Help for a new "budgeter"! Tips for saving in the parks and at resorts?

[judeis]

Hello Everyone!
My family of four (DD 11 and DD8, hubby, and I) will be visiting the World in December. I need to be very careful with my money this trip and really need any and all tips, tricks, and info you knowledgeable people have for saving money while I am in the parks or at the resort (Wilderness Lodge). Thanks ahead of time for everyone's time and assistance- I want to make this the best trip possible within our means!

 

[Marionnette]

Hello Everyone!
My family of four (DD 11 and DD8, hubby, and I) will be visiting the World in December. I need to be very careful with my money this trip and really need any and all tips, tricks, and info you knowledgeable people have for saving money while I am in the parks or at the resort (Wilderness Lodge). Thanks ahead of time for everyone's time and assistance- I want to make this the best trip possible within our means!

First of all, welcome to the Budget Board. We don't bite but we can be very blunt here!

It would take all day and then some to type out all of the great ideas for saving money at Disney but here are just a couple that I recommend:

• Buy Disney GCs at a discount. That can be either through Target .com w/REDCard discount or at your local grocery store when it is offering some sort of gas perks/$X off your next order with GC purchases.
• Never pay rack rate for your room.
• Be aware of the discounts to which you're entitled such as discounted tickets through your workplace, food and beverage discounts with your Disney Visa, or a room discount via your AP membership.
• Set a budget for souvenirs and stick to it.
• Eat a late buffet breakfast close to lunchtime and skip lunch. Then have an early dinner and maybe a snack when watching the nighttime shows. Eliminating one meal saves you time and money.
• Skip the hopping option on your passes. You can make do with one park per day, especially when you have such a nice resort to enjoy when you're not touring the parks.

 

[judeis]

I completely understand! I am reading as much as I can and don't expect anyone to "write a book" for me! Just looking specifically for the best tips to use while actually on Disney property (parks and resorts) regarding food, experiences, etc. I have already gotten my tickets and room reservation. But thanks for your time in responding!

 

[buzz2400]

If you are going to have a car, go to walmart and buy snacks and soda. You can also save money by buying breakfast items. Remember cups of water are free at the parks so you don't have buy bottled water. You might want to bring some flavored drink packets with you. Check out mousesavers.com for more ideas.

 

[*pixie*dust*]

Is staying at the Wilderness Lodge a "must do"? If your budget is tight you could save quite a bit by staying at a Moderate or Value resort.

 

[judeis]

Regarding our resort, we got a deal through a friend who is giving the stay as a gift for our anniversary. We were paying for it ourselves, we would be staying off-site! This is going to be quite a treat for us. Thanks again for the information and recommendations. Will definitely use them.

 

[kymom99]

Know that you can carry food into the parks. There are rules and you can check them out on the WDW website. No glass or alcohol, etc. Not sure about your family's eating habits, but you can save a bunch by just having a few snacks in a backpack. When it is hot, we don't tend to be too hungry, but not eating makes us cranky. A quick snack saves time and money.

There is debate about sharing meals and whether or not it is practical, but you can cut down on what you buy. You can get sandwiches without sides generally. So if you got 2 full meals and 2 just sandwiches and shared fries for example, you could save a few bucks. Or get a couple meals and a couple extra sides and stretch things that way.

Wait till the last day to buy souvenirs. This avoids impulse buying. Have the kids take pictures each day of what they like and review them to decide what they want to get.

Be prepared for rain so you don't have to buy the Disney ponchos! This happened to us on our first trip. We had ponchos and carried them every day, but one day we went out to the parks without our backpack and got caught in a downpour. Had to buy the Mickey ponchos.

 

[newestkg06]

mousesavers.com is a truly great site with lots of info. I found the stuff about dining to be very helpful.

 

[ZiPaD3doDAH]

If you see something you really like, I suggest you buy it right then and there. You'll notice that sometimes only certain items can be found in certain shops. It's happen to me before and I would end up having to go back to a park, to a certain shop to buy it

Drinks can be expensive at the parks so you can either buy some soda's and bring them into the park or you can get water for free. All you have to do is ask and they hand you a cup of cold water. However, note that the water will taste a bit weird but it's ok - and it's free!

 

[cattywampus]

Outside of accommodations, you biggest expenses will be:

Travel - consider driving vs flying and self park. Carry your own bags. If you don't want that many miles on your car, rent one.

Make use of your car for a grocery stop but don't overbuy! Buy to run out a day ahead. Water, drinks, breakfast items and snacks.

Food - do NOT get meal plan unless it is already free with your room (if you were paying, I would suggest trying for a better rate no meal plan). I agree with late breakfast and early dinner and snacks in between. Share food and just tell yourself you can go buy another something if it wasn't enough. Bring your own water, drinks, and snacks.

Souvenirs - bring light up toys, glow sticks and disney toys from dollar store/Target. Don't buy things for others at home. Send postcards to family and bake cookies or trade chores for neighbors that pick up mail or take care of your house. Anything you buy at the parks will be overpriced.

Buy Giftcards at Target with your redcard and save 5%.

Have a great time!!!

 

[friend2Figment]

If you are going DTD the Earl of Sandwich if very reasonable and you could join the member club(free) about a month before you leave and you would get a coupon for a free sandwich.
I like to look at the menus ahead of time to see what is offered and aprx cost.

 

[hsmamato2]

Bring your own breakfast foods.... a box of cereal in the suitcase,(plus a bowl/spoon for each of you)and buy a quart of milk at the gift shop as needed. Eat all quick service, just read allears.net for the menus and prices, there are lots of good options that aren't 'fast food' type food. You can also pack in granola bars and small snacks to tide you over till mealtime. Sometimes a kid meal is enough for an adult,sometimes not. avoid buying sodas in the park,and get free ice water.if you overbuy for one meal,then cut back for the next (like if you throw out a bunch of fries or whatever)

 

[Buzzsgramma]

To us WL has one of the best food courts .....

 

[ktrask]

We had the dining plan. While it isn't a money saver, it kept us free from thinking of how much to spend on food there. We had already prepaid for it over time leading up to the trip.

We also packed cereal, bowls from the $1 store, and spoons. I bought milk at the resort. Total cost for our fam of 3 for breakfast all week...$10. That right there saved us a bundle. I also packed snacks for inside the parks so we had that as another option. This also gave us room in our suitcases for souvenirs coming home

I also went nuts earning swagbucks. I would do surveys until they were gone, search a lot, etc...but I earned enough Amazon gift cards to buy a camera, socks, band aids, memory card, toiletries, etc. Those little things REALLY add up that you bring, but for us they ended up being free because I earned the Amazon gift cards.

I'd watch for things on clearance. When it hit a super cheap price I'd buy it and toss it in the "Disney box" in our basement. By getting things over time on sale we saved a bundle and had what we needed (example...after Christmas Target had Axe gift sets on sale for $7. It came with everything in a travel bag...bought it...saved it for the year for DH)

Each morning DD would wake up and "Tinkerbell" left her a gift. Nothing was more than $5 that I had bought at home pre trip. She would know she got a surprise each morning from Tink, so she really didn't ask for anything in the parks.

 

[TravelMommy]

If you are doing Magic Express, we use Gardengrocer.com to get water/soda/snacks delivered for a nominal fee (you order online and they deliver to resort). It is a great way to save $$$. (We carry in drinks and buy QS lunch in the park most days). If you are considering a Character meal, breakfast can be the most "economical". You will be close to Trails End, one of the most economical food options on property. I usually buy a lot of souvenirs at home and hide in the luggage and have the toys, etc. waiting for them in the am. This worked great with "light up toys" they wanted $14 for some in the parks I think the ones I brought, I got at Walgreens for $3/each! I also bought a Winnie the Pooh stuffed animal at Walmart. It looked like the one they were selling in the parks was an exact replica but at $20. Have a great trip!

 

[pinkprincess30]

We buy some souvenirs ahead. T-shirts and plushes are often buy one/get one for $1 at the Disney store. I keep them a surprise until we are on our trip. The the kids can choose a souvenir at the parks too, but it really is less expensive and staves off the "I wants" for them to already have a thing or two AND makes it easier for Mom & Dad to stick to the budget. We paid an average of $5-$10 for Mickey t-shirts to take with us, whereas the t-shirts at the park are $25+. We also got each kid a large Disney plush from Kohl's for $5 each.

We bought the kids gift cards and gave them as rewards/gifts at home leading up to our vacation. Now when we go their souvenirs are paid for and have a clear cut-off point...when they're gone they're gone.

I also second the suggestion to bring in snacks. I purchased special snacks I don't buy a lot at home and filled up one small suitcase with them (rice krispy treats, applesauce pouches, fruit snacks, trail mix, etc.). The kids choose several in the morning to put in their fanny packs and they can snack whenever they want. This saved us SO MUCH money (and I didn't have to keep everyone's stuff straight because they carried it themselves)! Instead of buying expensive park snacks all the time it was usually my suggestion to stop for a special treat. This trip, I had Mel on the Creative DISigns board create "special treat" certificates for us to take. Each kid will get a certificate for each day in the parks so they have to choose their item carefully, and there is a limit set because they only get one certificate per day and have to spend it wisely. I think food in general will be the area where you have the most potential for savings.

We also take the individual drink powders in with us (like crystal lite) so we can use the free ice water and not be stuck with yucky tasting local water.

 

[JenB1104]

Ditto on Garden Grocer if you are not driving. We are doing that and eating in room several mornings.

 

[growinupdisney]

Since you will be visiting in December I would take the opportunities between now and then to get your children gift cards for their spending! Like Easter, good grades, chores, b-day etc. this will be there money for spending and when gone it's gone my kids always have loved having their money they earned and they make wiser choices!

We are a family of 5 and try and budget every time we go, we always stay onsite sometimes value sometimes moderate just depends. So I try and cut costs on food! Go to allears.net you can see the menus at all the restaurants thru out Disney, looking ahead you can pick a few restaurants at each park so you will know ahead where you want to eat how much it will cost. I go on and can pretty much know what everyone will get and estimate the cost! Sometimes I share a meal because they can be large and in the past we found we were throwing away food. We(the adults) have also gotten the kids meals for ex. The cheeseburger kids meal half the price of an adult same size!
Some place have pizza with a salad, each person gets 2 slices and we share the salad!

I also bring my own drinks, Capri suns and a couple of bottles of water a maybe a couple of sodas they first of the day it's heavier but with each drink used it gets lighter and by the end of the day no drinks and no weight when your tired! This save atleast $25.00-$30 a day you get free cups of ice and water if needed. Kids meals also come with drinks. We also bring snacks for in between meals and breakfast!

We usually spend anywhere from $35-$50 at a counter service meal for lunch and dinner, we also get each a ice cream each a day or popcorn. So I like to plan $125 a day and have done this for years most days we are under but sometimes we may go over a tiny bit but still averages the same!

Plus a freebie: Fort Wilderness camp ground has a Chip and Dale sing along and campfire with s'mores as well as a movie every night! If you think you may do this one night you can go to the Trailsenn Restaurant and they have a giddy up and go meal 8 piece fried chicken and sides for like $23.00 (maybe off a couple of dollars can't remember exact price) they have outdoor seating and you can eat before heading to the movie. Where your staying is right next door!

 

[ThistleMae]

Bring your own snacks. Granola bars, small bags of chips or popcorn. Share lunches, especially the ones with fries, they always give you way too much! Absolutely....get the free water....drinks add up quickly. You can also do breakfast in the room. Instant oatmeal. Bring your own lunches. Peanut butter sandwiches. There are so many items you can buy that don't require refrigeration. Limit souvenirs. One pick per child with a price limit. Just these simple ideas will definitely cut down on your expenses. Have a great trip!

 

[js]

If you are going DTD the Earl of Sandwich if very reasonable and you could join the member club(free) about a month before you leave and you would get a coupon for a free sandwich.
I like to look at the menus ahead of time to see what is offered and aprx cost.

Hi. Im going to Disney in September. Ill be solo one day in September 10. When do I sign up for the Club so I could receive a free sandwich. I would love to do this.

Thank you.