The Great 'Disney Cost Cutting' Hunt

theshed

as others have suggested be wary where you buy Disney tickets. Disney Do Not Do Discounts. It is a bit more expensive but I would recommend the 'valid for life' tickets, it can work out cheaper if you actually buy more days than you need and save them. We once had a four year gap and where glad we had those tickets 'in the bank'!
It is probaby because we are going at peak but could not find a flight under £600, no discount for children, despite trying just about every website, airline and travel agent imaginable.
Book your car in advance, Eg,holiday Autos.com. You will pay a LOT less. But be sure you book the correct vehicle, some descriptions can be deceptive.
If you are up for a gamble or have previously checked out the hotels you can book on orlandohotels.com. We just paid £30 for two rooms on International Drive, only for one night before we move on, so worth the risk.
Plan in advance, do not spend more than you can afford, and I defy anyone not to want to go back.
TTFN

janaltus

charlieandlola2007 wrote: »

Even a low-price ticket becomes expensive if you don't get value for money from it. ... if you plan your day around quiet times, you can get more than 50% out of it in terms of rides/attractions.

No tickets are sold at such a low price that they outweigh the benefits gained from good planning. Focus on the average cost per ride/attraction rather than the price itself.:rolleyes:

I think the advice above is definitely the best so far. I've visited Orlando (and Disney) at least twenty times in the last ten years. For me, the annual (off-season) pass makes sense - for someone else (a guy I actually met) doing four Disney parks in one day made sense. But best of all, if you can manage it, is to travel in autumn, winter or early spring, when the weather there can be lovely (like a pleasant English summer's day) and there are no long queues.

Seaworld, etc. are good but the best display of dolphin acrobatics I've ever seen was whilst standing on the white sand at the beautiful St Pete's Beach and looking out to sea. The dolphins (which were not kept in captivity but free and wild) gave the most amazing performance of somersaults and flips only a hundred yards or so from the shore line. Nearby you might also see endangered animals such as West Indian manatees, gopher tortoises, bald eagles, and American oystercatchers.

AN ABSOLUTE MUST FOR MONEY SAVERS!
Universal, Disney, Busch Gardens, NASA - they are all good fun to visit. But, in my opinion, the best parks are to be found here:
http://www.floridastateparks.org/

Checkout on the site (above) which parks are nearest to where you are staying. Admission charges vary but are often as high as $1.00 for a pedestrian, or $4.00 for a car containing up to 8 people or $6.00 for a horse! (Get the picture?) I think they are Florida's greatest assets and shouldn't be missed (especially for the kids).

sad_gills_fan

funkmaster wrote: »

Oh, and make sure you take a photocopy of your tickets before you go because if you lose them (which happens!) you can go to Guest Relations and get replacements. Otherwise you're paying again!

Not quite true I believe .... Disney will only replace them if you have entered the park using the lost ticket at least once.

I believe this to be true as my sister recently lost 5 Disney tickets somewhere in her house and when I called Disney, they said they could only replace if (1) We had bought direct from them, we hadn't and (2) If she had entered the park using one of the tickets .. apparently they can use technology to figure out which ones were hers :eek:

So, photocopy if you want, but it may not be any use. Better to ensure your house/travel insurance is up to scratch!!

92 days for me until I visit the Mouse .. come on!! :beer:

touch*my*food*feel*myfork

Janiebabes wrote: »

I know this is slighty off mark... but any Euro Disney stuff out there which saves us a few £?

Already booked the hotel (cheaper Sante fe), tickets included & we are ferrying to save pounds as the eurostar & flights cost too much, but any other advice would be fantastic!

Janie xxx:beer:

We went eurotunnel to disney last feb (great time to go weather was dry and park was quite) anyway - we stayed close to folkstone night before got early tunnel and drove straight to park (3hrs calais-park) checked straight in and was in the park by 2pm - our hotel block was at the far corner of santa fe complex and was only a 10 min walk. (think it was block 14).
Try and take snacks etc to take into park with you as food is quite expensive, also worth an all you can eat at Billy Bobs (in disney village) at least once.
There is a small shop inside the train station (you will walk passed this every day if you walk in ) and good idea to get ready made sandwiches etc from there to take in as cheaper.
The breakfast were great and Santa Fe also did an all you can eat mexican style dinner too - slightly cheaper than Billy Bob, but not so much choice.
Hope this helps some - main thing - enjoy enjoy enjoy!

nej

I forgot about this in my previous post... the Kids Eat Free card. For £10 kids 11 and under can eat free in many places. You can use it as many times as you like for 30 days. Valid with a paying adult, and each child needs their own card. It's available from many places, but here is an attraction tickets link: http://www.attraction-tickets-direct.co.uk/attraction-ticket-prices/kids-eat-free.htm


Another tip - instead of hiring satnav with your car, try and buy US maps for your existing satnav. I got the USA maps for my TomTom for £35 which is much cheaper than hiring a satnav and it can be re-used, of course.

teddyco

Our friends took a trip to Disney last year, but they didn't stay in an expensive hotel or get a package deal with an airlines, they booked everything separate and rented a house for two weeks with their parents.

The cost of the home was cheaper than hotel rooms and eating out every night.

Since they had their own house, with swimming pool and kitchen, they were able to shop in the local grocery stores and fix all their own meals and lunches for the next day. It worked out a lot cheaper than staying in a hotel.

For those in the UK with Costco memberships, there is a Costco USA branch south of Orlando that sells food by the ton including milk, bread, produce, etc.

Since our friends had two families in their group, they could spread the cost of their trip further and enjoy more luxury for less money.
Surprisingly, renting a house is not that expensive when you compare the cost of hotel rooms for two families.

I don't know that I would focus so much on getting cheap Disney tickets as I would just planning each day and what you want to see in that frame of time. Just face it, you're going to spend the money somehow so get the most of each day.

After all, if you save £100 on Disney tickets, you are most likely going to spend it on cotton candy, go-carts, or swimming with dolphins or shopping for that beloved pair of rhinestone studded sandals for the Mrs.

I would ration each day and see some of Disney, Epcot, Universal Studio, and also shopping so when you get home, you have a big smile on your face and many good memories of all the good stuff you did.

There is a major discount outlet mall in Orlando that sells all the good brands for less, and you will want to spend at least a full day shopping and picking up whatever.

Also remember, most folks will rent a car when they arrive at Orlando Airport and the cost of fuel is now over $4.00 per gallon which has doubled since our friends visited, so you'll need to think more about your proximity to the Magic Kingdom. If you get a cheap hotel room out on Hwy. 99, you'll still spend it on fuel getting into Disney.

There was one day that our friends decided to just stay home and not do anything. Since they had rented their own private home, they were able to use the pool in the backyard, grill hamburgers and enjoy the beautiful Florida sunshine. It was their own private space, and no fighting for the best lounge chairs around the pool with other hotel guests.

FL

[
We stay in hotels with suite facilities. These are invariably nearer to the theme parks whilst still offering more spacious accommodation as in a villa,the children prefer this type of holiday as they meet new friends around the pool and the facilities usually include transportation which cuts down on the cost of the car parking fees that the theme parks insist on charging. Villas can often keep the cost down but this has to be seriously weighed up against all the extra travelling and lack of local facilities (meaning after a long day if you dont want to cook you have to go back out again to find a restaurant). It is also nice to have a bar or pool to sit around with other adults to talk to which you dont get in a villa.[/quote]

Which suite hotels do you recommend? The disney options seem expensive and all the other hotels seem a long way from the parks such as I drive locations. Noticed the doubletree resort in downtown disney but don't think Virgin offer this as an option

Edinburghlass_2

wrote:

Which suite hotels do you recommend? The disney options seem expensive and all the other hotels seem a long way from the parks such as I drive locations. Noticed the doubletree resort in downtown disney but don't think Virgin offer this as an option

check out the Lake Buena Vista area as near to Disney, nicer area and plenty of restaurants within walking distance.

FL

any you would recommend in particular? I keep reading tripadvisor and have nightmares after reading some stories from different people.

Edinburghlass_2

I've twice stayed at the Country Inns and Suites at LBV, small but comfortable and friendly staff. Free internet access, courtesy coach (not great timings but you can use the Sheraton Safari's bus next door) and a lovely continental buffet breakfast.

I booked through Rpoints for cashback and used a 10% voucher as well and 12 nights worked out at £305 but this was for a room rather than a suite. Microwave, kettle and fridge in the room.

If you are reading reviews try and read the UK users reviews as they are often more realistic.

edited to add I don't think the suites in the above hotel are terribly big but the kids one with bunk beds does give you another TV etc.