Thrifting it through Disney in April... Any advice?

[sundayschild]

Hey everyone!

I've been wanting to go to WDW for a longggg time... Was supposed to go with my entire family after graduation back in July 07, but due to an unexpected illness, the whole plan had to be scrapped. :[ Anyway, the darling boyfriend (henceforth known as LOML - love of my life, lol) and I finally decided we'd go in February and now have everything booked for April! Of course, since we're just-working 20somethings, we're on a shoestring budget and are pretty much thrifting our meals and such all the way - plus, staying off-property and relying on our hotel shuttle.

Anyway, anyone have any tips for two budget-conscious 20somethings who haven't been to WDW in years? Here are some details:

- April 23rd - 28th
- 4-day base tickets (plus bonus 2 days, so 6 in total - didn't want a park hopper because we want to take our time at each park, and now we have an extra two days' worth of tickets anyway, so if we miss anything at one park we'll go back...)
- Just the 4 theme parks, no water parks.
- ONE ADR for Le Cellier, our big meal splurge as this trip is for my birthday!

Any tips on money-saving, what we can't possibly miss, how to make the most of our time... would be much appreciated! And can someone tell me what to expect in terms of weather? Of course LOML isn't much help at all because I'm the superplanner of the two of us, lol.

Please help me make this trip super special - we may be on a budget, but it will be my birthday, and our first trip together to one of our favorite places in the world, so we really do want to make it memorable!

Thanks.

 

[Jenfrog79]

hi! i'm in the same boat as you.(also a DH who isn't doing any of the planning and i'm the super planner! lol)
-we're staying offsite at the Comfort Inn lake buena vista and using the shuttle.
-have you heard about the Disney Visa rewards card? there was an ad in the official guide where if you sign up for one you get a $50 gift card after your first purchase. the website to go to is disneyworld50gift.com and mention the code 6G4J01.
-i made sure to get a hotel that had a free continental breakfast. a free breakfast is always good!

i'll try adn think of other things......

 

[Sugardimples]

Try sharing a counter service meal. You may find that it is plenty for the two of you. Order ice water (free) instead of a soda, or order 1 soda and share it.

 

[jacobsmom]

Personally I love the carts at all the parks! We (3) shared a smoked turkey leg! OMG I loved it!!! Next time we go to Epcot we are going in December when it's not so hot (August made me a bear!! I'm not nice or fun at 118 degrees!) we'll do treats around the world. Trying things all over the world! Have fun1

 

[BigMike10]

We always do budget Disney too, but At Disney I never feel deprived. My family is never really very hungry at Disney. Granted, we always seem to go when it is very warm (May, June) We eat breakfast in our room on something that we brought from home or picked up at a store near our hotel. Then we enjoy lunch a little later in the afternoon(around 2:30 or 3:00) Sometimes we do need to snack a little to hold us over. We are not hungry at all at dinner. Thats the time we have a little treat like a Mickey bar or ice cream. Eating one meal only ,with a few treats mixed in saves us $$. We have had special meals like you are doing for your birthday and that is always wonderful .

We also bring Brita filtered water bottles which I hate carrying around but saves $$, a collapsible cooler for our room that we fill with ice for drinks that we have been able to buy at a nearby store.

 

[jetprincess]

Does your hotel have a free breakfast? If so, be sure to grab a few apples or oranges to throw in your backpack! Instead of ordering 2 entrees, order 1 and an appetizer. Portion sizes are usually pretty big! Drink water! Once I did a tally of what we spent on drinks during a vacation and it was insane!

Take snacks and drinks from home for your hotel room. Snacking from the vending machine can add up quickly!

Yes, those turkey legs are HUGE!!

Have a great trip! I remember when I was planning a trip to Europe with then BF (now he's a DH) after graduation, I had forgotten completely about budgeting food! I have know idea what I thought we were going to eat We just ended up being hungry...a lot...

 

[wholovesthesun]

these are my husband and my favorite tips:

First: If you don't already have one, get a very comfortable backpack with thick shoulder straps. Pack the following:

- bring a water bottle for each of you and fill it up all day at water fountains; ice is free at restaurants.

- buy the cannister of powdered gatorade and some of the snack sized ziplock bags and measure out a water-bottles worth of powder into each bag. (even in april it can get warm and you will be surprised how dehydrated you can become). Remember you will be getting lots of sun! They may have the pre-portioned gatorade packets (like they do for crystal light) but i haven't checked to see if they were cheaper.

- pack some sturdy fruit (an apple or orange) and granola, trail mix or cliff bars in your backpack. These make great snacks. Contrary to popular belief you CAN bring food into the park.

- bring muffins, bagels, banannas for your breakfast at the hotel. they don't require refrigeration or heating.

- for lunch, you could carry a small collapsible insulated lunch box, but we didn't want the extra weight of ice or cold packs. so again, think of things that don't require refrigeration. (pb&j sandwiches, pretzels, fresh fruit). remember to bring ziplock bags, and a plastic knife for your pb&j)

- Weather:you didn't say where you were from, but being from alabama, where it's not really hot until it's above 90 degrees and 100% humidity, april is a very good time to go. On some days, it will probably be in the mid to upper 80's plus humidity. I would take a look at the 7-day forcast and pick the coolest day to go to animal kingdom. This park is a lot more humid and slightly warmer than the other parks due to all of the plants and trees.

- Making the most of your time: Use fastpasses on popular rides. Take your time to enjoy the experience of being in the park. If you want to run around and ride all of the rides, that's fine but you may miss one of my favorite things about Disney World, which are all the details.

just let go, remember what it's like to be a kid and enjoy yourselves !

 

[Promomx2]

Use your camera for your souviers. Take lots and I mean lots of pix (goofy pix are the best). And that pix of the really expensive things we all wish we could buy at the parks. And then put them in a scrapbook when you get home. By the time you get home, you won't miss the mickey hat or the t-shirt you didn't buy, but you'll have the memories of the trip the two of you took. ALso if you have time take time to walk around the WDW hotels. Take the monorail to the contemporary and just walk around and enjoy. Enjoy the time you have just the two of you, before you have kids, and a stoller, and a diaperbag, and , , , , etc.

 

[Promomx2]

I completely forgot about a splurge you might want to try. I haven't done it but plan to beeline there in July. Epcot, go to Japan and get a oyster and then a pearl. I found the idea posted here, so you might find more info, but I think it's only like $12.

 

[summerlandjeff]

1. If you drink alot of coffee or soft drinks, buy the refillable mugs. at @ $12.00 they pay for themselves in 2-3 days.

2. If you enjoy an adult beverage, stick with beer ! They really soak you for the "drink specials". (like $9.95 or more for a rum runner or margarita!)

3. We always share breakfast (not big breakfast eaters) by getting one bagel with cream cheese and cutting it in half.

4. If you don't need souvineers, don't buy them!!!! (I cringe every time I hear my DD & DW say "isn't this cute"!)

5. If you're not on the DDP stick to counter service and buffets.

Have fun....

 

[DVCTiff]

I totally understand about being on a budget, but nothing would make me sadder than being at Disneyworld and pulling out a half-squished pb&j that I made for myself that morning in the hotel. Share a burger, order a soda. I think you'll enjoy the moment so much more!

 

[davidand3rs]

Totally understand where you are coming from...my fiancee and I are 21, still in school, both working and have gone to disney 2 times in the last 7 months, both for birthdays. We had every thing planned out because we don't have money...period. It was such a stretch for us to even go but found some amazing ways to cut corners:

1. Like everyone else said, eat breakfast at your hotel, eat things that are going to stick with you for a while, bagels, bananas...any fruit(this will get your energy up for some physically tiring days)
2. Since you're not staying on Disney property, you won't be able to take advantage of any extra magic hours (we felt staying on disney property was worth it because we got the extra 3 hours making our tickets prices really worth it). I can offer you some suggestions...keep in mind this is just what we did, not necessarily the best way:
Epcot:
You can find lunch many places here, I would suggest checking out the Land Pavilion, there are many different choices here (if you're picky) and you could probably even share a meal for $7-10 dollars. If you're hot and need something to drink check out the Ice Station Cool (I think that's what it's called) and you can sample free soda from countries all around the world. We used this place 3 or 4 times a day to get something to drink...for free! Things to do: Everyone will go to Soarin first, it's new and fun....go there but get a Fast Pass and head back to Test Track, catch Mission Space next while you're near it. Ride them 2 or 3 times if the wait time is 20 mins or less. Go to Soarin, grab another Fast Pass, they go fast and you'll want to ride this again. I strongly recommend spending some time in the countries before your ADR you'd be surprised how much time goes by and how much you'll like it even though it's not a thrill ride.
Magic Kingdom:
Everyone loves to go to Space Mountain. Same deal, Get Fast Pass, Ride, go again if the wait is short, try Buzz Lightyear while you're there, the wait won't be too long, try to go to Pirates next, this will fill up fast, then go hit splash mountain (will be crowded in heat of afternoon, unless you have a Fast Pass, avoid it if you can help it). Next ride Thunder Mountain railroad. It's worth the wait. As for Lunch, there's a great place in Frontierland called Pecos Bill Cafe, they have huge burgers and hot dogs and you can even make yourself a salad from the toppings bar (for free). You can easily share a meal here for $7-10 dollars. For dinner, a cheap change of pace might be the Tommorrowland Terrace Noodle station. Be weary of parade times, there great to watch but if you're trying to get somewhere try to stay off the parade route.
Animal Kingdom:
Get to Expedition Everest...expeditiously..grab Fast Passes and move on to the Safari. The animals are out in the morning and this is the best time to see them. Ride the safari again, take pictures of what you couldn't get the first time, and get a Fast Pass on your way out over to expedition everest. Ride Expedition Everest, make your way to the Dinosaur ride and go back to Everest for Fast Passes and to wait in line. You can ride it, go on another safari and make it back to everest again. After you've worn yourself out doing this, grab a Fast Pass for the Kali River Rapids, go to the Bug's Life show in the Tree of Life and then back to Kali. If you find time to eat lunch in all of this, the Flame tree BBQ is another great place to eat cheap, sit and enjoy the view. A great thing to sneak in is the Jungle Trek.
Hollywood Studios:
Can't say much here, don't prefer this park to the other ones and haven't been here in 4 years. Just do some research on disney.com, park maps are a great tool and the dining locators help for deciding what is cheapest.

I know this was a lot...it got away from me. Also, Fast Passes should be your guide to the park experience, pay attention to the times on your fast passes and you'll work these parks like you designed them yourself. Hope you guys have a great time.

 

[dbarker]

Go to www.allearsnet.com. There are menus w/ prices.

My favorite money savers:

Order a double hamburger and an extra bun (cheap 2 burgers)

Order Ice Water (free). You can get ice water any time at any CS.

Share meals, especially CS. Then if you are still hungry, get a snack.

No sodas. If you want something besides water, bring your own powdered drink mix.

 

[jetprincess]

Shhhh this is a secret.... I haven't seen this suggested so I am going to throw it out there... go to Shades of Green for some of your meals. You don't have to be staying there to eat there! The prices are not cheap but they aren't Disney inflated either. Take the monorail to the Poly and walk over. They have a breakfast buffet (at The Garden Grill) where 3 of us ate for $15. It opens at 7. They also have a poolside restaurant (Evergreens) where you can get a pizza for $11 and regularly priced sandwiches for lunch and dinner. You would have to pay cash and you wouldn't be able to buy anything at the gift shop b/c it functions as a military exchange. You need a military ID to buy anything. Just an idea...

 

[Aliceacc]

I started a newbie thread that may help you: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1715551

Would you consider staying on site at one of the values? They're cheap (especially if you get the AAA discount) and you get the perks of Disney Magical Express, Extra Magic Hours, and Disney transportation. Take a look.

 

[sundayschild]

I started a newbie thread that may help you: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1715551

Would you consider staying on site at one of the values? They're cheap (especially if you get the AAA discount) and you get the perks of Disney Magical Express, Extra Magic Hours, and Disney transportation. Take a look.

i did, but for the dates we wanted all the AAA discount rooms at the value resorts were full ...which is why we decided to stay offsite. oh well.

thanks so much for all the suggestions everyone! keep 'em coming, every little bit helps .

 

[DisGal520]

Disney is pretty generous with what they give you in many counter service meals. So think of splitting some lunches. No way at Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe (MK AdventureLand) can I ever eat all by myself the BBQ half chicken and ribs platter that comes with choice of sides (read: the baked carrots are to die for). Someone mentioned the fixins bar - they have a huge one here and you can add salad extras, more BBQ sauce, etc.

Also the outdoor Mexican Cantina in Epcot. The lunch platter is huge and quite good. Again we had to spilt it to finish it.

Although it may be a good idea to carry a couple pieces of fruit around, packing anything more substantial weighs our backpack down.


Enjoy your trip

DisGal

 

[Aliceacc]

www.mousesavers.com has tons of great info, including: http://www.mousesavers.com/meals.html