Florida’s Disney World is every kid’s dream vacation idea and a parent’s nightmare when it comes to finances. Almost everything is very expensive in Disney World. If you’re not smart enough or you just would like to get really comfortable without even thinking of the budget, you’ll end up spending a thousand dollars more. Even though you might have already planned out for this vacation for your kids, the small things that you forgot to consider will always come back to haunt you with extra payment.

Like many vacations, preparation is the key for a great time in Disney World while saving money in the process. As much as possible book your hotel room and tickets at least three months before you arrive there. That way you can lock in the price before they go any higher. If it is flexible for you and your kids visit Disney World during the off-peak season. Not only you’ll enjoy great discounts in rides and accommodation, you can also enjoy the park without even bumping into someone every five to ten seconds.

The savings in accommodations don’t even end there.There are two more options for you to save money in your Disney World: first is to get a hotel that is not located inside the park. The difference per night could even save you an additional night of stay in off site hotels. Just be sure to ask them before you book them if they offer shuttle service so that you can easily access the park. The second idea is to camp – if you’re near Orlando, you can just rent an RV and rent an area near the site. The rent that you’ll have to pay for the area to camp and the RV is lower compared to a hotel.

Food in Disney World is much more expensive compared to onsite food. Prevent compulsive buying of food for you and your kids by eating as much as you can outside the park. The food is about 25% higher inside so any impulsive spending on any food will hurt your budget. But here’s a nice alternative for you to do when you’re inside: go to a nice restaurant or reserve in advance for a 3:00pm appointment and just order ice cream for everyone to enjoy. Since it’s in the middle of the afternoon, the restaurant is not as crowded during lunch time and you have the chance to cool off while enjoying a view of the park.

For your tickets to different parks in Disney World always go for the park hopper tickets. You can say to your kids that you’ll be limiting the rides but their constant pleading will get the best out of you. Instead of paying less for a few parks, you’ll end up spending more than you should have. To prevent more impulsive spending, just buy park hopper tickets to gain access to the Disney World’s popular parks.

Last but not the least is the souvenirs. If you don’t have a digital camera, it’s time to buy one as you’ll have a great time there and digital cameras is the only way to preserve as much memory as you can. Tell your kids that the souvenirs will be purchased at the last day so that they could go around and select carefully the souvenir they wanted. You can set a price budget for each kid or at least limit the number of souvenirs they want to purchase. If you purchase them at the last day, the souvenirs will also last longer.

A great vacation doesn’t have to be very expensive. Carefully plan out your vacation and you’ll have a great time with your kids without having to spend too much.