Travel Tip Tuesday

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!

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!

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!

Travel Tip Tuesday

Another quick tip today as I am still trying to recover from our amazing trip last weekend to celebrate a wonderful birthday weekend at Disney World. I have more posts to come on that, but in the meantime, my tip today is about photo pass cards. Almost every time you get your picture taken with a character, there is a photo pass photographer on hand to take your picture. Even the times we said that we only wanted them to use our camera, we almost always ended up with yet another card with pictures on it. So, first of all, to avoid the fight (and twenty photo pass cards) just have your card available when you step up to meet the characters. That is not my tip though :) My tip is to take a picture of the back of your card. The back of the card has a series of numbers and letters on the back that you will need to enter on the website when you get home so that you can see the pictures online. You don't need the actual card to view the pictures, just the number on the back. So, if you take a picture of that number you don't have to worry about misplacing your photo pass card when pulling out your park passes or fast passes throughout the day!

Quick Service Dining...not worth the money!

A while back I posted about the Dining plan and I think I mentioned that I thought that the Quick Service plan would be about a wash as far as price (you wouldn't save any money), but I thought the convenience made it worth it. I think I even said that if I had to pay for it, I would go ahead and add it just to avoid the stress of having to pull out my wallet at every meal and try to decide the cheapest option for all three of us. Well, my opinion has now changed on that. I am no longer a fan of the Quick Service Dining plan and I will explain why below.

Now, first of all, let me say that we had the plan for free during our 10 day trip in October. Of course that was worth it. Two free counter service meals and two snacks per day per person for free? Of course we enjoyed it. As a matter of fact, we liked it so much that I thought we would pay for it for our upcoming trip in December. So, I called to add it yesterday....and now I am not a fan anymore :(

First of all, the price listed is $30 per day per adult, and $9 per day per child. So, for a family of three you would expect to pay $69 a day. Well, hang on, you have to pay taxes on that. The tax rate is a whopping 13.5%, which brings our total to $78.32 per day in food. For two meals and two snacks per day? Seriously? Who eats that much food? We had a hard time using all of our snacks in October. Most days, we only used one per day unless we wanted a treat (i.e. cotton candy or candy that we didn't need). Also, as a note, the plan is changing in 2012. Soon, you will only get 1 snack per day, and I am sure the price is not going to reflect that change (I can't confirm that though).

So, let's walk through a typical meal for our family. We always go to Pizza Planet. There, each adult gets a pepperoni pizza (8.29 each) and the kids meal is 4.99. My daughter PREFERS water, so that doesn't cost anything as the restaurants give a complimentary cup of ice water. Plus, my husband and I can easily share a large coke (2.49). So, if I use the high tax rate of 13.5% (I don't know what it is in the parks) our total would be about $27.50. That is feeding each of us our own meal. If we spent that at each meal we are spending $55.00 a day in meals. That still leaves us $23 a day for snacks. The highest amount we would spend for snacks a day is $5 per person, so $15 a day. That brings us to $70 a day. We have already saved $8 a day by not getting the dining plan.

Hang on though, there is more. I mentioned what we would get at Pizza Planet on a typical trip. That is with the meal plan (that we always seem to get free in October). When we were there last June (and were not on the meal plan), our family shared two pizzas. Each pizza comes with a salad so my husband and I each had a salad and the three of us shared the two pizzas. That saves $4.99 for the kids meal that we can use later as a snack to get something else if we don't leave "stuffed". Often we can all share a pretzel (with free ice water) in the afternoon, and all be satisfied. There are many counter service meals where we can share meals. I will post on that at a later time. There were many meals where we wasted food because we just couldn't eat it all. Why pay extra to have all that food if you aren't going to eat it all?

Some people may say that you also get a refillable mug with the meal plan. Yes, you do and it really is a nice bonus. However, my family really only needs two of those. My daughter doesn't drink sodas, so all she wants is hot chocolate in the morning. I take some throw away coffee cups and my own hot chocolate packets. Then she gets some free hot water, and has her own hot chocolate. Since we aren't really at the hotel a lot, we only used the mugs in the morning with breakfast, and at night when we returned to the room. My husband is not a huge fan of drinking coke with breakfast, and is not a coffee drinker, so he doesn't use his much either. So, I would rather buy one or two out of pocket with the money I save by not getting the meal plan.

When I was talking to the reservation cast member yesterday, she kept asking me over and over are you sure you want to pay for all of these meals out of pocket? The more she asked me that question, the more determined I came to make the meals work for our family for cheaper than the cost of the meal plan. Now I may even (GASP) leave property for a meal or two. I can go to Giordanno's, McDonald's or even Olive Garden and spend the same amount I would for hamburgers and chicken nuggets at a counter service meal. I will take my coupons and plan ahead and see how much we can actually save. I love a challenge and after spending an hour on my cell phone with Disney to try to figure this out, I am up to the challenge! Bring it on!

Travel Tip Tuesday

If you are in Magic Kingdom and you are tired of the same old hamburgers or pizza, take a monorail ride over to the Contemporary and enjoy a tasty meal at the Contempo Cafe. This is a really fun place to eat and the break from the parks (and bonus monorail ride) can be just what you need to recharge your batteries without getting too far from the parks. This is an especially good choice if you are on the Dining plan. It is a great value for the plan, and the dessert choices are super tasty. They had some really big cupcakes to choose from that I had not seen in any of the other restaurants that week.

What makes this restaurant so fun is the monorail going overhead while you eat (the Cafe is right next to Chef Mickey's), along with the touch screen ordering stations. You get to walk up and custom order your whole meal, from beginning to end. My daughter especially loved that part and I have to admit that I did too! There were many options to choose from and it was definitely a step above the quick service meals offered in the parks. Definitely a tasty and fun break for us!

Travel Tip Tuesday

I have to share a tip with you today that I have mentioned in passing in a previous post. After our trip a few weeks ago, I must put a lot of emphasis on this one. We almost always stay at Pop Century and I have to say that there are never enough plugs in the room that are easily accessible for charging. I like to lay everything on either a counter or table each night and charge them together. I like all the items to be in one central place so that I don't forget them the next day. This trip we had two cell phones, plus at least one camera battery (between two cameras) charging every single night. There was no way we would have been able to charge all them as we needed to (unless we wanted them hanging out of outlets in random places around the room) without our wall adapter. We took a little square adapter that plugs into the outlet and allows you to plug in up to four items at a time. It was nice because it was a small item to pack, but saved us so much headache. It will now reside in our luggage permanently so that we have it at every hotel we go to from now on!