Can anyone tell me any secerets as to how to save money while visiting Disneyworld in Florida?
December 19, 2009 by GroovieT
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We are a family of 5 going to visit at Christmas time thru New Years this year and want to know if anyone who has been to Disneyworld in Florida has any hints or helpful ideas on how to save money during our 10 day travel visiting only the 4 main parks of Disney.
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Mousesavers is a great place for tips. They can save you money on hotels… Lots of good info. If I’m not staying in a Disney hotel (which is really the preferred way to go) I use priceline.com to get rooms. I have saved hundreds of dollars doing this, and have always been happy with where they put me. Start by offering $60 per night for a three star room, and if they don’t accept it, go up three dollars per day until they accept your price. It’s really busy in Disney that time of year, so you might not find the best deals you could.
The food in the parks is VERY expensive. The servings are usually a pretty good size, though. Make breakfast in your room (most rooms have either a kitchenette or free breakfast) then share food for a light lunch. For dinner, I’ve found that the more expensive the place is, the less food you get. The Prime Time Cafe in Hollywood studios has huge servings of really great food. Two plates and an app or dessert should feed you all. If you are staying off the grounds, there are tons of restaurants that are very cheap.
If you are from out of state, it may be cheaper for one of you to get an annual pass (annual pass holders get discounts on rooms, food and other stuff at Disney) If you are staying at Disney, the pass may pay for itself in 10 days.
If you stay off of Disney Grounds, even if they have a "free transportation" offering, you will most likely drive to the parks. The trams from hotels usually only go about three times per day, and they are never convenient times, so if you don’t stay in the park, add a few dollars per day to the price of your room (last time I went I think it was $8) when you compare to make sure that you are getting the best deal.
Don’t get a "Pal Mickey". Just don’t… Skip the hall of presidents, it won’t save you any money, but that’s a half hour of your life that you can’t get back
Book reservations at restaurants now. The cheapest ones book the fastest, but you have plenty of time to book now, and if you don’t make it, it’s no big deal. Very reasonable places to eat that give you good portions are
the Prime Time Cafe (MGM)
The Land Food Court at EPCOT (no reservation needed)
Mexico at EPCOT (you can split meals – and margaritas too)
The Rainforest Cafe at Animal Kingdom
Also – if the kids want to do a character meal – and they will – instead of doing a breakfast, do a dinner show. You’ll be paying close to the same amount, but the dinners are a whole nights entertainment, where the breakfasts are only a half hour. Mickey’s Louau at the Pollnesian hotel is a good one for little kids. For older kids, the Hoopty Doo Review is good, but Mickey won’t be there – it’s just a show.
Give the kids money to spend each day in the morning. When that’s gone, don’t give them more. There are arcades, gift shops, balloon salesmen… all over the place, and if the kids know they are on a budget, they will be less likely to go spend crazy. Remind them that they can play the same video games anywhere, but they can only ride the rides in Disney World.
It’s free to ride in the front seat of the monorail, and it’s a treat for the kids. Just ask the conductor. In 10 days, I’m sure you’ll have more than one oppertunity to do it.
Don’t do the Disney Dining plan. Unless you eat NONSTOP it’s not worth the money and it limits your choices too.
I guess the most important thing to know is that Disney is a MONEY MACHINE. Add up what you spend and pay attention to prices, or you will leave broke.
Some people like to sell Disney Dollars on the Internet. Disney Dollars are just gift certificates that you can use while you are in Disney (accepted everywhere) If you see some on e-bay for less than face value, jump on them.
Lastly, shop at the Disney Store before you go to the parks. There is no "clearance" section at any store in Disney, they use the Disney store for that, so stock up before you go and you won’t have a crying child begging you for a $25 tinkerbell tee shirt while you’re there.
Look for hidden Mickeys. It’s free entertainment.
Really, I could type all day, but you have enough to start with. Mousesavers is really a helpful tool, read the whole site if you have the time.
plan ahead (looking at maps and rides that u’ll likely to b going) it reduces walking around randomly.
also, try to withdraw some cash instead of using credit cards like crazy. limit urself to certain amounts
my family and I (we have 5 too) went to disney recently and we used the disney meal plan. its great if you like breakfast, lunch, snacks, and sit-down dinners. haha
I strongly suggest you make reservations at the restaurant soon! Some are all filled up even 3 months before you go.
Have a look at some restaurant menus to help you now.
http://allearsnet.com/menu/menus.htm
The meal plan is great!!
make sure you have a hotel or suite with a kitchen. try to plan ahead for meals because food can get REALLY expensive there. also, don’t buy souveniers in the parks. there are a ton of souvenier shops in kissimmee (very close to orlando) or even on international drive in orlando. you will find tons of great, cheap souveniers in the shops outside the park. buy your tickets for the parks ahead of time from AAA or another ticket agent. good luck and have fun!!
We are going in Sept. and have used the following websites for hints.
http://www.mousesavers.com
http://www.allears.net
Christmas through New Year’s is the most expensive and busiest time of the year to go! for example, my sister-in-law told us that water was $3.00 a bottle when they went at Christmas time. When we went in June, it was $1.50 a bottle.
Buy your tickets ahead of time and check the Disney World web site for any special deals they may have.
You are staying at the most expensive time of the year. Prices at all establishments will be higher.
If you stay on Disney property (I think you also asked about hotels?) you can take advantage of the dining plan to fix most of your eating costs.
For a breakdown: http://www.loonbeam.com/DisneyDining.htm
Please note for the Dining plan to be worthwhile you do need to plan for an average of one table service meal per day, and for that period you WILL need to make ADRs (advance dining reservations) as soon as possible, especially for NYE).
Other tips to save a little money.. Bring travel mugs or something to avoid the cost of bottled water. You can bring food into the parks, if you stay off site with someplace that has a kitchen, bring a cooler bag for sandwiches et al.
But understand this will NOT be a cheap vacation. It can be cost effective, but not cheap.
-bring your own food and snacks. my family always brings milk, cereal, cinnamon rolls, juice, bottled water, trail mix, pretzels- cheap stuff from home that’s ridiculously priced in the parks and hotels. if your room doesnt have a fridge, just bring a small cooler to put things in.
-save your souvenir buying until your last day. this way, you know exactly what you want and aren’t spending a bunch of money on impulse buys.
-dont rent a car (if youre flying). disney has TONS of transportation, even from the orlando airport to your hotel.
-if you want to do a character meal, breakfasts are always less expensive.
I say you can take small bags in with snacks and bottled water. If you can get off property there is a walmart down the road where you can buy souvieners and water and other items. We always ask for a fridge in our room and put water and stuff in their to keep it cold. We usually get cereal and milk and do breakfast from the walmart too.
First off you bring a backpack, and you put water bottles, sandwhiches, granola bars and other snacks in there!
Also get your tickets from an official discounter I personally reccomend using http://www.orlandofuntickets.com they have the best discounts on disney world tickets!
Have fun!
i would book hotel now, prices go up, you are going at the most expensive time, get a room with a fridge and mircowave, go to wal-mart, get soda chips milk ,cereal,sandwhich meat etc, rent a car, getting around orlando is easy, freeze a water bottel to take with,
A must site you have to view:
http://www.mousesavers.com/wdwtixdiscounts.html
Do your souvineer shopping ahead of time at:
DisneyShopping.com they have an "outlet" where you can get some great bargains!
Also, if you have children who like Mr. Potato Head, visit the Disney Store in Downtown Disney and purchase Disney Mr. Potato Head pieces. Last year when we were there, you could fill a box with as many pieces as you could fit for $19.99. Don’t waste space by putting in a head (if your kids don’t have one, buy one for like $5 at a toystore)
Definitely take advantage of the Fast Pass and the Rider Exchange
I live in orlando florida and ive noticed the prices of things seem to increase as u get into the touristy parts…. so if u want things at a cheaper price, like grocerys and clothes and stuff its probably worth traveling the extra 5 minutes to a more residential area…. trust me, they are everywhere… just kinda hidden sometimes. If u are at disney think about taking the disney shuttles from parks bc they are free usually. And know your routes and dont travel at rush hour. you could be sitting around for hours in a car. When you go to disney bring a backpack full of snacks and bottles of water, becuase the prices at disney are rediculous, last time i went a few months ago, they were charging $3.25 for a bottle of water. Snacks and meals are no cheaper.
You can bring coolers into the park (no alcohol or glass containers though). The food is very expensive in the park and we make sure to eat breakfast before we go.
Also, they are having an unusual amount of cars being broken into the past few months so make sure you leave nothing valuable in your vehicle.