How can I have the best Disney World vacation on a budget?

My family and I recently got back from a trip to three different Disney World parks and boy was it an adventure. I'm still recovering almost one week later! Nonetheless, here are tips and recommendations that I hope prepares you for your perfect Disney trip!

I was able to save money in the best way possible (which at Disney World is minimal). We found an Airbnb that was large enough for two families and split the costs. We also piled up (safely of course) in my 8 seater SUV like a pack of sardines. Thankfully, this allowed us to split the costs of parking between both families as well. We paid for preferential parking (I think it was like 20-30 dollars more per day but worth it!!!!) This way you can walk straight up to the monorail or park entrance (skipping an entire step in the pain staking process). Making life easier with a bunch of kids, strollers, backpacks, and water bottles definitely was worth paying for the preferential parking. When we first got to the Airbnb, we meal prepped a few dinners that could easily be popped in the oven or on the grill. We actually had enough left overs for the remaining days. I made baked ziti and greek chicken kabobs. And, of course we had to fit in a pizza night for the kiddos. But overall, this significantly cut down costs. The other thing to keep in mind about Disney World is that you can bring outside food and non alcoholic drinks into the park. This is both a good and bad thing. It's great because you can save a lot of money by bringing your own food items in the park. It's bad because it requires you to carry more things around. We decided to go the money saving route and packed our own lunches and water. In fact, in order to keep our food cold I froze the water bottles the night before, placed them in ziplock bags to keep from leaking, and utilized them as freezer packs. When they defrosted, we had additional cold water at the end of the day. This Disney trip we elected to keep our personal stroller at home and rent a Disney stroller each day. This was a decision that we decided on after our last Disney trip. All of those bottled waters and a backpack full of food are HEAVY! The design of the Disney strollers enable the kids to pop on and pop off quickly and efficiently. We got the double stroller because it allowed for us to place our heavy backpack on the stroller under their feet. It was worth every penny!

I don't know about you but I spent months preparing and shopping for this trip. I wanted to have everything I needed logistically but also have the Disney attire and accessories that would lend itself to great pictures. Here are a few things I recommend bringing and/or buying:

1. Durable backpack https://amzn.to/3xeOD0A

2. Matching Family shirts

3. Sunscreen

4. Mini fan for stroller https://amzn.to/49iNGRX

5. Minnie ears (of course) https://amzn.to/49iKHsJ

6. Mickey ears for Daddy (If he can handle it lol)

7. Comfortable shoes for everyone https://amzn.to/3TTD33G https://amzn.to/43HmVFW

8. Poncho in case it rains https://amzn.to/4cuU9MH

9. Bandaids https://amzn.to/3vEaxcW

10. Air Tag and holders for children https://amzn.to/43CJjzW https://amzn.to/43CbUFM https://amzn.to/3x9gf73