Before we start, I think it’s important to point something out. I have never been the best bargain hunter – if my mum ever asked me to pick my favourite outfit in Miss Selfridge when I was young, I would invariably pick the most expensive one without knowing I had. It’s not deliberate, it’s just me.
Also, despite generally being quite possibly one of the most disorganised people around, I have a need to be organised on trips like this, with regard to food and fast passes and things, because I know that once those things are sorted we can fill the rest of the time however we want. Then I can stick them all on a timetable and the fun begins!
Hence the need for all the planning – we are not actually going for almost a year, but dining reservations are available to be made 180 days in advance of your trip, and that is 170 days from now, so that is less than half way!
What I’m saying, in a very nonsensical way!, is that our way of doing Disney is very possibly not your way of doing Disney. That’s totally okay! You may want to spend way less or even much more than us! I will endeavour to put the different options where available and I will be very happy to share any and all tips that come my way with regard to saving money.
But here are our basics and these will always happen: we will always stay in a Disney resort, because for us the benefits of staying in one far outweigh not staying in one. And we will always get the Disney Dining Plan too.
Em’s Walt Disney World Planning Blog 