Disney Tips - Grand Prairie,TX

Sea World san antonio is awesome if you can't pull it off.
Plus, everyone who took kids that young tells me they won't remember it.

Disney tickets are cheaper if you don't buy the waterpark option or the park hopper. You can also sell remaining days at tshirts stores near Disney and get money for the days you don't use. I don't do it because that seems shady but plenty of people do.

With little ones, go before school is out. It is cooler and less crowded.

There are Marriott’s here in Florida and I am sure you will find a few in the area around Disney. You can take a cooler into the parks with your own food. Find one with wheels so that you can pull it (just not a large one). You will save so much if you buy at the supermarket. I don't know if Marriott’s have kitchenettes, but a lot of the other hotels around here do so you can make your own dinner.

As for the parks, Magic Kingdom is a must if you want to see princesses. Hollywood Studios is another fun one. Epcot doesn't have too many rides, so I don't think it would interest them too much. Unless you have dinner there then I would suggest Akershus in the Norway section of the World Showcase, you WILL see princesses there. Animal Kingdom is fun too, but you have to get there first thing in the morning because they always close early.

The children’s passes are a little cheaper than the adults, but the more days you get the cheaper the ticket price. They charge extra for park hopper but it can be very overwhelming for the kids to go to more than one park in a day. If you want to buy t-shirts and trinkets to take home the stores outside have them at much cheaper prices. There are other things to do in the Disney area. January thru March is a slower time to come. October to the week before Thanksgiving is very quiet and the week after Thanksgiving to Christmas are also quiet. The holidays are always busy at the parks, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, spring break and of course the summer time.

Tickets are expensive but worth every penny. Especially if you have 4 and 5 year olds.

I just went in mid October and it wasn't bad at all. Micky's not so Scary Haloween party was so much fun - but pricey! They say the best time to go is the first week in December. It's the slowest time - but you have to pull your kids out of school.

The best parks for 4 and 5 year olds are Magic Kingdom (of course) and IMO, Disney's Hollywood Studios. DHS has a bunch of live shows that my 5 YO LOVED. And so did we. The mid-day parade is awesome and the Buzz Lightyear (get Fastpass early) is fabulous! The Indiana Jones show is great, too! It's all good at DHS. And you can do the whole park in a day. Magic Kingdom really takes two days. Skip Epcot since the kids are young. Animal Kingdom is great too. But it's a lot of walking...

Since you will have a car and are staying off property, you can get great prices and specials on food. Try to only eat one meal on property if you can. Since you have 4/5 year olds, you will need to nap at some point. Grab food then.

Also, grab a copy of the Unofficial Guide to Disney with Kids. It's priceless!

Have fun... It's worth the splurge!

Even with the lodging being covered there is food, park admission (several parks), taxi or parking for your car ($14 a day) 'treats' for the kids etc. For a week stay without having to pay for lodging I would guess you're still going to be out $1000 ?!? I may be a little off.
I see you're in the Dallas area, come down to Galveston. The kids will love the beach and it's only a 5hr drive.

It might be cheaper to stay off property but you get some many more discounts if you stay on property. I would check prices for the value resorts if you decide to stay on property. My kids love All Star Movies. And with your kids being young they will love it too. When we went we got a meal plan that we paid for with our room so we didn't have to pay a lot out of pocket in the park. We always took a back pack with a few waters and lots of snacks.

If you can't spend that kind of money I would say take them to Sea World. It will be a lot less gas. We would like to take our kids to Disney again but right now can't aford it so I think we may got to Sea World this summer since you same money in gas alone. They will love it. One year we got season passes to Sea World cause it turned out to be cheeper. Now they have other passes that you pay close to what you would pay for a day but you can go all year. That's what I would do if you go to Sea World.

Good luck and God Bless!

The whole point to Orlando is to separate you from your money. Yes there is fun to be had but the goal is to maximize good times and minimize cost and hassle.

We love the Staybridge Suites at Lake Buena Vista (about 5 minutes from Downtown Disney). Way more bang for your buck space-wise, and it's right next to Winn Dixie. One caveat: the pool area is pretty small. That's not a big deal to my kids, but for kids who don't get to swim year-round it might be.

My all-time favorite guide is here: www.touringplans.com . (Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World). This book will save you HOURS, and it's fun to peruse.

For discounts and tips to save $$: www.mousesavers.com

Good luck and I hope you have fun!

Right now there are specials of 30% off. I believe it's from now to March to get the discount.

Honestly, you guys can go anywhere and the kids will love it.

Hope you guys can go to Disney. We just booked our first vacation to Disney for May.