This week, Disney announced that it would be raising the price of its car parking from $17 a day to $20 (£13.20) a day. Although the ticket is valid for the full day and covers all the Disney theme parks, it will of course stretch the budget a little further on your Disney holiday. However, not all is lost, as we have some handy hints on how to tackle or even avoid paying these prices altogether! Read on to find out more.
Stay at a Disney hotel
If you’re staying at selected Disney resort hotels, complimentary resort transportation is included with your room. This could be by bus, boat or even by monorail, but whichever way you choose it’s a quick and efficient way to travel between the parks and the resorts without paying for parking. Of course, Disney hotels aren’t always the cheapest options in Orlando, but if you’re planning on staying in one anyway, it makes sense to leave the car hire out for this portion of your trip. If you are saving $20 a day on parking, it might be worth putting that money towards staying at a slightly more expensive hotel.
Park Hop
As your car parking ticket covers you for the whole day at any Disney theme park, you may as well make the most of your day! Visit two of the smaller parks on 1 day to avoid paying for 2 full day tickets that you won’t use. Or revisit your favourite rides at one of the parks in the morning and go to a water park in the afternoon. Purchasing a flexible ticket makes this possible and ensures you soak up every last second of your day.
Visit Disney Springs
If you plan to visit Disney Springs (formerly Downtown Disney), why not stock up on a big breakfast there before hopping on the free Disney transportation to the parks? Even better, parking in the car parks around Disney Springs is also free, so you save twice on transport fees. The bus from DS to the parks can take around an hour as you need to change at one of the Disney resorts, but this will at least give your breakfast time to settle before you hit the rides! On the way home, break up the bus ride back by stopping for a drink or dinner at one of the Disney resorts, with magical theming which almost rivals the parks.
You could save anything from between $20 - $140 on parking with these tips if you are planning to spend 7 full days at the parks…more if you are looking at a 14 or 21 day Disney ticket! Those savings really could make the cost of staying off-site vs on-site seem much smaller so it’s definitely worth thinking about when planning your Disney holiday.
Of course, you'll save real money by pre-booking your Walt Disney World tickets here in the UK, before you leave for your holiday. On the gate prices can be as much as $120 +VAT for a 1 day, 1 park ticket, so our 14-day or 21-day flexible tickets are guaranteed to save you time and money on your holiday.
For more tips on planning your holiday, why not check out our Expert View section?
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