Anyone Done Disney on an Extremely Tight Budget?

[Justbranches5]

We leave in 3 weeks (driving) & I find myself not super excited. We bought non-expiring tickets 4 years ago & got a great deal on an off-site resort townhouse with it's own pool (Windsor Hills) which we paid for 6 mos ago. Due to a series of unforeseen circumstances, most of our Disney spending money is gone. We have 3 teenagers & a 5 year old and will be down from Oct 6-Oct 12 (my DD's birthday!) & will do 3 days of parkhopping, spending the rest of the time at the resort. I just think it's going to be tough to keep everyone happy with very little spending $. 4 years ago we stayed at the Contemporary, went to O'Hana's, ate in the parks, etc, so this trip will be very different! My son is a senior & this may very well be our last whole family vacation or I'd consider canceling the trip. I plan on bringing most of our food & drinks to the resort & parks and eating out very little. Anyone find themselves in this situation in the past? Any tips for inexpensive splurges, especially in the parks? Other ways to keep spending to a minimum & still have fun?

Sorry if this sounds whiney...I really am grateful to be going to Disney at all in this economy (my husband is in construction) :)

[pattyw]

We just returned from a stay at WDW. we stayed at the FW cabins. Food has become so exppensive that we decided to stay at the cabins and cook. We loved it!! We did do CS restaurants and they were pretty reasonably priced. Plus, at CS, we brought in our own drinks which saved $$. I think you will have a great time. You'll still be at Disney and your family will be together. Yes, you'll lose a little time commuting and cooking, but you're on vacation- RELAX! and enjoy!!:goodvibes

[Justbranches5]

Thanks, Patty! I am actually totally okay with staying off-site...the resort is very nice & minutes from the park & we'll have our car since we are driving. It's disappointing the kids that I'm worried about. When there are 6 of you & your total budget for 7 days is about $600, it's tough when you have to say no to everything they ask for. There are so many great treats in the parks, but if I remember correctly, a Mickey cookie is about $3.50 & the Dole whips they love are $4 each...that's $50 for our family! I have found some great ideas on here...we will bring water bottles & individual drink mixes & I love the suggestion about buying glow necklaces etc at the Dollar store before we go (for my 5 year old). I'm looking for more of those suggestions...

Anyone know of any really inexpensive snack kiosks or treats in any of the parks that you watch for? I just want them to be able to enjoy some of the Disney magic, without killing our budget...

[ReginaGraham]

The cheapest snack I can think of are the pickles. My husband discovered they are only $1.00 in MK. You can buy mickey ice-creams for about $2 each. But your best bet is to bring your own. Wal-mart is not that far away. You can buy pre-popped pop-corn, etc. and bring it with you.

[Redheaded Sunshine]

:sad1: Please don't beat yourself up about being on a tight budget. Your kids will very likely surprise you. The older ones especially. And you can very easily explain to them (in a nutshell of course) that your budget is strained and you can't always "do Disney" bigger. For your 5 year old, my suggestion is this...start teaching him now about money. Make him do little chores at home to earn his "dollars" (this is what my kids say) and let him end up with about $20 for his souveniers. Most 5 year olds will be really happy with anything that they can get for about $20. This is what I'm doing and have done with my kids.

I very much understand because I was nearly in tears the other day because I had to tell my kids we couldn't do something because we just didn't have the "dollars," but they know that we have to save our dollars to go see Mickey and they're ok with that!

[njmom47]

I tried to be pretty frugal on our last vacation to WDW. My kids (all teenagers) did not ask for one souvenir because they knew we didn't really have extra spending money. It might be tougher with a little one though!
But if you can find stuff at the dollar store and dole it out during the week, that might keep your 5 yr old happy.
We split meals when we did eat in the parks, and we also ate at "lunchtime" as opposed to "dinner" (lunch is usually cheaper...you can always check menus ahead of time also to see what the cost of meals are), we brought water and snacks and even sandwiches to eat lunch in the parks.. My one splurge would be that I had food delivered to eat breakfast in the room which saved time and money in the A.M. (although staying off-site will be a big help in defraying meal costs).
Have fun! :goodvibes

[thebeesknees]

Yep, the only time we've gone was on a very tight budget. Stayed off-site and brought in our own sandwiches, no extra treats or souvenirs. The kids still had a blast. I'm sure your older ones will understand the situation, and they are big enough that if there is one souvenir they really have to have, they can purchase it themselves. Your youngest won't remember your last trip so comparison to past trips shouldn't be an issue with that child. Maybe they could each choose one "treat" (Dole Whip, Mickey bar, whatever) to have on one park day? The house with the pool sounds really nice and should be lots of fun. As far as inexpensive fun things, maybe you could do pressed pennies, or get a list of Hidden Mickeys and do a hunt for those. Or make up a scavenger list (find something with a pirate on it, find a CM from Africa, etc.) and have them get a picture of it before the end of the day - see how many things you can cross off your list. Honestly, they are going to be so busy running from ride to attraction on your 3 park days that they probably won't have time to "miss" the stuff they had other times.

[jaminmd]

Post your question on the budget board or search their old posts. Those folks amaze me when I see how some of them do budget vacations. I've never done one so I'm no help otherwise.

Have a wonderful time with your family!:)

[HeatherC]

Not really a suggestion on what to buy at Disney, but wondering if you have anything lying around the house that you might be able to sell on either Craigslist or Ebay?

Reason this popped into my head is I just sold a Kate Spade Purse on Ebay for $170. It was just sitting in my closet and I figured I'd never use it so I listed it and put the money in my Disney fund for our trip in February.

You still have a couple weeks to maybe generate a little extra cash to free up your budget.

Another thought was to try and really save on your food budget between now and then. If you can cut your budget by like $50 a week that would be about $200 extra you could have. I've been able to do this by really planning out my meals and using our grocery delivery service that I order online. That way I know exactly what I'm spending and I don't have to go to the supermarket which stops me from impulse buying.

Any change you can cash in? Have an impromptu garage sale?

Just trying to think of some ideas that may help. And even if you can't do any of them, you will still have a wonderful time!!!

[TinkerBrie]

Not really a suggestion on what to buy at Disney, but wondering if you have anything lying around the house that you might be able to sell on either Craigslist or Ebay?

Reason this popped into my head is I just sold a Kate Spade Purse on Ebay for $170. It was just sitting in my closet and I figured I'd never use it so I listed it and put the money in my Disney fund for our trip in February.

You still have a couple weeks to maybe generate a little extra cash to free up your budget.

Another thought was to try and really save on your food budget between now and then. If you can cut your budget by like $50 a week that would be about $200 extra you could have. I've been able to do this by really planning out my meals and using our grocery delivery service that I order online. That way I know exactly what I'm spending and I don't have to go to the supermarket which stops me from impulse buying.

Any change you can cash in? Have an impromptu garage sale?

Just trying to think of some ideas that may help. And even if you can't do any of them, you will still have a wonderful time!!!

All of these are really great ideas!!!

Do you have any old or broken gold or silver jewelry you can sell?? I took a little box of old broken junk (nothing even remotely sentimental!) and got almost $900.00 :eek:

Just an idea :lovestruc Have fun with your kiddies!!!!

[MrsAlly]

Don't feel bad that your having to do Disney on a budget since it is more common than you think - we were only able to barely squeeze it in and plan on a few special meals (the character ones we are sticking to breafast since it is much cheaper and all of them are buffets so it gives us a set cost for those meals and the rest will pretty much be counter service or sandwiches and what not that we do up)

We don't have a set budget but we plan on going and spending the least about available (we even took a crappy flight out since we did it on miles, though the bussiness class on the way back makes up for that)

The budget board is the way to go, we are finding lots of tips there like get a double cheeseburger with extra cheese and and extra bun and there you go, you have 2 burgers for less of a cost or get 2 pieces of bread and many of the condiment stations have peanutbutter and jelly. I also found that whole foods carries some single serving peanutbutter packages that really will do more like 2 sandwiches and then just snag some jelly off the condiment stations.

I love the idea of having the kids "earn" their money for soulvineers or even setting ahead of time what items they will want and what the max they can spend on that item.

I think they will love beeing there and will understand (my 3 year old knows when we go on trips - do you want a gift or get to go to another park instead - Kids will always pick the second one because they want to go have more fun!

[DisneyStiles]

I do understand the challenge as we are leaving shortly with two teens and we too have ended up being on a tight budget. Our kids have been saving for their own spending money and totally understand that when that money is gone so are most of the little extras - so they are learning to budget and since it is their own money - it doesn't get spent as easy. Maybe with the older ones you could set a daily budget and get their imput into how to spend the money for that day. For the 5 year old a lot of stuff can be bought cheaper ahead of time and brought to the park.

Our kids are excited that even in this tough economy that family time is still very important and I'm sure that yours are probably the same. Go and have a blast and make a game out of what fun you can make on the cheep!

[longing2Batdisney]

We just went to WDW in May. We were on a very tight budget. We had our three children and DDbf. We paid for the rooms (value on site) and food. I had planned this out the year before. Everyone was given $25 a day for food or whatever they wanted; they understood this and was fine with it. They even managed to splurge on the last day at the Rainforest with the money they saved throughout the week. My DD and her BF shared meals. DH & I rarely spent all our allotted money.

My point not giving you an amount but to let you know that our children UNDERSTOOD and made our budget work for them. They all agreed our pictures were our souvies. Our DS3; I brought things from the dollar store and dollar section at Target.
I bought him cars, glo sticks, stickers, books, color books (things he likes) bubbles, you get the idea! He did get a very big souvie with his own money his grandparents sent him with. My older son was given $30 by my parents that is what he went to the Rainforest with (he really wanted to go there--so that was his souvie) :confused3

Staying offgrounds will be a tremdous help!!DTD has a shop for $10 and under for your child! if you feel the need to souvie shop. and the above posters had some great suggestions.

We felt sooo bad about what our budget allowed; but, we had a wonderful magical time on our trip. If if would not have been for the rain; it would have been the best family vacay yet. We plan to return next year and again probably on a budget. Disney is a very pricey vacay but can be done with a limit!

Have a great and magical time and don't stress too much! they understand! :hug:

[Mandrake]

yes I agree with Redheaded Sunshine you shouldn't beat yourself up. I don't know you Justbranches5, but you sounds like a great mother. Dealing with children is not easy, I wish you a great time at Disney, I am sure you will all keep beautiful memories of it.

[Justbranches5]

Thanks for all the support & great tips, everyone :) You are the best!

Heather...you & I think alike! We actually have 5 pricey items on Craigslist right now & are hoping they sell soon!
And boy, have I cut our food budget...thankfully, we stock up when things are on sale so I've been able to shop for just necessities. Since we are staying offsite, I bought laundry detergent, paper plates, etc at the Dollar Store along with some glow necklaces & bracelets for my youngest DD.
We have decided to let the little one use up the change in her piggy bank that we've been dropping in there all year for her souvenirs/spending $...she actually had $35 in change! And the 3 older ones have been collecting their change for a while & came up with another $35. Every little bit helps :)

Tink...I hadn't thought about the gold...hmmm--another great idea!
We also found the Minnie Ears we bought my DD5 on our last trip & her Tinkerbell pin so we will "regift" her with those while we are there & she'll be thrilled ;)

How do you bring sandwiches into the park...in a sm. soft cooler? Do you carry the cooler around all day? Any tips on that? We could make our own "subs" & they would be happy with that I'm sure. They don't care about sandwiches being brought in (at the gate)?

[thebeesknees]

No problem with sandwiches brought in at the gate. They won't let you bring in a rolling cooler, but a soft-sided one is fine. You can either carry it with you or rent a locker for the day and keep it there. I still have a stroller, so it's easy to tuck it in there, but ours also fits in my husband's backpack, so when we no longer travel with the stroller, we'll just stick it in there.

Have a wonderful time!

[loriandmatt]

we stayed at a windsor hills town home a few years back and i have some suggestions on ways to save $ (especially on food)

no one likes to cook while on vaca, but i found that if i relied on the toaster, the microwave and a crockpot, it wasn't too bad (i also forced everyone to pitch in with prep and clean up). check with your rental agent to see if your townhome has a crock pot/slow cooker. if not perhaps drag one from home. when we drive down i prep a few weeks/months in advance and then take them along in the car/cooler. i slowly aquire snack, drink and dinner items when on sale. i pre-prep and freeze such dinner items as mexican chicken, shepards pie, bbq pork. our car ride is 16-18 hours divided into two days...and these items are still pretty much frozen solid when we arrive....so no worries about going bad. we just make a Publix or Goodings run when we get there for parishables. one cheap quick meal we like is to pick up bagged salad and the cooked shrimp or chicken from the grocery store...my family loves a "big salad" night.

since we have the car we hit shoneys or waffel house at least once each trip too. cheap and yummy (everyone needs a fat and carbo load once in a while!)

Windor Hills has a great game room, fitness center and even a small movie viewing room. all free. (ok, i think some of the games in the game room require quarters) but there are tons of things there to do that are free/almost free. wonderful sitting area outside in that vacinity too. we could sit there enjoying "boat drinks" that i mixed up at the condo, have an eye on the little one playing in the splash water area near the pool and the teen was hitting the game room and fitness center.

[tam626]

We just returned from a stay at WDW. we stayed at the FW cabins. Food has become so exppensive that we decided to stay at the cabins and cook. We loved it!! We did do CS restaurants and they were pretty reasonably priced. Plus, at CS, we brought in our own drinks which saved $$. I think you will have a great time. You'll still be at Disney and your family will be together. Yes, you'll lose a little time commuting and cooking, but you're on vacation- RELAX! and enjoy!!:goodvibes

This sounds just like our trip last year. We are doing the same thing in less than 2 weeks. We will eat lunches at the parks & that's about all the money we will be spending. Not much on souveniers. We had an awesome time last year & did'nt spend much while at the parks.

[ndgqccmiller]

Okay I am heading off to work so I did not read everyones posts but I will tell you when we go to Disney we are there to DO Disney not BUY Disney. That is my favorite saying so here goes.

We made autograph books versus buying them. Bought Disney pens from Target before we left. Saved$

Snacks for in the park slim jims, string cheese, pretzels, cheez its little dum dum suckers like you get at the bank, fruit chews etc.

froze drinks and took them to the park

If you do eat at the park you and your 5 yr old split a meal

Set a limit 20 for each kid to spend(if you can do it) tell them that arcade, souvinors, face painting so they will need to decide wisely.

Fort Wilderness does a movie and music night. Its free they have music disney characters and singing and you can bring smores and cook them around the campfire and a disney movie Tell the big kids this is for the little one and to enjoy.
I hope this helps and I will make sure to come back and read what everyone else posted. I love to have fun without breaking the bank!
Glow necklaces from the dollar tree

[DisTwix]

I am a single person, but have done plenty of budget Disneying. For myself, I do protein bars for breakfast, bring bags of fruit snacks or another bar for in the park... I eat kid's meals, which are plenty of food (and I like the kid's side choices better!)... I never, ever, ever buy water - I bring my metal water bottle and fill it with counter requested water or out of the fountains... if I'm feeling fancy I'll add the little flavor packets.... when I went in cold weather, I brought my own tea bags into the park and requested hot water from CS.... I'll think long and hard before going about any souveniers I might need. "Need". The things I seem to truly use the most are t-shirts and, funny enough, the antenna toppers, and I'll figure out what I'm going to buy and how much I have to spend and stick to it once I'm there (so, so, so hard).


There is NO shame in being on a budget - if anything, you are spreading some great values and money skills to your kids! For me, the budgeting has gotten to be kind of a game... how little can I spend today, and still eat on property and have a fine time?


This next trip (10 days away!) will be interesting since it's my first Free Dining excursion. I have a feeling it's more food than I've ever seen @ Disney!!!!!!

[Andrea]

my hubby and i just decided today ( sept. 15) to go to disney for the weekend of oct 3 - 5

i found us an offsite hotel for $66.00 for both nights
gas for driving 100.00 round trip ( we live in ga)
tickets $ 312.00 ( i have earned 300.00 in free disney gift cards from sunshine rewards, so park tickets will only be $ 12.00 plus tax )

food the hotel makes a huge free breakfeast ( well at least in other states this hotel does)
i will pack a cooler with water bottles and sandwhich stuff.

so i think our biggest expense will be boarding the dogs.

[The Hendies]

We froze individual applesauce and yogurts. They kept sandwiches cool, and had melted just enough when we were ready to eat. Poor Dad carried everything on his back, but that way when the kids were hungry, the food was right there. Walking to lockers when you are on the other side of the park is a hassle.

[basketlacey]

We stayed at a house in that neighborhood a few years ago. There is a playground and movie theater at the "club house". My kids thought the movie theater was the best thing. You went in and signed up for the movie you wanted to see and the time slot. We then popped our own popcorn and headed back for the show at the scheduled time. It will be great entertainment for your kids and the best part - it is FREE!

[DisneyShannon]

One year I took my lunch in the park pb and j and some chips. I found a nice spot in epcot to eat at a picnic table. Soon there came another group and they sat down at the picnic table beside me. They had also packed their lunch. As we ate I heard many people passing buy saying they wish they had packed their lunch.

I am also on a tight budget. We stay at the all star movies, and I go to wal mart before my trip and buy things I buy cans of soda to take with us. So we always have it on hand.

[cojimera]

We live in Miami and we're passholders so we go to disney a lot ,we just have to drive 4 hours and we're there.We stay off site ,usually in a hotel that includes breakfast( Buenavista Suite has been our latest option and we love it) I carry a soft cooler with some water ,sodas and snacks and put it under our dd stroller.It also helps to read this board and find out the places were you can stop and have a decent lunch and not spend a lot.For souvenirs I go to Target ,Walmart ,dollar tree and buy a few things put it on a disney bag and gave it to our DD as a present.
Don't worry your kids will be more in to the rides than in to the $$

[jacksmomma]

We have done some of the things that others have mentioned:

Glo Sticks: Were a huge hot and we gave our extras to a family on the last night of our trip. It made our day and theirs.
Toys and trinkets from the dollar tree: Every night when your little one goes to bed leave her a present along with a note from a character. If your older kids get involved they could have a lot of fun with it.
Epcot: Visit each country and as a CM to sign your autograph book. We got some wonderful messages and great keepsakes all in the CM's native language. Great Souvenirs! Similarly, have your older kids go "around the World" and get their picture taken with an attractive member of the opposite sex. My cousin had a blast getting her picture taken with "hot Guys" from around the World. :lmao: (This may not be to everyone's liking, if it is not, move on.)
Pressed Pennies: Cheap and fun, some are very unique
Pins: Order some off ebay before you go, then you have plenty of traders while in the parks

Just have fun! Kids will surprise you, if you tell them what to expect ahead of time, they are usually great! :hippie:

[babybaja2]

You children will understand if you just sit down with them ahead of time and explain, we go on a budget, or we don't go at all... they will vote for the budget option! We seem to always be on a budget (who isn't?) and I divide the spending cash by number of days, put each days cash into an envelope for that day.. when it's gone, it's gone, but at least the next day there will be some! Also, by keeping a closer eye on it, most days there's a little left, which gets added to the next day.

We also found a 2 bed/bath condo off site for $40 a night, and are spliting it with another couple from my husbands unit (military) so it's only running us $200 for the week. Breakfast will be at the condo, lunch we will pack, lots of snacks, granola bars, jerky, etc.. most of the time in the parks we are too busy trying to see everything, we don't want to take time for a sit down meal.. we eat riding the train or waiting in line.. And when we just have to have something to nibble on from the parks, we trying to find something we can share, like a turkey leg, funnel cake.. so everybody gets a taste, but we did not have to buy one for everyone.. we spread those purchases over the days, in between staying full on our own snacks.. as long as the kids aren't hungry, they don't notice all the stuff they're missing... and we drink water from our bottle that we can refill in the park for free with the drink mix flavors (bonus: I've noticed that when we don't spend the day drinking sodas, my DH is less likely to have tummy issues from being shook up on the rides :rotfl2:)

Also, if you have time, hit the disney outlets on your way into town, let everybody get a souvenir at outlet price, so they already have something new before seeing similar items at higher prices in the parks. :thumbsup2

[DisneyBrat]

I like a challenge of crunching numbers and making it work :) When I read your post I came up with a couple of plans of action for you guys....

Opt 1 Pack sandwiches for lunch(we did this many times) and also snacks for the park.... Dinner each person orders CS combo meal $8 avg inc tax and one $3 snack per person per day. This calculates to

$8 x 5
$5 childs meal
$3 x 3 Soda (Share 3 large sodas)
$3 x 6 daily snack
--------
$72 per day x 3 days in park

Gives you a grand total of $216.00



Opt 2 Pack sandwiches and snacks as above.... CS Dinner Order a Double cheeseburger with extra bun combo(Share the fries) order 3 large sodas and $3 snacks sometime during the day.

Combo with extra bun will be a little under $9

$9 x 3 combo and extra bun
$3 x 3 Sodas
$3 x 6 Snacks
---------------
$54 x 3 park days
Grand total $ 162


Snacks can also be shared sometimes too like popcorn or large pretzel even pastries :)

Good luck and don't sweat it all WILL work out REMEMBER any budget day is a good day when you're at Disney :)

[Eeyore's Wife]

Wow, I know the feeling of having to stretch pennies. I am thankful we are even getting a Disney trip in this year. We had a SURPRISE baby, our oldest is in college, our son got braces and I have had three surgeries this year. To top it all off, our AC unit died for our home....and we hit the "emergency" money to pay that $5,500.00 bill.

So, our trip will be BUDGET this year.

We have talked to the older kids and they understand that we have paid for the things we need, and there isn't as much money this year for things we want. They agreed that a budget trip this year is better than no trip. So, we have agreed that this year there will be no purchases of STUFF!

We are taking our camera along, and we have looked at several on-line tutorials on taking better pictures. Our son is excited to recreate some great shots he has seen on line. We will print those out when we get home with a coupon from Walgreens Photo.

Our daughter has decided to do a scrapbook from the trip. So, she will be collecting all the silly things like clean napkins and fast passes to put in the book.

We have planned a couple days outside of the parks just enjoying the pool. I hit Wal-Mart and got some very inexpensive pool toys on great clearance.

Every trip I get a silouette done on Main Street, but this year I did them myself. It took a few tries, but the only out of pocket cost was for some acid free black paper (picked that up at Hobby Lobby with a coupon). I think it looks just as good as the professional version.

It is amazing what you can accomplish when you just decide you are going to learn to do it.

The biggest help is that any place that sells soda pop in cups will give you free ice water which is filtered and tastes fine. The water fountains are free but taste *off* in my opinion. The cups of ice water are a life and budget saver.

This trip I have a few silly things planned I know they will appreciate. One night we will have ice cream for dinner. Your kids might get a kick out of that one, too. Ice cream by the gallon and a container of hershey's syrup is a lot less expensive than feeding all of you at a Disney Counter Service meal, and it will be more memorable for your kids.

I also let the kids have pop tarts when we are either camping or on vacation. So, I would suggest you look at your family rules and guidelines and find something out of the ordinary to do to make this time memorable.

I am also bringing some colored gel and glitter to do up our hair:scared1:. We like to drop in the Barber Shop and get goo and glitter, but this time we will do it ourselves. I doubt anyone will be able to tell the difference.

I made the template for the hair gel from a mickey head paint swatch from Home Depot and an exacto knife. I did a trial run of the hair gel yesterday and it looks just like our pictures from our last Disney World vacation.

So, just get creative, think about what your family enjoys, and have a blast!

[kebauc]

Here's a souvenir idea you might want to check into: autographed t-shirts. We've done this every year we've gone, mainly because I don't like the idea of buying "junk" that they won't care a thing about once they get home (and I'm a tightwad). We did "splurge" and let each of our 3 DS's pick out a Disney shirt of their choice when we first arrived at the park. But you could pick up a much less expensive Disney themed t-shirt before you go - Walmart, target, disneystore.com clearance, etc - or perhaps you already own one. The ones that work best are lighter in color. Keep your shirts rolled up in a backpack with you in the parks. Make sure you have at least two or three Sharpie markers. Every time you see a character, ask them to sign the shirt, instead of the standard autograph book. It usually takes two people to hold the shirt taut while the character signs it. Just have your shirts out and ready when you get to the front of the line. After a couple of signings you get the hang of it, and it really doesn't take much longer than signing a book. Even the characters that cannot hold a pen and must stamp their signature are fine - that ink is permanent as well. I cannot tell you how much they adore those shirts, and they are great conversation pieces - truly one of a kind! On our first trip we had done the autograph books, and our kids really didn't care about them once we got home. But the shirts -- they love to wear them and reminesce (sp?). Once in a while I do touch up an autograph or two, but rarely. Just make sure you tumble your shirt in the dryer after the autographs, before you wash it, to make sure the ink is good and set - just like those stains that go through the dryer and never come out again:laughing: For older kids, you might consider an autograph hat. I must admit that "stole" this idea from another park-goer at Disney so I can't claim it as my own. But I loved the idea and our kids have really enjoyed them.

[dydo2424]

ALL of my Disney trips are on an extremely tight budget. I'm trying to remember what site it is - allears.net or something similar has a list of "free" things you can do while at WDW. They had lots of good suggestions that entertained you while not costing anything. I took my daughter to the movie at Fort Wilderness - free and lots of fun! Finding hidden Mickey's, etc.

We did the breakfast in the room, goldfish crackers in rubbermaid containers, fruit rollups, bringing our own bottled water etc to the parks saved a lot of money. Lots of dollar store treasures for decorating our room window, glow necklaces, etc.

And I agree with others a little explanation ahead of time and the kids will understand. The hardest part for us on the first trip was reminding them to wait before spending "all" of their money the first day. If I walked into the living room and told my 6 & 9 year old kids we could go to WDW but not get any souvenirs they would be over the moon ready to pack.

[donaldsgirl]

You guys are going to have a great time!!! We are leaving on sunday to be down for 2 weeks, with 2 kids ect..I spend ALOT of time trying to find ways to lower our cost so we can stay longer. I bring ALL of our food and drinks to the parks with us (I do have to have an ice cream every day though) and more than half the time cook in our condo. We might go to one maybe two "nice" restuarants but that is all. I clip coupons for dinners and eat breakfast in the room. If I stay off property, I park at Downtown Disney (please keep your opinions to yourself, you know who you are!!:rolleyes1) and catch a bus to the parks so I dont have to pay for parking. As far as disney world goodies go, I go to the character warehouse?? It is over in the outlet mall on vineland and there is another store just like it in the outlet mall at the end of I-drive. You can get some super cool stuff (actual Disney World stuff) for a huge discount. 65.00 shirts for 7.00 or 8.00. Unless it is absolutely necessary I wont buy a thing on disney property. I promise you that you dont have more fun if you have more money to spend. Your at DISNEY WORLD!!! What else do you need? Have fun!!!:thumbsup2

[NLD]

Haven't read through all the posts yet so I apologize if this has been said, but about the glo sticks:

Our Target dollar bins have glo sticks and bracelets. The bracelets are the BEST deal--you get 12 in a tube, $1 per tube. We just bought some for my five year old for our trip. They are pretty small (hard to get on my wrist) but they fit a kid just fine!

:goodvibes

[Ambersmith6364]

I wanted to tell you, we go to Disney often because we live so close and always do it onj a budget. What we did is bought autograph books ahead of time, usually on ebay, I have found some great new disney stuff at goodwill too. Most 5 yr olds love getting autographs. I'm not sure what you where going to do with ur time there but at the premium or prime outlet, i think exit 75a there is a disney outlet store that has a bunch of great discounted stuff. Look it up online for directions and make sure its the right outlet. For a yummy treat we get the huge mickey mouse rice crispy treat. we have a family of 8 and good for us. Its like 10.95, but a good amount to feed everyone. Your going to have a great time. And always check in the stores they have sales sometimes. Oh and I was just there and in the winnie the pooh store, which you go through when you get off the ride, they have plastic characters like a set of 6 random characters on clearance for 3.99 originally like 15.00 I'm not sure if it something your little one woulds be interested in but its super discounted and sometime its just about the excitement for a kid that age. theres about three different packs with characters in it and the one on sale is the one with peter pan, hercules, alice, dopey, aladdin and I forget the other one. So check that out. Cant wait to hdear about your trip!
Oh and I'm not sure why it says hello grill whji at the top, i think my son started typing but i dont know how to take that off... oh well

[snarlingcoyote]

Here's a souvenir idea you might want to check into: autographed t-shirts. We've done this every year we've gone, mainly because I don't like the idea of buying "junk" that they won't care a thing about once they get home (and I'm a tightwad). We did "splurge" and let each of our 3 DS's pick out a Disney shirt of their choice when we first arrived at the park. But you could pick up a much less expensive Disney themed t-shirt before you go - Walmart, target, disneystore.com clearance, etc - or perhaps you already own one. The ones that work best are lighter in color. Keep your shirts rolled up in a backpack with you in the parks. Make sure you have at least two or three Sharpie markers. Every time you see a character, ask them to sign the shirt, instead of the standard autograph book. It usually takes two people to hold the shirt taut while the character signs it. Just have your shirts out and ready when you get to the front of the line. After a couple of signings you get the hang of it, and it really doesn't take much longer than signing a book. Even the characters that cannot hold a pen and must stamp their signature are fine - that ink is permanent as well. I cannot tell you how much they adore those shirts, and they are great conversation pieces - truly one of a kind! On our first trip we had done the autograph books, and our kids really didn't care about them once we got home. But the shirts -- they love to wear them and reminesce (sp?). Once in a while I do touch up an autograph or two, but rarely. Just make sure you tumble your shirt in the dryer after the autographs, before you wash it, to make sure the ink is good and set - just like those stains that go through the dryer and never come out again:laughing: For older kids, you might consider an autograph hat. I must admit that "stole" this idea from another park-goer at Disney so I can't claim it as my own. But I loved the idea and our kids have really enjoyed them.

I am SOOOOOOOOOOOO doing this next time I go to Disney! Thank you! :woohoo: I love this idea!

Actually, I think I'm going to do a Disney messenger style bag to keep my dig kit in. And to think - I have an entire YEAR to find the perfect bag!

[Wants2Live@WDW]

Another way to keep the kids engaged is to play the "Hidden Mickey" game. You can find used copies of the official Hidden Mickey guide books on amazon.com for less than $2 sometimes, and it always kept my teenage sisters amused for HOURS. It is a book that tells you where there are hidden mickeys around the parks and in the resorts. You can approach it like a scavenger hunt, either taking pictures (cell phones are what my sisters used), or setting ground rules like writing down descriptions to get the "points" for finding a hidden mickey. Whoever had the most points at the end of the trip won. No prize needed. :)

The Kimmunicator game at Epcot is also a fabulous free way to keep kids entertained for HOURS, but if you are doing 3 days in the parks, this might eat up too much time. (Basically, you pick up a Kim Possible kimmunicator (a refurbished cell phone device) and follow the clues until you either have finished all of the missions or you have to leave. They have the stations in the World Showcase entrances at Epcot).

As far as other options, packing a lunch is a great way to go. Since you are going in October, the summer items will be on clearance, and it is still warm in Orlando (IMHO). Bringing your own misters (spray water bottles with a fan attached to the end) from home (from Wal-Mart for like $5 each...instead of $20 in the park), and a pancho for everyone from the dollar tree (packs of 2 pachos for $1) will help to make things more comfortable during your stay. Another option is to stop by the Walgreens on International Dr (or is it Blvd?) across from Universal Studios and stock up on Disney merchandise, in addition to anything that you could find at an Orlando WalMart or the Outlet Mall (on the other side of international dr). I remember that we picked up a disney hoodie (we were there in December during a cold snap) for $15 and they had souvenir t-shirts at Walgreens (and at the little shopping center right next to it) for like 2/$10. They also had snowglobes and post cards (and so did Wal-Mart) at rock bottom prices. So the souvenir budget could be stretched a lot further with a little patience and driving.

To get away from sandwiches, my husband would get a pizza when we got back to the room and then pack 2 slices for the park on the next day. (I prefer not to eat my slices cold, nor can I vouch for the sanitary condition of his choice, but it is an idea).

The Disney magic is about your family making memories. Pictures, rides, attractions, and parades are all included in your admission ticket. I am sure that your family will love every minute, even though it did not cost a dime! :cheer2:

[Beckypooh1972]

Wow! There are so many great suggestions for saving money on this thread:
I'll try to add a few:

Avoid the tourist traps along Hwy 192: go cart racing, laser tag, helicopter rides, mini golf, etc. are all inferior entertainment to the parks and will add up in cost quicker than you realize. Enjoying the Disney magic with an extra day or 2 or your pass would be a better use of your money since adding days to a pass after 4 days is fairly cheap compared to shelling out over $60 for 6 people to ride a go cart for 3 mins.

One of my fave tips that we do is the free ice water at the counter service restaurants. You can also get free cups of ice and pour your own soda over the ice too.

I would actually stay out of the stores for the most part since they are so tempting. However I did see a cute tip once for great pictures. If your kids like to dress up you could put on some of the costume garb while in a store and take funny pictures (but not buy the merchandise) Disney cast members are very accommodating and will join in the fun. There is a great pirate area in the World of Disney store with hats, wigs and swords etc.

I would definitely avoid buying food in the parks. Bring your own and eat at the tables in the counter service restaurants during the less busy meal times. Resist the urge to "buy something" just so you can sit there. The cast members are not going to say a word to you about eating your own food in the park and you'll get to cool off and rest inside.

Cooking at the condo is going to save you tons of money. You might even have access to a grill, I'd ask when you get there. Since you are driving bring as much as you can with you so you won't have to buy so much in Fla. Take advantage of the pool, most kids love their hotel pool. You could also take a side trip to Cocoa Beach which is only a hour away by car.

[Minniemama350]

We have done WDW on almost nothing many times. One thing I told my kids when they asked where we were dining was that we spent so much time at those restaurants that we missed rides. I accented our ability to ride more and max our time by bringing our food. The PBJ has been renamed the "Disney Special" at our house. We had an awesome trip!
We also shopped at the nearby Walmart for the younger kids and got souvenirs cheap: backpack, Disney pen and autograph book, t-shirts. etc. It may not appeal to your older kids, but your 5 yr old probably won't care. We also have made the rule that no one buys until the last day. That has saved us tons of money on souvenirs. Dowtown Disney has a discount store also, but the quality is not consistent.

[Justbranches5]

Wow! You are all awesome! What a great bunch of suggestions...I'm a little more excited now :)
I took several of the great suggestions posted on here...sold my old scrap gold for $120! Bought some glow necklaces & bracelets at the dollar store & while I was there bought sm. bottles of laundry soap, paper plates & other items we'll need for the townhouse for $1 each instead of buying them down there (We are staying at Windsor Hills, by the way). We are thinking that instead of going out to a really nice seafood restaurant for our 'big nite out" (usually $160-170), we may make a really nice dinner at the Townhouse (crab legs, lobster tails & steak) & it will be half the price!
Glad to know that we aren't alone in the tight budget arena ;) Keep the great ideas coming!!

(Special thanks to Lew for the number crunching!):flower3:

[TinkerBrie]

Wow! You are all awesome! What a great bunch of suggestions...I'm a little more excited now :)
I took several of the great suggestions posted on here...sold my old scrap gold for $120! Bought some glow necklaces & bracelets at the dollar store & while I was there bought sm. bottles of laundry soap, paper plates & other items we'll need for the townhouse for $1 each instead of buying them down there (We are staying at Windsor Hills, by the way). We are thinking that instead of going out to a really nice seafood restaurant for our 'big nite out" (usually $160-170), we may make a really nice dinner at the Townhouse (crab legs, lobster tails & steak) & it will be half the price!
Glad to know that we aren't alone in the tight budget arena ;) Keep the great ideas coming!!

(Special thanks to Lew for the number crunching!):flower3:

Awesome!!!! Glad we could help!!!!!:cool1:

[Princess Disney Mom]

Take a picture frame border and have the characters sign. Great way to get a disney frame for cheap.

Food is one area you can save big.

[Justbranches5]

Someone mentioned this list here & I found it so I thought I'd post the link!

http://www.mousesavers.com/freestuff.html

Very helpful!
Also, If anyone is going to be down there October 9th & 10th like we are, the town of Celebration is having Octoberfest on those dates with "leaf falling" 3 times nitely & a free concert by Orleans (Dance with Me, Still the One) & Jimi Jamison of Survivor (Eye of the Tiger, High on You). They are having hayrides (not sure if there's a charge) & pumpkin painting!
Here is the link:

http://celebrationtowncenter.com/events/details/oktoberfest_in_celebration/

[dopeysgirl01]

We just got back from a few days at Disney. We stayed off site and I made lunches to bring every day. I froze juice boxes the night before to act as ice packs and stay cold. I made PB&J for everyone and brought snacks. We put the bag in a locker and went to get it at lunch time. I also asked for a cup of ice water at any place that served fountain drinks. My kids were told they could have one ice cream treat a day so hey got to pick the time and what they wated. They had some spending money from their bdays so that's what they used for souveniers. We ate inexpensive dinners outside the park since we were ready to call it quits for the day around a late dinner time. Just have fun!

[Whistle]

One idea I read about is to have an autograph pillowcase. I thought that was cool! You could also take a picture and print it out on the photo paper and iron it onto the pillowcase if you really wanted it personalized.

[cassiez76]

we're on a tight budget too. very tight. if it weren't for free dining, we wouldn't be going. hubby bought me a gift card for xmas and my b-day (which are 2.5 weeks apart!) so that will be my spending money. i do have a change jar i haven't touched in 4 years. that will be tip money and whatever else.

i'm lucky that my son is only 9 months, so he won't be going want want want! i'll be the one doing it though! :laughing:

you'll have a great time and you get a pool all to yourselves! i'm jealous of that!:goodvibes

[pointybubble]

Growing up, my family always did Disney on a budget because my father was unemployed on and off. We lived close enough by that we had annual passes and would make many short, inexpensive trips. We always stayed off property and looked for ways to cut corners so that we could go more often. We always brought our own food into the parks, and I have a few fond memories of our "picnics", such as watching the squirrels, people watching, or interacting with passing cast members. One thing I would avoid though is bringing your food from home into one of the other restaurants, Disney does not have a problem with this but your kids might! A PB&J sandwich may pale in comparison to the tempting scent of a turkey leg or fries. There are plenty of tables elsewhere around the parks to eat at, or you could do what I do, which is eat while I wait! To get the best seats for Nemo or other similar shows you have to line up about 45 min in advance, why not take advantage of this "sitting around" and have lunch? You could also eat while waiting for/watching a parade. To avoid splurging on treats, you could bring some of your own snacks that you seem to run into everywhere: pre-popped popcorn, cookies etc. If you have the time/energy, make your own rice krispies and cut them into the mickey shapes like they do in the parks. Recycle mickey ears from previous trips instead of buying new ones every time. Buying Disney merchandise for cheap before your trip is really easy with the outlet stores or a quick trip to any Walmart in Orlando. You can get authentic Disney shopping bags just about anywhere on property for free if you ask nicely so that you still have the "feel" of buying Disney items. Hand your camera to the Photo Pass CMs so that you don't have to pay for your pictures- they have never had a problem with me doing this. Write lists of things you may need- such as extra batteries for your camera or headache medicine- so that you don't have to pay an arm and a leg for something forgotten. Freeze waters or gatorades from Walmart the night before, and if whoever is carrying the backpack can't fit/handle the weight, put everyone in charge of their own bottle. My mother would have my brother and I wear fanny packs or backpacks with clipped water bottles to lighten my dad's load. Send free video postcards at Epcot- at the end of Spaceship Earth, Mission Space and in Innoventions. Your teens may enjoy the free Segway trial (it is a few minutes) there if you haven't done it already, and my family is a big fan of the group game after the Mission Space ride- it amazes me how many people walk by all the free, fun entertainment. I don't know how familiar your family is with the parks, but if they haven't seen them before, secretly hunt out the talking trash cans, water fountains etc to create surprises to make your trip feel extra special by "discovering" these. Most importantly of all, relax and have fun! You're going to Disney World! :goodvibes

[mrsannb]

I think you'll be able to do more than you think with your budget. Just decide in advance what it's going toward.
If you're getting the small gifts for your youngest, wrap them up and have tinker bell leave one each night. This is super fun, and with a new little gift every day, who really needs other souveniers. Try to decide what your youngest will want the most--like a costume, stuffed animal, or shirt, and purchase it online or from Walmart or somewhere for cheap.
If you do a downtown disney day, you might get the make your own marshmallows at Goofy's. They are inexpensive and a huge treat!
I have friends that just stayed at one of those homes like what you're doing. Spend a fun day at the pool and watching a movie there.
Be sure to get the free souvenier after riding Pirates of the Carribean.

[bmobes]

Making your own bagel sandwiches work great. They don't get mushy and they are pretty filling. We have done that a few times and everyone was happy.

[lawsonsontour]

we always take as maney envelopes as we have days on holiday and then divide the money we have equally between them.what ever we dont spend goes in to the next days money and by the last day we would usually have a bit of a pot to spend.

if you want to go out for a meal,this may sound daft but try going for breakfast.this way the kids will still feel that they are doing somthing that they would not normaly do at home.most of the all you can eat buffets ie goldan coral,ponadarosa's etc are only $5 and you can even get money of that if you pick up the coupon booklets that they have out side.

having the hopper tickets should help aswell as you can always call back to your resort for lunch and a swim before heading back to the parks for the fireworks.

whatever you do im sure that you will have a great time and wonder what you were ever worried about when you get back...let us know how it went when you get back

[Lorri4915]

I have only been twice, both on very tight budgets. We handled the money issue by giving the kids spending money before we arrived. They knew that if they wanted something including extra snacks, it had to come out of their money! It was amazing, they suddenly didnt want everything they saw. In fact, they came home with money. We are planning another trip in December and I will do the same again this year.

[MarkyMouse]

I have to chime in here - when we started giving our kids (now 15,13,9)Disney dollars (or regular $$) when we arrived it made all the difference! In the past we have given them $20-$25 each for the week for big-purchase items and/or $3-$4 each a day for "snacks". It was amazing - they simply don't ask for things anymore and we really see the differences in their personailities. The 9-yr-old spends a certain amount each day religiously, the 13-yr-old spends all at once (near the beginning) and the 15-yr-old saves it all up waiting for just the right thing and usually ends up spending it on the last day or taking $$ home. This is a big part of why we do the CS dining plan - just to avoid the hassle of their begging for snacks.

For this Oct. trip we also bought glow stick packs ($1) and a cute bag for the parks and MNSSHP ($5) at Walmart and bought really cute flashing pumpkin necklaces in different colors for $1 at Walmart for MNSSHP.

[curseofcurves]

The situation is a little different since I don't have kids, but my boyfriend and I (college students) did super-budget-Disney this summer. You have the right idea bringing some of your own food; we did the same. We took granola bars, almonds, apples, and water into the parks everyday. The water alone saved us soooo much money. Sharing food is another good idea; Disney portions seem pretty huge. On top of the snacks, we would share either a CS meal and a snack or a few snacks during the day, depending on what each park had to offer.

Buying small toys ahead of time as surprises for the little one is a great idea. I would totally do this if I had kids. As well, buying glowsticks, misterfans, ponchos, etc. ahead of time saves a bunch of money.

[Justbranches5]

LOVE the bagel sandwich idea! They are yummy & we haven't had them in a long time so it will be a nice treat, and a little more "exciting" than a regular sandwich. A bag of Lender's bagels is only about a dollar. We'll get some deli lunchmeats (my son love's Publix Cajun Chicken) and cheeses and I think they'll all be happy with that :) Lunch for about $2 per person including chips & a homemade cookie (I am baking a lot this week to freeze & take with)...gotta love it!

ONE WEEK from today & we're on our WAY!!

[Our 2 Princesses]

LOVE the bagel sandwich idea! They are yummy & we haven't had them in a long time so it will be a nice treat, and a little more "exciting" than a regular sandwich. A bag of Lender's bagels is only about a dollar. We'll get some deli lunchmeats (my son love's Publix Cajun Chicken) and cheeses and I think they'll all be happy with that :) Lunch for about $2 per person including chips & a homemade cookie (I am baking a lot this week to freeze & take with)...gotta love it!

ONE WEEK from today & we're on our WAY!!

I always bake before we go on our trips. Our dds love it!! I make homemade granola bars too - great for a quick breakfast or snack. Have an awesome trip. We always do budget trips and have so much fun!! :dance3:

[jenpals]

windsor hills is so close you can take a break at home for lupper (late lunch/ early supper..kind of like brunch only later) and head back to the parks for the night. Of course you can squeeze in a little r&r while you are there too!

[lorihannahgwen]

I agree with those that said to buy things ahead of time. I do that with my family. I buy disney t-shirts and pajamas (Disney outlet.com) whenever I see a good sale. I also buy the glow sticks and some disney stickers ahead of time. My girls are excited about getting new clothes that they don't ask to buy anything in the parks. It also helps that we don't go into the stores. The last day that we are at WDW we go to DTD. We know how much money we have left to spend and buy something at the World of Disney (w/ the AAA discount). Sometimes we just browse and not buy anything.
Lori

[mickeymousepuppy]

I went on a very last minute trip with my stepson and nephew, both age 12, to Universal. I just graduated from grad school, so I had no income for two years. They knew before we left that we were not buying anything in the parks or we could not go. I packed water and snacks from Sam's club and we brought in our lunches. We even walked the mile to the park vs. paying for transportation. They had a wonderful time and the only thing they remember about tight budget was the walk. We all still have a good laugh about that! We later did Disney on a tight budget and for my little ones, I bought the dollar store stuff and put it on there pillows before we left for the park in the morning. When they wanted to go in the stores, I said we didn't need to because I bet Mickey left a suprise for them at home. Try to relax and keep in mind that a day a Disney is a ton more fun than any day at home! Good Luck and I'm sure that it will be great!

[indimom]

I just skimmed the responses so if I'm repeating anything I apologize. One great idea which helps with avoiding the "I wants" at the snack kiosks is to have all the kids carry their own bag/fanny pack and let them stock it with their preferred treats (homemade cookies/rice krispies/snack packs/a little candy, whatever they prefer). I stole this from another poster on the boards and used it for trips here around home and it worked out great! Another treat idea I had was to have a "kitchen sink" sundae night at your resort. How fun would that be??
On our last trip, our youngest was 5 and we explained ahead of time that we would buy souvies on our last day in the parks (we could look all week so by the end of the week we would know what we really wanted). Everyone was allotted about $15-20, and on our last day we picked everything up at Downtown Disney. Worked out very well. You could also stock your bag with a few small Dollar Store Disney items (they have a ton) for your little one and if she seems a little dissapointed at any point during the week, surprise her with something from your bag. Most kids would be distracted and forget all about that expensive "stuff" they just saw...
Good Luck and have a great time!!!

[MouseloverJD]

I've always done Disney on a budget. I've taken a combination of nieces and nephews on the trips with me. I love going into the shops to look which would turn into them asking for everything they saw. When they were younger, between 5-7 yrs old, I would tell them that they could only have something that we could not find at a Disney Store at home or at some other store. This worked really well, because it became a game. They had to find something that they hadn't seen before elsewhere, that was totally unique (this was hard because Disney products are so popular). A lot of time we ended up not getting anything except snacks. :banana:

[WillowBelle]

Just stumbled upon this thread. So this may have already been posted.....

Did you know that there are Disney transportation cards that you can get for FREE? You can get a set of bus/monorail/water transportation cards. All you have to do is ask the driver if s/he has a set. There is 1 monorail card per color train (you get them as a complete set) there are 3 bus and, I believe, 3 water transportation cards. They're great little keepsakes. Sometimes the driver won't have a set, so you'll have to ask on your next monorail/boat/bus ride with the new driver.

You can also get a Co-Pilot's license if you ride in the nose of the monorail (4 people is max. capacity).

Also, if you go to the Sir Mickey's store in MK (off to the side of the castle). Find a CM and have them help your youngest search out Mini. After he "finds her" he will get a free certificate stating your DS's name, the date and the CM signature showing that he found her.

For breakfasts, I usually make poppy seed and/or banana muffins before we head down. They're easy to pop into your mouth when dashing out the door. The Pringles that come in individual packaging work well also, they don't get all smashed up when you're carrying them like a bag of chips would.

Also, for a cheaper snack - each of the 4 main parks have carmel popcorn that you can buy in a great plastic case. It has a lid and a handle and is a pretty sizeable amount. I got one of these at DHS for DDs and I when we were watching Fantasmic. It was only $4.50. Has a Mickey Mouse dressed in old-school director clothes. I didn't see them at EP/AK/MK, but have been told they're there. We actually brought popcorn home because there was so much in the container. We bought it from a CM who was walking through the theater selling various snacks/Cokes.

[sabrsjnk93]

Also, if you have time, hit the disney outlets on your way into town, let everybody get a souvenir at outlet price, so they already have something new before seeing similar items at higher prices in the parks. :thumbsup2

Also, just wanted to mention, if you are driving down I-95, the BELZ OUTLETS, exit 318, the one on the left of the freeway, is great. This is a great rest stop too, you are about just under 2 hours to go. We have bought really nice pins and t-shirts for a fraction of they are in the parks, very reasonable gifts. :goodvibes

[sabrsjnk93]

We too are on a tight budget, and now that I have read the parking fee is going up to $14.00 (What are they thinking?). We did this little tip in Aug when we were last there: We parked at Downtown Disney and caught the busses there to the TTA for free.
That left us with a little more in our pocket to spend in the parks.

BTW see you next weekend, we will be there Oct 9 -11, look for the 40 year old in the pink mouse ears princess hat :rotfl2:

[smkiya]

Don't forget dd's birth certificate. She can opt for the gift card in the amount of a days admission if you go to the park on her birthday.

[cschulte]

You can learn to draw characters at the Magic of Animation at HS. I haven't done it but we're planning it on our next trip. The picture is then a souvenior

[Justbranches5]

Thanks for all the great tips everyone! We are here and having a great time!! It is super hot here right now though :(
We actually had a small windfall before we left so that helped with the budget a bit.
So far, we've been to Disney's Hollywood Studios where we only lasted til 2:30 with the extreme heat & then headed off to the resort pool to cool off for a while. That evening around 7, we went to the Magic Kingdom & squeezed in a few rides.
At DHS, we brought our lunches (Bagel sandwiches, grapes, pringles) & ate at a nice CS place on the way to Tower of Terror where they had covered pavilions with fans & a huge condiment center. We each packed our own lunch with a frozen bottle of water & carried them on our backs in small drawstring sacks. When we ran out of our water, the CS's were happy to give us large cups of icewater just for asking. They were very nice about it & it was free! We just poured it into our water bottles, added crystal lite or lemonade & enjoyed our free drinks! So don't be shy about asking & don't feel obligated to buy anything!
More later...

[TinkerBrie]

Have a GREAT trip!!!!! I'm jealous!!!!!;)

[bluesky225]

Glad to hear you're having fun! Keep us updated! :)

[DisneyGirl@Heart]

Be sure to get the free souvenier after riding Pirates of the Carribean.

What free souvenir?????

[reservations4five]

We are driving down from Ohio - staying overnight in GA, I was wondering if I packed a cooler that didn't get opened until we arrived if I could take some of our groceries with us.

I have 2 freezers full of beef and one full of chicken and pork, I hate walmart meat.

What do you guys think?

[mrsannb]

What free souvenir?????



There is a board in the gift shop that has trivia questions on them, and if you tell the cast member the correct answer, you pick a prize out of the treasure box or they give you something along with a certificate. We got an eye patch and earring once. I think another time it was a jewel and a coin, or something.

[mrsannb]

We are driving down from Ohio - staying overnight in GA, I was wondering if I packed a cooler that didn't get opened until we arrived if I could take some of our groceries with us.

I have 2 freezers full of beef and one full of chicken and pork, I hate walmart meat.

What do you guys think?



You could always buy a bag of ice along the way, or get ice at the motel in GA.

[Justbranches5]

We are driving down from Ohio - staying overnight in GA, I was wondering if I packed a cooler that didn't get opened until we arrived if I could take some of our groceries with us.

I have 2 freezers full of beef and one full of chicken and pork, I hate walmart meat.

What do you guys think?

Definitely...if you have room for the cooler ;)

Put the meat inside doubled grocery store bags. Freeze a bunch of water bottles & bag them as well. That should get you to GA with some nice cold water to drink along the way. Then buy bagged ice before you go to bed & replace the water bottles with that for the second leg of your trip. Have fun!

[islac]

my family and i will be going to a Disney world to spend the holidays.. i'm just not sure which one. so all these tight budgets tips and experiences that you're sharing are helping us a lot. thanks! :)