Hiya Holly! Welcome to planDisney!
Oh boy! And I thought I was the ultimate planner! Believe me, it is never too early to start looking forward and planning for your next Walt Disney World vacation! There is a lot that goes into the process including choosing which
Disney Resorts Collection hotel is best for your trip, which parks you plan to visit, and which dining locations you plan to eat at! But most importantly, budgeting properly for your trip is at the top of the list!
Unfortunately, Disney discontinued the Disney Vacation Account a few years back but do not let this deter you from budgeting for your stay. To determine how much you'll need, use the
Walt Disney World website to plan out a trip over the next year. Although the amount will likely increase by the time you travel, you'll get a sense of how much the trip will cost. Divide this amount by how many months you have until you plan to travel and this will give you a great idea of how much you need to budget each month.
Once you figure out the approximate amount you'll need, I recommend starting a savings account at your local bank specifically for this vacation. You can allocate money directly to this account each week or month via direct deposit. This way you'll keep these funds separate from your everyday checking or savings account and will only be used for the vacation you are saving for. I used this method for our first trip with our little ones. Having the money directly deposited took away any second-guessing and did not allow me to use it for anything else.
Disney Gift Cards are a great way to put your money directly toward your vacation. In addition to using them in the parks or at most locations around the Resort, you can also use them for payment toward your vacation package. Disney Gift Cards do not have expiration dates, so you can start purchasing them now for your future stay! This is a great way to allocate your money directly for Disney purposes.
Holly, starting to budget now for your vacation is the smartest thing you can do! I hope I was able to provide some helpful tips!
Happy planning!
Greg