Hiya Lacey,
Welcome to planDisney! Oh boy, I bet you are excited to start planning your vacation to Walt Disney World Resort. I know your trip seems far away now, but with so many
Enchanting Extras, dining locations, and special events to plan around, time will surely fly by quickly.
I understand the value of budgeting with so many ways to customize your Walt Disney World Resort vacation. We’ve all seen the memes of people looking at their bank statements after a highly successful vacation, and avoiding that is always the primary goal. Unfortunately, when you purchase Theme Park tickets, full payment is due at the time of purchase. Only
Walt Disney World Resort Vacation Package (which bundles a stay at a Walt Disney World Resort Collection Hotels and Theme Park Tickets) are eligible for payments over time. So if you are considering booking a resort stay as well, I would highly suggest going the Vacation Package route. You would be able to (after paying an initial deposit) pay for your May trip up until 30 days before your planned arrival.
If you are not planning on staying at a Walt Disney World Resort Collection Hotel, let me introduce you to my favorite budgeting hack, the
Disney Gift Card. My family and I always utilize Disney Gift Cards during our vacations because we can use them to purchase Theme Park tickets, pay for merchandise and dining, and even pay for our resort hotel on property. They can be purchased in increments as low as $25 and combined for more manageable payment of larger purchases such as Theme Park tickets. In the beginning stages of my vacation planning, I start by researching the costs of everything I would like to do (you can even find the menus of the dining locations on the
Walt Disney World Website) and creating my ultimate wish list. Once I have a rough estimate of how much I will need to make my dreams come true, I start collecting Disney Gift Cards a little at a time until I have enough to cover my costs. I then combine the cards in no more than $1,000 per Disney Gift Card and purchase my Theme Park Tickets and Enchanting Extras. The money I have remaining I use for dining and merchandise! It is like creating my own payment plan!
I’m sorry you cannot utilize a traditional payment plan for your Theme Park Tickets, Lacey. Hopefully, my tip is helpful for you in budgeting for your Walt Disney World Vacation. Please come back and see us if there is anything else we can do to help. Don’t forget that after you purchase Theme Park Tickets, you will need to make
Disney Park Pass Reservations!
Happy Planning,
Ashley F.