8 Ways I Made My Disney World Vacation From Canada Surprisingly Affordable & How You Can Too

Visit off-peak

One of the simplest ways to cut costs when visiting Disney World is to travel during an off-peak period.

Fortunately, Disney makes it pretty easy to find out when the cheapest times to visit are. Online, there's a colour-coded ticket calendar showing the "value" dates, "regular" dates and "peak" dates, with the value dates naturally being the cheapest.

Among the most affordable times to visit are, unsurprisingly, outside of school vacation times and major holidays, like early January, for example, or early September.

We travelled in early December, before the holiday rush, when flights were still fairly affordable and when the temperatures start to drop in Florida. It wasn't particularly warm in Orlando at this time, but we sacrificed hot, sunny days to save a little money and are so glad we did.

Not only were temperatures cool and consistent (there was no standing around in sweaty queues!), but the parks were surprisingly quiet and peaceful, which gave us a much more intimate and relaxed experience overall.

What's more, travelling during Florida's off-peak season overall meant that our hotel costs were lower, park tickets were cheaper and the flights were competitively priced too.

Sure, you might have to book a little extra time off work, be flexible with dates and sacrifice the hot sun, but you'll save a whole lot of money in the process!

Plan ahead

Planning your Disney vacation in advance is another sure-fire way to save money on your trip.

The earlier you can start looking for expensive things like flights and hotels the better, as you'll have the opportunity to compare as many options as possible and find the best available deal.

Booking during promotional periods or taking advantage of early-bird prices will help keep costs down, and planning in advance means you can stay flexible with dates as well.

We started planning our trip around six months before we intended to take it, which meant when cheaper flights cropped up we were able to switch our vacation dates without any issues as we'd planned so far in advance.

Stay off-site

Although staying in an on-site hotel definitely makes the Disney experience that touch more magical, doing so is an easy way to seriously increase your vacation's price tag.

For me, visiting Disney World is all about experiencing the parks, the rides, the shows and the fireworks, and for that reason we barely spend any time relaxing in the hotel when we visit.

Because of this, we usually opt to stay off-site at a much cheaper rate. Most recently, we actually stayed in a very budget-friendly roadside motel. Truthfully, it was very basic and there were no typical hotel facilities like a pool, gym, room service or even a bar.

What it did have, though, was a free all-you-can-eat breakfast in the morning included in the price, and a location that was optimal for visiting Disney World.

Our motel offered a free shuttle bus daily to and from the Disney parks (another reason we chose it!) and we were also able to get cheap Ubers to and from the Disney parks (which now have their own Uber drop-off and pick-up locations). Not only was this convenient, but it meant we could avoid the hefty Disney World parking fee of around $30 per day.

Because we spent long days at the parks and the weather was way too cold to swim outdoors, we were more than prepared to sacrifice a few hotel comforts to shave hundreds and hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars off our end bill.

Take your own snacks

By staying in a motel that had an all-you-can-eat breakfast included in the price, we were able to eat plenty in the morning and fill up for the day, which meant we didn't have to fork out for expensive meals at Disney World.

We would usually take a few snacks from breakfast into the parks to keep us going throughout the day, like muffins, croissants and fruit, and would then eat out at affordable, off-site restaurants in the evenings.

Of course, on a few occasions we opted to treat ourselves and have lunch or dinner at one of Disney World's iconic restaurants, and our savvy spending up until those points made the Disney meals taste that much sweeter!

To save money, consider staying in a hotel that includes one (or several) meals within the price, so that you can avoid splurging your budget on food alone.

Disney World does allow visitors to bring their own snacks into the parks too, so don't be afraid to pack your bag full of snacks to save money and avoid impulse purchases – but make sure to treat yourself at least once to get the full Disney foodie experience!

Steer clear of the merch

One of the easiest ways to blow your budget in Disney World is to splurge on all of the fun merch – and I am as guilty as anyone of doing this!

However, Disney merchandise from the parks is often expensive, whether you're buying trading pins, mouse ears, character plushies or fun keepsakes.

My advice is to shop around before dropping your dollars inside the parks. Florida is brimming with discount "Disney" stores offering unofficial merch for a fraction of the price and some of the products can be very, very similar to the park versions.

That being said, if you want the real deal, consider waiting until the end of your trip to pick up your souvenirs. That way, you're more likely to prioritize your favourite one or two items, rather than buying new items every day of your trip and then finding more and more things to fall in love with.

You could also visit one of Disney's official outlet stores in Orlando to get authentic merch for way cheaper than its original price.

Pack carefully

There's nothing more frustrating than arriving at Disney World and realizing you need to fork out for something that you could have brought with you from home — so pack carefully.

For example, Florida's weather can be unpredictable, so make sure to bring your own rain poncho, sunscreen or warm jacket to avoid being forced to pay over the odds for them in the park.

If you want to be really savvy, consider buying popular products like character autograph books and Mickey Mouse ears ahead of time from discount retailers too, so you can avoid paying for the premium version inside Disney World.

Plan non-park days

Disney park tickets are not cheap, and if you're taking a two-week vacation you'll blow through your budget pretty quickly if you don't take a few days off.

If you want to keep costs down, consider planning a couple of non-park days as part of your itinerary and explore some of the free or cheap activities that Orlando has to offer.

Take a break from the hustle of the theme parks by window-shopping at one of Orlando's many outlet malls, or head out for a game of crazy golf at one of the city's many affordable adventure golf sites.

If you can't stand to go a day without Disney, why not visit Disney Springs for a free (and slightly more relaxing) afternoon out?

Make the most of freebies

There are actually a whole host of free things to do at Disney World – all you have to do is know where to find them!

For example, you can search for hidden Mickeys around the park, take selfies with your favourite characters, sample international sodas, visit Disney Springs, and even pick up unique souvenirs – all at no extra cost.

Before you go on your trip, consider reading up on the best free things to do at Disney World to make the most of your experience and keep within budget. Easy!