8. Get familiar with crowd trends

We touched upon this heavily in previous installments of the series, but we’ll mention it one last time: it’s worth it to know what crowds are up to in Disney parks before you visit.

This topic has more to do with saving time than money, but it will contribute to the overall satisfaction of your trip—spending all day in line is a depressing way to spend a Disney day. You can reduce time in line by familiarizing yourself with crowd trends in each park and breaking the traditional pattern most guests follow.

To review, for most parks this will mean arriving well before rope drop (perhaps with the exception of Disney’s Animal Kingdom). You’ll want to head to a different first attraction than everyone else heading into the park with you. If you’re visiting Magic Kingdom, don’t follow the traditional reverse-question-mark touring path most guests use (starting with Fantasyland)—mix it up. Websites like TouringPlans.com are well known for helping guests navigate the most up to date advice. We also do regular seasonal reports on all four Walt Disney World parks here at Theme Park Tourist.

For specifics on each park, check out our previous installments: Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Epcot, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

9. Outsmart Disney at the souvenir game

It takes a stalwart will to leave Walt Disney World without some sort of souvenir—particularly if you have kids.

You are going to want to allow yourself some sort of budget for souvenirs. Shopping is an integrated part of  visiting Disney parks, and avoiding one or two impulse buys will be a challenge. The key, like it was with dining, is to preserve your souvenir budget for something really worthwhile, whether it be a custom Star Wars lightsaber, a Banshee to take home from Pandora, or that Indiana Jones fedora you’ve always wanted.

A few souvenir budget-traps can be easily avoided by planning ahead. If you have kids, bring your own autograph book and a large Sharpie marker—autograph books and character-friendly pens are a major impulse buy for eager kids. Stuffed animals are another hit-or-miss area. You may be able to pick up a Disney stuffed animal you know your kid might like online and bring it with you, then pull it out as a surprise on the trip. Another major one is trading pins—pin trading is great fun, but the starter packs in the park are expensive. You can buy Disney pins online in large packs on Facebook, Amazon, or eBay (seasoned collectors will advise purchasing from a reputable dealer to avoid getting counterfeit pins. These won’t affect the average guest, but they’re a point of frustration for collectors.)

Other budget traps include essentials like sunscreen, rain ponchos, and cell phone power banks which are all cheaper online or at a local Walmart or Target than in the parks. Every impulse buy you avoid saves you a little more for something you really want.

A great trick you can try with kids is the “magic backpack”—we did this with my niece during her first Disney trip. Buy a Disney-themed backpack your kid will like before your trip and fill it with Disney-themed goodies your little one may want. Throughout your trip, as kids behave well, every day they get more goodies for the magic backpack. Items can include the aforementioned autograph book and pen, hats, stuffed animals, Disney sippy cups, trading pins… the sky is the limit!

10. Park Hopping: Worth it or nope?

We referenced park hopping throughout this series, but it’s worth revisiting one last time: is buying a park hopper option worth it for budget-conscious travelers?

It depends on the guest.

If you like variety and are somewhat familiar with Disney parks, a park hopper option can prove a worthwhile addition for your trip. The reason why is that you will be able to balance out the extra cost by visiting more parks per day. At the time of this writing, Disney is still limiting park hopping to after 2pm. This partially reduces the utility of a park hopper pass, but it is also the average time most seasoned park hoppers choose to visit another park. For those comfortable with this trip style, it can make for a very fulfilling Disney trip full of flexibility. You may ultimately save money by hitting more than one park per day.

For first time visitors or those who like to take their time, a park hopper is going to prove an unnecessary cost. You’re going to need a minimum of a full day to take in each Disney park (ideally, you’ll want multiple days)—the value you’ll gain from a park hopper won’t be worth it. In these cases, it’s best to leave it be. You can always add a park hopper option at the parks if you choose.

Enjoy this article? Keep reading to learn…

• The 10 Things You NEED TO Know Before Visiting Disney’s Animal Kingdom
• The 10 Things You NEED to Know Before Visiting Epcot
• The 10 Things You NEED to Know Before Visiting Disney’s Hollywood Studios
• The 10 Things You NEED to Know Before Visiting Disney’s Magic Kingdom
• The 10 Things You NEED to Know Before Visiting Walt Disney World
• The 10 Things You NEED TO Know About Walt Disney World, Beyond the Parks