(I was priviledged to take over the maintainence of this page from Seraphim49@aol.com. To her, thank you for providing us such a useful page, and I will do my best to keep it alive!)
The following are budget-saving tips and suggestions from my friends at rec.arts.disney.parks (R.A.D.P.) newsgroup on how to plan, enjoy, and survive a Disney vacation on a shoestring budget.
From: poohbr@webtv.net
There is a McDonald's at the Crossroads shopping center (near Disney Village Marketplace).
From: drizzt@sgi.net
I don't remember exactly where, but, somewhere near Disney on one of the main highways, I remember encountering the biggest McDonald's I've ever seen. They advertised themselves as having "the World's Biggest Playland."
From: airlinerob@aol.com
The World's Biggest McDonald's is on Sand Lake Road... it is the exit that you take to get to International Drive off I-4.
From: lapeen2@aol.com
Mcdonald's is MUCH more expensive than going just about anywhere else. ESPECIALLY a family on vacation. Why not try places with early bird specials, specials of the week......Then order a couple of entrees and share! Then everyone gets some of everything. We do this sometimes even when we HAVE a little extra to spend. It's fun!
From: kdunn@gte.net
You can find just about any type of restaurant and virtually every fast food restaurant right on Irlo Bronson (US 192). Quite a few places are west of the Main Gate but even more are on the east side. Finding somewhere to eat will not be difficult.
From: A.Hug@4u.Net
My angle on this... cheap out on some things (like meals) so that you can spend more on fun stuff. I'm not adverse to spending $75 for a day at DI, but I'd be much happier spending $75 for TWO people to have a day at the DI.
From: ppettigrew@matsci.uah.edu
I completely understand about going to Disney on a shoestring budget. I would suggest eating a big breakfast outside the park and having a late lunch/early dinner within the park. Then the kids won't get hungry in the middle of the day, and you can eat a reasonable dinner on the way back to your hotel.
From: bookworm@primary.net
I have heard about the great breakfast deals, all you eat for just a few dollars per person, outside the park. You might not want a big lunch or dinner. The Florida heat and humidity sometimes kills the appetite for heavy meals.
From: drake@access4.digex.net
All along IBM Highway, there are buffets and cheap eats. There are McD's and IHOPs and just about every name in between. Just do a little driving up and down the 'strip' and you will find what you are looking for!!!
From: jwestpha@pen.k12.va.us
We have not had any trouble finding a hotel for under $50 a night off-site that is clean and decent. That math is hard to beat. Also, I ran into a lady at the parks, and she told me that she takes a taxi to and from the parks. She said that most of the time the cost of the cab is under the $5 parking fee. She doesn't have to walk or take a tram, and she doesn't have to wait for a bus or fight the crowds. We always have a car, but it might be worth looking into if you fly. This would work especially well if you see another family waiting at the bus stop, and they want to share the cab with you.
From: npardue@indiana.edu
Off-site hotels start at about $35 in high season. So, unless the car rental is costing more than $40 a day (I'm adding in $5 a day for parking), you can save money staying off-site even WITH a car rental. Also, staying off-site, for the meals you aren't eating out of the rental fridge you can eat at cheap fast-food places.
From: imnot7@acf3.nyu.edu
Back in '93 I went down with a friend of mine, and we had NO money. We stayed off site for about $30 a night (Kissemee), and found a grocery store down the road. We brought a hot pot. During the day we put our food in the safe along with ice in an ice bucket. I think we put the butter/margarine in the ice bucket. We boiled hot dogs in the hot pot and took those to the park with us, along with chips and cookies. I think we had kool-aid with us, too. The only money we gave to Disney was the ticket price during that trip. (Boy have we made up for it since then :) ) So basically if you are on a real shoestring, you can always make food and bring it with you, discretely, of course. However, if you stay off-site, you might want to bring bath beads or something with you. I was able to live with everything else at the hotel/motel except the over-clorinated water. And by the way, even though we didn't get to eat out or buy souviners we had loads of fun!
From: wdwwsears@mail.bcpl.lib.md.us
I just did one of those Southwest Airlines packages and I loved it. It wasn't first class all the way, but it worked out fine for me. And most importantly we got to go to Walt Disney World again! If you can manage the on-site, first-class, eat anywhere you want trip then do it, but if not, go anyway. You'll have a great time either way.
From: missy3840@aol.com
Regarding the refrigerator...I've read posts about buying a cheap styrofoam cooler, filling it with free ice from the hotel, and using that instead. If you are driving, and you can bring your own cooler, great! Maybe borrow a neighbor's. The only thing we'll be needing to keep cold is milk for cereal in the morning. We are flying down so taking a cooler isn't feasible. I am a Tupperware consultant and have lots of it lying around...one day soon after we put down the deposit on the trip, we were talking about saving money. I found one of my modular mates rectangular (size 4 I think) and a gallon of milk fits in fine with plenty of room around to pack ice. And it even has a hinge lid to keep the cool in. I was really happy to have found something so simple. At first look, it seemed like it'd be hard to pack, but I plan on packing some cheese crackers and nutragrain bars to take with us. Since the tupperware container is sturdy, I'll pack the squishables in it in the suitcase, then use it for the milk while I'm there. Beats spending extra money on a sytrofoam cooler that I'll just throw away.
From: DisneyNnut@aol.com
The Publix grocery stores are supposed to have good prices. In Florida, Publix is the place. All 'locals' at your hotel will know were the Publix food and general merchandise store is. I go to get Pepsi..... ºoº BIGGEST suggestion: get some more money together or eat fast food at the parks. The fast food prices are fair. Cosmic Rays at Magic Kingdom, The Commissary or Pizza Planet at MGM Studios (not as nice as Pizza Planet in Toy Story, but a nice try). And mid and lower priced Disney resorts have "fast food courts", i.e., Dixie Landing, both All Stars, music and sports. All resorts have gates monitored by very nice security guard Cast Members. Explain to the guard you are going to visit and have Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner (I think the resorts are half as much fun as the parks, and are a lot better than McDonald's for about the same price). And have a great time.
From: lkw35@aol.com
If you want to have a sit down meal in the parks, make it lunch. It is the same food, but cheaper. Then for dinner, eat in one of the cheaper fast food places. Eat breakfast off the grounds. It tends to be more expensive in the parks. Be sure to buy drinks to keep in your room. Much cheaper than getting them out of the machines. Same goes for snacks. Another way to save is to buy bottled water and take it into the park. Keep refilling it at the water fountains. That way you don't have to spend the money on drinks during the day. In August, it is very very hot. You will need to drink to keep cool.
From: jngljm@theonramp.net
I would definitely look into bringing a thermos with a teeny water filter. You'll never regret it!
From: lookdownbelow@super.zippo.com
Ones taste in water depends on what you are used to. I really like the limestone flavor of WDW water. I would never filter it, just keep adding it to the water bottle I carried.
From: A.Hug@4u.Net
My barometer on hotel room cost for WDW is based on the type of rooms I usually book for business travel. The last time I went, rooms at CBR were $89 a night, which was close to what I would pay on a business trip at the time (and, I might add, much better in terms of service than most business hotel chains). Now when I travel on business, the average room is a shade over $100 a night-- and the equivalent rooms at WDW is also in the same range. I don't mind paying it, because I know they are at least competitive with the "real world". If I was short on cash, I'd stay at a suite off property in a heartbeat. You don't spend much time in your room. But if I was really loaded, I probably wouldn't stay at the Grand Floridian-- I'd probably just stay an extra week!
From: rberbaum@prairienet.org
You may want to check at your local backpacking supply store. I found both water bottle holsters on a belt (what I went with) and a fanny pack with holsters for 2 water bottles built on. I found it very handy to keep one bottle full and just keep sipping on it while in lines. The other holster had a zippered cover on it and I used it for my little camera. Since I could refill the bottle frequently I only needed one bottle.
From: mindyb@maine.rr.com
If you are looking for "cheap" eats in MK, try Casey's on Main Street. They have *wonderful* hot dogs, and a great spicy relish that we love. I don't remember the price, but I don't think it would be more than McDonald's. And one of their large hot dogs is very filling. We cross the street and go down on the terrace (next to the ice cream place) to eat. It's on the water and usually quiet.
From: mitchfleig@person.net
When we went to the Campfire program [Wilderness Lodge] (because it was free and the kids learned to toast mashmellows) we were staying off-site. We were being cheap on this trip, and the kids had just as much fun. One tip on the Campfire program: apply bug repellent. We did get a few mosquito bites.
From: rduque6514@aol.com
Many buffets around International Drive and Route 192. Best motel rates off Route 192 East within 1/2 mile of Main Gate, this time of year 29.99 to 39.99. Easy to find Motel 6 off 192 East or West.
From: Mike_Tuchman@f120.n109.z1.fidonet.org
Bring an ice chest with you from home. If you are renting a car in Orlando, buy a styrofoam ice chest at a grocery or drug store. Fill the chest daily and keep your perishables in it. This way you don't have to pay for a rental refrigerator. There are plenty of low-price restaurants (including 'all you can eat' buffets on both 192 (Irlo Bronson) and International Drive. There is a McDonald's in Crossroads Center, and a very large McDonalds (with an extremely large playground) at I-Drive and Sand Lake. Call both the Orlando/Orange County Convention and Visitor's Bureau and the Kissimmee/St. Cloud CVB (I think they both have 800 numbers) and ask them to send the savings books to you. These have many discount coupons. (I think the OOCCVB is called the Magic Card.)
From: ILoveOKW
I'll put my 2 cents worth on sticking to a budget - many people feel the more they spend for something the better it is & this isn't always the case. A couple of tips, though, from a veteran (if you don't mind).
1. Go to the library & get the latest copy of the UNOFFICIAL guide, read it & xerox the touring plans. Don't go crazy following them but they do work.
2. Buy your groceries at the Super Walmart on 192 (ask at your hotel for directions)
3. Be very careful with car rentals; my family got took for much more than the price they were quoted at the time of rental when they dropped off their car.
4. I firmly believe in a break in the afternoon during the hot FL days - you will enjoy your visit much more. Some of our fav off-site dining places (on 535 in and near the Crossroads at Lake Buena Vista are: Johnny Rockets, Jungle Jims, T.G.I.Fridays, LoneStar Steakhouse. Eat a late lunch & you will be set for the afternoon & evening.
5. Our fav souvenir is pressed pennies - save those shiny pennies to take with you & when you add .50 you can get alot of souvenirs for your $$$$.
6. A good place to eat the Magic Kingdom is Columbia Harbour House - near the Haunted House - great seafood pasta salad, fish & chicken. FF prices but a nice cool place to sit down. Another fav is at the Yacht & Beach Club - Beaches & Cream, great burgers, dogs & ice cream. A little more expensive than home but a great chance to check out the hotels & have a little fun. We also enjoy the Land food court in Epcot & the ESPN club at the Boardwalk.
7. Another great book to get from the library is WDW for Lovers by the Perlmutters & Birnbuam's Official Guide.
8. One of our fav things to do at WDW (& its free) is to explore all the different hotels, ride the monorail & boats - when you are asleep, your body doesn't know if you are spending $50 or $300 a night for a room. Also the campground has a bonfire & free movie every night.
9. There is a store at the Belz Outlet (at the end of International Dr) called the Character Warehouse - it is an outlet for official Disney stuff - you should check it out.
10. Our big splurge last time was dinner at Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary & it was great. Also, right outside Columbia Harbour House they have a stand selling baked potatoes which are yummy (also in Epcot near Great Britian).
From: WebMistress@HiddenMickeys.org
There's TONS of fast food on the "strip" where your hotel is. [Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway] Anything and everything you could want, from 7-Eleven to McDonalds to Ponderosa and more. Tip: there's a WalMart Supercenter (open 24 hours, combo supermarket and variety store) on Route 192. Spend $3 for a styrofoam cooler and fill it with ice every day from the hotel's ice machine. Even milk shouldn't go bad when stored that way (replace ice am and pm). (Groceries at WalMart should be cheaper than everywhere else, too). Buy some soda, juice, breakfast foods (cereal, muffins, danish, donuts, poptarts) -- anything that doesn't need to be cooked -- and keep them in your room. If you buy cereal, don't forget some plastic bowls and spoons. Buy some apples, snack sized bags of chips, pretzels, raisins, etc. and bring them into the park with you (but don't get caught - wink wink!). Make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (they won't spoil) and bring them with you. 20oz coke bottles cost $2.00 in the park. Perhaps you can each get some sort of water bottle, fill it with ice before you leave the hotel, and refill them with water during the day as necessary. I don't know if you're driving or flying, but you might be able to bring some groceries from home, too. Souvenirs -- if you have a car, shop at the Character Warehouse in Belz Mall. No guarantee as to selection, tho. If you have MKC, you can get 10% discount at The World of Disney Store in Disney Village Marketplace (or, if you have AmEx, you can ALSO get a 10% discount using that at the WoD in DVM). The outlet carries overstock/last year's stuff/and second quality. (A lot of the times you can't even tell. We got some 25th anniv. t-shirts for $5.99 that, as far as we could tell, were just a bit blurry around the edges of the printing.) If your souvenirs don't have to say "WDW" on them, you can also get decent quality stuff at the Super WalMart (which is on the same road your hotel is -- route 192 -- it's 3-5 miles EAST of WDW/I-4). There are a lot of t-shirt shops, and they sell junky junk. Poor quality that will last a very short time. Belz Outlet Mall is on International Drive, all the way at the end. The Character Warehouse is in the building CLOSEST to the dead end on the left. (Bldg 1?). Also, the World of Disney in the Disney Village Marketplace MAY have mark-down stuff. We were in WDW the last week of Aug. 1996 and even the hotel gift shops had mark-down racks. Unfortunately, a lot of the stuff for sale in WDW is more "Disney" than "WDW." More character stuff than park stuff/ride stuff. I can only think of a few rides that have their own souvenirs -- Tower of Terror and Splash Mountain come to mind. OH! WAIT! CHEAPEST SOUVENIR = pressed pennies! Costs 51¢. Your penny plus 50¢ to use the press. They are all over WDW. There's a complete list on Deb's http://www.wdn.com/dwills/ Kenny, Keeper of all Kingdom Knowledge maintains it. Still, there are a lot of them around!
From: josef@versanet.com
I go to WDW about twice a month, since I only live about 120 miles south of Orlando on the east coast of Florida. Since I live nearly two hours away from WDW, it's much too difficult to drive back home for two hours after a very long day of walking, so I've gotten pretty good at finding an inexpensive place to stay and saving money at the parks. If you haven't already selected a motel, I can recommend Central Motel (this is only 5 minutes away from WDW). They average around $35 a night this season for a two-bed room. They aren't extravigant, but they are clean and close to WDW. They also have good cable TV with around 30 channels and a pool that is open LATE (usually midnight or later) if you want to relax after a long day. Central Motel's phone number is 407-396-2333. You can also visit Downtown Disney and look around. It's like a theme park of sorts, only free and without rides. In the Magic Kingdom, the restaurant with the best variety at low prices is Cosmic Ray's Starlite Cafe located in Tomorrowland. They have three counters (this is confusing to many guests) including Soup & Salads, Hamburgers, and Chicken meals. Be sure to look around to other counters, as I made the mistake of entering from the right side on my first trip there and did not know they had other foods beside Soup and Salad. Other tips to speed up time: Visit any "thrill ride" either very early in the morning or within an hour or two of closing. The lines are 70% or more shorter than during the middle of the day. Get to the theme park at opening - this is very important. The first hour of opening has the shortest lines. The lines will never be this short again throughout the rest of the day. I've gone on 6 different attractions in the first hour of opening which would each have normally taken an average wait of 20-30 minutes later on in the day. I suggest going to FantasyLand first in the Magic Kingdom as those are very short rides (2-3 minutes) but tend to get 30+ minute waits later on in the day and 10-20 minute waits at the end of the day. Disney MGM/Studios requires careful planning to get in all of the shows. The shows are usually all scheduled apart and have a significant resting period between shows. So if you try to just go to any show at random you are likely to do a lot of unnecessary waiting while the show is resetting. The first thing to do here is to get here like 30 minutes early before opening, ask the cast member at the gate for a guide map (which contains the times for all of the shows, and even gives you a good opportunity to talk with the cast member and get some 'inside information and tips' from him/her personally). Epcot is a lot of walking. Many of the attractions (except Honey I Shrunk the Audience) have short wait times so if you see a long line, just skip it for the moment and come back around a second time. Usually the line for the attraction should not be outside the door since much of the wait time is inside (except Universe of Energy - the line starts outside). You can spend a lot of time at the countries, so be sure to see everything you want to see before going there.
From: sam@REMOVETHIS.email.neuro.uab.edu
We did Brown Derby and split a cobb salad. ($11.95) and the 9 year old nephew had a kids meal for about $6.00 (pasta with meat sauce). It's been said before, and I'll repeat, even adults can order off the kids menu. I found on the kids menu the usual food (burger, chicken fingers, pasta) and the prices about $6.00 or less so you can splurge on an adult main course and share with your mate. There were always leftovers when we did this, as the kids tended to eat lightly. Offsite may be good for breakfast, but I'd hate to think of the logistics of doing that mid-day, Orlando traffic can grind to a halt at any time; you can find plenty of options within your budget at WDW. By using the kids menu, you'll find you can have a sit down lunch at the parks within your budget. Also, remember that you can get cups of ice for free at the counter service places and share cokes. For cheap eats outside the parks..stop by the Orlando Visitor's Center, and you'll find discount booklets for buffet resturants on International Drive.
From: pamc@gatecom.com
Here are a couple of tips. First skip the fridge. You will have a bit of travel time into the parks from your hotel, and you will not want to waste much time shopping and filling a fridge. You also will not be going all the way back to the hotel for meals. Plan to skip eating breakfast out. It takes too much time and the $$$ add up. I take along a hot pot or two ..one to heat water for coffee or chocolate, one for misc. food. Some food ideas...poptarts eaten cold, packs of instant oatmeal (heat water in the hot pot), granola bars. For a light dinner, boil hotdogs or soup in one of the hot pots. You can pack all the misc. things needed to go along...condiments, even buns, right in your luggage. Pack pop or juice boxes in the luggage too...split between you; it won't be too heavy...and you'll have room for souvenirs on the way back...use the good old fashion ice bucket to keep pop cold in the room. As Disney is much larger than you imagine, to leave the property to eat is hard if you want to see very much. The smart thing to do first is read Birnbaum's cover to cover. You can roughly map out all the cheap places in the parks themselves. They are there; you just have to know where...you will find that much more reasonable and cheaper in the end when you add up time and gas leaving property. If you need to escape the parks for a while go to the nearest moderate resort and eat in their mall-style food court. Carib. Beach, Dixie Landings, etc., whichever is closer. I ate my first nights meal one trip at Carib B. Sandwich, pop, frys..about $4.00.
From: rberbaum@prairienet.org
If you want to stay on-site and can be comfortable tent camping, the Fort Wilderness Minimum hookup sites are about $35 per night and you still get all the perks of being on-site.
From: kosko@ix.netcom.com
Bravo. :-) In years to come, you won't be one of the parents who look back and wish they'd taken the trip to WDW while the kids were young...but put it off until they could "afford it." I know that some on this newsgroup believe that the only way to do a WDW vacation is the "right" way (a personal decision at best!), but please don't be made to feel like "average poor folk"! You're above average automatically because (1) you're going to WDW, and more importantly, (2) you're reading radp which puts you right into the elite of WDW visitors!!! Everyone "does Disney" the way that they can afford, and the way that fits their family. Some insist on the first-class treatment all the way, and bravo to those who can afford it! Others swear that tent camping is the way to go. Some (myself included) believe that a rental car makes the whole vacation more relaxing and enjoyable...others love the WDW bus/etc. system and think a car is a nuisance! Different strokes, etc. A few tips that may repeat what you've already been told by others, since I'm playing radp catch-up:
1) drink water! It's free, and everywhere in the parks. I just asked for ice water whenever we got a snack or meal in the parks. Soda makes you thirstier, IMHO. Also, I know others have suggested carrying water bottles. A smallish bottle is nice if you don't mind carrying it around, and you can refill it as much as you want at water fountains.
2) rent a fridge at the motel if available, or bring/buy a cooler. Or use the ice bucket in a pinch. Keep milk, juice, cereal, bagels, or store-bought muffins in the room, and eat breakfast before you hit the parks. IMHO it's just not worth the money, when money is tight, to eat fancy breakfasts on property. Not to mention how sleepy it makes me feel afterwards when I'm walking around in the heat!
3) tuck snacks into your suitcases, or buy them at Publix when you get there; small boxes of raisins, cheese/PB crackers, granola bars (without the chocolate, which will melt), dried fruits/nuts, even those little pre-cut carrot and celery sticks. Bring them to the park in a waist pack to munch in line and help you resist the WDW-priced snacks when the munchies hit.
4) bring ziploc bags in various sizes. This will enable you to store leftovers in your cooler (leftover pizza = instant lunch the next day), and to tote small snacks/sandwiches to the parks, etc. You'll find other uses for them that don't have anything to do with saving money, like carrying wet bathing suits. Remember when toting food to make it stuff that won't wilt in the heat, like mayo (shudder).
5) share, share, share (meals, that is). It's easier, and probably about the same cost, to share a meal at WDW at lunch than to go off-site to eat and deal with traffic and parking (again.) Unless you're leaving the park at lunchtime anyway to go to the hotel for nap/swim, there are meals available in the parks and the park-convenient hotels that are, IMO, much larger than any one normal person needs mid-day in hot Florida. :-) Order salads and eat lots of rolls/bread (I don't mean to suggest that you live on bread and water, but IT'S FREE! Yippee!) if you're in a "real" restaurant. Share an entree. Remember that kids of ALL ages can order kids meals! If you're from somewhere that doesn't have good fruit and veggies year-round, like me, you'll appreciate the great fruit platters at WDW -- we found a huge fruit and cheese platter at Le Cellier in Epcot that fed two of us generously!
6) Think ahead and bring stuff with you from home, like the aforementioned ziploc bags and snacks...and maybe even commuter mugs and plastic silverware and paper plates. Things that you can squeeze into a corner of the suitcase (well, maybe not the mugs!) that will save you from buying them in a quantity that you don't need when you get to FL. If you'll have a coffee maker in the room, bring coffee in a plastic bag (with scoop and filters!). You get the idea. It makes packing a bit more of a job, but it's worth it when you don't have to run out and buy a package of 500 paper plates to use for 4 days in the motel. :-) Oh, and don't forget the $1.99 rain ponchos that you can buy before you go (rather than $4+ at WDW). They also make great bed protectors when you're snacking on the bed -- spill punch? No problem, just shower it off. Kind of like a bed tarp. >grin<
From: coptagbbt@aol.com
I will now give advice to those looking for a WDW *shoestring* adventure. If you cannot afford to stay on-site, DON'T.
From: potter@a-o.com
There are several fast food restaurants in the area of Crossroads Shopping Center. Taco Bell, Burger King, and McDonald's come to mind, as well as T.G.I. Fridays, and Pizzeria Uno. This is the area at the intersection between Hotel Plaza Blvd. (after leaving DVM, go pass all the Hotel Plaza Hotels, to the end) and Rte. 535. Consider getting a styro cooler for your room, after arrival. Fill it with ice at your motel. The Publix grocery stores are supposed to have good prices. You'll find directions there (and to KMart, with groceries) by doing a DejaNews search of old postings to this newsgroup. Hope this helped! =o)
From: A.Hug@4u.Net
I started a thread about two months ago called "DISNEY ON A BUDGET" that goes into a lot of things you can do to save money. Some of the things mentioned were: - Eat breakfast at the hotel, cereal or bagels and cream cheese. Rent a fridge or buy an inexpensive ice cooler and fill it with the hotels ice. - Share meals at resturants, especially the Disney ones that tend to give you bountiful portions. - Eat lunch as your big meal, since the portions are basically the same size but the prices are less. - Bring snacks to the parks with you, and water bottles. The best tip was to package Kool-Aid and other drink mixes so that you can have flavored drinks at the park (big one for me since I like ice tea). - Collect the coupon books that are all over the place. They have discount coupons for resturants like TGI Fridays, Copelands, Chili's, Red Lobster, Olive Garden and others. - Eat off-property once in a while. - Get a MKC card to pay for the tickets (hey, $10 is $10). Also get coupons from USF (Fan Club) for a 10% discount on admission there, or from Sea World. - Buy non-Disney tickets from the ticket brokers (the "Official" Orlando Tourist Information Center on International Drive is a good place to buy tickets). - Do at least some of your souvenir shopping at the Belz Outlet Mall on International Drive. There is a character outlet center in building 2 that is suppose to have Disney merchandise at good prices. Good luck!
From: wball@kent.edu
This discussion has come up before. There are some in the newsgroup that believe staying on-property is the ONLY way to fly, and some that believe as you do that the length of time you can enjoy WDW is more important. I've been going for 11 years now and agree with you. We even go cheaper than the All-Stars, but when we go, we stay for 10-15 days and thoroughly enjoy finding out what has changed since we were there last and just soaking up the atmosphere in the parks. We were even there 3 weeks at New Year's one year. I CAN'T bring myself to pay the $100-700 for a room that I'm going to spend MAYBE 10 hours a day in. On the other hand, I can see people not wanting to be bothered with getting to and from the airport, or trying to drive on 192, or even worry about getting back to the car every night to go back to your hotel/motel. Because of my choice, I have to leave that "Disney feeling" at the parking lot every night and come back to a sense of surviving in the real world.
From: jwestpha@pen.k12.va.us
We found that we (Husband and I and 4 year old) could all share almost any meal and not walk away hungry. With 2 11 year-olds you might need 2 meals. For example, I don't know what you usually eat for breakfast, but Perkins has a breakfast that is around 4 or 5 dollars that comes with 3 eggs, 4 pancakes, bacon, and some other stuff. That works out to 2 pancakes for each adult and 1 1/2 eggs for each kid with bacon. That's more than you probably usually eat for breakfast. The same things at dinner. Think about it. If you actually eat the salad and the vegetables, 1 dinner is easily enough for 2 people. Get extra bread if you are still hungry. Instead of a fridge, just bring an ice chest from home (assuming you have one..you can still buy one for less than $80). You can refill it with ice at the hotel every day. Best other way to save money is to bring jugs of water to the park. Drinks can eat up a lot of money fast. Also learn to drink water with you meals; you will easily save $5 a meal.
From: bj678@freenet.carleton.ca (Lee Whitman) Buy the new edition of WDW for Adults. Make sure you get the first printing. The book is only $17 or $18 and has a coupon in the back for the WDW Dolphin/Swan restaurants. Using that coupon, you can go to the character brunch on Sunday for free if you are two adults and two kids! You would only pay the tax and tip.
From: wstoler@aol.com
From: glai@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu
From: bethe@gte.net
From: jeffc28950@aol.com
From: mindyb@maine.rr.com [Back to Gwendel's Grotto] [Biography] [Photos] [Artwork] [Stories] [Disney World] [Fonts] [Awards] [Links] This page was last pdated:
02/10/2000
We spent a great deal of time in April/May traveling between the resorts. We spent an evening at the Port Orleans. We visited the Dixie Landings. We spent a lot of time at the Boardwalk just meandering around. Fantasia Gardens got us for two rounds. The Contemporary has lots of things to see, as well as the Grand Floridian and the Polynesian. We could even spend a day in the
...you can beat the tolls if you have an extra 5 to 7 minutes to spare going each way.
What I found is that if you take the SOUTH EXIT out of the airport, you go past the toll road junction (FL Route 417) for 1.3 miles to BOGGY CREEK (1st traffic light AFTER Route 417. Circle-K minimart and sign pointing right toward Kissimmee). {Note: I think the road out of the airport becomes Boggy Creek, or Boggy Creek South, or some such. We found it slightly confusing, but look for the traffic light and the Circle-K. I believe you can only turn right or go straight ahead. --Meli}
Go right for about one mile to OSCEOLA parkway. Take a right onto Osceola Parkway and go 5 miles to Orange Blossom Trail.
If you are going to the International Drive area, take a right on O.B.T. (north) to Sand Lake Road. Right on Sand Lake and it takes you into International Drive near the Convention Center.
If you are going to points on US 192 (Maingate east/west, Bronson Highway, etc.) go left (south) on O.B.T. to VINE STREET in Kissimmee. Vine St. is 192. Go right on Vine St. until you reach your destination in the Maingate area. {note from Meli -- I seem to think that you're pretty far East on Vine -- several miles before you start hitting "the strip" -- but if you want to stop at SuperWalmart, you'll go right past it, on the left.}
I followed these directions on 5/19 and had a scenic ride past farmland (well, it was scenic for several miles). We didn't turn onto Orange Blossom Trail, but kept going on the Osceola Parkway. I remembered from last year that this would take us to Route 535, the road our hotel was on.
What I didn't know was that there was a $1 toll on this road between O.B.T. and 535. -- Valerie
This sounds sort of like the package I got the first time I went to WDW. I was a single mother with three children in their teens. In 1987 we got a package (ours included passes) for about $1300, I think. The hotel we stayed in was near Sea World, but we had a great time! Here's a small cautionary tale: The one bad experience we had was at the car rental place. I don't recall what the name of the company was, but I hope they're out of business! Our rental was included in the cost of our package. I brought proof of insurance, but the rental agent still pressured me mercilessly to take the expensive insurance they were selling. He even went so far as to tell me that my insurance (through Nationwide!) wasn't any good in Florida! I had called my insurance company before I left just to make sure, so I didn't believe him and refused to purchase the insurance no matter what he said. Many others who had waited in the hours-long line appeared to be buying it, though. Of course, I was finally allowed to take the car anyway. We had flown the red-eye from Seattle, and I remember how tired we were. And it was so hot (this was in April, and I think it was in the 80's, which is about as hot as it gets in Seattle in August!) Anyway, the hotel was very nice, the traffic was never a problem for us (remember that this was 10 years ago!), and because we stayed off-site, we saw quite a bit more of Central Florida than we would have otherwise. We ate at places like Denny's and IHOP. I think we went to only one table service restaurant at WDW. For us, just being at WDW was a very special treat.
My family has connections to the insurance biz for about the last 50 years and what car rental places try to pull is awful. First of all, they cannot sell you insurance. Only a licensed agent can do that. That kid behind the car rental counter is not a licensed insurance agent. They sell you a "waiver," which provides very little beyond your car policy, and is grossly overpriced for what it does provide. Usually, they just pay your deductable. So if you have a $500 deductable and you use the car for 5 days, you might pay $75-125 dollars to "save" the $500 if you are in an accident. If you get in an accident, rest assured your insurance company will get a claim, no matter what! Save your money - its a scam!
I work for MBNA, which is a bank that primarily issues credit cards. Since we are the 2nd largest issuer of credit cards in the world, I am going to assume a couple of you must have our cards. Every one of our cards has at least $15,000 dollars free auto rental insurance. So moral of the story is check to see if your card is from MBNA, use it to pay for your rental car, refuse their insurance.
All text on this page is Copyright ©
1997-1998 Wendy Peacock. If any link or anything else on this page
seems out of order, please notify the author.
This page handcrafted from the finest ASCII.