How do you make your trips economical?

[beccasmom]

We do breakfast in the room - I actually bring bacon (frozen) with me. I buy eggs and muffins/bagels when we arrive. I also purchase milk, beer (for DH), pre-packaged cheese slices (not our favorite, but in a pinch...), some soda (the 2-liter bottles are $$$$, so not much!!), some bottles of water and snacks such as popcorn, chips, crackers and some donuts for quick dashes out the door on busy mornings. I bring a canister of ice tea mix so the kids don't constantly gulp soda. I also bring a canister of coffee. And I bring packs of popcorn for the microwave and peanut butter. To save on bottled water purchases, I bring our individual Britta bottles, which filter the water from the tap.

We eat either a big lunch or dinner, not both. Earl's is great -
I sometimes purchase 2 sandwiches and eat one the next day because they are filling and reasonably priced. We are fond of the buffets offered, but also enjoy some of the counter service places such as Lotus Blossom Cafe - great food, enough to share or save for later and a relatively good value. Lunch is often much cheaper than dinner and the entrees are not much different.

For tickets, we make the most of our days by park hopping a lot! We try to add pool time every other day or so and enjoy other activities. The limits on luggage weight and carryons have made it a bit easier to avoid over-buying souvenirs.

 

[bigsmooth]

Many airlines offer companion fare coupons in addition to miles when using their credit cards. May help in getting a direct flight from the west coast. We use Alaska out of Seattle, they offer a $50 companion fare each anniversary year of using your Alaska credit card. Buy one fare, get the second for $50. Plus they fly direct from Seattle to Orlando. I know United offers something similar, don't know if they fly direct from the west coast anywhere. We usually use miles for two tickets, and then pay for two tickets (one at full price, one for $50) to essentially get 4 tickets for the price of 1 + $50.

Like others said, use your card for all purchases (and pay the balance each month) and you can earn the miles pretty fast.

 

[kimberh]

We have paid for food on our last 5 trips with the Disney Visa card. We own our own busiess... We put every thing we can on it and American Express. With that we can purchase Airline tickets with membership reward points. We have one card that we get a free companion airline ticket, once per year. Ine of us gets the Annual Pass so that we can get discounts with that. I never buy tickets from Disney, unless it is the annual pass. I buy my tickets from the link on mousesavers.

 

[KristinU]

Dumbo71...we'll be there 1/13 thru 1/20 if you'd like to stop by....staying at VWL this visit......

Darn, DonnaL - we're checking out of VWL on 1/13! We, too, prepare a few meals in our villa. This next time I plan to try something new that a girlfriend of mine made on a recent "girls weekend" (we each get assisgned a meal and she had breakfast). It is a make-ahead baked french toast casserole. Here's the recipe/instructions:

Baked French Toast Casserole with Maple Syrup


1 loaf French Bread (13 to 16 oz)
8 Large Eggs
2 Cups half and half
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Dash salt

Praline topping (recipe follows)
Maple Syrup


Slice French Bread into 20 slices, 1 inch each. (Use any extra bread for garlic toast or bread crumbs) Arrange slices in a generously buttered 9 X 13 flat baking dish in two rows overlapping the slices.

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half –and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and beat with a rotary beater or whisk until blended but not too bubbly. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Make Praline Topping:

1/2½ pound (2 sticks) butter (softened)
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and blend well. Spread Praline Topping evenly over the bread and bake for 40 minutes until puffed and lightly golden. Serve with Maple Syrup.


I plan on lining my baking dish with my new best friend - Reynolds Release Foil. My only logistic issue is the corn syrup - since it is only 2T I certainly don't want to buy a whole bottle, but checking a little container of it could be risky for a sticky mess. I guess I'll put it in a little bottle and triple zip-loc it and hope for the best. I'm planning on throwing my brown sugar, pecans, and spices together in a zip-loc at home (double or triple zip-loc there too!) Hmmm...maybe in the interest of TSA baggage searches I should think about sending a box ahead of time.

Has there ever been a DVC recipe thread? I wonder if we should start one?

 

[gtrist4life]

I'm having a mental block, could someone explain what TS stands for in reference to TS Restaurants/meals? Table Seating?

 

[3DisneyKids]

TS = Table Service restaurants (as opposed to CS, which is counter service restaurants). table service restaurants are "sit down" restaurants.