WDW in less than a month - help!

[jodim]

We are taking as inexpensive of a trip as possible. Staying offsite and we have 4 day military tickets.

I'm trying to find ways to help save us money while there.

I know the first time we went years ago I bought a backpack cooler and we put waters in that. That saved us a small fortune but I can't find that cooler anymore.

Any ideas on how to save money once inside the parks?

Also if we park at say AK and then want to go to HS can we take the bus over or do we have to pay for parking each time?

 

[LeeLee'sMom]

Parking is good for the entire day. You don't have to pay again. I have taken inside the park on different occasions: some granola bars, peanut butter crackers, uncrustables, gold fish, etc. and some water bottles with crystal light packets.

 

[wishuponastar42]

Once you've taken care of your hotel/tickets/parking, the main way to save is on food.

Share meals/drinks, or order entrees without the sides (i.e. burger without fries). Cups of water are free if you ask. You can bring in food/snacks if you don't want to pay for food in the park. We usually bring breakfast food and eat in our room or on the drive to the park.

 

[kymom99]

You have quite a wide age range there. I imagine the older kids can be given some limits and they will understand. You could give them a set amount of money to spend on the trip and they can decide what to do with it. For the younger ones, you may want to pick up souvenirs outside the parks to save money so that they won't ask for everything they see. Another idea I have heard was to take pictures of things they like and then on the last day they can decide what one item they would like to buy. You can find a lot of what you see in the parks at the Downtown Disney World of Disney store.

Also, there are tons of ideas for saving on food in the parks. It depends on what types of eaters you have. When it is hot, a lot of people tend to not eat that much, so it could be possible to pack in light snacks and share a few counter service items over the course of the day. I definitely recommend a backpack of some type to carry snacks plus your autograph books, etc. (Buy those before you go to save a bunch.)

 

[kiki02]

We are taking as inexpensive of a trip as possible. Staying offsite and we have 4 day military tickets.

I'm trying to find ways to help save us money while there.

I know the first time we went years ago I bought a backpack cooler and we put waters in that. That saved us a small fortune but I can't find that cooler anymore.

Any ideas on how to save money once inside the parks?

Also if we park at say AK and then want to go to HS can we take the bus over or do we have to pay for parking each time?

I don't know as the parks are so $$$ now. Order burgers for food as I think they're cheapest. Bring a thermos for water and just fill up thermos from the many water fountains around. Don't SHOP... in stores. Have fun.

 

[Momonthegogo]

We have this backpack cooler and love it. I bought mine at Target. We will be taking it into the Disney Parks and save money and time on lunch.
If you go to Walmart.com. Look forIgloo-Realtree-Backpack-Cooler. You will see the camo one, we have it in black but could not find that online right now.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

When we are at MK for lunch we like to go to the Hess station by the parking ticket gate. They have a nice sit down café area. They serve subs, hot dogs, pizza by the slice or whole and some Mexican items. They also have ice cream bars and Dunkin Doughnut.

 

[hsmamato2]

My advice, I HATE carrying water around all day,it's heavy! You can get a free cup of ice water at any counter service at WDW,just ask! There are also fountains all around, you could carry an empty water bottle,and fill/drink as desired without the weight...
Some people like to add Crystal light drops to the water,but I like plain water
My family eats mostly counter service (the good ones) and many times,we share stuff. Esp. drinks.... example, for lunch at Columbia Harbor house, I *could* buy 4 small sodas at 2.79 each (?).... or I *could* buy one Large soda,and use 4 straws for 3.19. saving almost 8.00 right there on one meal. and that Lg. soda is BIG,and nothing gets wasted. In addition, my DH might buy a sandwich,with sides on the plate. I can buy just a main entree,no sides,save a few bucks,and scam a couple of his chips. I would rather eat another snack later,than waste food/money at one big meal.
Just how we travel...

 

[kiki02]

My advice, I HATE carrying water around all day,it's heavy! You can get a free cup of ice water at any counter service at WDW,just ask! There are also fountains all around, you could carry an empty water bottle,and fill/drink as desired without the weight...
Some people like to add Crystal light drops to the water,but I like plain water
My family eats mostly counter service (the good ones) and many times,we share stuff. Esp. drinks.... example, for lunch at Columbia Harbor house, I *could* buy 4 small sodas at 2.79 each (?).... or I *could* buy one Large soda,and use 4 straws for 3.19. saving almost 8.00 right there on one meal. and that Lg. soda is BIG,and nothing gets wasted. In addition, my DH might buy a sandwich,with sides on the plate. I can buy just a main entree,no sides,save a few bucks,and scam a couple of his chips. I would rather eat another snack later,than waste food/money at one big meal.
Just how we travel...

I'm same. I'm just not sure which counter services are good these days.....

 

[alexensmom]

We also buy grab and go breakfast type food off site to eat while we're getting ready or on the car ride to the park. I don't like carrying a backpack on hot days, so we ask for free water in the parks and I carry snack foods like granola bars, nuts, Luna Bars, Lara Bars, Cliff Bars...foods that will give us some energy and easy to carry. We share counter service food too. We'll order one meal and then add a couple items to go with it. We always take fruit or something to snack on in the room because my kids are always wanting a snack when they're back at the hotel.

I've also found that if I plan the souvenirs I and the kids want to purchase before leaving, I spend a whole lot less, i.e. beach towel, ornament, tshirt. DD likes to trade pins, so shes happy getting a multi pack that she can trade with her spending money.

Don't forget to pack will-power along with the budget.

 

[oneprincessjo]

Are you driving or flying? Driving opens up a ton of doors as far as what we can bring to save money. I usually hit my local walmart before we head out. I get 2 large cases of water, the powder drink singles so you can dump in to make iced tea, fruit punch... etc. We get a bunch of mini muffins, granola bars, boxes of cereal... popcorn to make in the room at night for a snack while winding down watching a movie.... gold fish crackers, fruit gummies, slim jims... snacks that we don't typically keep at home but are reserved for special vacation junk food type things. Peanut butter and loaf of bread. I also bring sandwich bags so I can put together a few potato chip/pretzel bags to throw in my backpack for a snack later. The possibilities are endless. Also there are a lot of markets where you can stop to get some lunch meat... make a sandwich and prepare baggies full of chips for cheap lunch in the parks and save your money for special dinners and what not.

 

[jodim]

Wow thanks for all the ideas!

Momonthegogo thanks for the info off to check it out now.

We are driving.

 

[eyor44]

I'm same. I'm just not sure which counter services are good these days.....

AK - FlameTree BBQ - enough to share.
MK - Cosmic Rays - 1/2 chicken with sides, plenty to share
Epcot - if you like Chinese, the CS in China
HS - we always go to Pizza Planet here