Cash or Credit Cards?

[texassprite]

Hi - I'm leaving for WDW in 8 days, and although I have a good idea of my budget, I don't know how many places I can use my credit card, and where I will need cash. We're staying all All Star Music, and will be there for 4 days. Do ALL of the food places take credit cards (I hope, because I'd rather carry as little cash as possible). Same for souvenir places, cash or credit card or both?

 

[crisi]

Nearly every place will take your credit card. The exception is food carts in the parks and the other sorts of "casual" vendors (souvieniers, balloons, pop or popcorn from a cart, Mickey Bars from a cart). Many of these cannot take your credit card.

Your room key can be (if you choose) set so that you can charge to it. This means you can leave your credit card in the room and just carry your room key, plus a little cash. We do fine with $20 in our pockets (and often have $20 in our pockets at the end of the day)

 

[texassprite]

Thanks SO MUCH for the info - I didn't even know about the room key thing!

 

[Penny2]

We use our Amex for EVERYTHING...points, points, points! We buy Disney Dollars ahead of time for those things we need cash for at the parks. You can also buy them at the entrance to the parks in limited amounts as well.

 

[quilt4luv]

the room key is a great deal. We chose to put travelers checks towards our room key and then just use that for everything throughout the park. This can not be used though at places that don't have a cash register, such as the carts. You also is you would like and want to monitor how much you have used or have left get a printout daily. We were even so lucky to eat at Peco Bill's one night and the charge never did post. When I ?'d at the guest counter they stated if it doesn't post and you go to check out the money is yours and consider it Disney Magic. OK by me We carried very little cash in the parks and anything we did not carry we locked in the safe in our room during the day.

 

[kylara]

I'd also suggest that you use your key card rather than the credit card since most Disney registers print the entire credit card number on the receipt. If you do use your credit card, make sure you keep the receipts or rip them up before throwing them away.

You do want to keep some cash on hand since the carts don't take cc or keys for purchases. So if you want a mickey bar, you need to have some cash on hand.

 

[nicknamy1996]

Again as everybody has stated you can use you CC just about everywhere. Even some of the push carts, but certianly not all of them. However...

We did CC last year and it was kind of a scary situation (If you are on a budget that is. If money is no object then ignore this post, but then again if money were no object you probably would not be on this board)

If you use travelers check or even cash(risky) you can easily monitor your spending and the balance remaining of your "vacation" money. We bought a lot in WDW Snacks, Meals, Photos, Souviners etc... and towards the end of each day I would wonder how much I had spent and how much she had spent that day. Some days I was really clueless. I didn't do a good job keeping track (some receipts in my wallet some in her pockets some in mine, then we'd sometimes change clothes half way throught the day... more pockets). And I was nervous that we had spent WAY too much money on our vacation. It was a real downer for my wife at times.(LOVES to spend money!) When we got home and checked the CC balance it turned out then we had spent much less than I had budgeted for vaction. Now granted we had an awsome time, but my wife could have had a little World of Disney shopping spree.

I'm still on the fence for next years vacation. I will either do CC again, but I will carry a small pocket notebook and pen to keep a running tally of our spending. Or I will do Travelers checks with the envelope for each day method.

 

[vhoffman]

Do carry cash to buy bottled water. Its mostly sold from the small "push cart " type vendors who can't accept credit cards. Bottled water is about $2.50 a bottle. Its a big bottle, about a quart. Figure a minimum of 4 bottles a day--you will get thirsty!