I Took My Family of 5 on a Week-Long Disney Vacation. Here's How I Saved Almost $2,000

Well, my husband drove. We live a good 18 hours from Disney, but it was the most economical choice. Round-trip flights and airport parking would have cost us $1,067.53. We spent $446.45 on gas, tolls, and resort parking fees, which saved us a grand total of $621.08.

Although the savings are great, spending 18 hours in the car with three small children is not for the faint of heart. To make it less painful, we drove through the night. Since he would be doing the driving, my husband slept before we hit the road at 2 a.m. in order to power through the bulk of our trip. Sure, we had to wake the kids up to get them in the car, but they fell back to sleep within minutes of pulling out of our driveway. We were also able to break it up with a stop at my brother's house which, luckily for us, happens to be just around the halfway mark.

Another great way we found to break up a long drive with kids was to take advantage of the numerous Chick-fil-A restaurants. There seemed to be an abundance of this particular fast-food chain the further south we went, and they all had fairly large and surprisingly clean play areas — perfect when the kids needed to stretch their legs and blow off some steam.

Driving also allowed us to ensure that we had everything we needed. Although our resort offered cribs, they are on a strict first come, first serve basis, and we were informed there was no guarantee that one, let alone two cribs (we have one-year-old twins) would be available. Since we drove ourselves, we just brought our own portable cribs. Had we flown down and a crib (or two) was not available, we would have had to spend an additional $100-200 on brand new Pack 'n Plays, which we would then have to schlep or ship home.

The Park Hopper option, which allows you to visit more than one park per day, tacks on an additional $60 per ticket. This option is great and totally worth it if you're in Disney sans children, but let's be real: When you're traveling with kids, trying to squeeze in more than one park a day is not going to happen.

Since children under the age of 3 are considered Mickey's guests (and get free admission), we only had to purchase three tickets instead of five. And although we were in Disney for five days, we purchased four-day tickets and spent the fifth day between Disney Springs (which is free) and our resort pool. Had we purchased our tickets directly through Disney, we would have spent $1,388.65. My parents have a AAA membership, and they were able to go to their local office and purchase our tickets at a discounted rate of $1,100.20. Their AAA discount and our decision to forgo the Park Hoppers saved us a total of $408.45.

Occasionally, Disney will offer ticket specials, but they often come with restrictions. For example, you'll get a discount but you can't visit the same park twice. You can also purchase discounted tickets if you're active duty military or a Florida resident. This can also be a great way to see the parks at a discount.

Did you know that you're allowed to bring your own food and drinks into Disney parks? If not, now you do! It's one of my favorite policies because it saves a ton of money. The suite at our hotel had a kitchenette, which we stocked with food from a local grocery store. Eating breakfast in our room and packing lunches along with a day's worth of snacks saved us big bucks, and we conveniently stored everything in an insulated lunch cooler with an icepack in the bottom of our stroller.

Although we packed our own food for most of the trip, we did dine in Disney a few times. My daughter's birthday dinner with all of the princesses cost a small fortune, but we didn't stress when the bill came since we were saving so much money on food overall. Plus, the experience was worth it!

And don't forget water! No matter what time of year you visit, Florida weather is hot, and it's imperative that you stay hydrated. We brought our two half gallon Yeti ramblers, which we filled with ice and water before we left the hotel each morning. Based on how many times we refilled our smaller bottles, we estimate that we saved about $35 a day on water alone, since Disney charges $3.50 per bottle.

My husband and I decided that the best and most meaningful souvenirs from our trip would be the photos. Disney's Photo Pass, which includes all photos taken by Disney photographers and those taken on rides, will cost you $200. However, if you have a friend of family member who happens to be an annual pass holder, they can link their Disney account to yours. Once your accounts are linked, they can view, download, and forward all of your pictures at no additional cost. Thanks to one of my Disney-obsessed, annual pass-holding family members, we ended up with some amazing family photos and saved $200.

Getting out of the parks sans souvenirs when you have a couple of kids in tow may not be so easy, but it is possible if you go with (and stick to) a budget. We gave our daughter a set amount of money on top of whatever money she had saved from her allowance for the trip. Once the money was spent, that was it.

When it comes to adults and or older children, you should know that mouse ears are all the rage. But at $28 a pair, this must-have accessory doesn't come cheap. Check eBay or Facebook's marketplace for some gently used ears. I was able to score a cute pair of authentic ears at a garage sale for $1, which saved me $27.

On the long ride home, my husband and I tried to pinpoint our favorite moments of the week. We tried to choose our top five, but there were just too many, and it turned into more of a top 50. In other words, we did a lot to save money without feeling like we missed out on anything. And when we return to Disney, we'll do it all again.