1. Park at any of the four Walt Disney World theme parks — Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, MGM, or Animal Kingdom – and you only need to pay $8.00 per day. Best of all, you can move your car from one park to another without extra cost on the day you park. All you need to do is keep your parking receipt so that you will be able to enter the next park’s tollbooth without a fee. If you must travel to Disney World in a car, this is the best way to get low-cost parking.

2. If you’re traveling from out of town, know that when you stay at Disney property hotels, you can park at your resort for free. You will even be given a parking pass for the theme park so you can enjoy free parking. If you are staying at some Disney hotels, however, you will have to show your room ticket to the parking lot attendants in order to get free parking. Find out your hotel’s policy.

3. Most Disney property hotels offer free shuttles. These shuttles leave from outside of the hotels roughly every 20 minutes, and although they can get crowded during peak times, they are a very convenient way to travel that saves you time spent parking and any associated costs of parking.

4. If you pay for an Annual Pass tickets, you may be able to enjoy free parking at the theme parks.

5. Free parking is available at Downtown Disney/Pleasure Island and at the water parks. If you park at the boardwalk restaurants or entertainment areas, you can park for free if you park yourself. Valet parking is six dollars, not including tip.

6. Investigate the types of tickets available for you. Premium Annual Passes, Annual Passes, Park Hopper Plus, Park Hopper, and single days, and single park tickets — all have their advantages and drawbacks. When deciding on the tickets to buy, consider whether you want to visit many parks in a single day, how often you want to go to parks, and how many days you’ll be spending at Disney.

7. Visit the Disney official web site frequently in the months leading up to your travel date. You will find the latest information about tickets as well as any possible discounts and specials available.

8. Buying your ticket ahead helps. Buying your ticket at Disney stores, through the toll-free Disney line or at the Disney web site allows you to get a discount if you book in advance.

9. If you are looking for savings and are having a hard time finding them, third-party ticket brokers often buy large blocks of Disney tickets and sell them at a discount. Wherever you buy your tickets for sporting events and concerts, you can likely buy tickets for Disney as well.

10. Check your affiliations. Some auto clubs offer small discounts on Disney tickets, as do some employers, and some organizations. If you are a member of the military or someone in your family is, you may qualify for a small discount as well. In most cases, you need to look in advance in order to qualify for these discounts. Also, keep in mind that in many cases you can save more money by buying directly from Disney without a special discount and by booking in advance. If you are a member of the Hilton Honors or Marriott Rewards programs, you can use your points to buy Disney tickets.

1. Explore Epcot. The Epcot area of Disney World has lots to offer, and you need to explore inside the pavilion rather than just walking along the exterior path. Each country has a pavilion at Epcot, and you need to explore inside in order to find Disney characters, and cool adventures, such as a smoking volcano inside the Mexico pavilion or the Vikings sailing ship in the Norway pavilion.

2. Explore Animal Kingdom, but be sure to arrive in the daytime. This is one of the few parks not open in the evening, unless it is Christmas or unless you’re saying at a Disney resort and the extra guest hours happen to apply to this theme park. If you love zoos, Animal Kingdom is sure to please, with it’s once-in-a-lifetime live animal exhibits.

3. Go for unusual souvenirs. You can spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars on souvenirs at Disney World. There are several options to get around this. One is to limit how much money you are willing to spend each day on souvenirs. Another option is to avoid souvenirs entirely and just take lots of photos — these are likely to be more permanent and more fun souvenirs in the long run, anyway. If you must buy souvenirs, try finding something unusual, such as specialty candles, like Tocca candles, or something that you can actually use, rather than just figurines that will get stored away in a dusty box somewhere.

4. Don’t make judgments on which rides to take based on the length of a lineup. Just because a long line has snaked its way in front of an attraction, that does not mean that you will not get in. Many attractions house plenty of space for hundreds of people, so even if there’s a long line up in front of you, it is possible that you will be able to get in in the next group of people to enter. Also, be sure to check the attraction boards at the entrance of every park. They will tell you how long you can expect to wait for every attraction. Another great way to deal with long lineups is to get FastPass, a free pass that allows you to skip the line up for a ride.

5. Consider buying staples — such as princess dresses or Mickey Mouse ears — before you get to Disney World. You can often buy them at discount online or at a local official Disney store and save yourself a few dollars that you can spend on rides in the park itself.

6. If you want lots of character autographs — and these make great souvenirs at no cost — make sure that you bring a pen that is easy to hold and have your pen uncapped and your notebook open to wherever you want the character to sign. Many of the characters wear complicated costumes and have a hard time holding onto tiny pens or are unable to flip through pages.