Disney World Vacation

[marinewife2002]

Hello all, I know this isn't a new topic but the thread was longand seemed to have old information...
We are looking for the most bang for our buck (who isn't?) We can't make plans to far in advance due to my husband being deployed to Afghanistan and won't be home til the fall sometime. I want to know what deals anyone out there has found recently. Any insider tips?
any and all will help...
thanks and Semper Gumby (always flexible)

[momee2twins+one]

There was a deal where if you applied for the Disney Credit Card, you got a $200 gift card. Friend just did it a month ago.

[IntoTheMystic]

Check out mousesavers.com
If there is a good deal, it is on there. They cover it all. Sign up for the email alerts- we did, and got an extra 15% off our room even after we booked it.

[atcwag]

There was a deal where if you applied for the Disney Credit Card, you got a $200 gift card. Friend just did it a month ago.

I got a envelope in the mail with this information just last week or so...I am still thinking about it, but it's not something you want to use on a regular basis - it's like 26% APR or something....Also, if I remember correctly, you don't get the $200 gift card (which is only redeemable to Disney-related items) until you make a purchase. I thought about getting it, buying a pack of gum or something, getting the gift card and not using it again until we book our vacation. You often get really good deals on your vacation with the Disney card, but the APR will really get you if you don't pay it off every month

[marinewife2002]

Ooo.I wanted to pass this on...I have neighbor who just got back. She and her family took in a cooler full of water and food. No park food and no long waits in lines to feed the little ones... this will be a great savings for our family!

[IntoTheMystic]

We went August of last year and did the same. We froze the waters and used them to keep the cooler cold. We brought a 18-pack size soft-sided cooler and it fit under the stroller. I brought koolaid fizzers for the kids to keep it interesting. They never even asked for anything from the concessions, b/c we preset them and they were so happy not to wait in line to get food. We brought cut up fruit, crackers, sandwich wraps, cheese, etc. Somehow healthy food tastes better on a hot day. After a few days, the rest of our pack (14 of us total) finally caught on and started bringing their own waters/snacks, too. It saved us (DH, DS6, DS10 and me) at least $50 per day on lunch. Oh, and freeze pops fit nicely, too.

Ooo.I wanted to pass this on...I have neighbor who just got back. She and her family took in a cooler full of water and food. No park food and no long waits in lines to feed the little ones... this will be a great savings for our family!

[cupunlvr]

Go to the official Disney web site and click on "special offers", this will show you all the offers that are running presently. Watch the site as it gets closer to your travel time frame, even if you have already booked a package without a discount, provided they have the availability within the promotion, you can get the discount applied as long as it is 45 days from your travel date I believe.

[434Teresa]

The more nights you stay and the more you add to the package the cheaper it is.

Make sure you get the park hopper this allows you to revisit each park over the time you are there and more than one park in each day that you are there.

Then Fun package(I think its called) where you also get to go to the water parks and a few other things also.

We added the quick serve meal to ours so we could all have two quick meals and two snacks per person each day..you get a mug to keep refiling at your hotel for as long as you are there...some say they done this and got tired of bugers,ff's and chicken nugget stuff but there is a place in aminal kingdon that has bbq ribs and such that you can use this on also, then our resort hotel has a dinning area with fish and stuff they also said that we could use it on.

If you stay a disney resport hotel they will pick you up from the airport(free) and there is a bus that runs about every 15 minutes that will take you to and from the parks. Value resort hotels are the cheapest..

go to the Disney web site and play around with what you want to do and how long to you want to stay and you will get a ideal of what it cost when you add more and take things away from the package..

Yes still take food and drinks that still helps I am sure..Also take a small first ad kit and baby wipes for those just in case things that pop up with kids..

Also take a few ziplock bags for wallets, camera's and such to keep them dry on rides..

[IntoTheMystic]

Make sure you get the park hopper this allows you to revisit each park over the time you are there and more than one park in each day that you are there.

Depending on the ages of your kids, you may not want the Park Hopper. We went to one park per day and that was it. We didn't have the time or energy or inclination to do any more than that with my then 5-year-old along. I know there are those who swear by Disney properties and Disney meal plans and Park Hoppers and fun passes, but it is not for everyone. On our last trip, staying in a really nice villa/suite with separate bedrooms for the boys (it is a vacation afterall!), having a car (and flexibility), not feeling pressured to see/do it all just b/c we already bought the passes, and having the freedom to eat what/where we wanted was most important.

My advice is to figure out what fits your family the best. Then prioritize your wish list, and take a look at your buget, and go from there.

[434Teresa]

If you stay at a disney resort you have extra park hours at one of the parks each day. Thats where you get to be in the park before it opens to everyone else or after it has closed to everyone else, which is a good reason to have the park hopper. We always go ealier in the morning then around 1 when its so hot we go back to the hotel to cool off and such then in the afternoon we can go back to the same park or not with the park hopper.......plus some of the parks we dont like as well as others which means we may not want to spend the whole day at that one park and with out the hopper you cant go back to the one you like that same day plus unless they have changed you can only go in each park one time(meaning each park has one visit only) in your stay without the hopper(I dont know if thats the same now tho).

The quick serve meal can be used in the mornings and lunch then go and have a nice set down supper somewhere if you would like. We are taking morning foods like cereal and such but one morning we are going to use our meal in the hotel and go out to a nice supper. My kids always want to eat at the parks and we always do a few times and since the meal package saves money on the food and the total package we added it..(compared to what it would cost us to eat at the park one time a day)

I have two teen boys and twins that are 4 so I know we wont be still very long at a time...LOL I will have to come home to rest.. we have been 3 times and thats how it is each time.

But you do need just thank about whats best for your family..I will say that one time we did not get the park hopper or add the water parks and we wished we had..just go to the Disney web site read and ask them question so you will have in mind what you need to do for your family. The site has a pop up that will ask how they can help you or you can call but it takes awhile to talk to someone in person.

There are people that go about every year or two so maybe some of those will chime in on things they have tried.