What form of money do you bring to WDW??

[mom2jcc]

I'm so confused. I've just learned about Disney Dollars and the Disney Gift Card (I think that is what it's called).

Just curious how most people break up their spending money for eating and buying things.........cash, credit card, Disney Dollars, the Gift Card or travelers checks.

Thanks so much!!!!

 

[MinnieGirl33]

We bring some cash but use a cc for room charges & take care of it after we get home.

Plus, when you rely on your KTTW card for charging, if you do happen to lose it it's much easier to replace than an actual cc.

 

[GEM]

We put a credit card down when we check in and charge everything to our room. It's great! We do carry some cash with us, but never much.

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

We put the bank card down on the room.

We bring the Disney Gift Car now for snacks and little stuff

Disney Dollars for the ice cream carts and such.

 

[plotmom]

We bring some cash (for tipping and buying small items) an American Express travel card for travel expenses (souveniers, food, boat rentals, etc) and charge to the room anything that was not intended for the trip (Santa went shopping, neighbor asked to p/u something specific). If there is money left over on the Amex card at the end of our stay we use it to pay the room charges otherwise they go on the credit card that is on record.

 

[BuzzandAriel'smom]

Credit card on room key. It's great. I felt so free!

 

[Ed J]

Airfare / car rental / accomodations / park passes all on a credit card (in most instances there is no other choice).

All other purchases are done in cash, it's easier to keep spending under control when you actually see how much money you have gone though.

Don't get me wrong, we don't skimp, I'll start out with 700 to 1000 and the goal is not to have to "tap mac" during a 9 day trip (Wife, kid & myself).

Cash forces you to see what your spending. Then in AP on then way home, we spend the remainder in the gift shops .

My $.02

 

[mom2jcc]

Ed J--I see what you are saying. I would just be paranoid that I would lose all that cash somehow. We might take the same idea and use Amer. Exp. certificates...if they still make those.???

 

[WillCAD]

For the past few years I've been using Disney Dollars as a savings method, so I wind up with a bunch of DD$ for my food and souvenier budget.

This year I am using the new gift card instead, since it can be replaced if lost (as long as I have the original purchase reciept). But the WDW resort front desks are not yet tied into the gift card system, so to pay my resort bill I still need Disney Dollars.

When I'm staying at an off-site resort, I sometimes carry travellers checks to pay the bill.

I carry a small amount of cash at all times for those non-Disney venues that don't accept the gift card or DD$.

 

[pepe of ohio]

We put a credit card down when we check in and charge everything to our room. It's great! We do carry some cash with us, but never much.

Its become so much easier through the years now that leaving a cc impression and charging all to it virtually leaves you with nothing in your pockets to lug around and worry about losing. End of trip, express check out with detail sheet of your expenses and away you go. My credit cards and ID remain in the room safe the whole time and some cash, usually carry around 20 bucks for the day but hardly spend any of it.

 

[DiznEeyore]

We NEVER put a credit card down. We initially didn't do this because we wanted to keep track of what we were spending -- we used traveler's checks and Disney Dollars. We've also travelled with other people and every time one of them has put a CC down for room charges, they've gotten stuck with incorrect bills. A couple of times it took a week or so after returning home to resolve them. Way too much hassle for me.

We pay cash at home; we'll do the same on a trip (and knock wood, we've never had a problem keeping track of our traveler's checks or money).

 

[mom2jcc]

I am very much leaning towards the traveler's checks and Disney Dollars with a little cash for each day. Traveler's checks and Disney Dollars are excepted at all restaurants and stores on the disney property I assume??? What about drinks/ice cream stands??

Thanks!!

 

[GEM]

We've also travelled with other people and every time one of them has put a CC down for room charges, they've gotten stuck with incorrect bills. A couple of times it took a week or so after returning home to resolve them.

I certainly don't think that's the norm. In almost 20 trips using our credit card for room charges, we've never had anything like that happen.

 

[jtlover]

In February we hardly took any cash and got everything charged to our room card. At the end of the holiday I then chose to pay with my American Express Charge card. It worked really well and we are doing that again next year.

Also if you get charged for every transaction this is a good way as you only have one bill to pay at the end of your holiday

 

[gaelic grace]

We haven't ever had trouble with incorrect room charges either. We find that charging to your room key is very convenient.

 

[mom2jcc]

Now I just don't know what to think?

Not having to worry about cash, checks, etc. sounds nice. I do have a seperate bank account that is our "Disney Account" that we throw money in for our trip so that would be the debit/Visa we are going to use anyway.

Hmmmm.....so charge meals and souveniers to the room and bring little cash for snacks??? So you just give the waiter your room key? How is the tip handled?

 

[WillCAD]

I am very much leaning towards the traveler's checks and Disney Dollars with a little cash for each day. Traveler's checks and Disney Dollars are excepted at all restaurants and stores on the disney property I assume??? What about drinks/ice cream stands??

Thanks!!

Travellers checks are accepted almost everywhere in Orlando. Most places don't even bat an eye if you whip out a $50 travellers check to pay for a $2 soda; your change will be in US currency.

Disney Dollars are accepted at every Disney-owned venue at WDW, including all the drink/ice cream/souvenier stands and carts. Change when paying with Disney Dollars is also given in US currency.

Most of those small carts even have credit card readers and can accept room charging and the new Disney gift cards.

The only places you will need alternate forms of payment (such as cash, credit or debit card, or travellers checks) are non-Disney venues such as the restaurants and shops in the Swan and Dolphin, the AMC theater at Pleasure Island, and a few of the non-Disney shops at Downtown Disney's West Side (some of these do accept DIsney Dollars but not the gift cards or room keys).

 

[mom2jcc]

Thanks WillCAD!!!!!! What a big source of info. you are!!!

Going to WDW this time is going to be a whole different and EVEN BETTER experience because I have found these boards!!!!!! How did we do it w/o them?

Anyway, thanks a million!!!!!

 

[bigbabyblues]

We bring some cash, but not to pay for everything. Usually around $200 or so in cash. The rest, we charge to our room, which goes on the cc of course, and I write the check when we get home. The amount we spend depends on how much we have saved before the trip.

 

[Disney MAINEiac]

I like cash, DW likes the room card so we use both. I just have to keep enough cash on hand in case of an unexpected emergency (some kind of neurotic compulsion my wife thinks )