Hi Jennifer!
Welcome to the Disney Parks Moms Panel and I'm so happy to hear you're planning a first trip to Walt Disney World. Sometimes there's a bit of sticker shock when you initially check out the rack rates of Resort Hotels, but hopefully the following suggestions will help you plan a vacation with budget in mind.
You'll first want to familiarize yourself with the benefits to staying at a
Disney Resort Hotel. From complimentary transportation to Extra Magic Hours, you'll soon realize the reasons so many guests choose to stay "on property."
Secondly, I'd suggest bookmarking the
Special Offers link found on the disneyworld.com site. Here, you'll find upcoming discounts for various packages and travel dates.
Lastly, you'll want to check out the independent site mousesavers.com. In the search box, type "historical discounts: past dates of release." Although future discounts cannot be guaranteed, this chart will provide you the dates Disney released prior discounts in order to predict when or if Disney might release another discount.
Because April can be a busy time, I'd suggest booking a room to ensure availability. If a discount appears on the Special Offers page that fits your travel plans, simply call 407-W-DISNEY to see if the discount can be applied to your existing reservation. In my experience, I've been successful in applying a new discount to our package.
I hope my answer was helpful, Jennifer, and please visit us again with any other planning questions.
Sherri