Many when planning a Walt Disney World vacation only decide to book a few months in advance. This is a flawed strategy for a few reasons.

First, did you know you can book a complete Disney vacation package including hotel, tickets, and dining with only a $200 deposit? Your entire package payment is not actually due until 30 days before your departure. In addition, that deposit, and any other payment you make is fully refundable up until that time.

You can also make any changes up until that time on your Disney vacation package. What this means is you can book early and get the room you want, and continually adjust to take advantage of any promotions that arise.

For example, since I booked my vacation last July for April 2016, I have changed my vacation package, and even my dates (which were flexible), three times. This has resulted in savings of roughly $400 on room and tickets alone. Promotions can and do sell out, so if you hear about one call and make the change immediately before it is gone. Notably free dining promotions are becoming very scarce, and may go away altogether.

This promotion package shuffling, and keeping track of it, can be a lot of work which is why I recommend working through a certified travel agent. They do all the legwork for you at no additional cost. Another reason to work through a travel agent (besides having a Disney expert at your finger tips) is that they will handle making all your additional Disney reservations for you including Advanced Dining Reservations and FastPass+ reservations.

So there you have it. One quick and easy way to save on your next Disney vacation.