Cheapest way to get Disney tickets?

[starnz]

Hi all,

I am planning a Disney trip for late April and am amazed at the cost of the tickets! The trip will consist of myself, my wife, our twin 5 yr olds, and our baby that is 1 1/2 mo now. Looking at the ticket prices, a 3 day pass for 4 will cost us more than $800! A seven day pass for 4 costs just under $900. So the sensible part of me says if I need to get tickets and want at least three days, I might as well get the seven days to offer the most flexibility since we have an infant.

The problem is I was budgeting $2,000 for this trip. My in-laws have a time share so we won't be paying for lodging. I live in Ohio and we are flying so I have already spent $750 of my budget just to get there. I looked into the day of charity for a day at Disney and am planning on doing that as well.

Any advice on how to make $1,250 cover tickets, food, and a rental car for three kids while in Orlando?

Thanks

[terces]

I just got a ton of great Disney advice from the people here. See this thread for more info. Disney world Advice

Also if you have family in the military they can get cheaper disney tickets for you.

[zakity]

You can get a free day at Disney for volunteering at certain places.

[irmanator]

If you think about it 900 / 7 day/4 ppl = about 32 person per day which is comparable to my local amusement park. I am assuming Disney to be waaaaaaaay bigger so for that part of it is a almost a bargain. With that being said I have no clue as to the cost of food and lodging. To my mind that would probably be where they get you.

[creditcardfree]

Food costs can add up rapidly if you eat in the parks. Definitely get to a grocery store and eat at your timeshare as often as possible.

Disney stores sell tickets, but I can't remember if they are cheaper...sometimes it is just a difference in the tax rate. I also think there are online vendors that offer discounted tickets. We are military so we bought ours at Shades of Green with their discount program.

I would only buy what you are going to use while you are there. Tickets expire 14 days after first use, unless you buy the no expiration option, which then drives your price up even more.

[SmarterSpend]

I highly recommend using Craiglist to find Disneyland tickets.

There are tons of them out there.

[frugalgirl]

Do not, under any circumstances, get your tickets from anyone other than an authorized ticket dealer. If you do the give-a-day, get-a-day program you can upgrade your free 1-day tickets to 4-day if you wish at a savings of about $80 per person.

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by irmanator

have no clue as to the cost of food and lodging. To my mind that would probably be where they get you.

Actually, food can be quite cheap. We average $20/person/day when we're at Disney World. And lodging is incredibly cheap there. You can rent a 3-bedroom condo for no more than $100/night. Parents get a master bedroom, twins can share a room and baby can be in a crib in his own room. If you want the baby with you, you can get a 2-bedroom condo for about $75/night. You'll have a full kitchen, living room, washer/dryer, community pool... Can't beat it.