My family made a trip to Disney World for vacation a few weeks ago. I thought I would compile a list here to share the frugal tips that worked for us.Food
1. All counter service restaurants will give you free large glasses of ice water if you ask. At lunch time, we ordered 2 sodas for my husband and I and 4 glasses of ice water. I brought along Crystal Light To Go packets and made lemonade for the kids. We used the 2 extra cups to refill our water bottles.
2. If your kids love their PB&Js, then pack their lunch and bring it to the parks. My kiddos would rather have a packed lunch of their favorites than the expensive purchased lunch.
3. Bring your own breakfast or split large meals. My kids ate bagels with jelly, a juice box and applesauce or fruit bowl (all of which we brought with us to the resort) every morning. My husband and I split a breakfast sandwich or omelet from the food court. The portions were too large for us to each order a separate breakfast.
4. Where did we get the food to do 2 & 3? We stopped at the grocery store on the way to our resort. We purchased peanut butter, jelly, bread, bagels, Diet Coke, juice boxes and bottled water for $30. I also had packed in our suitcase applesauce, fruit bowls, goldfish, pretzels and a few more snacks. We saved at least $225 by doing this.
5. I ordered off the kids menu from counter service restaurants when I wasn't too hungry. Food portions are large at most counter service restaurants.
6. Research menus before your trip at allears.net. You will know ahead of time which restaurants serve food you enjoy and which restaurants you can afford!
7. Bring bottled water with you to the park. We brought 1 per person. Then refill it with cold water throughout the day. (see #1)
Souvenirs
1. Do not go into the gift shops if you can avoid them! I really wanted a $6 Mickey Mouse Kooky pen but I stayed strong. I just kept reminding myself that I didn't really NEED a $6 pen. You can't always avoid the gift shops since attractions sometimes exit through them.
2. Make your kids spend their own money on souvenirs. Once it's gone, it's gone. Or in our case, the kid decides the souvenirs aren't worth the money.
3. Buy some souvenirs before you arrive. I purchased these fan bottles at Walmart for $6 each. They were for sale at the parks for $16 each. Trust me- in Florida in July you will want one of these. My husband used it just as much as the kids. We purchased autograph books at the World but we brought our own Sharpies so we didn't need to buy $6 pens (see #1)!
General Tips
1. Book your vacation through a travel agent knowledgeable about Disney World or do research on vacation deals and discount codes to find the best deals. Hotels and park admission are the bulk of your expenses, so be diligent about researching a good price. Also if you are flexible with travel dates, check the calendar for peak, holiday, regular and value season times. Mousesavers.com is a good place to start.
2. Find free things to do. My kids loved playing in the fountains that squirt out of the sidewalks in Downtown Disney. The Lego Imagination Center also has bins of Legos outside for kids to enjoy. At Epcot, make the (free) masks and collect all the mask decorations from the Kidcot Stops in the World Showcase.
3. If you are renting a stroller, buy multi-day rentals to save a few dollars a day. We purchased the rentals two days at a time instead of all at once just in case we decided we didn't need a stroller one day.
4. Do your best to pack everything you will need during your stay. How much does sunscreen cost at a Disney gift shop? $13
4 comments:
Thanks for the great tips! I was wondering, how old are your kids? I am thinking about when to plan a Disney vacation. My boys are 3 1/2 and 8 months. I don't want to go too soon, when they won't be old enough to really enjoy the experience. I was thinking when the littlest one turns 4, that might be a good time to go.
Great tips! I'm going to pass this to my friend who is planning a trip!
masondixonmama,
My advice for you depends on if this will be a once in a lifetime Disney trip or if you plan to go back again once your kids are older.
If this is a once in a lifetime trip, I would wait until the youngest is at least 6. There are so many wonderful attractions that he won't be big enough or brave enough to enjoy until that age. (And even at 6, there might be some that he won't be ready for.) Also littler kids don't have the endurance for a full day at the parks yet even if they are in a stroller.
If you plan to make another trip when your kids are older, then 4 is a great age for Disney World. I think around age 3 is when they start to enjoy the characters that they meet and they really connect the attractions with the Disney stories they know. At age 4, there will be plenty that your child can ride and enjoy but he won't be big enough to try all the attractions. There is a 40" to 48" height requirement for some attractions.
I have taken kids as young as 18 months to Disney and we had a great time (with the exception of a particularly brutal tantrum in the queue for Country Bear Jamboree- I haven't entered this show since) but I don't know that they get much out of it until age 3. We once took one of our kids for their 5th birthday and the kid was tall enough but was not mature enough to enjoy some attractions. Age 6 is when things really seemed to fall into place: they are tall enough for everything, they are brave enough for most rides, they have more endurance for standing in line and walking and they have the intellectual maturity to understand the more educational attractions.
You're a rock star.
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