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Disney on a dime

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Laura B

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I know you're out there. I'm looking for the best deals and ideas to save. We decided this weekend that next Christmas is it. We have 4 kids and want to make the most of our trip. So with only 13 months to save I'd love to know from those who've been what's worth it/ can't miss it, and what we can skip.
 
Laura -

How Fun!

We should actually hear today, or tomorrow if we are surprising our kids with Disney / Sea World for THIS Christmas. (hubby has been a temp since June, and we are waiting for him to be officially hired)

How old are your kids?

Mine are 10 & 12 and we are actually looking at a Sea World deal, gives us admission to Sea World and Acquatica every day for the length of our staff (which will include New Years Eve at Sea World). Our kids are really into the animal stuff right now. We are planning to do 1 day at the Magic Kingdom, and time at Downtown Disney. Our total stay in FL will be 4 nights. My Mother in Law is joining us too (she lives in FL)
 
Wow - hope it works for you. My kids will be 11, 9, 7, 6. I honestly can say I don't even know what all there is to see...Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Universal?, Sea world(didn't know that one- thx Diane) What else? We would probably stay a week. 7 days should give us plenty of time.
 
http://www.disboards.com/

Check out that site. Seriously, I bet any question you could dream of would be answered there. It's filled with people who REALLY like Disney.

I know many people say to stay off site if you're trying to save money, but one of the best tips I can offer is to stay on property if you can. Days at Disney can be really exhausting and crowds are very high during Christmas break. It's a huge help to be able to get out early, and recoup back in the room for a bit when crowds peak in the afternoon. Then head out refreshed in the evening.
 
I remember reading some people there bought cases of water and other items from STAPLES and had them ship it straight to the hotel to save a lot of $. Please call your hotel and make sure they can store the stuff for you or allow it.
 
I just got back a few weeks ago. In addition to disboards, I would also suggest http://mousesavers.com

It is super expensive for food, snacks and such. I would suggest bringing cereal, Crystal light to go, snacks such as fruit roll-ups, peanut butter crackers, pretzels, microwave popcorn, or what ever your family likes. Disney allows you bring in food to their parks which is really nice. I also brought a bunch of ziplocks and packed snacks in a backpack every day of the trip.

What ages are your kids?? ...that would help me in suggesting where to visit. I also agree with the poster who said to stay on property if possible. We stayed in a Disney "value" resort and liked it very much....not a lot of frills but still nice.
 
I second disboards.

If you are driving stay offsite. Look at renting a vacation home or condo. The family is so much more relaxed when there is room to spread out. Many homes also have private pools and access to a community pool. Get a home as close to Disney as you can. Check out the Windsor Hills area which is less than 5 minutes from Animal Kingdom.

If you are flying stay onsite at one of the Value resorts. My families favorite is Pop Century. We have 6 kids so we have to get two rooms. If you are interested in staying at one of the Deluxe Resorts look on disboards to rent DVC points which will make it considerably cheaper.

If you are going over Christmas break it will be VERY crowded. It would be worth it to stay onsite to take advantage of their extra magic hours.

Decide where you want to eat and if you want to eat onsite a lot the dining plan can save you money. The downside to the dining plan is you need to make your reservations 180 days in advance and you must stay on Disney property. The upside is a lot of their restaurants are amazing and something you can't do anywhere else. Our must-do restaurants are Le Cellier, Cinderella's Royal Table, Tusker House, and Ohana.
HTH
 
stazmatic said:
I second disboards.

If you are driving stay offsite. Look at renting a vacation home or condo. The family is so much more relaxed when there is room to spread out. Many homes also have private pools and access to a community pool. Get a home as close to Disney as you can. Check out the Windsor Hills area which is less than 5 minutes from Animal Kingdom.

If you are flying stay onsite at one of the Value resorts. My families favorite is Pop Century. We have 6 kids so we have to get two rooms. If you are interested in staying at one of the Deluxe Resorts look on disboards to rent DVC points which will make it considerably cheaper.

If you are going over Christmas break it will be VERY crowded. It would be worth it to stay onsite to take advantage of their extra magic hours.

Decide where you want to eat and if you want to eat onsite a lot the dining plan can save you money. The downside to the dining plan is you need to make your reservations 180 days in advance and you must stay on Disney property. The upside is a lot of their restaurants are amazing and something you can't do anywhere else. Our must-do restaurants are Le Cellier, Cinderella's Royal Table, Tusker House, and Ohana.
HTH
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We are DVC (Disney Vacation Club) members. I'd never try to convince anyone that Disney is cheap, but I will say that, for our family, we save a lot of money by staying at the deluxe resorts. They all have kitchens. So, we go to costco or Publix, get a bunch of food, and cook a lot of our meals. Breakfast and lunch are so overpriced at Disney...and we find it's much easier to be able to kick back in our own space when feeding the little ones. Most of the Deluxe resorts have great locations, too. I don't know if any of the other hotels on property have kitchens (the DVC resorts will be very expensive that time of year), but it's definitely worth checking to see.
 
tavogels said:
We are DVC (Disney Vacation Club) members. I'd never try to convince anyone that Disney is cheap, but I will say that, for our family, we save a lot of money by staying at the deluxe resorts. They all have kitchens. So, we go to costco or Publix, get a bunch of food, and cook a lot of our meals. Breakfast and lunch are so overpriced at Disney...and we find it's much easier to be able to kick back in our own space when feeding the little ones. Most of the Deluxe resorts have great locations, too. I don't know if any of the other hotels on property have kitchens (the DVC resorts will be very expensive that time of year), but it's definitely worth checking to see.
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I agree. We have been there twice and each time we stayed at the Wilderness in the condos. They are great! I saved a lot of money by not eating in Disney. We gave ourselves an allowance of 1 fairly inexpensive meal per day. On average we spent about 40/day on food for a family of 4--somedays were more and some days were less! We ate breakfast in the condo and packed lunches or dinner. I liked that I could control what we ate and we didn't have to eat garbage all day--hotdogs, hamburgers,etc. I also packed lots of snacks and water bottles. We also bought inexpensive snacks like fruit from a cart for $1. I love Mousesavers and the boards. Both are great places to find info on cheap food and things to do.
I would also recommend the grocery service I use to have the groceries delivered to your hotel room door. It is wegoshop.com. I have used them twice and they are phenomenal. You tell them where you would like them to shop and give them your grocery list. They even deliver alcohol! :lol: Much needed after a long day in the park and cheaper then buying it on site. :) We love going to Disney world! :)
 
I'm in Disney right now!! ;-) Loving it! Actually did all the parks....only had to pay for 1 kid since we had tickets from our last trip. Staying at on property and have a full kitchen...did my shopping for the week at Super Target with coupons (for meals and snacks at parks)...and coming in $250 under budget! YEAH!
 
We just did a 2 bedroom at Bay Lake Tower (connected to the Contemporary) which is the only location where you can walk to Magic Kingdom. It wasn't cheap, but was worth every penny. I would rather not stay at a Value again, but cheap Disney is better than no Disney.
We did have a kitchen and ordered a few groceries and brought a few with too. We also used the dining plan. I planned which breakfasts and lunches we would eat in our room and had just enough for that. You can also order alcohol from gardengrocer.com and save money if you are drinkers. It was also nice to have the fridge and microwave to reheat some of the leftovers from dinner or bring back dessert to the room to eat later.
 
I just got back from WDW. We were there for 10 days and stayed at the French Qtr. It is a moderate resort. The longer you stay the cheaper it becomes. We always book and go at this time of the year. Our package included free dining. We save soo much money by doing the free dining. Staying on property works out the best for us. We have been back every year for the last 10 years. With babies and all. My kids are 21 months and 3 and they both LOVE it. If you are planning on dining you MUST make your reservations 180 days out. We saw a lot of people turned away without reservations. Crystal Palace and Tusker House for breakfast is a MUST and we really like dinner at the Garden Grill. Once you get over the sticker "shock" you will have a "magical" time.

I like www.wdwinfo.com for great tips and info.
 
I'm a big fan of www.mousesavers.com and the disboard too. We love to stay on site and do the free dining when we can. If you don't get a chance to make reservations 180 days in advance I check w/ front desk every day and usually can get the restaurant we want from cancellations. LeCellier being one of my faves.
 
We went 2 years ago!
For Seaworld....if you buy tickets online you can go back to back days for one admission! This was so worth it! We spent one day doing the rides and one day seeing the shows!
 
Thanks all for the great tips. I never went until I was an adult, my second trip was on my honeymoon. I fully expect this to be a "once in a lifetime" trip for the family.
 
So I have a Disney Question.We have the free dining plan and gratuity is not included.We are going with another couple and their kids which equals 8 people.I do not want to pay 20% gratuity at a buffet so 40 bucks for a waitress who doesn't even serve us am I to cheap.I suggested two reservations at the same time so we don't pay that.Or do they automatically charge the gratuity.Any input is greatly appreciated.
 
ckadlub said:
So I have a Disney Question.We have the free dining plan and gratuity is not included.We are going with another couple and their kids which equals 8 people.I do not want to pay 20% gratuity at a buffet so 40 bucks for a waitress who doesn't even serve us am I to cheap.I suggested two reservations at the same time so we don't pay that.Or do they automatically charge the gratuity.Any input is greatly appreciated.
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When you are given your check it has the total meal price plus tax on it. There is a spot for the tip. On it they will calculate 18 and 20 percent for you. You fill out what you want for the tip. Put your "key to the world" your room key which has the dining plan loaded on it. If you have it set up also as a room charge the tip is charged to your room account and the meal plan is deducted from your credit. You will probably tip close to 18 percent. Most of the servers work their tails off. Also 2 families equals two checks.
 
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