Hi Erin!
Welcome to planDisney! Thanks for stopping by with a great question about planning and budgeting for your Walt Disney World Resort vacation. Over the years, I've learned a few great tips to share with you as you start thinking about your trip next year.
Erin, currently Walt Disney World Resort vacation packages can be reserved with
as little as $200 down (price subject to change). When you book a vacation package that includes your resort hotel stay and tickets, you also get to enjoy
several Magical Extras in addition to the
many great benefits you'll enjoy when staying on property. I find this is the best option if you're hoping to spread out your payments and make the most of your time at Walt Disney World Resort. It's important to note that if you are making a room only reservation the current deposit is one night's stay and tickets must be paid in full at the time of purchase if bought outside of a package.
Booking a vacation package also gives you the option to add one of the dining plans to your trip - the
Disney Dining Plan or the
Disney Quick-Service Dining Plan. Regardless of which plan you choose, you can rest assured knowing that many of your meals will be included with your vacation package rather than paying per meal when you arrive.
With four days in the parks, my family actually prefers to skip the
Park Hopper Option and spend one day in each of the four theme parks. This saves some money on our ticket purchase and gives us the chance to see a little bit of everything. We find that making a list of our priorities and focusing on one park per day actually allows us to feel a bit more relaxed, rather than trying to bounce between theme parks on shorter visits.
Lastly, I'd like to share a few thoughts when deciding where to stay in the
Disney Resorts Collection. You'll find four different categories of hotels - Value, Moderate, Deluxe, and Deluxe Villa. Don't let the names fool you though, there is a lot to love about resorts in each of these categories! If you're looking in the Value and Moderate categories, I'd recommend checking out
Disney's Pop Century Resort and
Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort. Not only do both of these have some incredible themeing, but you'll also enjoy access to the Disney Skyliner when traveling to EPCOT or Disney's Hollywood Studios. In the Deluxe category, I'm always a fan of
Disney's Contemporary Resort. From here, you can easily walk to Magic Kingdom Park and will find EPCOT just a short ride away on the Walt Disney World Monorail. There are also several great dining options both in this resort and at neighboring resorts that are also on the Monorail loop including character meals at Chef Mickey's, 'Ohana (characters at breakfast only), and 1900 Park Fare.
Erin, I hope this helps as you start with your planning! You're always welcome to be our guest here at planDisney so I hope you stop by with any other questions or for more suggestions in the future!
Cheers,
Kristi