Holidays can be expensive, but your dream Orlando holiday might actually be cheaper than you think. With these tips and tricks from our Florida and travel experts, you can save some money on your next trip to Florida, leaving you with more money to spend on souvenirs… or put towards your next bucket list destination.
1. Book your attraction tickets in advance
If you’re planning on visiting big theme parks like Walt Disney World Resort in Florida multiple times during your holiday, it’s much better value to book your theme park tickets in advance. Not only are our 14-Day Disney Magic Tickets exclusively available for UK and Irish guests (you won’t be able to get this duration of ticket in America) but they’re significantly cheaper than the tickets you can buy on the gate, starting at just £38 per day compared to over $200 for a 1-day park hopper ticket. You can also take advantage of any sales and discounts to make your tickets even cheaper.
Our tickets are gate-ready, so you’ll not only be saving money but time too as you’ll be able to walk straight into the park as soon as you arrive.
2. Spread the cost with a deposit
All of our tickets for the major Orlando theme parks are available to book with a deposit, so you can lock in our best prices without needing to pay in full at the time of booking. Then it’s up to you whether you spread your payments into small regular instalments or pay in one chunk at a later date - your full balance just needs to be paid in full at least 6 weeks before your departure date.
3. Make the most of freebies
Make sure you know exactly what is included in the cost of your tickets so you can get the most value for money out of them. For example, all adult Disney Magic Tickets include Memory Maker, Disney’s in-park photo service that costs $210 if bought separately, and access to Walt Disney World Resort’s two mini-golf courses, while some of our SeaWorld tickets include All-Day Dining!
There are plenty of other free things to do throughout the resorts as well, like the Chip ‘n’ Dale Campfire Sing-a-long at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground, street performers at Disney’s Boardwalk, or the Memorabilia Tour at Universal’s Hard Rock Hotel.
4. Research American holiday periods
Everyone knows that travelling off-peak is a great way to cut down the cost of your holiday, but we know that most families are constrained by school holidays. It’s always worth checking the dates of American holidays though, as periods we consider to be peak travel times might not be for them. American school summer holidays start and finish a lot earlier than they do in the UK, so the end of August can actually be a fairly cheap and quiet time to visit Orlando.
Similarly, if you aren’t limited to school holidays there may be other peak periods for Americans that you need to be aware of. American spring break starts a lot earlier than our Easter holidays, so we’d recommend avoiding the end of March and beginning of April if possible, and while most families in the UK won’t be going away at the end of November, many American families will be for their Thanksgiving break.
5. Consider a mid-week flight
Most people will plan their holiday to begin on a Saturday, so weekend flights are normally the most expensive. If you can be flexible with the dates you travel, going mid-week to mid-week could save you a few hundred pounds on your flights alone. Sometimes it might even be cheaper to fly out one day earlier and stay in a cheap hotel for the night than pay expensive weekend prices!
What our Florida experts say:
“We use the Skyscanner.com website to give us a broad range of options by the day (look for the clickable link that says ‘Show whole month’), and we can see that a flight on the outbound leg in mid-July can vary by more than £300 in just a few days, while the return flight up to 14 days later could also be cheaper depending on the day you fly back.”
6. Consider staying at a Universal Signature hotel
Now we know what you’re thinking; how can staying in a more expensive hotel save me money? Well bear with us because this hack can end up being a serious money saver!
If you’re considering purchasing Universal Express Passes for even one day, it could be cheaper to book a one-night stay at Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, Loews Royal Pacific Resort, or Hard Rock Hotel. This is because you’ll get Universal Express Unlimited for every day of your stay, included in the cost of your room!
During the 2025 Easter holidays, 1 Day of Universal Express Unlimited could cost over £1000* for a family of 4, but a one-night stay at Loews Royal Pacific Hotel (with two days of Express Unlimited access) on the same dates would cost £697*. That’s a £383 saving for an extra day of express passes!
7. Factor in transport and parking
If you’re choosing between an onsite hotel at one of the theme park resorts and a cheaper offsite hotel or villa, make sure you factor in the costs of transport and parking, as these can really add up. Onsite hotels might seem more expensive at the outset, but with free transport to and from the theme parks, you’ll save on the cost of 14 days of Ubers or a hire car.
If an offsite hotel or villa is the best option for you, you next need to decide whether a hire car is necessary, as they now no longer provide the same value for money as they once did. An Uber or Lyft is never far away in the main tourist areas of Orlando, and if you’re staying on International Drive we’d recommend purchasing an I-RIDE Trolley Unlimited Pass for as little as 85p per day per person.
What our experts say:
“If you are just doing the main theme parks, it can now make more sense NOT to have a car and to rely on Uber, Lyft and/or public transport if you want to save money. Considering all the theme parks now charge a whopping $30 a day just to park (and there are no real alternatives unless your hotel is within walking distance of Universal Orlando Resort or SeaWorld), you might not spend much more than that to get an Uber to the park and back each day, and you have then made a major car hire saving.”
8. Purchase a Discovery Cove Ultimate Package
If you’re planning on spending a day at Discovery Cove, make sure you know exactly what is included in your package. With the Discovery Cove Ultimate Package, you’ll get 14 consecutive days’ admission to SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, and Aquatica, so don’t waste your money buying separate tickets for these attractions. Conversely, instead of purchasing a 3-Visit ticket to these attractions, look into purchasing a Discovery Cove package instead, as for just a little extra you’ll get a whole day of relaxing in paradise with breakfast, lunch, and unlimited snacks all included.
9. Check out some smaller Orlando attractions
No one loves theme parks as much as we do, but if your budget can only cover tickets for one of the major parks, there are lots of other smaller attractions in Orlando that will ensure you have a holiday like no other. From Andretti Go-Karting and Boggy Creek Airboat rides to Kennedy Space Center and Gatorland, there are attractions the whole family will love.
Check out why we love these non-theme park attractions:
10. Bring themed merchandise from home
You’ll probably factor a few souvenirs into your budget as a memento of your trip, but if you’re travelling with little ones who will want to take the whole shop home it can be wise to do some shopping for themed clothing and toys before you go away. Shops like ASDA, Primark, and Matalan usually have cheap merchandise featuring Disney Characters, Harry Potter, Minions etc. that are officially licensed but are a fraction of the cost of what you’ll find in the theme parks. And if you give them to your kids throughout the trip, they’ll still get the joy of a holiday souvenir and you’ll get the joy of saving some serious money.
If you do want to do some cheap souvenir shopping while in Orlando, our experts know the best places you should go:
“The Disney’s Character Warehouse store at Orlando International Premium Outlets and the similar version at the Vineland Premium Outlets both offer genuine Disney merchandise, often at up to 50 per cent off that in the parks. Yes, it’s most likely to be last year’s merch, but the kids won’t know that and your wallet will! Universal Orlando no longer has discount stores in any of the malls, but they do have two discounted sales points in the parks. Look for It’s a Wrap at the exit to Universal Studios and Port Provisions on the way out of Islands of Adventure, and you could discover some real bargains.”
11. Leave the toiletries at home
Unless you have specific products you want to use, there’s no need to buy expensive travel toiletries for the whole family. Most hotels will have products like body wash, lotion, shampoo and conditioner, or if you’re staying in a villa it will be cheaper to take a trip to somewhere like Walmart and buy full-size products everyone can share. Not only will you be saving money, but you’ll save some space in your suitcase too - which means more room for souvenirs!
12. Pack your own snacks
All the theme parks let you bring in a small amount of food, so having your own supply of things like crisps, cereal bars, dried fruit, and cartons of juice could end up saving you a lot of money on snacks. If you have the space in your case you can bring these from home, or take a trip to a supermarket at the beginning of your trip if you want to try some American snacks or have some more perishable items like fresh fruit and yoghurt (most hotels will have a small fridge you can keep these in).
13. Split big meals
One of the things America is known for is its massive portion sizes, so make the most of this whenever you can. Whether for starters (called appetisers in the U.S.), main courses (called entrees) or desserts, portions are almost always large, and it is perfectly acceptable to split a meal between two people. Simply tell your server in advance that you wish to share and it will often be split in the kitchen and served on two plates. Just be sure to tip as though you purchased two meals. Even counter-service meals might be big enough to share, or you might find that a kids’ meal is enough for you.
14. Use the free wifi
We know how important it is to keep in touch with family while you’re away, even if it’s just to make them jealous with your holiday snaps. But you don’t need to splash out on roaming charges if they’re not included in your contract, as all of the theme parks and hotels have free WiFi.
The only time you may need to use mobile data is if you’re using Uber or Lyft, in which case we’d recommend having one designated person responsible for this for the whole holiday, so only one person is paying the charges.
To start putting our money-saving tips into action, browse our Orlando attraction tickets and hotels, or give our sales team a call on 0800 223 0324 for even more advice! And right now you can save even more money buy using the code MAGIC at checkout to save up to 20% on your 2025 Orlando theme park tickets!
*Prices based on a family of 4 staying at Loews Royal Pacific Resort 14th-15th April 2025, compared to 4x Universal Express Unlimited Access for 14th April 2025. Valid park admission is required to use Universal Express Passes. Prices correct at the time of writing but are subject to change.
