 which would film in 2018, I am HOPING to go to Los Angeles / Anaheim and see a live taping of my favorite TV show since as long as I can remember, and while i am in the area, hit up Disneyland for my first time!

I currently do not have my own credit card, and I have no debts/loans to pay back from college - thanks to academic scholarships, and savings bonds from since I was a baby, everything was paid off as I went through school at the time I did it

That's how I pay for my trips.

 

[CapeCodTenor]

When I traveled solo to Disney World, I'd save for it throughout the year a little at a time. The change in my pocket? That goes into a jar for the trip, usually not enough to pay for the trip, but it could pay for part of it or be enough for a meal or two. I'd also set aside money from each pay check. Every little bit helps.

 

[YawningDodo]

A new one I just started: in order to break myself of the habit of eating fast food more days than not, every time I go a day without eating out I put a few extra dollars in my vacation fund. I'm still spending less on the additions to the fund than I would be on restaurant food, and hopefully this will lead to healthier eating most of the time.

 

[JeffryK]

Off site saves you so much money its almost silly. Only thing annoying then is the parking costs if you do not have an AP. I really believe that at most parks (except maybe MK when its not busy at the busses) you're faster at your offsite hotel. I hate those slow loading Disney busses, especially if you have a guest with a disability it takes ages. I went back to the hotel almost every day and paid parking is for a whole day regardless of which park you visit. Even with the costs of a rental (which youre going to want of you want to visit anything not disney) and parking you save a lot of money. And you can eat offsite which adds even more variety and cost saving opportunities. Breakfast at Subways gets me through the day with a snack in the afternoon at the parks.

I also once flew to Orlando Sanford (which is a lot cheaper to fly to for me from abroad) and rented a car for a day and dropped that off the next day at the rental place at the parking lot at MK. Did the same when i left for home. This gave me the opportunity to go offsite for a day and get some groceries.

Also flight prices change a LOT. Make it a routine to check places like skyscanner every single day (also weekends), bookmark your search. If you can flexibly plan your dates you can save a lot if you just keep checking the dates until the flight prices drop. My best price for a flight from Europe to Sanford was $300.

 

[Accident]

Off site saves you so much money its almost silly. Only thing annoying then is the parking costs if you do not have an AP. I really believe that at most parks (except maybe MK when its not busy at the busses) you're faster at your offsite hotel.

I'm finding uber and lyft to be cheaper than parking living nearby property (except for mk where it's a hair more), but with uber you can get dropped off at contemporary and just walk over to MK saving a lot of time with the ferry/monorail/tram. Also helpful if your like to have a few drinks and not have to worry about getting back.

It's something to consider if your staying offsite without an AP or don't really want a rental car and that cost. (and saving money on parking).

 

[richmo]

On solo trips, I try to make the trip as cheap as possible. I always stay offsite. Really all I need is a decent bed since I'm not in the room all that much...usually somewhere that is $49-$69 a night, preferably with free breakfast. That's getting a little harder to come by, but still possible. (Lately I've been staying at Clarion Inn in LBV or the Quality Inn on Entry Point Blvd.)

If I can't get the free breakfast, I'll stop at a Publix or Winn Dixie and pick up something to store in the room's refrigerator...usually something like bagels and cream cheese. One thing I will always get when staying offsite is a car, but since its just me, I'll get a compact. I'll aggressively check rates until departure day. I've often, but again not always, been able to get less than $100 a week. I refuse to deal with hotel shuttles.

I will usually eat lunch at a QS in the parks. Some nights I may also get a QS in the park or find something relatively inexpensive outside. Moe's Southwest Grill in Crossroads Plaza has a terrific deal every Monday (around $6 for a full meal); I've signed up for Sweet Tomatoes coupons online that gets you a full meal for around $10. I generally don't do table service at Disney when doing a solo...

As far as park tickets, especially if there's a family trip between solo trips (which are generally about a year apart), I'll get an AP for the first solo trip, then use it on the family trip, then use it again on a solo trip a year after the first one, ending just before the AP expires. Having the AP takes care of the parking expense. I've never renewed an AP, I just wait a year to get another one.

 

[Jamie77]

How do I afford Disney as a solo traveler? Easily. I'm not paying for anyone else!

 

[IceSkatingPrincess]

I'm not always solo, but my husband is deployed 6 months out of the year so I am solo roughly half of the time. We only live 3 hours (driving) from the park, so travel costs are very low. If I leave from my office, it's only 2 hours (finally that awful commute comes in handy for something). When he is gone, I'll often stay cheaply at Shades of Green or somewhere else using the military room discounts which are very generous. For park tickets, I have an AP. For food, I have tables in wonderland. We eat breakfast in the room from snacks we bring. All that combined really helps.

Additionally, we don't drive the fanciest cars by any stretch of the imagination, but they are paid off and good on gas. We don't really take other trips outside of WDW, so that helps. The house we rent is enough, but nothing fancy. We both work full time. I coupon and budget and always shop sales and clearance to save extra money. We tighten the strings in other areas in order to afford Disney, but it is worth it to us, even when half the time it's me going by myself.

 

[jsmla]

How do I afford Disney as a solo traveler? Easily. I'm not paying for anyone else!

The thing is if I travel with a friend I don't pay her expenses so the room and driving costs are cut in half. We also share meals and snacks. It's a huge money saver.

It actually costs a lot more to travel with DH. He's not a fan of my little economies. He needs a nicer resort and likes to eat out a whole lot more. OTOH, he's not a theme park guy so tickets aren't a huge expense with him.

 

[Ashley Nadeau]

To help save money I liked to use the My Disney Savings website. It is great if you are looking to save up quite a bit in advance as there are restrictions on how quickly you can pull out the money. This sit has been great and I was easily able to save up for my trip! You might like it too

 

[CapeCodTenor]

Just this past Friday, June 24th, I had to go to court to pick up a bunch of files (I'm a paralegal). Well, the court won't let me make copies of the files for free, so I had to pay for it, .40 cents a page. I stuck in $6 and started making copies. I didn't need that much so I wound up getting $4 back in change. Wanna take any guesses where that went? Every little bit helps.

 

[MikeSmith1977]

New to this site, but here is a hint if you can do it and need a 2nd job or main job. I work full time for a Hilton Hotel in Boston area. I am making my first solo Disney Trip Feb 6th to 13th. Staying at Buena Vista Palace for $50 a night with the employee rate. Hilton discount starts once you get a job and only have to work 1 shift per month to be eligible. So if you could get a on call position and do a shift or 2 a month it can drastically help with cost.

 

[Texans_loyal]

New to the site but i did 3 solo trips this year!

1. Couponing. It took about a month to master but pays off big time! i don't pay for anything anymore and i sell my overstock.

2. Ebates. I do all of my shopping online.
If i know i need to get some items from target, I will place my order online for in store pickup. yes, it's only 2% at times but it adds up! My last ebates check was $1,876!

3. Travel when it's slow. January is a great month to travel. the parks are empty and enjoyable. the flights are dirt cheap (i flew for $40 on frontier last year!) and so are the hotels.

4. Stay at the value resorts or rent points. I Only use the room to sleep so i don't care about the fancier hotels. $500 a night is ridiculous in my book. I have a trip coming up in December and i am renting points. i actually saved $100 by doing this and i am staying at the animal kingdom lodge! so excited to experience the nicer hotels!

5. Fly Frontier or spirit. No, it's not no where near first class but you can save over $200 doing so.

6. Go to Disney's character warehouse at the outlet mall. almost everything is 75% - 90% off! i buy all of my shirts and souvenirs there. for $100, I walk out with 5 full bags of goodies! they had .99 pins and key chains back in April!

7. Amazon pantry. have all of your groceries delivered to you at a discounted rate. (use ebates )

8. Free water at the parks. any quick service will give you a free cup of water.

9. Disney Gift cards. I pay with my vacation with discounted Gift cards i buy from target and Sam's club. 5% adds up!

10. Ebay. I buy my park tickets from ebay, again use ebates. A lot of times people will have to cancel their vacation and want to get rid of the tickets. i save $20 to $50 doing so.

11. use Disney Transportation. Will save you tons! you do have to wait for the buses but it's worth not paying for parking.

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