Things I'm Willing to Splurge On at Disney World

My last blog post was all about how to save money at Disney World, so today I'm going to share with you a few things that I'm willing to actually spend money on at Disney World. Here's my list of top things that are worth the splurge!

1. Staying On-Property
There are perks that come with staying at a Disney resort hotel that always make it worth it for me. First is an earlier fastpass+ booking window. Guests staying at Disney resorts get an extra 30 days to make their fastpass+ selections. For popular rides such as Flight of Passage, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, and Frozen Ever After, your chances of getting a fastpass+ if you're not staying at a Disney resort are slim and nil. Another perk is earlier access to dining reservations. Guests not staying at a Disney resort can only make their dining reservations 180 days out from each day of their Disney vacation. Guests staying at a Disney resort can start making their advanced dining reservations 180 days out from their date of check-in. So, if a Disney resort guest is spending a week at Disney World, they can actually make advanced dining reservations for their last day in the park 187 days in advance. For hard to come by reservations such as Cinderella's Royal Table, Be Our Guest Restaurant, and Chef Mickey's, those extra days can make all the difference. The last perk is free transportation to and from the parks and Disney Springs. Disney resort guests don't have to step foot in a car the entire time they're at Disney World because there are multiple free transportation options. You can ride a bus from all resorts and many resorts offer additional transportation via boat or monorail. The Disney skyliner system that is coming in 2019 will add yet another mode of transportation to Epcot and Hollywood Studios from select resorts. You don't have to fight traffic, you don't have to search for a parking place, you don't have to try and remember where you parked, and you don't have to walk a long way back to your car at the end of a long day. You can settle down on a bus, in a boat, on the skyliner, or on the monorail and let someone else handle the stress of getting you from point A to point B. For me, staying at a Disney resort is always worth it. And, with promotions, discounts, and great value and moderate resorts to choose from, it doesn't have to break the bank.

Port Orleans Riverside is a beautiful moderate resort.

2. Character Dining
Character dining is, for me, totally worth the money! Not only is it a lot of fun, but it can actually save you time and fastpasses as well. In some instances, it can even get you early access to the parks. When you do a character meal, you get to meet several characters (usually 4-5) while you enjoy a nice meal in an air conditioned environment. In the Florida heat, air conditioning alone can make character meals worth it! But scheduling a character meal gives you the opportunity to meet characters while you're doing something we all have to do anyway: eat! Then you can use your fastpasses for rides and other attractions, and your time in the parks doing something other than waiting to meet characters. There are a lot of character meals to choose from, but my personal favorite is the 'Ohana Best Friends Breakfast at the Polynesian Village Resort. 'Ohana has a great view of Cinderella Castle, a laid back atmosphere, and the food is excellent! The characters are a lot of fun as well, as you get to meet Mickey, Pluto, Lilo, and Stitch.

'Ohana Best Friends Breakfast with Mickey

Cinderella's Happily Ever After Dinner

The Bon Voyage Adventure Breakfast

3. Memory Maker
One thing that many people don't realize when going to Disney World is that there are photographers stationed all around the parks who will take your picture for free! This service, called PhotoPass, is wonderful because it allows everyone in the traveling party to be in all the pictures. For every picture you have taken, the photographer will either give you a PhotoPass card or scan your Magic Band if you have one. This links the photos taken of you to your My Disney Experience account. Purchasing the Memory Maker package allows you to download all your PhotoPass photos and also share them on social media. You can pay to download the pictures individually, but my husband and I did the math and the purchase of Memory Maker pays for itself if you like only 12 of the PhotoPass pictures enough to want to download them. We walked away with over 400 pictures from our last Disney trip! Memory Maker, for us, is totally worth the money because it removes the stress and hassle of trying to take pictures while in the park. We just smiled and let someone else take care of that for us!

One of the most popular PhotoPass spots is right in front of iconic Cinderella Castle!

4. Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique (To An Extent)
You'll notice I've put a qualifier on Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, which I'll explain in a moment. First, let me explain what Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique is for those who may not be familiar with it. I place Bibbidi Bobbodi Boutique in the Where-Was-This-When-I-Was-A-Kid category. BBB allows girls ages 3-12 to be transformed into a princess by their own personal fairy godmother. I mean, seriously...where was this when I was a kid??? I would have totally loved this. Little girls can get their hair, makeup, and nails done and they can even select a princess dress and accessories with certain packages. Notice I said "packages." That's because there are levels to Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, and this is where my qualifier enters the picture. I likely will never allow my little princess to get the more elaborate packages that include the princess dresses because they are quite pricey. However, I will absolutely pay for her to get her hair, nails, and makeup done and we will just bring one of her many princess dresses from home.

Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique has locations at Disney Springs and inside Cinderella Castle in the Magic Kingdom. 

5. That One Special Souvenir
If your kids are anything like mine, then they likely ask for a lot of souvenirs when they're at Disney World. If I said yes to everything they asked for, we'd be in big trouble. However, we do let our kids pick one special souvenir at each park and we extend that same courtesy to ourselves. I collect Disney princess coffee mugs, so I pick one up every time I'm in Orlando. My husband loves the Tiki Room, so he picked up a Tiki Room t-shirt when we were at the Polynesian a couple weeks ago. My kids have stuffed Mickeys and light-up bubble wands and lightsabers that they brought back from our trip last year. We bought a Christmas ornament at the Christmas store in Disney Springs that gets displayed proudly on our Christmas tree. It's nice to have something tangible to remember your trip by and, even though we're on a budget, we try to build in some room for souvenirs.

My new Disney coffee mug reflects my favorite princess: Ariel!

What's on your list of things worth the splurge? Let me know in the comments below! And, if you'd like to see some of the great souvenirs you can pick up at Disney Springs, check out our tour of Disney Springs on YouTube. It can be found here.