Hey there, hi there, ho there... you're as welcome as can be at planDisney! Thanks for visiting us with your vacation question, we love to help guests plan their magical adventures at Walt Disney World!
One thing I really love about the
Disney World Resorts Collection is the fun variety, and that they offer different price categories: Value, Moderate, and Deluxe. The
Disney Value Resorts are the most budget-friendly, and my family absolutely loves them! While you may not have as many amenities or same level of luxury as the higher resort categories, the larger-than-life theming is whimsical and so fun. Especially when planning to be on-the-go and in the parks for the large portion of your time, we've always found the Value Resorts to be more than sufficient and highly enjoyable. And you'll still receive all the full
benefits of staying at a Disney Resort, which is terrific!
Another awesome strategy is to go ahead and make a 'tentative' reservation so you can lock in your preferred dates and choice of resort. You can book a Disney Vacation Package, which is a Disney resort plus theme park tickets, for a
$200 refundable deposit (prices subject to change).
And yes, you can make payments! Once you've got that magical countdown reservation kicked-off in your
My Disney Experience account... you can log on and easily make payments under "My Plans", of any amount and frequency that works for you. The final payment will be due 30 days prior to your check-in date.
And here's my final (and favorite!) tip. Keep an eye on the
Special Offers, Deals, and Discounts page!! Disney runs some awesome deals, and you'll generally see them pop up a few weeks ahead of the eligible travel dates. If you see an offer featured that will work for you, you can easily update your reservation to use the deal! This is often something you can do yourself right online, by finding your reservation and looking for the "Change Reservation" button.
It's so exciting that you're starting your Disney World vacation planning journey! I've got many fond memories of doing this with my family over the years. We loved researching our favorite attractions or Disney Dining locations, and each contributing something we wanted to add to our magical wish list for the trip. Enjoy every moment! That anticipation can be a large part of the fun.
I'll be sending pixie-dust your way to find the practically perfect money-saving deal for 2026! Please send me a
message at planDisney if I can help with any recommendations, or answer any additional questions.
Off to Neverland!
Tami