7 Cost
Saving Tips for your Disney Vacation
The best advice is the advice that our Moms told us years
ago.
“Plan ahead for a rainy day”. which means in a nut shell “
plan for the
future and save now what you can for a contingency”
The same rule applies for planning a vacation,
especially to Walt Disney World.
Having traveled to Disney and Orlando since 2005, I have
learned some sage planning advice for families and Disneymooners…Save your
hard earned dollars for something special…
Some Disney Visitors will tell you “this vacation will clean out your wallet”,
and without planning there are more expenses that sneak up at Disney than polka
dots on Minnie’s skirt…
With enough planning and preparation, you can save
thousands of dollars and arrive home relaxed and with a few coins left in your
pockets. Really? Here’s How:
 |
| Minnie Mouse |
Our
Best Strategies:
My earliest memory of our first vacation in Orlando was
the noise of “kids running up and down the hall in the middle of the
night” Waking everyone in our room and
disrupting a much needed jet lagged first night. Never again we said!
Lodging-
Staying at a vacation home will save you
hundreds of dollars right off the top. This is the number one cost saving strategy for your entire vacation. Staying at a vacation home offers the
convenience of a “home away from home” meaning you have space. The biggest concern for families traveling is
the space. Imagine how you will feel
after a week of being in a one room hotel with your family…Folks do it all the
time and pay three times the cost of a full house. So research homes and our
guess is that you will find one with a private pool in a gated- 5 star resort
for half the cost of a “moderate” hotel
room. We recommend visiting ROVH – offering luxury homes
at a fraction of the cost of hotels.
Online booking all homes are
registered and well maintained. Rent-Orlando-Vacation-Homes
is a 10 in our book! We guarantee once you stay at a vacation home
you will never go back to a hotel.
Purchase your necessities and small containers prior to arrival-
When you head to the grocery
store, break down the small items required for vacation, into 3 shopping trips..so
add a few items to your shopping/grocery list each time you go. This
does mean that you will need to be organized a month prior to departing. With the rules of TSA- this means no larger
than 3oz. for a carry-on but if you’re packing additional luggage, can roll up
your larger containers with your shirts and clothing. Ziplock any
liquid and secure tightly for the luggage may be jostled via your travel
time.
The cost of supplies at resorts and destinations are
about 3x what you will pay at home. It’s
the law of doing vacation business.
Make
a list of your necessities :
Week One Grocery Shop
|
Week Two Grocery Shop
|
Week Three Grocery Shop
|
Deodorant
|
Skin Care
|
Sunscreen/aloe vera
|
Shampoo/Conditioner
|
Dry laundry soap
|
aspirin
|
Shaving cream
|
Nail polish remover/cotton balls
|
Favorite coffee
|
Water flavors
|
Stevia/teas
|
Ziplock bags
|
batteries
|
Waterproof camera
|
Vitamins
|
Bubble bath
|
Q-tips
|
Hair gel
|
Toothpaste
|
Dental Floss
|
Band-aids
|
%2Bof%2BCopy%2Bof%2BLagoon.jpg "www.next2disney.com") |
| Resort Lagoon Pool |
Include a day or two away from the Parks.
Your vacation home is in a resort…and
you will be amazed at the resorts amenities available. Once you see what is
available to your family, you will decide to take advantage of what is designed
for guests. Spend time playing ping-pong
with your kids, swimming in
amazing Lagoon pools, take a nature hike or watch a movie at the theater on
site. Consider the extending area where
more goes on than advertised. In
Orlando, the beaches are just a short drive…and the natural environment should
not be overlooked- take an airboat ride with your family. Eco
Safaris are so popular and thrilling at the same time. Ziplines are all the trend as well. Save money by not spending every waking hour
at the Walt Disney World, Universal Studios and SeaWorld.
Rental Car Tips:
Rental cars offer the
convenience of your own vehicle while on vacation, no dependency on public transportation. Beware of the pitfalls with rental
agencies. Orlando has a thriving 24/7
car rental business, especially at the airport.
This is very convenient and appealing after a long trip..but can be very
costly. Here are some tips!
·
Avoid renting “in- Terminal site” if
possible. If renting “off-site”
a shuttle will pick you up and transport you to the rental agency..usually a 10
minute difference in total. The cost of
the car may be as much as half.
·
Any Free Upgrades are also usually less
mileage per gallon. Free is not free in
the thriving rental car business where hundreds of cars are rented and returned
daily. Check the car’s exterior prior to
renting for dings and scratches.
·
Plan to rent for a Weekly rate- this usually
offers a discount. This is different
than a 5-7 day daily rental fee. The computer does not seek discounts or better
deals for you.
·
Use your own personal vehicle insurance. This can save up to $15-20 per day. There are a few lines to initial on your
contract. This is one of the spaces.
·
Find out what the parking costs where you are
staying and at the attraction parks.
Vacation homes offer free personal parking at the homes. Another major savings.
·
Bring your own child safety seat as the
rental can be costly as well.
·
Opt for a white car- as the Florida Sun is
extremely hot on the roads and parking lots.
Bring your own window shield to shade the sun.
Purchase your own Disney Souvenirs
Ahead of time at your own
Disney Store, near home or online at EBay.
·
Disney trading pins
·
Tigger and Pooh Disney stuffed animals
·
Peter Pan Disney Tee-Shirts/hoodies
·
Disney Minnie Mouse umbrellas
·
Disney Dress-ups costumes of Belle, Snow
White and Cinderella for visiting Character dinners
·
Captain Hook autograph booklets
This will save you hundreds
of dollars in “impulse shopping” Your
kids will wake-up surprised to a
“special gift ”from Mickey Mouse in their bedroom .
You have conquered the “ Mommy can I get it?” guilt of parenting and
saved hundreds of dollars. Another quick
tip, bring a few colorful bags and tissue paper from the Dollar Store to wrap
the gifts up…sprinkle chocolate kisses in the bag.
Meals-
Vacation rental living
offers the luxury of creating and maintaining your own diet that you follow at
home. Not only is it a lot cheaper to
prepare your own meals for your family, it is much less stress and so much
healthier. Upon arrival at your vacation
home, unload and head to the grocery store. There are so many great choices, my
favorite is Publix at Celebration. Plan your meals and breakdown the shopping
list. Bring what you can manage from
home as the costs will be higher at the grocery stores in any resort town. If you can manage to pack your own spices and
coffee/tea that alone is a huge savings.
Try not to buy the larger economical specials. Within one week, you will not use up most
products and end up throwing them away.
So, here the rule is to preplan and attack the store with a clear list
of what you want. Plan for one night
out at a restaurant dinner and one night- Pizza carryout or delivery. Our best
tip is to prepare two meals at your vacation home to save time. Ziplock up your snacks the night prior to
leaving for the parks. This way, you can
hit the ground running on day 2 of vacation, super prepared.
Sample Menu Schedule:
Publix
|
Breakfast
|
Lunch
|
Dinner
|
Tuesday
|
Bacon/eggs/fruit
|
PB & J/chips/fruit
|
Pan seared salmon
|
Wednesday
|
Oatmeal/apples/
boiled eggs
|
Chicken Patties/grilled tomatoes
|
Chicken stirfry
|
Thursday
|
Waffles/
blueberries
|
Grilled cheese/honeydew melon
|
Meatloaf/potatoes/
salad
|
Friday
|
Eggs/sausage/oj
|
Tuna Packetts/carrots
|
Baked chicken/broccoli
|
Bacon (2)
|
Sausage frozen (2)
|
Frozen chicken
patties
|
Frozen salmon
|
Eggs (1)
|
bread
|
Sliced cheese
|
Frozen chicken breast
|
Frozen waffles (2)
|
Peanut butter/jam
|
Chips (3)
|
Ground beef
|
Instant potatoes
|
Fresh fruit
|
lemonade
|
Oil and spices
|
Vegetables
|
milk
|
butter
|
Laundry soap
|
Tickets-
Multi-day tickets are a
better deal than purchasing per day.
This way you can relax and enjoy the park du Jour of choice. The key at Disney is to not feel that you
need to conquer each park in its entirety…but to master perhaps 50% of it with
confidence. Pick two or three top
attractions on your list and head over to these attractions. With the ease of a multi-day park, you can repeat
this method at each park. Arrive early and leave by mid afternoon for a swim at the resort and a
nap in your air conditioned home. Your
home will most likely have a pool if renting with ROVH. This is included in the price. Pack snacks to save more in costs.
Bring your own refillable water bottles.
Thanks for reading, we love
your comments!
A beautiful Vacation Home,
affordable and well maintained is Next2Disney.
Caroline
No comments:
Post a Comment