There’s No Place Like Disney – on a Budget

There is something that sets a Disney vacation apart from everything else. The feeling of nostalgia, happiness, and imagination – the Disney magic is real. But the intimidation that comes with budgeting for this family dream vacation is also real.

“Best Vacation Ever.”

My Kids

By no means am I a Disney vacation expert. This 2019 trip was the first time I had been to Disney since I was 12 years old. I know there are travel agents and bloggers who specialize in Disney itineraries, beating the crowds, food planning, etc. so the best advice I feel like I can give is how to travel to Disney World on a budget from the MD/DC area (that is not camping). We were saving up to buy a house and had just gotten married. “Disney on a budget” was the name of this vacation.

I booked hotel and airfare for four people for $1,483 and we went to all the Disney Parks (park tickets, some food, and Uber rides not included).

How?

We flew out of Hagerstown Regional (HGR) Airport to Orlando/Sanford (SFB) Airport through Allegiant Airlines and booked an airfare/hotel package deal through the Allegiant website. We parked our car at HGR and didn’t pay for parking because the airport doesn’t charge for parking. If you’re used to flying at BWI or DUL, you know that this is a nice savings. Allegiant flies out of HGR two to three days a week (Mon, Wed, and Fri in the busy season).

But isn’t SFB airport so far from Disney and won’t it just end up costing more?

Orlando Sanford Airport is farther from Disney than Orlando International Airport, about 59 minutes to be exact, but it is a smaller airport that is a little easier to navigate. An Uber ride from SFB to the Disney area is around $55-$60. When you consider the cost of not renting a car and paying hotel daily parking fees, I think traveling out of SFB is a more budget-friendly option.

We stayed at the former Nickelodeon Resort waterpark, now owned by the Holiday Inn Orlando Suites Waterpark, which is located one mile from the entrance to Disney. We booked a family suite with a separate master bedroom and the girls had their own room with bunk beds and it was plenty of room for us all. As of this writing, the hotel rates 3.8 on Trip Advisor. I liked the hotel for its “up to four kids ages 12 and eat free any time of day” policy which translated into food savings. To travel to and from Disney parks, we used the hotel’s complimentary shuttle and Uber.

To cut down on souvenir costs, we bought our Disney shirts and Mickey/Minnie ears ahead of time instead of paying for the markup inside the parks. The Clarksburg Outlets has a great Disney store to check out ahead of time. I also brought with me Disney gift cards I collected from things like birthday gifts so that the girls could get some things they wanted while at the park.

Disney was exhausting and I think I covered more steps (comfortable shoes are a must) than I ever had in my life but it was magical. I am already planning for the next time when we can visit!

Day	To	From	Mode	Trip Notes
1 Fri.	Orlando/Sanford (SFB) Airport	Hagerstown Regional Airport (HGR) Airport	Allegiant Airlines	I booked the carry-on bag fee and seat selection fee with the package so there were no surprise airline fees after booking.
	Holiday Inn Resort Orlando Suites Waterpark, Orlando, FL	SFB Airport	Uber	An affordable hotel option with a waterpark. Kids under 12 eat free all day long at the restaurant.
2 Sat	Animal Kingdom	Our Hotel	Complimentary Hotel Shuttle	The Flight of Avatar was by far, our favorite ride.
3 Sun	Epcot World	Our Hotel	Complimentary Hotel Shuttle	We met the most characters at Epcot!
4 Mon	Planet Hollywood, Disney Springs	Our Hotel	Uber	We had some time to kill before the Halloween Party so checked out Disney Springs shopping and restaurant options.
	Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, Magic Kingdom	Our Hotel	Uber	When you book tickets for the Halloween Party, you can get into Magic Kingdom at 4:00pm. The parade starts at 7:00pm so we booked dinner at Be Our Guest before the party started.
	Be Our Guest Restaurant, Hollywood Studios	Magic Kingdom	Walk	This is the only spot in Disney World where you can meet the Beast. The most memorable part of dinner for the girls was painting their own teacup chocolate with edible paints! The most memorable part for us was trying escargot for the first time and not liking it!
5 Tues	Hollywood Studios	Our Hotel	Complimentary Hotel Shuttle	My husband’s favorite park because of Galaxy’s Edge where he made a light saber with his two sons.
	50’s Primetime Cafe, Hollywood Studios	Hollywood Studios	Walk	My daughters still talk about the hilarity of the waitress “yelling” at us to keep our elbows off the table and finish our vegetables which is part of the restaurant’s charm.
6 Wed	SFB Airport	Our Hotel	Uber