MONEY-SAVING TIPS FOR DISNEY WORLD

FamilyFun helps you get your money's worth

If you haven't been to Disney World lately, you haven't been to Disney World. The enormous Florida playground is constantly adding attractions and resorts, so that every time you visit, there's something new to see. What began in 1971 as the Magic Kingdom now includes the high-tech, educational Epcot, movie-mad Disney-MGM Studios and Animal Kingdom. Each time the park expands, so do your options--and your chances to spend money. How can you save? As the author of a family guide to Disney World, I've been to the park more than 25 times with my kids, and I've developed a few money-saving strategies.

SAVING MONEY

• Buy the Five-Day Hopper Pass. Even if you're visiting for fewer days, it's a deal (the pass costs $228 for visitors ages 10 and up, $190 for kids ages three to nine and is free for kids under age three). Without the pass, you'll have to pay separately for Pleasure Island and the water parks. A single trip to Blizzard Beach, for example, would cost a family of four $124.
  
  
• Dine out at lunch. The prices at some of the nicer restaurants, especially those in Epcot's World Showcase, are considerably lower at noontime than at dinner. It's wise to make reservations before you leave home. Call 407-W-DISNEY.
  
  
• Don't pay extra to see a character. Character-theme dinner shows are expensive, costing a family of four about $116 - $140, and even a character breakfast, where Pooh or Mickey joins you for pancakes, can set you back at least $50. If your budget is tight, concentrate on ways to meet the characters inside the theme parks and at free in-park shows. You can watch the Diamond Horseshoe show, for example, in the Magic Kingdom for no additional cost, while the similarly themed Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue requires pricey tickets ($26-$75 per person).
• Wait until the end of your trip to buy souvenirs. By then, the kids will really know what they want, and you won't waste money on expensive impulse purchases.

Click on the following links for ideas on planning your trip, a four-day itinerary for Disney World and a guide to on-site hotels.

Kim Wright Wiley, author of WALT DISNEY WORLD WITH KIDS (Prima), is a contributing editor at DISNEY magazine and is FamilyFun's new Theme Park Expert.

All prices are shown without tax. Please keep in mind that phone numbers, addresses, and prices are subject to change. Updated October 2005.