Mark Patterson, who has visited Walt Disney World Resort in Florida 48 times over the past six years and stayed at 36 different hotels, has named the best budget-friendly option for holidaymakers. He recommends the Flamingo Crossings area as an affordable choice.
Flamingo Crossings offers free breakfast and reasonable prices
Patterson said: "The Flamingo Crossings area is my favourite, it's newer, and the hotels are all new, and they all have free breakfast. They offer good, reasonable prices there."
However, he noted that due to its location, visitors will need to drive, get a lift, or take a shuttle bus to reach the park each day. Despite this, the free breakfast makes it a worthwhile option for keeping costs down.
Hidden fees can double the price at Disney Springs
Patterson, who is based in Southern California, targets an average hotel price of around $100 (£74.71) to $200 (£149.42) per night to keep things affordable while watching for hidden fees. Another area he recommends is Disney Springs.
He explained: "The Disney Springs area has a range of hotels, right there within walking distance to the shopping area, and it's where pretty much everybody goes to eat at night. It gets very busy and popular, so being able to walk to that is very handy."
"However, the bad thing about that, or something you have to trade off, is that only one of the hotels offers a free breakfast; all the others you have to pay for. So I might get a hotel for around $100 (£74.71) per night, but will then have to pay for breakfast, which is $28 (£20.92), along with paying for parking, which can be around $25 (£18.68) and a resort fee of around $40 (£29.88)."
"So it can literally double the price of what I thought I was going to pay. Disney Springs area is great, but you've got those little hidden fees."
Kitchenettes can save families up to $200 per day
Patterson also recommends booking a hotel with a kitchenette to save money on meals. "All the restaurants at Disney are expensive, so the hotels I like have a kitchenette with a stove and a full-size fridge, so you can buy food and cook it," he shared.
"You can then take it into the park with you, and that can save a lot of money. Even if you just take two meals in for the family, that can save you easily $100 (£74.71) to $200 (£149.42) per day."
Patterson documents his visits to Walt Disney World Resort on his website, DDadBudget, offering tips to fellow fans.
