Category — e. What to Budget for Walt Disney World

OVERVIEW: DISNEY’S GIVE A DAY, GET A DISNEY DAY PROGRAM

Note: Disney has met its goal of getting a million people to sign up, and thus is no longer accepting new registrants for this program.

For current Walt Disney World discounts, see this.

Disney’s “Give a Day, Get a Disney Day” program provides one day of free theme park admissions (or other goodies) in return for a day of volunteer work at a pre-approved  project or event. 

For some families, this ticket will be worth more than $80 per person. 

Other families won’t be able to use the ticket itself, but can redeem their day instead for a cool special FASTPASS program that will likely limit their waiting the day that they use it.

MORE DETAILS ON DISNEY’S GIVE A DAY, GET A DISNEY DAY PROGRAM

How it works:

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This is part of The Comfortable Guide to Walt Disney World

OVERVIEW: THE COMFORTABLE GUIDE TO HOW LONG TO STAY AT WALT DISNEY WORLD

I have noted elsewhere in the instructions for typical families visiting Walt Disney World for the first, and perhaps only, time, that they should plan to be there for 8 nights and 9 days to see all of its best, while also building in sufficient time to relax and rest.

These instructions are designed for typical first time family visitors who are not sure whether or not they will ever return.

This page addresses how long to stay at Walt Disney World for a subset of first time visitors: those seeking the most comfortable visit.

It is part of a series about the most comfortable way to visit Walt Disney World.  Its companion series is about the most inexpensive way to visit Walt Disney World,

I am publishing both series at the same time to help those who are looking for bargains and deals on some things, so that they can spend more on others!!  Links to everything in these two series are at the bottom of the page.

MORE ON THE COMFORTABLE GUIDE TO HOW LONG TO STAY AT WALT DISNEY WORLD

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MILITARY DISCOUNTS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD

Update: the 2019 Armed Forces salute is out! See this.

Military families are eligible, of course, for all Walt Disney World deals and specials available to the general public.

In addition, Walt Disney World often makes special deals available to members of and retirees from the U.S. military, and from related DoD organizations.

The most valuable of these is the Armed Forces Salute.

In addition, Shades of Green, an Armed Forces Recreation Center located near Walt Disney World’s Polynesian resort and nestled among Walt Disney World’s renowned Palm and Magnolia golf course, offers wonderfully low rates for the quality of its rooms.

Shades of Green discounts its already low rates from time to time.

And of course Disney’s general public deals and specials apply to military families as well.

This site recommends Shades of Green for first-time visitors only under a couple of special circumstances.  See this for more on first time family visits and Shades of Green.

Steve Bell is the Military Moderator on this site. And Steve’s Military Disney Tips has for years been the go-to site for military families looking to make the most out of their Disney World vacations.

But like every other website (especially mine), finding exactly what you need to know, in the right order, sometimes isn’t as easy as you’d like it to be.

So the great news is that Steve has just published a Disney World guidebook for military families.

With entire chapters devoted to the 2016 Armed Forces Salute, to Shades of Green, and to other deals and perks available to military families, I can’t recommend it enough!!

It’s available as a PDF–probably the most convenient format–here, and on Amazon.com here.

This book will be a great help to military families contemplating a Disney World visit in 2016!!

LINKS FOR MILITARY FAMILIES AT WALT DISNEY WORLD

• Military Families at Walt Disney World
• Deals and Discounts
  • Military Discounts and Deals
  • Other Walt Disney World Discounts and Deals
• Shades of Green
  • Shades of Green e-book
  • Review of Shades of Green
  • Splitting Your Stay Between Shades of Green and Another Resort
  • Overflow Rates at Shades of Green
  • Shades of Green website

Comments moderated by Steve Bell of Military Disney Tips.

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This is part of The Comfortable Guide to Walt Disney World

OVERVIEW: THE MOST COMFORTABLE WAY TO TOUR THE THEME PARKS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD

This site provides precise instructions elsewhere , including how to tour the parks at Walt Disney World. These instructions are designed for typical first time family visitors who are not sure whether or not they will ever return.

This page is one of several on how to tour the theme parks at Walt Disney World for a subset of first time visitors: those seeking the most comfortable visit.

It is part of a series about the most comfortable way to visit Walt Disney World.  Its companion series is about the most inexpensive way to visit Walt Disney World,

I am publishing both series at the same time so that they also help those who are looking for bargains and deals on some things, so that they can spend more on others!!  Links to everything in these two series are at the bottom of the page.

MORE ON THE MOST COMFORTABLE WAY TO TOUR THE THEME PARKS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD

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NEW WALT DISNEY WORLD PROMOTION FOR SPRING AND SUMMER DATES

Walt Disney World has a new resort discount out for most nights from May 2 through August 14.

• Under this deal, select value resort rooms are available for a discount of 15% off list, moderates for 20% off, deluxes for 25% off, and Disney Vacation Club rooms for 30% off.
• This deal can be booked through August 14, and replaces a number of deals that had to be reserved by March 27.
• See this for the official Disney offer.

Disney is also offering its free dining promotion for the period of August 15-October 2.  See this for more on this offer. 

LINKS FOR WHEN TO GO

• For when to go to Walt Disney World, see this
• For the next best dates, see this
• For the best and worst times to visit, see this
  • For 2010 weeks to visit, ranked in order, see this
  • For the 2010 Week Picker App, see this
  • For 2011 weeks to visit, ranked in order, see this
• For forecasting crowds at Walt Disney World, see this
• For seasonal pricing at Walt Disney World, see this
  • For 2010 price seasons, see this
  • For projected 2011 price seasons, see this
• For weather at Walt Disney World, see this

WHAT TO BUDGET LINKS

For the basic December trip recommended by this site,

• See this for what to budget during the basic December trip
• See this if you are on particularly tight budget, for (difficult) ideas to reduce the December trip budget by more than $1,000

If you can’t go the week this site recommends, see Estimating Budgets for Different Trips

For help getting to much lower budget numbers,

• See this for a summary of current Walt Disney World deals and discounts
• See this for basic Disney World budgeting concepts: Planning Your Walt Disney World Budget
• To design a trip around a specific budget target–e.g., what can you do for $2,500–see this
• For reducing your lodging costs,
  • See The Tightwad’s Guide to Where to Stay at Walt Disney World
  • See this for a summary of current Walt Disney World deals and discounts
• For reducing your dining costs,
  • For ideas on cutting your dining costs compared to what this site recommends, see this
  • For a period during which dining is sometimes free, see The Tightwad’s Guide to When to Go to Walt Disney World

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This page is part of the series The Tightwad’s Guide to Walt Disney World

OVERVIEW: HOW LONG TIGHTWADS SHOULD STAY AT WALT DISNEY WORLD

I have noted elsewhere in the instructions for typical families visiting Walt Disney World for the first, and perhaps only, time, that they should plan to be there for 8 nights and 9 days to see all of its best, while also building in sufficient time to relax and rest.

I have also noted elsewhere that to save money on a trip to Walt Disney World, you will find more promise in optimizing when you go and where you stay than in shortening your trip.

However, this page provides some thoughts on a minimum length trip to Walt Disney World.

MORE ON HOW LONG TIGHTWADS SHOULD STAY AT WALT DISNEY WORLD

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