Advice Needed

[DisneyHereWeCome08]

I am a single parent on a fixed income...I want to take my girlfriend, son and nephew to Disneyworld approx. September 2009.

I need to to know how to go about getting the cheapest price(we have hopper passes already) for hotel and airfare.I am also not worried about purchasing the dining plan unless it is free.We only want to go for 3 nights 4days and we want to stay at the Caribbean beach.

Also how do we get ''codes''? Or other discount/free offers?

THANKS...

 

[vettechick99]

Keep an eye on mousesavers.com for codes. It'll be sometime in the spring/summer that Sept codes will come out so keep an eye out.

Sign up at disney.com for their emails. You might get lucky and get a pin code for a discount. Not definite but some people get one!

The dining plan is not the best option if you are on a budget so you are smart to stay away from it unless its free. If you stay on the boards and do some research you can learn quite a few ways to save on meals.

I have no idea on airfare as I'm close enough to drive.

Good luck and happy planning!

 

[MariaEllerºoº]

Also go to Disney's website and order a Free DVD Planning CD. Some times they will send a discount offer along with the CD. The Free Dining Promotion for September normally comes out the first of April time period. Keep reading these boards as there will be post after post with details. You will more than likely have to purchase at least 1 day tickets for each person to get the Free Dining Promotion.

 

[disneyin2008]

I am a single parent on a fixed income...I want to take my girlfriend, son and nephew to Disneyworld approx. September 2009.

I need to to know how to go about getting the cheapest price(we have hopper passes already) for hotel and airfare.I am also not worried about purchasing the dining plan unless it is free.We only want to go for 3 nights 4days and we want to stay at the Caribbean beach.

Also how do we get ''codes''? Or other discount/free offers?

THANKS...

Free dining is offered in 2009 in September....so that might prove to be your best deal. We know this is happening because the people that are at 2008 Free Dining are receiving "bounce back" offers, meaning that they can reserve a room before they go home for next year's free dining period. While the general public won't get the discounted room rate that the bounce back offers, in years past Disney opens free dining to the general public to reserve in spring...typically starting in April and ending in late June. Reading the threads when these discounts came out it appears that they sell out pretty quickly, so that by the last few weeks of the promotion there were slim pickings for rooms, so you definitely want to be reading the DIS boards in March to find out when the rumored offer date is and get in on it soon. THe value rooms will likely sell out first, so wanting CBR means you may have a little better luck if you're not booking within the first few weeks, but I wouldn't delay much for the best room choices.

Another thing you might want to consider doing is applying for the Disney VISA card....there is no annual fee so a single purchase a year keeps it active if you prefer not to use credit cards. But...not only do you earn Disney Reward points (which transfer to a gift card that you can use both on and off WDW property), but they often offer great deals to Disney VISA holders.....the free dining, for example, is usually offered to Disney VISA holders for a few days before it's released to the general public. Right now there is an offer for free dining in November/December (unheard of in years past) that so far has only been offered to Disney VISA holders (general public folks are hoping they are offered it, but it may or may not be). Plus once you are IN the park, Disney VISA holders get a exclusive meet and greet with characters at Epcot....and you get a free 5x7 print each day at the meet and greet. Non-holders aren't eligible, though there are plenty of other character greets in the parks, but not free photos.

The other option for a less expensive Disney vacation is to not stay on property. There are a lot of spacious and lovely condos and houses just a few minutes away...you would need a car and if you're not an Annual Passholder you would have to pay for parking (resort guests and AP get free parking)...but the price of the condo is so much lower than a resort room it's often possible that it's still cheaper even with a car and parking fees. For instance there are a number of 2 bedroom condos for $400 a week....add $150 for a car (and that is actually a high estimate as there are often fabulous deals) and $70 in parking fees, and it's still cheaper than a week at moderate (like CBR) during value season and often about the same as a week at a value, but you get a LOT more space than just a room with 2 beds. Plus the kitchen means that you can fix a few meals to save on the food costs.

Of course, if you can get free dining at CBR, it's probably the best package available, even better cost wise than a condo......so that would be my first recommendation.

 

[disneyin2008]

You will more than likely have to purchase at least 1 day tickets for each person to get the Free Dining Promotion.

Yes, you do have to purchase a ticket and since OP said she already had tickets, she'll have to buy these anyway, but they can be saved and used on her next trip (and upgraded at that time to make their value better)....but yeah, you would have to pay for those now.

 

[happymommy]

The first time my DH and I went to Disneyworld together was the year before we got married, late August. We had tickets already also, and were on a very tight budget. So I can totally relate (except no kids).

I think, honestly, you will save money by staying near Disney but not at Disney. We stayed at a Residence Inn in Kissimmee (it's not there anymore, been changed to some other name now) for $59 a night. We had a full kitchen and free breakfast (that we went to early every morning). We did some shopping and cooked for ourselves a bit, and ate offsite for every real meal (a few snacks were all we purchased at the parks, yes, we were on a budget). There was a Chinese restaurant right nearby with a decent lunch buffet for about $6, we went there a few times. We got a good deal on the rental car - $79 plus tax for the week (16 years ago). It was actually the first time I'd rented a car. I was 25.

It was so fun! I don't think you have to spend a lot to have fun, and you could possibly book a condo much cheaper than a Disney resort. You'll need a car. I'd check frequently for car rental rates.

You can also check out the Downtown Disney hotels - they have buses to the parks, or you can walk to Downtown Disney and take the Disney buses from there. You may feel like you're staying more IN Disney then. The Doubletree is all suites with a kitchenette - I haven't seen as good rates there as we used to see, but in September you may get it for a decent rate. Plus from there you can walk to a few inexpensive restaurants (including McDonald's - well not my favorite but it works with kids!).

I don't know where you're flying from, but just keep checking.

You may benefit from the unofficial guide to Disneyworld book - I read it front to back that year!

You can bring a few little snacks into the parks for the kids - we always do that. Kids get hungry for a little bite frequently, and for me that works (DS has food allergies so we needed to do that).

Ice water is free - better than spending $2.50 per bottle. I like Dasani, but free tap water is fine for me.

I'm not a big eater, so we can split counter service meals. When I go without DH, I don't do any sit down meals with my kids anyway. Or we'll do a lunch or two, that is all.