Best cost cutting advice please

[keltiesmom]

We are planing our next trip for their September and would really love to know what tricks others have to save money. We are staying off site as we have a family of 6 and can't justify the cost to stay onsite. We have been saving our airmiles for either flights, park tickets, or anything else we can use them for. At this point it looks like a slightly better savings on park tickets. We will be flying from Vancouver BC hopefully direct to SNA. Does anyone have anything to suggest for making our money go further?

 

[Aladora]

We are planing our next trip for their September and would really love to know what tricks others have to save money. We are staying off site as we have a family of 6 and can't justify the cost to stay onsite. We have been saving our airmiles for either flights, park tickets, or anything else we can use them for. At this point it looks like a slightly better savings on park tickets. We will be flying from Vancouver BC hopefully direct to SNA. Does anyone have anything to suggest for making our money go further?

Have you looked at driving to SEA instead of flying out of YVR? From Van you can also look at driving down and get flights out of Bellingham as well.

 

[ClosetDisneyJunkie]

Have you looked at driving to SEA instead of flying out of YVR? From Van you can also look at driving down and get flights out of Bellingham as well.

This is a good tip. Alaska has direct flights into SNA out of SEA and has good deals pretty often. I found one for last October for around $100 each way.

on the other end, if flights into SNA are NOT discounted it can sometimes be cheaper to fly into LAX. Further away, of course, but if you are renting a car anyway it can be worth the drive (be warned though, sometimes the drive really sucks). I've never flown into LGB or Ontario before, but if you're really pinching it can be good to remember that there are 4 major airports servicing the general area, and price compare a bit (keeping in mind extra costs like fuel and car rental/transport from airport, plus the time factor).

 

[corinne76]

Not sure if you are only looking for hotel and flight savings info, but I'll add some other money saving tips.

Where are you staying? Will you have access to a fridge, microwave, etc?
How old are your kids?

I like to hit up a Walmart (and health foods store) the first day we get there. We pick up stuff for breakfast (unless the hotel has a pretty awesome free breakfast), sandwiches, snacks. It greatly reduces the amount we spend on food in the parks.

If you have little ones, pick up Disney souvenirs ahead of time for much cheaper and give them to your kids periodically.

I also buy autograph books and trading pins ahead of time on ebay to save a little.

 

[smithfamilyof7]

On that note, Jetblue also flies out of Seattle directly into Long Beach airport.

This might get a bit confusing so stick with me. If you use eBates, you can book through Orbitz to purchase plane tickets, hotel stays, park tickets, etc. You have to watch to see what the current deals are, but eBates gives a percentage back on purchases. I should be getting $65 back from eBates after purchasing our park tickets that way.

Also, when you book through Orbitz, you can earn rewards which you can put towards a hotel stay.

I was recently pricing out flights through Jetblue for my friend, and was able to add a 5 night stay at the HoJo for under $485. So you might look into the different packages to see what's out there.

We also have a large family and we save a LOT of money by eating breakfast in our room and packing lunches with us to the park. Last trip down we walked to a nearby convenience store, which was not "cheap" but definitely cheaper than eating in the parks. We also packed a few boxes of granola bars, instant oatmeal, etc. from home. This upcoming trip, we're going to order groceries through Von's (first delivery is free) so we don't have to worry about getting to a store.

 

[Geemo]

When I look for flights, I take the least expensive one from PDX into SNA or LGB. I'll either fly Alaska or Jet Blue because they have non-stop flights.

Both SNA and LGB are small airports and easy to get through.

I don't think it's ever taken longer than 30 minutes by taxi, to and from the airports for either one.

SNA has better food court according to the grandkids. Grandkids are DGS-20, DGD-17, DGS-13 and DGD-11.

If your going to need souvenirs, many have purchased some at home and pack them along for the trip. I use to do this when the G-kids we little.

On their very first trip to DLR, I brought new Disney Themed pillow cases and wrote a "Welcome" letter to each of them from Mickey and their favorite character. While they were distracted, I put the cases on pillows and set out the letters on the bed. You should have seen their excitement at getting a gift and letter from Mickey!! Disney memories are so sweet!!

September will be here before you know it.

Geemo

 

[wisegal]

We flew Jet Blue last Oct. They had the cheapest flights that I could find (SEA - LGB) and you got one free bag per person as well. The trip from the airport to the hotel was not that long and about $45 each way.

We also saved money by going to Target and buying food to bring into the park.

Our hotel had a good breakfast so we would fill up there before going to the park.



Free water in the park also helped save us on drinks. We jus brought some water flavor stuff with us and added it to our cups.

Have a great time.

 

[ehrawn]

The only "mandatory" purchase for a trip to DLR is the Park tickets. Everything else is an opportunity for savings. Travel and lodging are the big expenditures. Flying mid-week and not around holidays or the summer make for lower airfare and hotel costs. You are already staying off-site, but they next thing to consider is food. DL permits you to bring in your own food. You can also plan to have at least one meal (possibly two) out of the park. For example, you could start you day in the park and then leave for lunch, rest at the hotel, eat an early dinner and return for the evening afterwards. Also consider staying at a place that has a kitchen since dinning out can every meal can add cost. For souvenirs, avoid buying anything in the park (buy ahead as suggested), or look for the less-costly, fun things like smashed pennies or Fortune Red. Another way to reduce total cost of souvenirs is to give Disney Dollars as gifts (birthday, Christmas, etc), which is then a double gift.

edit- my favorite souvenier-avoidance technique for little kids is Target-bought glowsticks: they come in packs of 10 for $1 and prevent late night begging for the lightup toys sold on the streets.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Buy a couple packages of water bottles if you hit a Walmart or Target. Those add up fast! Also look at sharing food when eating counter service in the parks. Take a couple minutes when you arrive to look at others food to determine proportions. I've seen others mention giving kids who can carry them little backpacks to carry their own water bottles & snacks. If you need food in downtown Disney go to Earl of Sandwich for sandwiches & wraps, we find it to be the cheapest food in the downtown Disney area. (Cheap is relative here keep in mind.)

 

[ehrawn]

One more thing: consider going to the park for less days. Sacrilege, I know, but it’s possible that you have more vacation days than you could afford to pay to be in the park. Those “off” days can be used to do less costly activities. For our last trip, we were in Anaheim for 6 days but only had 3 Day Park Hopper passes. We did this because our kids needed the break between Park days, but the effect was that we saved money on tickets.

 

[Tasscrapper]

Any counter service will give you cups of ice water for free even if you don't buy anything else. Food is a huge expense and if you are prepared with things from a store can save tons that way. There are tons of things you can make in a microwave.

 

[Astylla]

Here are a few I can think of :

Bring in cold/frozen water bottles to the park - there are plentiful water fountains so you can refill as needed

Plaza Inn fried chicken dinner can feed two adults easily so you could split a few for your family. You can even ask for all white meat for a small upcharge but still a great option.

Bring in snacks/granola bars/fruit strips , etc.

Check Mousesavers for alerts on ticket sales. Also ask your place of work if they sell discounted tickets, You might be surprised !

Buy shirts/souvenirs before you go at Target/Walmart , etc. I have heard this works great for kids too.

We buy gift cards - one a week or paycheck in a $25 increment as it allows and store them away..by the time the trip comes that can be a lot !

 

[KateDrake]

Depending on where you are staying, I'd consider forgoing a car rental and just walking to and from the parks. This does limit your dining options a bit (and makes it a little tougher to do a grocery run), but I often feel like the amount we save by not renting a car is much more than we spend on food for the duration of our stay.

One other thing I would suggest, if you decide to splurge and eat at Disney, is to split meals. We usually split two adult meals between me, DH and our two DDs, and often we still have food leftover. This can really bring down the cost of food, and can often outweigh leaving property for somewhere cheaper. For example, at Napolini, they have a combo meal that is a huge slice of pizza and a pretty big salad for about $10. It's plenty of food, and it's hard to find another meal for four for $20. Other favorites for sharing are Jolly Holiday, Red Rocket's, Rancho del Zocalo, Hungry Bear and Pacific Wharf Cafe.

I'm totally jealous that you have the option to fly out of SEA! That is a huge cost saver!

 

[keltiesmom]

Thank you for all of the tips! We flew from Seattle on our last trip and it was such a pain in the but! We live in Vancouver island so it's 6-7hrs from home to Seattle. We got held up at the boarder coming home and missed the ferry we were trying for. we have 4 kids, all still in car seats and booster seats so our only airport options without having to bring them are SNA or LAX. We loved how easy SNA was so would prefer to use it again, but if the savings are great enough LAX it will be. I have been watching the ebates deals for the park tickets and hoping for a great rebate and the free day. West jet flys direct from YVR but is quite a bit more than to LAX, and with Bellingham we would have to make a plane switch.

The plaza inn fried chicken is one of our favourite meals and we can't wait to have it again! We are staying at the Anaheim desert inn & suites. We got a great rate. We staying 7 nights, with 5 days in the park and 1 night Halloween party hopefully. So 6 park days. DH and I will be getting annual passes because we will be returning the following June for our anniversary and we will get the discount as a Bonus. Is there an AP discount on park hoppers?

 

[T0rrent]

Thank you for all of the tips! We flew from Seattle on our last trip and it was such a pain in the but! We live in Vancouver island so it's 6-7hrs from home to Seattle. We got held up at the boarder coming home and missed the ferry we were trying for. we have 4 kids, all still in car seats and booster seats so our only airport options without having to bring them are SNA or LAX. We loved how easy SNA was so would prefer to use it again, but if the savings are great enough LAX it will be. I have been watching the ebates deals for the park tickets and hoping for a great rebate and the free day. West jet flys direct from YVR but is quite a bit more than to LAX, and with Bellingham we would have to make a plane switch.

The plaza inn fried chicken is one of our favourite meals and we can't wait to have it again! We are staying at the Anaheim desert inn & suites. We got a great rate. We staying 7 nights, with 5 days in the park and 1 night Halloween party hopefully. So 6 park days. DH and I will be getting annual passes because we will be returning the following June for our anniversary and we will get the discount as a Bonus. Is there an AP discount on park hoppers?

Not that I've seen. Outside of the small discounts from sites like Get Away Today and Way.com, the only discounted hoppers I've seen are for so cal residents and military.

 

[pinkprincess30]

In my experience (flying out of Portland, Or), flying in to LGB is always cheaper than LAX or SNA.

As for park tips, here's what we did:

We brought a small suitcase FULL of yummy snacks to take in to the park. I let the kids help me pick ahead of time. Things we usually wouldn't buy at home like fruit by the foot, individually packaged goodies, trail mix, Oreos, etc. Not all total junk but definitely some. No actual chocolate, as it will melt.

We got each of our kids a fanny pack (super cool, I know!) and let them fill them up each day with snacks they picked. It helped to be able to snack while in line and the temptation to buy high priced treats was very low.

We gave each kid a gift card with a certain amount on it (your choice). That was their absolute limit, and it was to be spent on a souvenir on the last day (not food). Other "souvenirs" we bought ahead and given out as we went (surprises). Glow stick necklaces, t-shirts (on clearance), little Disney gift bags with dollar store items, etc. Our kids didn't want for much at all but we really saved a lot! But we still all got our DL PARK souvenirs.

Meals:
We chose a hotel with a complimentary breakfast. Even though the breakfast wasn't the best, our kids had granola bars and trail mix for later in the morning if they got hungry. Which leads me to my next tip....

Eat a large lunch outside of the park. We really liked taking a midday break, eating inexpensive food (either something you buy groceries for and make at your room, or eat out this meal). Even area restaurants like Red Robin (1.7 miles away) are fun and much cheaper than DL! Plus, You can fill up and probably still have leftovers. We also filled up on cheap fast food at times and had a yummy (but smaller because we had eaten our fill for cheap) but we still had several better meals. Then, take a nap or swim a little, and eat a small "meal" or substantial snack (summer sausage, cheese & crackers, that sort of thing) RIGHT before going back for the late afternoon-evening. You can always get a small counter service dinner or even just snack in the evening for much cheaper.

Last tip:
Buy anything and everything you possibly can ahead, at low prices. This means stock piling now and watching for sales... Clorox wipes, rain ponchos (just in case), travel toiletries, t-shirts, seasonal clothing, fanny packs, comfortable shoes, blister treatment stuff, sunglasses, etc. It's this type of stuff that really sneaks up on me and adds up!

Most of all, remember that YOU'RE ON VACATION! Some splurges are worth it. Have a great time!

 

[SplashMo]

We buy two cases of water. Dasani if it is available as it matches the park water. Does not matter though. Each bottle costs $3 in the park. We bring two bottles per person and have eaten breakfast before arriving early in line. We also have a few snacks to get folks to lunch.

We eat other meals in the parks.

 

[keltiesmom]

In my experience (flying out of Portland, Or), flying in to LGB is always cheaper than LAX or SNA. As for park tips, here's what we did: We brought a small suitcase FULL of yummy snacks to take in to the park. I let the kids help me pick ahead of time. Things we usually wouldn't buy at home like fruit by the foot, individually packaged goodies, trail mix, Oreos, etc. Not all total junk but definitely some. No actual chocolate, as it will melt. We got each of our kids a fanny pack (super cool, I know!) and let them fill them up each day with snacks they picked. It helped to be able to snack while in line and the temptation to buy high priced treats was very low. We gave each kid a gift card with a certain amount on it (your choice). That was their absolute limit, and it was to be spent on a souvenir on the last day (not food). Other "souvenirs" we bought ahead and given out as we went (surprises). Glow stick necklaces, t-shirts (on clearance), little Disney gift bags with dollar store items, etc. Our kids didn't want for much at all but we really saved a lot! But we still all got our DL PARK souvenirs. Meals: We chose a hotel with a complimentary breakfast. Even though the breakfast wasn't the best, our kids had granola bars and trail mix for later in the morning if they got hungry. Which leads me to my next tip.... Eat a large lunch outside of the park. We really liked taking a midday break, eating inexpensive food (either something you buy groceries for and make at your room, or eat out this meal). Even area restaurants like Red Robin (1.7 miles away) are fun and much cheaper than DL! Plus, You can fill up and probably still have leftovers. We also filled up on cheap fast food at times and had a yummy (but smaller because we had eaten our fill for cheap) but we still had several better meals. Then, take a nap or swim a little, and eat a small "meal" or substantial snack (summer sausage, cheese & crackers, that sort of thing) RIGHT before going back for the late afternoon-evening. You can always get a small counter service dinner or even just snack in the evening for much cheaper. Last tip: Buy anything and everything you possibly can ahead, at low prices. This means stock piling now and watching for sales... Clorox wipes, rain ponchos (just in case), travel toiletries, t-shirts, seasonal clothing, fanny packs, comfortable shoes, blister treatment stuff, sunglasses, etc. It's this type of stuff that really sneaks up on me and adds up! Most of all, remember that YOU'RE ON VACATION! Some splurges are worth it. Have a great time!

our kids have saved their Christmas money, cause I told them that's what it was for. So each of them will have $100 for souvenirs, they can have anything they want within their budget and if anything is left over they can use it next trip. I'm pretty sure we will be ok with spending money, our last trip we had $1100 for 9 days I think and we already have more than that. This trip we have an extra child, and the kids are older so will likely eat more.

 

[pinkprincess30]

Oh! I forgot... We bring in our own water too AND those little individual flavor packs (Crystal lite-type) so we can refill our bottles but not have to taste the yucky SoCal water.

 

[DLfan4]

here are some cost saving tips:
As others have posted, its cheaper to fly from the USA. I would suggest you fly out of Bellingham on Allegiant Air. (at the moment they only are posting out airfares up to august) they also have vacation packages so you can get a package including airfare, car and hotel for a great price.

Costco.ca (Costco online) sells the Southern California citypass at a reduced rate, and in Canadian funds. the city pass is 3day parkhoppers,1day universal and 1day seaworld. (you can add on more days at Disney when you get there)

another option for tickets is flightcentre. again, discounted tix in Canadian funds.

As others have posted, I suggest stopping at a walmart or other grocery store and purchase the following:
- breakfast items ( bread, jam/PB, muffins, fruit platter, juice) and eat in your room to save $$.
- water bottles (take into the park instead of buying in park)
- healthy snacks like apple slices, dried fruit, cut-veggies, cheese, crackers, goldfish, granola bars, etc. we bring a small backpack and an icepack and bring our snacks into the park.