Saving tips??

[SnowyPrincesses:)]

Don't forget to check out www.mousesavers.com for lots of other ideas too. BTW I haven't been in a while, what DO you do with backpacks on the rides?

 

[Kelly5538]

I bought some individual Crystal Light that you can mix with the free ice water that you can get with a meal. For a family of 4 it would save at least $10.00 a meal plus it is more thirst quenching and healthier for you! Don't go in the gift shops!

I would have never thought of that!!!!! Great idea! And we LOVE Crystal Light!

 

[Tyffni]

This is a silly question maybe, but how do you go on a ride with a backpack? Haunted Mansion might be okay, but what about rides lie MGM's Aerosmith?

I have a smaller backpack that I use. I wrap it around my foot or I'll turn it around so it is on my chest on attractions like Space Mountain and Rock'N'Roller Coaster.

I've always loved the Disney ears, but I don't like to wear hats. I've always wanted to do autographs, but never did before because I knew I would just put the book away. This year, I'm going to try to combine the two. I want to bring a white or metallic fabric pen, purchase the ears, and have the characters sign that. I think it will be great on display!

Definitely go to Belz Factory Outlet for the Disney outlet store. I'm in state so we drive our own car. If I were from out-of-state and arriving early enough in the day, I think I would rent a vehicle just to get us from the airport to our hotel. This way, you could stop at the Belz Factory outlet and also make a grocery stop. Just be sure to use a company where you can return the car in WDW if you don't plan to use it the entire trip.

If you have kids, you can always ask relatives to "buy" Disney dollars for birthday gifts prior to the trip. Just be careful that they don't buy gift certificates to the Disney Store because I don't think those are valid in the parks any more.

Because we are a childless couple who live in-state and are going for our longest trip ever this year (9 nights) we are doing the following to save money this year:

1. Staying off-property in a suite. I found the Homewood suites for $85 a night on the Hilton site. We made sure it had a burner top to cook dinner some nights.

2. Obviously cooking food in the room. We expect to eat out for lunch. Breakfast and dinner are questionable.

3. Bringing some snacks. Be careful of candy during the summer though. It can get hot in those backpacks!

4. Definitely bringing a water bottle that we can refill from fountains. Not everyone likes Florida water though.

5. Purchasing certain items in advance, some at the outlet, and saving our Disney value points.

6. We save ponchos, eyeglass strings, etc. in a backpack to use for every trip, regardless of whether or not it is to WDW.

We know we will come back another year, so we are also not going to the park every day. We only visit once a year, but there are other things in Orlando we would like to see and do. For example, I have a Visa gift card I plan to use at a mall up there. We also try to enjoy the little things like the great arcade outside of Space Mountain. This year, we are going on a Hidden Mickey Scavenger Hunt.

 

[ElaineHN]

We like a blend of convenience and savings. I don't try to pinch every penny I can, but at the same time, I don't want to spend an absolute fortune on things either. I use coupons when I grocery shop and I bought things for our trip as I found them on sale locally for a few weeks before hand. I think if budget is a concern, just adjusting how you and your family think of spending can be a big part of making things less expensive but still enjoyable. Attitude is a big factor.

So here are some of the things we did for our recent trip (which ended on Monday) that saved us some $$$$

1. Made an entire loaf of PB&J's ... placed each sandwich in a regular cheap sandwich bag, not a ziploc, and then placed all of them back in the bread bag. We had these as snacks on the drive down and in our room for a couple of days. We still ate meals at restaurants and in the park, but this helped cut down on some of the snacking and made it possible for us to go longer between meals during the drive. My hubby has a big appetite, so he also ate a PB&J along with an in-park meal if whatever he'd purchased wasn't quite enough to fill him up. We wouldn't do this in a nice restaurant, but when buying counter service food and eating at an outside table, I didn't have a problem with it. We also took dry cereal and plastic bowls for breakfast in our room. We bought a 1/2 gallon of milk at the food court (could have save $$ by buying it before entering Disney, but we forgot) ... this provided breakfast two days and some snacks a well. I'd bought small boxes of Malt-o-Meal versions of fruit loops and lucky charms which Publix had for $1 and used 50 cent coupons which they doubled ... so I actually got the cereal for free! Was this as convenient as just pulling out the Visa everytime we wanted a bite? No ... but I also don't have $500 in food charges to look forward to on my next credit card statement and our tummies were just a full as anyone else's.

2. We took LOTS of frozen bottles of water (buy 1 get one free 12 packs for $3.99) and Capri Sun (3 boxes/$5) drinks as well as some 2 ltr. sodas (used $1/4 coupons when they were on sale for 89 cents.) We put some of the frozen waters in a large cooler but one 12 pack had to just sit in the van ... they were frozen solid when we left home and were still partially frozen 9 hours later! We transferred a few waters and Capri Suns to our small soft sided coolers to take into the parks each day. We drank the 2 ltr. soft drinks in our hotel rooms in the mornings and at night and in the van on the drive. Even if we purchased a drink in a cup with ice at a convenience store or fast food place during the drive, we were able to refill it from our own stash.

3. I found the single packs of Crystal Light tip on this site long before our trip so I bought a box of the lemonaid packs (14 packs for about $4) I wish I'd bought them when they were on sale for 2 packs/$7 but I didn't so I paid a little more ... but it was still a great savings to use these packs with ice water from counter service restaurants with our park meals or even in our own bottles of water. If you don't want to use Crystal Light, you could also put a pack of the pre-sweetened Kool-aid or something similar in your own little container to carry into the park. Just be sure it is in something that seals very well ... you don't want sticky powdery staining stuff all over everything in your bag.

4. Be sure to take a bottle of Tylenol or Motrin or your preferred meds into the park if you are at all prone to head aches or needing this type medication. You can buy individual packs in many of the gift shops, but it's much cheaper to take your own. Same for sunblock, antacids, chapstick, tissues and pretty much anything else.

5. Pack a lightweight jacket even if you don't think you'll need it (unless perhaps it's mid summer and absolutely hot 24 hrs a day) We packed a windbreaker for our daughter but our friend didn't for his daughter ... buying a Disney jacket in the park makes a nice souvenir but it's expensive.

6. When you do buy food in the parks or at DTD or at the resorts consider what you are getting for the money. I found the kiddie Mickey waffles and bacon to be worth the $3.99 price tag ... (and for young kids with small appetites you could even split one order so that each gets one waffle and one strip of bacon.) I also didn't think $4.95 was a bad price for a sandwich at the Earl of Sandwich (they were yummy too) but I did think that $3.99 was ridiculous for their kids cheese or PBJ (this is with no sides or drinks) If we were to go back I wouldn't hesitate to eat at EoS, but I'd either buy the girls an adult sandwich which would have more on it than the kiddie ones or just get them something else all together. You can also get a cup of soup for $0.95 and a side salad for under a dollar there. Really if you have a small appetite you could have a bowl of soup and a salad and have a meal for only $2. Similarly at Cosmic Rays, I had a hamburger and fries for about $6 and drank water (to which I added Crystal Light) I loaded the burger up with toppings at the toppings bar and had enough lettuce and tomato and pickles to make my daughter a small salad to go with her kiddie chicken meal. On the other hand, another member of our group spent over $10 on a double cheeseburger with bacon, fries and a soft drink. It's only $4 difference, but if we did the same thing for 2 meals a day for 4 days, I'd spend $32 less than him. If each adult member of our group did that it would be $128.

7. Go to Ghirardelli.com to get a coupon for B1G1Free sundaes. They are HUGE and for $6.50 you'll get two sundaes which can easily be split between 4 people (or maybe even more!) ... we went to Ghirardelli in DTD and it was fantastic! Even a full three scoop banana split is considered a sundae.

8. Put your kids on a budget ... whether it's their own money that they've earned and saved for the trip, or if you are just giving them money ... don't be an open cash box. Even fairly young children can understand "You have $XX for the next X days ... do you really want to spend over half of it on this one item or would you rather look around for a while and make a decision. You'll get to spend all your money, but I just want you to be sure you're happy with what you buy." My daughter bought things and enjoyed 'window' shopping and didn't feel deprived at all with this method. Heck, she even bought us gifts with her own money (which I wish she hadn't done but it was really sweet) ... on the other hand, her friend who went with us had 3 items before we'd even settled in to our room. If she so much as looked at something her dad was there with cash in hand ... and the entire first few days of the trip went the same way ... balloons and lighty-spinning things and jewelry and dolls, etc. Nothing seem to have as much meaning to her because she got so much and as soon as she got one thing the last thing was forgotten. I did notice that on the last day of the trip 'dad' was decidedly slower to whip out his wallet.

We cut corners on some things to be able to splurge on others. I really think the 'fun' of being able to enjoy a super yummy treat or have a special nick-nack sometimes justifies the higher cost. What's worthwhile for one person may not be for another, but the pastries in the Disney bakeries are delicious and I love pastry ... so to me it's worth paying $3 for a cheese danish even if it means I decide to drink water with my next two meals. On the other hand, it was more worthwhile to me to purchase a Disney Princess nightshirt for my daughter from DisneyDirect.com for under $10 and take it down with us than it would have been to pay a higher price of something similar in the gift shop. For my daughter a $4.50 coloring book from a cart near Cinderella's Castle was a terrific buy because she absolutely loves to color and loves princesses. I didn't try to talk her out of it or say that she could get one at Target for less ... it was special to her because of where she was buying it and I really didn't feel like it was a bad price considering some of the other alternatives. I guess all I'm trying to say is to be 'budget minded' doesn't mean you have to completely go into gorilla penny pincher mode, but at the same time it does not completely spoil the Disney experience if you do consider your budget and don't toss money around like confetti.

Hope some of this helps a little!
Elaine

 

[Carrie Ellis]

ElaineHN,

I think just like you! Wonderfully said!

 

[Okiemom]

Do they charge for Ice water in cups at Counter Food places?

 

[ElaineHN]

No, it is completely free! (At least it was at the several places where I asked for water) Just be sure you ask for a "cup of ice water" so that you don't get charged for a bottle of water.

 

[Polly Juice]

The water is just downright disgusting, no two ways about it. I suggest the Brita sports water bottles. They have their own filters which last about 3 months depending on usage. These worked very well for me and my kids. If you're in a bind, try melting the ice from the ice machines. They must have a filter in them, because the ice/water doesn't taste nearly as bad. Refillable mugs are great- ask for a room near the food court where you'll be more likely to use them. Also know that milk is Not on the refillable mug program. The Brita bottles people have found at Wal Mart in the plumbing section- go figure. I bought mine online. I have read where folks have used the online grocers and had their boxes of supplies waiting for them at the hotels when they got there. We came back from a 10 day stay last Sat. and food prices were definitely higher than they were 2 years ago. We may have to stay off property next time or at least make some other arrangements for food, cause it was a budget buster. Don't forget to make your priority seatings so that the food choices will be yours.

 

[ElaineHN]

The water is just downright disgusting, no two ways about it.

*LOL* I guess the water in different parts of the country is just very 'different' to different people. I didn't LIKE the smell of the water at Disney ... much like anywhere in Florida it seems to have a very sulfery-minerally-dead-fish kind of funkiness ... but to me it just wasn't unbearably 'disgusting' ... not great, but not gosh-awful either. I added the Crystal Light and was good to go.

Hubby, who grew up in Jacksonville, FL barely even notices a difference in the water ... drinks it straight from the fountains without a flinch.

 

[motbobi]

I am bringing our construction cooler and we froze empty milk jugs with ice and then fillling the rest with our water. my 18 year old and myself drink alot of water and i didn't like the different water taste in florida. it wasn't awfull but it didn't taste well enough to drink a huge glass like i would normally do.

Bobi

 

[eeyorelor]

Ok here is what we just did a month ago ..We drove down 2 adults and 5 children 14,13,8,5&5 ..We packed our own lunch and fruit for the drive down ..We got the dollar menu at mcdonalds...We had a motel that offered the free breakfest..It wasnt suposed to be as of the new year ,but when i called and asked they extented it till march ..woo hoo for us ..So we ate big time for breakfest..Eggs,bacon, toast ,fruit ,it was like we were rich lol...Any ways i brought from home granola bars , cereal bars, friut roll ups and gummy mickeys i got real cheap..peanut butter crackers,and we ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches..And i brought bottled water here and took it down .After we were there i bought gals of water and washed the bottles in the room and refilled them ..The gal of water at publix was 55 cents or so i was really happy b/c at home its 99 cents a gal..
We only had snacks in the park ..We as a family of 7 i dont think we spent 100$ in the 4 days we were at the parks ..We went to see disney not toeat at the fancy resturants..We would have never been able to go if we didnt ..And as of the character meals , we got to have special time for autos and picture in toon town and the lines werent bad... you have to know what interests you. I realize you are flying down but i would rent a car and go to publix and get alll the meal foods you need ..
Each kids had a sling type back pac and they all carried there own lunch snacks water money and jacket... If you have any other questions please pm me and ill give you more tips if need them ..Just ask i ll asnwer what i can ...Good luck and have a blast..

 

[areno79]

Great tips
I agree, cutting down the food budget is the easiest way to save some $$$, especially when you can have some great meals offsite
Have you considered opening an ING account? It's basically an online savings account that you can transfer money to out of your checking account, and their referral bonuses are great...I've already gotten $70 of free money just for transferring in $5 to open an ING account! There is a thread on here about ING FAQ's, you should check it out...other than that, we save change, and buy generic brands whenever we can. We figure we can suffer with Sam's Choice soda instead of regular Coca-Cola!

 

[mamo-4-wdw]

I have a suggestion for surprising you children. My family did this when we vacationed at Panama City,FL(a very long drive from Tenn.) I got some lunch bags, you know the paper kind and decorated it with stickers and some had stamps. One for each hour of our trip,one for each child. In them I put a snack,juice box, and something to play with like coloring book or paper and pen to play hangman or tic tack toe or a small book and a gift type item like sunglasses,key ring, or even a disposable camera(towards the end so when we got to the beach they could take pictures of the ocean. my 15yr old DS still has that picture displayed in his room! You can do these with a disney theme(put some disney dollars, a cd for for teens,disney brocure of the place you are staying printed off the internet,Disney t-shirt gotten at walmart or k-mart) and adjust it for your childrens age. We did not hear "are we there yet" but "is it time for another bag" Also I stapled the bag shut so it was more like opening a present, I guess you could put a bow on it too!

 

[2tinkersmom]

We were trying to be careful with our budget too on our first trip this January. We found most of our days went like this as far as food: We stayed at the Fort Wilderness Cabins (LOVED IT - we paid $149 a night thanks to mousesavers.com discount code) so we had a kitchen. We all tried to eat a slightly bigger breakfast each morning, then my girls each had a waist pack which they got to fill with their own snack choices (granola bars, fruit snacks, rice krispy treats, trail mix) and we brought along water bottles each day, then they could snack when they wanted and didn't eat until 2-3 pm, that way it was our main meal of the day and usually we wanted nothing else except a light snack later which of course isn't as expensive as another sit down meal.
The kids liked being in charge of when they could snack and we found ourselves so busy that the one meal was all we wanted to stop for!!

 

[jenr812]

. Go to Ghirardelli.com to get a coupon for B1G1Free sundaes. They are HUGE and for $6.50 you'll get two sundaes which can easily be split between 4 people (or maybe even more!) ... we went to Ghirardelli in DTD and it was fantastic! Even a full three scoop banana split is considered a sundae

I went to the site but couldn't find the coupon HELP! Thanks for all the wonderful tips.

 

[ElaineHN]

Hi! You have to register for their newsletter to get the ice cream coupon. It will be e-mailed to you. I think it expires in 30-days, so I'd wait to register untill just a week or so before your trip. Also, be sure to say 'yes' to the question that asks if you live near or will be visiting a Girardelli shop. (I don't remember the exact wording of the question but you'll probably recognize it.) Otherwise I think you'll get an offer for a discount for ordering 'on-line' instead of the sundae coupon.

Elaine

 

[AngieWin]

I have seen some people freeze these to take. Do they freeze ok? We have frozed water bottles, but can't fill them totally full because they expand. How, or do, the juice boxes or capri suns freeze?

 

[ElaineHN]

We've frozen bottles of water with no problem and I freeze Capri Sun drinks all of the time ... they work great and they make good 'ice packs' when you're packing other items that you want to stay cold! It's been a long time since I bought regular juice boxes ... but as far as I can remember they freeze okay too.

I don't try to freeze soft drinks (bottle or cans) because they expand and explode ... everything expands a little when you freeze it, but water and Capri Suns don't explode like sodas do.

 

[AngieWin]

I'm not sure what the first item is you were asking about freezing ... "these" ... but we've frozen bottles of water with no problem and I freeze Capri Sun drinks all of the time ... they work great and they make good 'ice packs' when you're packing other items that you want to stay cold!

I don't try to freeze soft drinks (bottle or cans) because they expand and explode ... everything expands a little when you freeze it, but water and Capri Suns don't explode like sodas do.

I was talking about juice boxes and capri sun. My older kids will drink the capri suns, but I would rather have juice for my toddler. Do juice boxes freeze ok, or do they have "capri-sun" style packages with juice? I have accidentally frozen soft drinks and learned my lesson!! Big messes!

 

[Forevryoung]

I know that they have capri-sun style packages for regular juice but I have found them to be huge. Another Idea might be to pour juice from a larger jug into an empty disposable waterbottle. That way you have two servings of juice for your little one and only one bottle to carry.
Just an idea