5 Things to Skip at WDW

[TheDisneyNurse]

Maybe it's just me but if I'm going on vacation, especially Disney World, I do the skimping at home before the trip so that when I'm finally there, on a hard-earned, well-deserved vacation, I don't have to worry about how much I'll be spending on food or souvenirs. Yes, I bring ponchos that I purchased at Dollar General and yes we will hit some of the off-site souvenir shops because some items will be cheaper. But I didn't go all the way there so that I could eat a peanut butter & jelly sandwich that I made in my hotel room that morning or walk by all the wonderful shops on Main Street or Downtown Disney because I can get a Mickey t-shirt at Wal-Mart back home cheaper. Being there is all about the experience and you are fully immersed in it in the restaurants and shops because of the fantastic theming. I understand that some people may not be able to financially swing it if they have a large family. But for this family of 4, I'll tell the kids that we can't order pizza at home for a couple months before a trip to save that money for pizza at Pizzafari in Animal Kingdom or Via Napoli in Epcot.

I'm the same way! I live like a caveman before I go away, and then I go all out once I get to WDW Sooooo worth it.

 

[Fantabulously Cherry]

1. Skip the food. - I would never do this! I love the restaurants and the Dining Plan is a good way to experience differenct meals.
2. Limit your Disney memorabilia. - Completely agree with this!
3. Take disposable ponchos with you. - This gets my vote. The 98 cent ponchos on a pouch from Walmary or Target work perfectly.
4. Will you really use the park hopper option? - I always need it since we keep things open, especially since Animal Kingdom closes so early.
5. Save yourself the $17 in Disney parking. - I never stay off property so it doesn't apply to me. Even my first several trips where we drove, we stayed onsite so we never had to move our car.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

He sounds like one of those guys that isn't going to let Disney get the best of him and will brag for years about how he stuck it to them by not playing by their rules!

It's really about the way we grew up. We grew up very poor and IF anyone we knew went to WDW they drove from NJ, stayed at a family members home, packed food and bought a one day ticket to MK. That's the VERY few people we knew that went.

He went with my grandmother before and that's how they did it, except they stayed at a cheap motel off site and did WDW a few days and Universal for a day. They packed a cooler with tons of food. He had the time of his life.

So when I say I'm staying on Disney and we eat here and there his reaction is "you're crazy. You could do this and that and save tons of money." But then he understands I like to do things a certain way and experience it my way. He said if we do go together he would still do it his way and we would meet up in the parks for the day. I told him POP would save him a lot of money and he's open to it but to get him to buy food in the park may be pushing it lol

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Maybe it's just me but if I'm going on vacation, especially Disney World, I do the skimping at home before the trip so that when I'm finally there, on a hard-earned, well-deserved vacation, I don't have to worry about how much I'll be spending on food or souvenirs. Yes, I bring ponchos that I purchased at Dollar General and yes we will hit some of the off-site souvenir shops because some items will be cheaper. But I didn't go all the way there so that I could eat a peanut butter & jelly sandwich that I made in my hotel room that morning or walk by all the wonderful shops on Main Street or Downtown Disney because I can get a Mickey t-shirt at Wal-Mart back home cheaper. Being there is all about the experience and you are fully immersed in it in the restaurants and shops because of the fantastic theming. I understand that some people may not be able to financially swing it if they have a large family. But for this family of 4, I'll tell the kids that we can't order pizza at home for a couple months before a trip to save that money for pizza at Pizzafari in Animal Kingdom or Via Napoli in Epcot.

I agree! I try to go all out within reason. I don't mind spending money but I don't like to be wasteful. My kids can get a little carried away and want food or things that they really don't want...they are just caught up in the moment so I have to bring them back to reality a bit.

The only vacation I go on that I cook is the Jersey Shore. We rent a condo or a house with a full kitchen. A beach vacation isn't as exhausting as WDW. So I have no issues sleeping in, making breakfast, going to the beach, coming home, grilling some dinner and then hitting the boardwalk and buying snacks. I don't have the time, patience or energy to cook or pack food on a WDW vacation.

 

[GoofyinBuffalo]

I agree! I try to go all out within reason. I don't mind spending money but I don't like to be wasteful. My kids can get a little carried away and want food or things that they really don't want...they are just caught up in the moment so I have to bring them back to reality a bit.

The only vacation I go on that I cook is the Jersey Shore. We rent a condo or a house with a full kitchen. A beach vacation isn't as exhausting as WDW. So I have no issues sleeping in, making breakfast, going to the beach, coming home, grilling some dinner and then hitting the boardwalk and buying snacks. I don't have the time, patience or energy to cook or pack food on a WDW vacation.

Agree. We did a vacation in Myrtle Beach a few years ago and rented a condo. We made breakfast in the condo & then hit the beach; made lunch in the condo and then did some site seeing. We just went out for dinners. But that is a different kind of vacation. I want to be totally immersed in the Disney experience 24/7 and that includes staying on property and eating in their restaurants. Sometimes it's as simple as getting waffles or cereal from the food court & eating in our room before hitting a park. We may go off property for a meal if we have a non-park day and doing something else in the area. But I cook every other day of the year back home; I'd like someone to serve me on vacation. AND CLEAN UP AFTER IT!. lol

 

[Jennytoon]

This is the first year that we plan on eating most of our food at the parks or on Disney property. In previous years we have stayed off site and brought in our own snacks. BUT -- it was a little bit about saving money, but for us the reason to bring in snacks was more about saving time. We had kids that needed a break and didn't nap well in strollers, so from the moment we stepped foot in the park at RD the clock was ticking. We didn't want to take the time to wait in QS lines or snack lines; we preferred to feed our kids snacks while waiting in ride lines. Every few days we'd get a Mickey bar or something as a park snack because it was part of the experience.

Last time we went for our regular trip was the first time our kids didn't need to break so early, and as time rolled on I ended up arguing every day with DH: "No, I don't mind staying longer in the parks but if you want us to actually enjoy it we must EAT!!!" Ride lines he had no problems with but for some reason food lines were a total anathema ... this year I just put an early lunch into each day's plan so that we can avoid the lines and make him happy, and maintain everyone's blood sugar and make me happy.

 

[chrispeto]

1. Skip the food: that means carrying a heavy back pack or cooler around all day in the heat, besides the food is great at WDW
2. Limit Disney memorabilia we do that everybody has $100 limit usually
3. Take disposal poncho: cheap ones rip easy. We purchase WDW ponchos they are more durable and we use them during the school year
4.will you really need the park hopper :YES Some parks we only spend half a day and my kids love to park hop
5.save on parking: doesn't apply to us we stay on site and take advantage of Disney transportation.
One final point when I go to WDW I am on vacation and I want enjoy myself, not do extra work.

 

[mshanson3121]

Probably not saying anything that hasn't already been said....

1. Skip the food - I agree with this to a point. As far as your standard quick-serve/counter service stuff, I don't find Disney more expensive than any other theme park. That said, we tend to skip their food because it's all overpriced and typically not that great. We eat our meals at our lodging and pack snacks to keep us going. BUT... when you get into character meals etc... yeah, they're expensive, but you're paying for the experience, and it's an experience you're not going to get elsewhere, and I couldn't imagine going to Disney and not doing at least one! Though I admit, budget has dictated that we scale back and we now only have CRT and HDDR booked, instead of the original 4 we had booked.

2. Limit Disney memorabilia - isn't this one kind of common sense? If you don't have the money for a $30 t-shirt that your child is going to outgrow in a year, don't buy it. That said, we won't waste our money on clothes for the kids anyways, or anything else that has limited staying power. What I plan on doing is buying each child a keepsake quality Disney story book and then getting the characters to autograph them. Something my children will always have, and will be able to pass on to their children some day. The kids both want to pick out teddy bears, so, let them. They'll use them for years and when they're done, I'll pack them away and save them for their kids. Buy stuff that has staying power.

3. Ponchos - order the online from the Disney store, you'll get them for $5 each and I've heard it said that the Disney ponchos are worth the money vs. the thin, cheap ones from the dollar store.

4. Park Hopper - I think if you have the ability to take an extended vacation, then Park hopper isn't really necessary. But for those taking shorter vacations, I can see their value for sure. But, yeah, it's definitely a way to save money.

5.. Parking - I didn't find this very accurate. If you have the money to stay on site at Disney, then this is moot, you get free parking. If you're staying off-site, some places offer free shuttle, but many don't, and often the shuttles they do run are limited times and inconvenient. I don't buy the whole "on site is the only way to go" thing that many here do, but I also wouldn't stay off-site without my own transportation - I don't want to rely on someone else's schedule. The cost-savings of staying off-site more than offsets the cost of having to pay for parking, so again, I found her point moot.

 

[Rhombus]

The only vacation I go on that I cook is the Jersey Shore. We rent a condo or a house with a full kitchen. A beach vacation isn't as exhausting as WDW. So I have no issues sleeping in, making breakfast, going to the beach, coming home, grilling some dinner and then hitting the boardwalk and buying snacks. I don't have the time, patience or energy to cook or pack food on a WDW vacation.

Which beach do you go to? We rent practically every year in Ocean City in August.

We eat breakfast most days at the house, maybe go out for breakfast twice. Lunch, if we even bother having it, is always at the house. Most dinners are at restaurants, but maybe twice we grill something or make something simple.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Which beach do you go to? We rent practically every year in Ocean City in August.

We eat breakfast most days at the house, maybe go out for breakfast twice. Lunch, if we even bother having it, is always at the house. Most dinners are at restaurants, but maybe twice we grill something or make something simple.

Wildwood. My kids love the boardwalk there.

We pack lunch and take it to the beach. Just sandwiches, fruit, veggies. Very light.

We will go out to dinner a few times too. Or just grab shore fries, pizza and ice cream as we roam the boardwalk. We love to grill and take advantage of the opportunity since our development doesn't allow grills. That's why we will grill probably 3-4 nights.

 

[FTM22]

Maybe it's just me but if I'm going on vacation, especially Disney World, I do the skimping at home before the trip so that when I'm finally there, on a hard-earned, well-deserved vacation, I don't have to worry about how much I'll be spending on food or souvenirs. Yes, I bring ponchos that I purchased at Dollar General and yes we will hit some of the off-site souvenir shops because some items will be cheaper. But I didn't go all the way there so that I could eat a peanut butter & jelly sandwich that I made in my hotel room that morning or walk by all the wonderful shops on Main Street or Downtown Disney because I can get a Mickey t-shirt at Wal-Mart back home cheaper. Being there is all about the experience and you are fully immersed in it in the restaurants and shops because of the fantastic theming. I understand that some people may not be able to financially swing it if they have a large family. But for this family of 4, I'll tell the kids that we can't order pizza at home for a couple months before a trip to save that money for pizza at Pizzafari in Animal Kingdom or Via Napoli in Epcot.

YES YES YES YES YES YES YES!!!! This is a great description of what I said about vacations. I know some people enjoy this way of vacationing (the PB&J in the hotel room and Walmart souvenirs) and if you ENJOY that then have a magical time! I DON'T think that's fun at WDW and it's a BIG vacation to me! So I want to enjoy what WDW offers and do my skimping at home too.

Bet the woman who wrote that article had no idea what she was getting into with her comments.

 

[Rhombus]

Using the shuttles if staying off-site is a recipe for disaster, IMO. Most don't run continuously, or they have limited trips per day, or they don't start running until after rope drop, or some drop you off in the middle of the parking lot, or they only go to the TTC and you need Disney transportation anyway. Renting a car and paying for parking is well worth the cost to avoid the shuttle inconveniences.

I agree no one should buy park hoppers in advance unless you KNOW you're going to use them. If unsure, wait until you need them. You could always upgrade your tickets.

 

[Rhombus]

Wildwood. My kids love the boardwalk there.

We pack lunch and take it to the beach. Just sandwiches, fruit, veggies. Very light.

We will go out to dinner a few times too. Or just grab shore fries, pizza and ice cream as we roam the boardwalk. We love to grill and take advantage of the opportunity since our development doesn't allow grills. That's why we will grill probably 3-4 nights.

We often vacationed in Wildwood (Crest) when I was a kid. But only for 3 or 4 nights. Going to the boardwalk at night was nirvana!

We still go to Wildwood one evening while we're in Ocean City. And I try to go to the beach in Wildwood once every year. Enjoy your vacation and watch the tram car please.

 

[GoofyinBuffalo]

Bet the woman who wrote that article had no idea what she was getting into with her comments.

I was thinking the same thing! I also noticed that she hasn't responded to any of the posts. Maybe she realized that she wasn't that well informed prior to her visit to make some of the comments she made.

I initially thought her post was going to be about things to avoid because of crowds - such as "stay away from Tomorrowland Speedway during the afternoon" or "don't do resorts with EMH if staying off site". She's basically saying to avoid all things that make Disney magical and different for so many of us.

 

[trivial]

The article really fails to consider the value of time. Wasting time to save a few bucks here and there is a miserable plan on a Disney vacation.

 

[Judyfun]

The article really fails to consider the value of time. Wasting time to save a few bucks here and there is a miserable plan on a Disney vacation.

It also fails to talk about the purpose of the trip/vacation. I love my Disney time and spend months plotting and planning and sewing and plotting some more. Stay Deluxe, but just purchased a RV and planning on split stays. Even with the RV will only do breakfast at the campsite. And yes have already been twice this year and have 2 more trips planned. I love my Disney time.

 

[FirstTimeDisneyVisit]

Let me tell you: you're going to love Ohana!! Such a great place

My fiance has been wanting to go there for years !!! We are going to Disney for our honeymoon and our first night we are going to Ohana ! !! Can not wait all i hear about that place are great things !