Cheap Disney Trip

I just have to comment cheap and Disney should never be in the same sentence! Glad you got some good answers though from some moms.

Hi, we just came back from Disney and had a wonderful time for relatively little money. I'd recommend staying on Disney property - their value resorts ("All Stars") are very affordable. Additionally, if you are flying in and staying on Disney property, a bus will pick you up from the airport and bring you to the hotel and back when you are going home. Each disney hotel also has shuttles to bring you to and from the parks. Definitely get the meal plan. If possible, request a fridge for "medicine" - it should be free. We packed a mini refrigerator/cooler and flew with it. The fridge contained our breakfast for five days, so we were able to get away with a basic meal plan that covered our lunch and dinner. Bring water bottles iwth you. We are a little nutso - we took 18 but we never had to spend a dollar on water, which is $2.50 a piece. If you have other questions (while it's still on my mind), send me a message! Be happy to talk Disney anytime.
I'd also recommend picking up a book like "The Unofficial Guide to DIsney" - I thought it was fabulous! It gave us the lowdown on all the hotels, parks, and if you pay a few extra dollars you have access to their website whcih is beyond helpful. It allows you to map out your day in the park so you get to all of your rides with minimal wait times. COuldn't have done Disney without the book or website!

Disney is expensive and there are very few ways to "cut corners".

-You can go during non-peak months (like July and August) and mid-week.
-Stay at a local hotel that is close, but not part of the park. There are many that are 10-15 minutes away that are very inexpensive.
- Either buy the "meal plan" or plan to eat outside of the park. Have breakfast at the hotel, do "the park" until 11:30 and then head to the hotel for lunch and a nap and go back around 2:30 and stay until dinner. Once you have paid for "the day" you can come-and-go as you see fit.
- Don't buy souveniers or the "ride pictures".

You will spend a lot of money at Disney, so I suggest starting a savings account (even if it's just an envelop in a drawer) so that you have "cash" to spend and when the "cash" is gone the trip is over.

Disney is a wonderful place, but let's face it... they make money off of us!

Check Priceline for hotels in the area. I never pay more than $50 for a hotel in the orlando area and most in the Disney area have a shuttle service to the parks so you don't have to pay for parking.

I always bring snacks, water/juice, pb&j sandwhiches, etc with us to the parks. Huge $ saver! My kids also have the Fugo/Thermos straw cups. I fill them with ice, water and juice before we leave and they stay cold all day. The restaurants in the parks will refill them with water for free. You can split a juice box between a couple of kids so the water is flavored and tastier.

I also take a cooler if the hotel room doesn't have a fridge for milk and oj and we eat cereal and such for breakfast in our room before we head out. Another huge $ saver.

We always joke that Orlando exists to separate you from your money! Our goal is to have as much fun as possible, as cheaply as possible.

We love www.mousesavers.com too. And I am a big believer in "The Unofficial Guide" that another mom mentioned. Their web site is www.touringplans.com .

Alot of your planning depends on whether you drive or not. We always drive (3.5 hours away) so we frequently find it more advantageous to stay outside "The World" where you get WAY more hotel room for you dollar (can get suites for the price of many Disney rooms). That being said, if your child really has her heart set on the "Disney" immersion experience the value resorts are a good option (be prepared for a postage stamp sized room though).

If you fly in you may want to "run the numbers" to rent a car. Sometimes it's nice to drive outside "The World" to eat, stock up on supplies, etc. Disney food is very expensive. We have never done a dining plan but I hear good things about it.

We almost ALWAYS eat breakfast out of our cooler in the hotel room. We never waste valuable touring time sitting at a restaurant in the morning hours. Some of the best times at the parks are EARLY!!

The other thing I wou.d do (if you have a car) is go to the Orlando Walmart and stock up on Disney trinkets (much cheaper than the park and your daughter will be just as happy). If it's hot when you go make sure to buy one of those battery powered spray bottles (with a fan) OUTSIDE the park. My husband still hasn't gotten over me blowing $20 EACH for two of them years ago LOL. The same thing goes for RAIN PONCHOS - Orlando can get a thunderstorm every afternoon in the warmer months (though they usually pass quickly).

Good luck and I hope you guys have a magical time! If you do your research and prepare you will probably have great memories to talk about forever.

There's an entire website devoted to saving money at Disney -- MouseSavers.com. We've been using it to plan our Disneyland trip this summer. Unfortunately, we're tied to the school year, so we have to go at peak time, so we're looking for every little way to save, too.

Have fun!

What do you want to do? Go to all the parks? Just one or 2? There is so much to do there!!! I am planning on going in September. Its a great time to go because it is less expensive then. We do a vacation package that includes the hotel, all 4 parks and the dining plan. We have had the free dining plan in the past. I am waiting to see if it will once again be free this year. *fingers crossed*. I am sure there are really inexpensive ways to do it if you don't want to stay on the grounds, but then you also lose perks. And you have to realize, those parks cost in the neighborhood of $70 per person per day. Buying a package for my family of 4 works out the best.

Not sure how old your daughter is, but Disney is running a "kids play and stay free" deal if you book by March 27th. That will save you $150-$200

http://bookwdw.reservations.disney.go.com/ibcwdw/en_US/sp...

There are lots of great packages available right now.

Are you flying or driving? If you're driving, you can bring food with you. For a few extra $$ a day, you can get a small fridge in your room. You are allowed to bring food into the parks. If you have your car, you can also drive off site to more affordable restraurants.

You can also pay an outragous price for a souvenier cup, but you can get as many free refills as you want. So that was a huge money saver.

Items bought on site can be expensive, so go prepared. Make sure you bring everything you may need, like an extra pair of shoes, a rain pouncho, a sweatshirt (depending on time of year). Don't buy an souveniers at the parks, you can find them in Orlando at Walmart, Walgreens, etc.

How old is your daughter? IMO you get the most bang for your buck with a park hopper pass, but that depends on your needs and wants. Especially if you stay on site. If she's little, most likely you'll want to spend most of your time at The Magic Kingdom and Animal Planet. Just remember when determining to stay on site or off, don't forget to take the transportation and parking cost into account.

Don't try to do it so cheap that you don't enjoy it. Keep saving until you're able to afford it.

Wait and go when you can afford it and do it right without going into debt.

If you go on a shoestring budget, you'll miss a lot and she will notice that that as well.