Money Saving Tips?

[Dulcee]

We've booked the hotel and got our tickets but it is still going to be very tight moneywise this year...does anyone have any money saving tips for while we are in the parks?

[Beast_fanatic]

Don't plan on buying sodas or bottled water in the parks - they're $2.50 for a bottle. Instead, get a water bottle to take to the parks with you. Many people recommend the filter type, such as Brita, to remove the "funny" taste that many people find from the water fountains in the parks. You can also ask for a cup of ice from any of the counter service restaurants. They can't put it in your bottle for you, but you can and then you'll have cool water.

Carry a few snacks with you to the parks. Nothing major (don't carry a whole picnic lunch with you for example), but maybe some type of crackers, small packages of cookies, granola bars, raisins etc. That way you can save money on buying snacks at the parks whenever you get the munchies.

Eat breakfast in your room. Many people do this to save money. Breakfast bars, fruit and even cereal (milk usually purchased from the resort store) are things frequently mentioned.

Eat a late lunch instead of dinner. Many sit-down restaurants have both a lunch and dinner menu with the lunch items being slightly smaller portions for lower prices. So, if eating at a sit-down restaurant a late lunch is frequently less expensive than dinner.

If you eat at burgers from counter service restaurants with fixin's bars (such as Pecos Bills), consider buying a double burger and asking for an extra bun. You can then put a patty on each burger and dress your burgers individually. They may charge you for the extra bun, but it'll be less than an extra burger.

Don't buy souvenirs at the parks except for park specific merchandise. If you need to get a T-Shirt or something for someone back home, buy them at a discount store off property. You'll save lots of money. Or, hit the official Disney discount stores in Orlando. Sometimes you can get great deals there, other times you may not find anything worthwhile. But, know the regular prices of items before you go - they sell some of the same items for the same prices as at the parks.

If you have kids, buy Disney related items before you go, but stash them away so the kids don't know about them. Then, when they want to buy junk from the parks, pull out an item that you pre-purchased. They'll likely be just as happy with it and you will have saved some money. Also, if you're doing nighttime activities, get the kids some kind of light toy (like a flashlight with Pooh on it or something). That should keep you from having to buy the light toys they sell during the nighttime events.

That's all I can think of for now. I'm sure you'll get lots more suggestions.

Have fun!

[TheInventor'sDaughter]

Wow! What a terrific list, Rhonda!

I don't have much to add -- she covered the main money saving ideas.

If you are planning what you are doing each day, look for free or cheap things to do on your "away-from-the-parks" days. My family has done a few of the off-site attractions, and they are not always more entertaining than the free stuff right there at WDW, but they are always more expensive. Some ideas: resort hopping, Boardwalk, swimming at the pool (your pool is awesome!), Fort Wilderness (petting farm, campfire program w/Chip & Dale,hayride, beach, stables for Main Street horses, peacocks, trails, and now ... carriage rides!), rent a bike (best place to bike: FW & WL), Electrical Water Pageant viewing from the beach, and Downtown Disney.

If you are interested in pin trading, buy some cheap Disney pins ahead of time -- either at a Disney Store or at cheappins.com -- and then trade for the more expensive pins that you might want.

If you're going during the hot months, buy a handheld mist fan ahead of time -- they are much cheaper at WalMart or Target than they are at WDW!!

Consider getting a refrigerator in your room. You should figure out if you would be in your room enough to use milk, soda pop, etc. and save money with your own fridge. Sometimes it isn't worth it, but often it is!

Time is money at WDW -- you paid for your time in the parks, so make the most of it. Do a little planning, thinking through what rides and attractions interest you most, so you can take advantage of the FastPass system. I'm not saying that you should become a schedule Nazi -- it's important to relax at WDW -- but you will be much more relaxed if you have an idea of what you're doing!

Double check what discounts you can get with your existing memberships. If you joined the Disney Club to save money on your hotel room, remember it's good on other things. If you are a AAA member or have an American Express card, you get discounts in various places too. I'm not saying you have to use them all (that WOULD get costly!), just be aware of them so if you are doing it anyway, you'll save money.

HAVE A GREAT TIME!!!

[img]smile.gif[/img] - Vaneta

[Jinnyboom]

Consider a large foam cooler that you can fill with ice from the hotel...great for drinks, lunch meats, fruit, etc.
We are taking a toaster and a small hot pot with us for munchies anytime.
(We are using a towncar mostly for the free grocery stop)...that way we can have as much food/beverages in the room as we like.
Have a great time!!!

[Gotta Love the TTA]

If you're flying, you can buy that cooler at the grocery store....

(don't try to put it in your suitcase [img]graemlins/rotfl.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/silly.gif[/img] )

sorry--sometimes I crack myself up!!

[MNNHFLTX]

Rhonda really did list pretty much all the things we do to save $$$. Except for one character breakfast each trip, we always eat breakfast in the room, and then eat a late lunch/early dinner (at a sit-down restaurant) later in the day. The bonus to that is that we are usually eating at the time of day where we have no problems getting a table, with or without Priority Seating. We also shop at the Disney Outlets regularily and rarely buy anything at the gift shops. The Character Premiere and Character Warehouse shops at the Belz Factory Outlet Mall have merchandise from the theme parks, resorts and the Disney Stores. The Character Premiere store at the Premier Factory Outlet Mall (confusing, isn't it?) just outside of the Disney World area sells only theme park and resort merchandise. You can find a lot of great stuff at incredible prices at these shops! [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img]