So you are going to Disney World and you have secured your hotel. Maybe you are staying on property for a week, and you plan on driving there from wherever you live. The problem is that if you drive, you either arrive midday, or you have to drive all night to get there in the morning. What do you do? Do you pay for an extra night, even though you are arriving late in the day and won't be able to take advantage of the amenities or parks? Do you drive all night and arrive at the parks worn out? We have done both options, and now prefer the option of adding a night to our trip. We typically leave after my daughter gets out of school (ok so we usually can't stand it and pick her up a little early), then begin the 11 or so hour drive. This puts us in the Orlando area around midnight. With such a late arrival it doesn't make sense for us to pay the higher price of our Disney hotel (unless you have free dining and get an extra day of meals for everyone in your party). So the last two years we went off property for our first night and used a travel website to help us secure a super cheap room that served our main purpose....get a cheap hotel room to allow us to rest a few hours after our drive, and even get a free breakfast in the process :)
Today's tip is my advice on how to secure a cheap hotel room at Disney World. I know everyone has probably used the travel websites such as Hotwire or Priceline. We started using Hotwire a few years ago for Disney, and I have to admit it was a little scary. The way Hotwire works is you tell them the city you want to stay in, and it it brings up choices in different areas at different price levels. The ony problem is that you don't know the hotel name, or it's exact location. So, unless you know a little about the city you are staying in you could end up choosing a hotel in a not so nice area of town. Not my ideal situation, though in our case, I could do anything for a night (I think). I am not brave enough to use this service for the entire trip, but for a few hours in a comfy bed, I am all for using Hotwire and gambling with the hotel a bit.
If you do decide to use Hotwire, I would suggest choosing a hotel that is listed in the Lake Buena Vista-Downtown Disney area. This will guarantee a room pretty close to Disney property, and the area is a good, safe one. We used this last year and chose a hotel in this area that ended up being right by I4 and across from the entrance to Disney property (about half a mile or so from Downtown Disney). We put Orlando into the city name, and a lot of options popped up. We chose one in the Lake Buena Vista-Downtown Disney area that was listed as a three star hotel for $49 plus tax. We felt it was a good price so we went with it. Once we accepted it and put in our payment info we received an email that we would be staying at the Clarion, which made us pretty happy. We felt like we go a pretty good hotel for a cheap price. Once we arrived we definitely were impressed and happy with the outcome.
I have a few tips to keep in mind if you are considering using Hotwire for your trip. First and foremost, once you hit that confirm button, you are locked into your stay as it is non-refundable. So, double check that you are selecting a hotel in the right area. Decide on what "star" level you want for your hotel, and read the reviews for that level on the site. Check to see what your final charge will be. Some resorts charge a resort fee ON TOP of the Hotwire charge. So, you may want to choose a hotel that does not charge extra (our Clarion did not charge the extra fee). Just be careful and take your time. Finally, both times we did this, we booked a day out. Since it didn't matter where we stayed, we waited until the last possible moment so that we could get the best deal available. So there you have it! You can save money on a hotel at Disney World!
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Travel Tip Tuesday
Ok guys, here is one of my secrets for saving money on Disney World souvenirs. It truly is possible to buy t-shirts, mugs, toys, and pins ON SALE!!!! We just recently found this little secret, and to tell the truth, I hate to share it. So, as long as you promise not to beat me to the deals when I am there over fall break, I will allow you to finish reading this post. :)
There are two outlet centers in Orlando that I have fallen in love with. Not because they are HUGE and filled with lots of my favorite stores. That is just a bonus. Sadly, I haven't been able to explore them like I would like to since I am not in Orlando to shop, but instead to visit the parks. I don't want to take time away from touring to shop (and believe me, that says a lot for me as I am a shopper). However, the one reason I will make it a point to visit at least one of these outlets every trip, is due to the fact that they have an outlet that sells Disney World merchandise. The store name is Character Premiere. This is actual merchandise from the parks. The employees work for Disney (and the proof is in the fact that they do pin trading and vinylmation trading in the stores). It is always so much fun to walk around the store and check out the deals. Now remember, I did say this is owned by Disney, so the prices are not going to be rock bottom. However, the prices are lower than those in the parks, and a few times, I have even seen the same items in the store that are on sale at World of Disney (the big store at Downtown Disney).
I recommend saving the bulk of your buying for later in your trip and heading to the outlets before you buy t-shirts and toys. Then, if you don't see a shirt or fun item at Character Premiere that you like, go back to World of Disney and do all of your shopping at one place. For the most part, you will not see the same merchandise at the outlet as you will at the park so if there is a particular item you have to have while at the parks, buy it. If however you just want any T-shirt to remember your trip by, or if your kids will be happy with any plush Mickey or Tinkerbell doll, head to the outlets first. We have gotten many shirts for $12.99 and $16.99 that we would have easily spent at least $25 each for in the parks. My favorite deal so far is a zip up fleece hoodie with Mickey on the back for $9.99. These sell for around $40 in the parks.
One more thing to keep in mind is that for the most part they have broad Disney World souvenirs. The majority of the merchandise will say Walt Disney World or Disney Cruise Lines, but most of the time they don't have park specific merchandise. In other words, if you want something that says Magic Kingdom on it, you will want to buy that at Magic Kingdom. I have seen Animal Kingdom merchandise in there before, but that is the only park that stands out to me right now.
So, where do you find these Character Premier stores? There are two in the Orlando area, both at Prime Outlets. One is on International Drive and one on Vineland Avenue (this is about 3 miles from Downtown Disney, right along I4). If I remember correctly, they are both located near the food court in each mall. On a side note, if you are going to be in St. Augestine, there is one of these stores in the outlet mall there as well. We really got a lot of great deals there last year during our trips to the beach.
Happy Shopping!
There are two outlet centers in Orlando that I have fallen in love with. Not because they are HUGE and filled with lots of my favorite stores. That is just a bonus. Sadly, I haven't been able to explore them like I would like to since I am not in Orlando to shop, but instead to visit the parks. I don't want to take time away from touring to shop (and believe me, that says a lot for me as I am a shopper). However, the one reason I will make it a point to visit at least one of these outlets every trip, is due to the fact that they have an outlet that sells Disney World merchandise. The store name is Character Premiere. This is actual merchandise from the parks. The employees work for Disney (and the proof is in the fact that they do pin trading and vinylmation trading in the stores). It is always so much fun to walk around the store and check out the deals. Now remember, I did say this is owned by Disney, so the prices are not going to be rock bottom. However, the prices are lower than those in the parks, and a few times, I have even seen the same items in the store that are on sale at World of Disney (the big store at Downtown Disney).
I recommend saving the bulk of your buying for later in your trip and heading to the outlets before you buy t-shirts and toys. Then, if you don't see a shirt or fun item at Character Premiere that you like, go back to World of Disney and do all of your shopping at one place. For the most part, you will not see the same merchandise at the outlet as you will at the park so if there is a particular item you have to have while at the parks, buy it. If however you just want any T-shirt to remember your trip by, or if your kids will be happy with any plush Mickey or Tinkerbell doll, head to the outlets first. We have gotten many shirts for $12.99 and $16.99 that we would have easily spent at least $25 each for in the parks. My favorite deal so far is a zip up fleece hoodie with Mickey on the back for $9.99. These sell for around $40 in the parks.
One more thing to keep in mind is that for the most part they have broad Disney World souvenirs. The majority of the merchandise will say Walt Disney World or Disney Cruise Lines, but most of the time they don't have park specific merchandise. In other words, if you want something that says Magic Kingdom on it, you will want to buy that at Magic Kingdom. I have seen Animal Kingdom merchandise in there before, but that is the only park that stands out to me right now.
So, where do you find these Character Premier stores? There are two in the Orlando area, both at Prime Outlets. One is on International Drive and one on Vineland Avenue (this is about 3 miles from Downtown Disney, right along I4). If I remember correctly, they are both located near the food court in each mall. On a side note, if you are going to be in St. Augestine, there is one of these stores in the outlet mall there as well. We really got a lot of great deals there last year during our trips to the beach.
Happy Shopping!
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Travel Tip Tuesday
Wow! As I signed in to write a travel tip, I looked and realized that I haven't posted in almost a month. That post was one of only few in the past few months. I, along with everyone else, have been a little busy the past few months. Actually, I have been busy the last year. Although it has been a busy year, I wouldn't trade it for anything. In our house, we are calling 2011 the year of Disney. We booked a lot of fun hours in Disney parks last year. We kicked it off with a Spring Break trip to Disneyland, had a few days in Orlando in June, took our annual fall break trip to Disney World in October, and had a quick get away for my birthday to Disney World in December. When I look back, I think wow, I can't believe we did all of that. When I think of all of the memories we made, it makes me think of a whole new tip other than the one I logged in to write. So, I will get back to my more conventional tips next week, but for now, humor me for a few minutes.
My new tip for the day is to seize the opportunity, and go on vacation with the family. Of course I recommend going to Disney, but I know that not everyone has the love for it that I do. If your family is not into Disney, do something else, but please please find a time and place that your family will enjoy, and get away together. Don't make excuses. I have known many people who said we will go next year. We are waiting for the kids to be older. We don't want to leave the house (or kids, pets, etc) for a week this year. Well, often that vacation the next year didn't come for whatever reason....someone lost a job, someone got a devastating illness, a loved one passed away, etc. Sadly, these things happen all the time, and we don't know when they will occur, so if you have the time off, and money, go!!!
If you are going to Disney, you don't have to stay at the monorail resorts. You don't have to visit every single park. You don't have to have a sit down character meal every day. You don't have to stay a week. We decided a few years ago, that we would rather go every year for 10 nights and stay at a value resort, instead of going every other year and staying at a Deluxe monorail resort for five nights. We have done short trips (June and Dec were only four nights), long trips (October is always 10 nights), trips where we ate at one sit down a day, trips where we only ate counter service meals every day, and trips where we left property for at least one meal a day. When we went to Disneyland, we stayed at a Super 8 hotel and left every day for at least one meal. Let me tell you, every single trip was amazing and magical and we had just as much fun every trip no matter what kind of meals we ate or the hotel we slept in. You have to take the trip that comfortably fits into your family's budget, and that will be most enjoyable for YOUR family.
We were very blessed last year with some great opportunities (free flights for all of us to California and Orlando, along with the chance to buy annual passes). With my fear of flying it would have been so easy to say no to both California and our December trip. I could have come up with a million reasons to say no, not right now, maybe next time. I even tried to, but thankfully my hubby pushed me to get over my fears and now I am so thankful we took those trips. I wouldn't trade those memories for anything. Sadly, my daughter will grow up too quickly, and one day will not enjoy the trips as she does now. Odds are, one day we will go on vacation and she will be a typical teenager and think she is too cool to have fun with her family at Disney World. With that in mind, I am seizing every opportunity I am given, and embracing the memories we are making together as a family, that she will hopefully take with her for the rest of her life. I urge you to do the same. Seize the chance, plan a trip, and enjoy time together as a family (even if that means going to the next town over and staying at a cheap hotel or camping out in tents).
In 2012 we will go back to our typical year of Disney which include our fall break trip. I can't wait to take that trip and make even more memories. Where will 2012 take you and your family? Hopefully someplace fun for you! You never know when something big will happen that will disrupt your plans, or your life. Embrace the moments and make some wonderful memories. Don't say no when an opportunity arises!
My new tip for the day is to seize the opportunity, and go on vacation with the family. Of course I recommend going to Disney, but I know that not everyone has the love for it that I do. If your family is not into Disney, do something else, but please please find a time and place that your family will enjoy, and get away together. Don't make excuses. I have known many people who said we will go next year. We are waiting for the kids to be older. We don't want to leave the house (or kids, pets, etc) for a week this year. Well, often that vacation the next year didn't come for whatever reason....someone lost a job, someone got a devastating illness, a loved one passed away, etc. Sadly, these things happen all the time, and we don't know when they will occur, so if you have the time off, and money, go!!!
If you are going to Disney, you don't have to stay at the monorail resorts. You don't have to visit every single park. You don't have to have a sit down character meal every day. You don't have to stay a week. We decided a few years ago, that we would rather go every year for 10 nights and stay at a value resort, instead of going every other year and staying at a Deluxe monorail resort for five nights. We have done short trips (June and Dec were only four nights), long trips (October is always 10 nights), trips where we ate at one sit down a day, trips where we only ate counter service meals every day, and trips where we left property for at least one meal a day. When we went to Disneyland, we stayed at a Super 8 hotel and left every day for at least one meal. Let me tell you, every single trip was amazing and magical and we had just as much fun every trip no matter what kind of meals we ate or the hotel we slept in. You have to take the trip that comfortably fits into your family's budget, and that will be most enjoyable for YOUR family.
We were very blessed last year with some great opportunities (free flights for all of us to California and Orlando, along with the chance to buy annual passes). With my fear of flying it would have been so easy to say no to both California and our December trip. I could have come up with a million reasons to say no, not right now, maybe next time. I even tried to, but thankfully my hubby pushed me to get over my fears and now I am so thankful we took those trips. I wouldn't trade those memories for anything. Sadly, my daughter will grow up too quickly, and one day will not enjoy the trips as she does now. Odds are, one day we will go on vacation and she will be a typical teenager and think she is too cool to have fun with her family at Disney World. With that in mind, I am seizing every opportunity I am given, and embracing the memories we are making together as a family, that she will hopefully take with her for the rest of her life. I urge you to do the same. Seize the chance, plan a trip, and enjoy time together as a family (even if that means going to the next town over and staying at a cheap hotel or camping out in tents).
In 2012 we will go back to our typical year of Disney which include our fall break trip. I can't wait to take that trip and make even more memories. Where will 2012 take you and your family? Hopefully someplace fun for you! You never know when something big will happen that will disrupt your plans, or your life. Embrace the moments and make some wonderful memories. Don't say no when an opportunity arises!
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