What are some of the secrets to planning a vacation to Disney World?
Jill S asked:
Any secrets to a cheap vacation?
Anything the travel agents don’t tell you that others have found works for them?
Beverly
Any secrets to a cheap vacation?
Anything the travel agents don’t tell you that others have found works for them?
Beverly
Tags: Cheap Vacation, Disney, Travel Agents
July 10th, 2009 at 7:15 pm
Ashley
Well, Disney Tickets are not going to be found at a huge discount, as I’m sure you’ll find just by doing a search of cheap tickets here on Yahoo! Answers.
However, food is also a huge expense that you can save on. Even the inexpensive restaurants on property are more expensive than off property. Watching what you eat and where you eat can save you money.
If you are staying on-site, make sure you take advantage of Disney transportation. Not only will you not have to worry about parking (and finding your car at the end of the day) but you’ll save a bit on gas - and get dropped off at the front of the parks.
Beware of timeshare deals - they aren’t 90 minutes as most of them advertise and really aren’t worth the money you save. It will eat up a day of your vacation. Also, please don’t buy information to save money on tickets - it’s a huge scam.
July 13th, 2009 at 7:51 pm
Claudia
Here’s a link from a travel agent, I use them and I would recommend them to anyone.
They have always been upfront on costs. We followed most of the tips and saved alot of money. To be honest nothing in Disney World is cheap so we packed alot of lunches.
Hope this helps.
July 15th, 2009 at 2:48 am
Wayne
First, you should know that at WDW there’s a pretty stark trade-off between time and money. Spending more money saves time. For instance, staying in an onsite hotel is expensive but you don’t have to deal with having a car. This also means you have no access to a grocery store. We live so far from WDW and the ocean that I take a long Florida trip of which WDW is only one part.
With that in mind, here are all my best tips:
1) Stay off site. This summer I am renting a 4-bedroom house; it is going to cost less than $100 per night. For that, I will get a fully equipped kitchen, a private pool, a pool table, 3 TVs, a bathroom with a jacuzzi tub. I’ll also pass both a 24-hour McDonald’s, a Wal-mart, and a 24-hour grocery store on the way to and from the house. We will save money on the lodging (this costs far less than all but the smallest onsite rooms that time of year) and also on food; in general, we’ll eat breakfast and pack lunches and snacks at the house (I have a backpack that has a small detachable cooler attached to it).
Additionally, it would be even cheaper to stay if you invite another family along.
2) Stay longer. With a longer stay, lots of homeowners offer discounts. It’s also somewhat easier to get a deal on a rental car, but I’m going to…
3) Drive to Florida. From New Mexico, it takes a couple of days, but we will be stopping to pick up my nephew and my mom on the way to Florida. In general, I think that rental cars are the biggest legal scam going. Also, with as many people as I am taking (3 kids who all will need tickets), flying is prohibitively expensive.
4) Disney tickets. You can’t do anything about how much these cost, but you can find ways to use them better. I am going on annual passes, which will give us two long trips (this summer and next summer). With annual passes, you can get free parking, and you also can get a Disney Dining Experience card, which gives a discount on some food and is a better deal than the Magic Your Way dining plan.
5) Disney Visa. It works like any other credit card in that you get points for using it. Then they send you a card, you load the points, and you can use it to buy things at various locations in the parks (not everywhere).
It’s still expensive even with these tips. Just try not to think of it in terms of dollars per hour…
July 15th, 2009 at 6:27 am
Sally
Register with DIsney world. Sometimes they randomly send out discount codes. See the Disney Specials section of the Disney Scoop (link provided below.)
Also, there is a whole section of tips there too.
Have fun and good luck.
July 15th, 2009 at 11:36 am
Jane
take your own bottled water with you the water is incredibley expensive.
have a nice time im sure it will be great it is disney afterall.
& when you arrive at the park go the wrong way round the park to avoid the main crowds & always get fastpasses when you first get there for the big rides, splash mountin, everest etc.
late at night when people are leaving the park you may also be able to get onto a popular ride with no wait. we’ve done this in the past the two of us had the whole everest train to ourselves
July 16th, 2009 at 1:00 am
Todd
no secrets!! plan your trip ahead of time/save $$, get the disney dining plan, stay on the disneyworld property, there is free transportation to the parks and hotel!! enjoy
July 17th, 2009 at 12:15 pm
Deborah
I strongly recommend you book your vacation directly with Disney by calling 407-W-DISNEY or online at:
Travel Agents are not always a good idea since Disney has its own vacation packages and travel agency.