How Disney Tricks You Into Spending More Money.

It’s no secret that Disney uses some great marketing strategies to influence your subconscious mindset when you’re making your vacation choices. Being aware of them can help you to make more informed choices and, hopefully, save a little bit of money along the way.

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[stepheng]

Wow, you mention in the video that you do not live in Florida, that surprises the heck out of me that you aren't local since you put up so much great content and have such relevant-to-the-time tips and tricks

[bennygarcia]

The voiceover work on this is amazing. Such an easy going tone. Very calming, great voice!

[MaddCatter]

Time stamps
To jump to specific things if your planning a holiday.
0:37 Pushing packages
2:24 Exist through gift shop
3:28 Bounceback offer
4:39 Discounts for longer stays
5:40 Disney VC and AP
8:17 Limited time merch
9:20 Scavenger hunts
10:28 keep you on site
12:03 Dining plan
14:15 Magic bands

[HerHollyness]

It is possible to ‘do Disney’ without spending any extra money in the parks. Take sandwiches/salads/snacks with you (enough to last all day if you’re staying past Fireworks). People think the security checkers will object but they don’t! I’ve taken whole Tupperwares and big bags of Doritos in before. Also cover your eyes/your children’s eyes as you walk through the gift shops!

[VictoriaGates]

Disney shirts at Wal-Mart - $10 - Disney shirts at WDW - $30. Maybe just stop at Wal-Mart in Orlando to gear up before the park? ;)

[Doodlebob]

The "longer you stay, the less you pay" gets me every time.

[UnravelingMysteriesX]

Annual passes really only make sense if you’re a Florida resident.

[melissah]

I use the dining plan not because I'm worried about saving money. I'm just glad to have it all paid for in advance so I don't have to worry about how much food cost or going over budget. It's one less thing to worry about for us. We do try to avoid buying more than a few souvenirs. I also pay my magic band charges in the lobby every day before breakfast. It really helps me keep an eye on our spending.

[jimbo]

If those groceries Disney will deliver are Disney prices, it is cheaper to get a lyft to the Walmart that is one mile away, buy what you want and get a lyft back. They also have a section dedicated to all the Disney crap you could ever want at a fraction of the park prices and the quality is usually better.

[krishnar]

Thanks for this. One example I’m surprised you didn’t mention is the Fireworks/end of day celebrations. They definitely keep people in the parks and spending money much later then many otherwise would. On the other hand, when used wisely, annual passes can actually save you a lot of money.

[rlme]

On a recent trip to Disney we were laughing about the ubiquitous post-ride gift shops... but this didn’t prevent us from getting caught in their snare lol. But I have to admit I enjoy browsing in them, they do a great job with them and I’d miss them if they weren’t there.

[AdmiralPreparedness]

We live in New Hampshire and figured out how to play the airline price wars to our advantage and one year, purchased a block of flights to Orlando and bought annual passes for the entire family. Every month, we would fly down for extended weekends and stay at the budget hotels on property. It worked out great. Then the economy fell a part and we could no longer afford doing that. We do own DVC but the points keeps you from using it on a regular basis so this way was so much better. One year, Disney offered $200 gift card per budget hotel room (Art of Animation) purchase. We stayed in two rooms for the FREE MONEY for trinkets and some food!!!

[Julie]

My husband and I are considering a DVC membership, but honestly in our 10 years together we have only taken 3 non Disney vacations and two of those we said "this is nice, but Disney would be better..." something tells me we will get our money's worth.

[xraydemo]

It's taken me 3 years to save up for our Disney trip so I have done everything possible to save money while we're there too lol. Some Disney merch is available through Walmart online so i will just pre-order it and pick it up when I do my grocery run. They have magnets and photo frames and even mickey ponchos. I also DIY as much as I can from mickey ears to auto graph books, back packs and luggage - and just bring it with me. I purchase gift cards with my son's daily allowance on it so when the card's done, he's done and got a ton of books & Disney plushes when they were on sale/clearance to give him as "Mickey Mail" everyday so he'll be getting a ton of souvenirs for the cost of one WDW t shirt. I don't want to spend time in the gift shops so I'm going to try to move him out of them under the guise of getting to the next attraction lol. I did a dollar tree run for glow sticks and he already has a light up sword from Disney on ice so I got the night time market covered. I'm also stocking our fridge with fruit, water, snacks, and pre-made meals to take to the parks and just pay for one sit down dinner each night - which I pre-paid for most of already. Even with all this prep, I'm sure that I'll still spend some money on extras, but I think this will keep costs to a minimum. Wish me luck lol

[hannahalyssa]

Could you make a video on the Disney Pins... the history of them, how they are traded, etc...

[jchandlersabeast]

when they try to entice you with a bigger room or better view in the Disney hotel for extra charge, always ask yourself how much time you will actually spend in the room

[WhoStoleMyNachos]

For the annual pass thing, it's much better to buy an annual pass for one member of your party then the entire party. You get the discounts and all the bonuses of the annual pass, but you don't have to pay the extra money to get all of you an annual pass. That aside, the best way Disney tricks you into spending more money is by having Pecos Bill's exist. It's just so enticing to eat there with the delicious nachos.

[randytroxell]

Thanks AJ! Reminds me of the Disney cruise lines, you can’t pay with cash, only charge things to your cabin, sometimes a real shocker on checkout day!

[patrickwentzell]

Mickey Mouse is laughing all the way to the bank he never stops making money.

[SteveAndAlexBuild]

You never mentioned how grossly overpriced the merch is 🤯. We have spent a lot on it over the years and when live with some of it you find out it’s not the best quality either . 4000 miles is a bit far to go back for a refund, 😩