On the Disney College Program, there are so many things that you're going to want to spend money on. Between all the new mickey ears, churros, spirit jerseys, etc., it can be easy to live paycheck to paycheck. I will admit, on my first DCP I did not have any willpower. I spent so much money and made sure that was not going to happen on my second program! I learned so much between the two programs and want to help you as best I can for your DCP!
I won't lie to you, budgeting money isn't super fun but it's absolutely worth it. One of my biggest tips to you is to make a bucket list before you go. When you're in the moment, it can be so easy to get wrapped up in splurging just for the heck of it. If you know beforehand what you really want to treat yourself to, it's so much easier to say no to yourself. This blog post on budgeting on the DCP has 5 more tips for you as well! I also want to mention, there are sooo many other things to do in Disney that don't cost money. So if you're looking for free things to do at Disney, this blog post is full of 10 ideas.
Now, in this post, I'm sharing my best advice for what to spend money on and what to not spend money on during your DCP. This is obviously just my opinion and by all means get what will make YOU happy! Just what I personally thought was worth it and not worth it :)
Three Things To Spend Your Money On:
Staycations. As a Cast Member, you get up to 50% off Disney resort rooms so absolutely take advantage of this and stay with your besties in an expensive resort at least once!
Backstage Tours. You can absolutely sign up for the free Backstage Tours of various attractions, shows, lands, etc. but they are super hard to get. There are other tours available to all guests (Keys to the Kingdom) that are pretty pricey but with a Cast Discount is worth it if you're into that kind of stuff!
Dining Experiences. With the cast discount, lots of restaurants are discounted and you should absolutely use your discount on them. Lots of restaurants on Disney property are super overpriced and I would never choose to eat there unless I had a discount. The cast discount is a perfect way to enjoy these meals and experiences without breaking the bank! Crystal Palace, Ohana, and Be Our Guest were some that I don't regret spending the money on!!
Three Things Not To Spend Your Money On:
Festival Food. Each season, Epcot has a festival going on throughout the World Showcase with various booths of food and drinks at each country. As delicious as it is, the portions are tiny and it's a tad overpriced. I love the foods there and I'll usually get 1 or 2 things when I'm there but it's not worth it to try something from each booth every time you go. Your bank account will not be happy.
Merchandise. There are so many new shirts, pins, ears that come out so frequently at Disney and it can be so hard to not buy them all. I'm a super emotional person so I like having physical things to remember events by. On my first DCP I bought so many shirts, sweatshirts, mugs, ears, that I didn't know what to do with them when I had to pack up to come home. On my second program I decided to only get the things I really really knew I'd want and I was so thankful when I came home because the things I had were honestly super special to me!
Memory Maker. I've never used this on a Disney vacation before and prefer taking my own photos. It's around $200 to be able to download photos that PhotoPass has taken of you without the Disney watermark. I personally think you can get much more creative, unique, less crowded photos not using PhotoPass!
There you have it...three things to and three things to not spend your money on during your college program. If you have any other things you think I forgot to mention, please tell me down below! Thank you so much for stopping by and have a great rest of your day :)
See ya real soon,
Danielle
