tips on doing disney cheap!!!!!!

Believe me, it is. -DB's wife

 

dang :neutral: I guess it's still better than June or July

 

Sure is. Quite a few states up north have that week as a school vacation week. Even the cruise lines and airlines jack up their prices BIG time!

 

We may be going in October w/ a special group. They found these cottages & anyone can rent them. I thought they were reasonably priced especially for a week rental.

http://www.tropicalpalmsresortfl.com/vacation-cottage-rentals/

Not sure that will help anyone but figured I'd put it up there. With your own kitchen, you can save immensely on meals. Have fun. I'm not sure we'll be able to swing it this year but it has been a dream of ours to go. Everyone going better give some good tips when they get back to those of us who may go in the future. Have a great time.

Stephanie-- mom to 7

 

Idea on lodging

my recommendation on the lodging is to book a private rental condo. we were able to book a 1,400 sq foot place for the entire week for $600 and we had three bedrooms, full kitchen and just a place to relax where we weren't all on top of each other.

We booked through:
www.floridadreammc.com

We stayed at Terra Verde, about 12 minutes from Disney. We will be staying there again!

 

Go to Guest Services at any park and get a "It's My Birthday" button. Also, check to see of they still send something to your room. I don't know if this has been stopped, but they used to send balloons and a signed picture of your child's favorite character to your room.

There are many more options, but I would suggest heading over to the disboards for ideas.

 

That's awesome! My daughter will love an "It's My Birthday" button and balloons.

 

They also increase the buffet prices during these "peak" times. Chef Mickey's is something crazy like $42.59 for ages 10+ and $21.29 for kids 3-9.

 

If you booked directly with Disney, call them and have them note this on your reservation and remind the cast member when you check in.

 

For some strange reason, Disney thinks it is.

Here are some of the weeks that Disney adds a surcharge for buffet meals:

February 17-26, 2011
March 11 - April 30, 2011
June 3 - August 13, 2011
December 21-31, 2011

 

My only advice about staying off-site is that what you save in money, you may lose in time. Now, I want to add that every family has their own preferences about what a vacation is to them. And, we have stayed both on and off-site many times and each vacation was great.

I just wanted to let first timers know that running back to the condo for lunch might not be that simple. First, you have to exit the park, then take the boat or monorail back to the TTC (if at MK), then the tram to the parking lot, and exit Disney property, and drive back to your destination, eat, then return. This can take two-four hours. If you have limited time in the park, I would suggest packing some sandwiches and rent a locker if needed. Or, split meals such as the rib and chicken combo at Cosmic Rays.

However, for longer stays or extreme heat, a four hour midday break is awesome! Hit the parks at rope drop, ride some of the top rides, grab some fast passes, and leave around 1:00PM. Return later, say 5 or 6, and stay til park closing. Be sure to check park hours and extra magic hours, and plan your day accordingly.

Touringplans.com is similar to tourguidemike and has free access to the crowd calender two months out or join for $11.00.

 

I have a "sort of" related question. Who has some tips on how to keep 2 little girls from fighting all the way to Florida? :lol: I'm laughing now but I can't even drive to grocery store without a fight breaking out. I can imagine a road trip like that. We thought about DVDs, DS, and books. I'm still not convinced. Maybe we should bribe them.

 

Benadryl! Only kidding.

 

Or duct tape. :jester:

 

Fighting can be a tough one. How old are they? Do they sleep well in the car?

My DS11 constantly fights with his twin sister and his older brother. If we cannot find cheap enough flights for our upcoming trip, then we are going to take Amtrak. Amtrak is having a 20% off sale right now. Of course we will need to rent a car or transportation service once we arrive.

There will be six of us, so Amtak is $180 total each way. While driving would be cheaper, six of us in a van for 10-12 hours could be pretty miserable.

 

I never thought of Amtrack. That's a possibility. I have a soon to be 9 year old (she'll turn 9 during the trip) and a 5 year old. They are at the age where they either love each other to death or can't stand each other! We thought about leaving during the night so they'll sleep for a few hours (one would hope). Either that or they won't sleep and be crankier than ever. :neutral:

 

We have 3 boys, ages 5-11 and they do pretty well on trips. We have the DVD player and they each have an ipod/dsi. we also bring plenty of snacks and drinks, because a hungry kid = a grumpy kid! Good luck everyone on your tirps. Now I'm so jealous, we love going to disney and aren't planning on going anytime soon. Have fun!

 

We used to go to Disney several times per year. When the children were 6, 6, and 8, they were great in the car or plane. Our last trips in Oct of '10 and before that Nov/Dec '08 were not pleasant car rides. I guess those growing teen and pre-teen legs just need more space.

 

I'm going in February and have been leery of any of those discount places, so I contacted one of my reps through my company who is in Orlando to see if he had any suggestions. He sent me these links and said his son has gotten tickets numerous times through the following sites. I'm going to check these out. We only want one day at one park, and it seems there are no deep discounts to be found, but these atleast save a few bucks for the one day visit.

https://www.orlandoticketsales.com/oi/Walt_Disney_World_C65.cfm?s_kwcid=TC|10370|walt%20disney%20world%20tickets||S||4521048554



http://www.universalorlando.com/Tickets/tickets_2.aspx?ComponentId=11423&SourcePageId=7805#14




http://www.orlandofuntickets.com/

 

Do NOT do Amtrak.