Can you give me some tips?

[HeatherinVT]

I have a few questions, Im a newbie in the planning mode for a trip the first week of October 2005 with my DH and DD3

I have been reading and LEARNING alot, Some thing are still alittle foggy for me though....

Meal Vouchers can you tell me how these work and are they a better deal then doing the dining option? I havent planned on the dining option but would like a little info or a link to a thread that explain the difference between the two and the savings that might occur by doing either.

This might be beter poste don the money savings board but do you think my budget is doable?

All Star Movies 7days 6 nights 415.00 (AAA discount)
Park Hopper passes 4 days 465.00 for the hubby and I
Airfare 425.00 (we have a 200.00 credit already)
Food 500.00
Misc 200.00
Sea World 125.00
----------
Grand Total 2200.00

I would love to get this lower if you think i can cut corners anywhere? Would the food plan be benificial to me since my DD is basically free at all buffets etc etc .... I could get the dining for my DH and I and share food with her?

We plan on a day at sea world do you know the cost to get a shuttle there?

im sorry if these are all silly questions im feeling a little over whelmed with having to handle the whole trip plan our savings for it etc etc etc

Thanks alot!

 

[monorailsilver]

Here is how we cut corners:

We bring our own breakfast. Not only does it save time in the morning but it saves alot of money in the end. While one of us is getting ready the other eats (last trip we brought our dd and we ate with her since she is a slow eater while we took turns showering & gettting dressed).

One year I had one lady at the Poly ask me where I got the oatmeal. I told her I brought it from home. She was very jealous since she just spent over $20 on breakfast.

I also brought zip lock bags when I went in 2002 since my dd is & still isn't a great eater (my ds will make up for that this summer). I brought them into the parks with & I had a small cooler for her milk & some snacks & when we'd get lunch for her in the park/hotel, she normally didn't eat the whole portion so I just put it in the baggie & put in in the cooler & voila she had dinner ready for that night.

I also shipped stuff down ahead of time-like breakfast/snacks & diapers since she was 15 months at the time. I will do the same this year too.

I have no clue about the meal vouchers since I have never used them. We eat on a whim & usually that is how we decide which park we are going to go to that evening (lunch we don't care too much).

Are you going to buy your tickets from AAA too? I think that is where I am going to get mine from. I think you might have to pay for your dd since she will be 3 & I believe tickets start at ages 3-10? As do the character meals (not sure about other non-character meals).

As for the trip to Sea World. I know Mears used to transport there, you just need to make a reservation. I believe they still do that though & I can't remember how much it was per person.

I can't think of what else I save on but I know I save alot on bringing my own breakfast.

Kerri

 

[HeatherinVT]

I guess i should have added my daughter turns 3 the day we leave so she is considered 2 for the trip!!! YAYYYYYY That saves MONEY!

Shipping stuff down? How do you do that just mail a box to the hotel??

Thanks for the info it is MUCH appreciated!!!

we are going to book thru small world vacations (mousesavers)

 

[pettyone]

FROM MOUSESAVERS:

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How to Bring Food With You

If you are thinking about bringing food from home, be aware that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) suggests that you do not put food items in your checked luggage, as the automated bomb-detection equipment tends to give false positives on such items. Your luggage is much more likely to be opened and searched outside of your presence if you check food items. Thanks to Mary S for the reminder about TSA regulations.

A better bet is to take these items in your carry on bags, or ship non-perishable food items in advance to your hotel. Disney resorts will hold packages for you without charge*; if you are staying at a non-Disney hotel, be sure to call and inquire first. Address the package as follows:

Hold for guest: (write the full name under which you made the reservation)
Check in date: (insert date)
Hotel's name and address (which will appear on your confirmation form)

*Note that while I've heard from loads of people who successfully shipped non-perishable food items to their hotels and were not charged anything extra, one reader reports being charged a handling fee by the hotel, and I've read rumors to this effect on a couple of discussion boards. It appears this is sometimes an issue at the convention hotels, in particular Coronado Springs, but I don't think it's a consistent problem. You may want to call the hotel in advance to confirm that there will be no extra charges. Be sure to get the full name of the person you speak with!

***************************

Good luck!

 

[julieunruly]

I am also in the planning stages for our trip to DW on Sept. 28-Oct. 4, 2005. We will be staying at POFQ and have planned a day at Sea World and Universal Studios. Since these locations are not WDW affiliated we had to rent a shuttle. I hired Mears Transportation (1-407-939-3463) for each day at $56.00 per day. They will pick us up right in front of our hotel and when we want to return, we call them 1 hour beforehand. You can make a reservation without having to use a credit card and you pay the driver cash or traveler's check at boarding time. Hope this helps.