Affordable Disney Vacations: Creating Fun and Inexpensive Memories

Planning a visit to Walt Disney World in the near future? If you are trying to make it an affordable Disney vacation, then you should know that there are a number of fun and free (or almost free) things to do while there. Especially when it comes to souvenirs, it is nice to know that you don’t have to spend a fortune to bring home some great Disney memories. So with that in mind, here are 10 ways to maximize your Disney World fun and minimize your wallet at the same time.

1. The Disney resorts are fascinating and beautiful places to visit. The Animal Kingdom Lodge especially should not be missed, as it has several animal observation areas where you can watch giraffes, zebras, etc. walk around right under the hotel room balconies!

2. Spend an afternoon or evening at Disney’s Boardwalk, where you will arcade games and activities just like at the beach.

3. Make sure you take at least one ride on the monorail. For our family, this is a “must-do” on every Disney trip.

4. Ride a Segway. While you can sign up for an actual tour that is a little pricey, you can get a quick “lesson”…and photo op….at Innoventions at Epcot.

5. You don’t have to be extravagant for souvenirs, in fact some of the best souvenirs are the cheapest. Pressed pennies, postcards, pencils, and pins are all very inexpensive and are perfect for those kids who love collecting things.

6. If you have kids, character autographs will probably be a big hit. Turn this into a lasting souvenir by using something other than an autograph book: try tee shirts, hats, posters, or pillowcases instead. Be sure to have the characters use a sharpie for lasting signatures.

7. Try pin trading. It can be addicting, and as a cautionary note, expensive if you are not careful….but if you start small and keep to a budget, your kids….and you…..will have a blast doing it.

8. For an international flavor to your souvenirs, have your children stop at each of the World Showcase countries at Epcot to do the KidCot fun stop activities. They’re fun, they’re educational, and best of all, they make great, free souvenirs.

9. Whether you are staying on or off Disney property, your hotel undoubtedly has a pool, and chances are a pretty neat one at that. Use it! Especially in the summer, the benefits of relaxing at the pool a few hours each day cannot be emphasized enough.

10. Literally take time to smell the roses. After 11+ trips to Walt Disney World, each time we STILL see something we never saw before. Disney World is an absolutely fascinating place to visit, and you should definitely take a few minutes each day to allow yourself to enjoy it.

Affordable Disney vacations are all about maximizing your money, your time, and your experiences. Happily, some of those best experiences will not cost you anything, but will create memories that are truly priceless!

Nancy Bobby has been visiting Disney World for over ten years. Her favorite money saving guide for a Disney vacation has been the Ultimate Disney World Savings Guide. Learn how how to have your own affordable Disney vacation and get her free Disney vacation guide at her website www.theaffordablemouse.com

Affordable Disney Vacations – Five Tips for Saving Money on Food at Disney World

I have to say that visiting Disney World is, for us, a great excuse to eat! There are so many great choice, and most of the sit-down restaurants are good quality. In addition, it is so much fun to try new things, so we truly enjoy the eating experience at Disney World. But to do this, it can be expensive, so we have found a few ways that work for us to help save money while still enjoying the food options at Walt Disney World. In this article, we will look at five simple strategies that can really help you have an affordable Disney vacation.

1. Think about cooking and/or eating a few meals in your room. If you plan to stay in a vacation home, villa, condo, or even a hotel suite, you should have access to a kitchen. Even with a traditional hotel room, you will probably be able to have a small refrigerator: use this to store milk, juice, and sandwich fixings.

2. You can save quite a bit of money by bringing your own snacks, juice, water etc.

3. Consider sharing meals, especially if you have little ones who don’t eat much. Disney portions are usually quite large and sharingwhether between 2 kids, or an adult and childwill not leave anyone hungry.

4. You may also save some money by eating off-site, especially if you can use discount coupons or promotions. If staying off-Disney property, ask at your hotel for any they offer, and you can also look at local Orlando websites. Or purchase a local Entertainment book to get Orlando area restaurant coupons.

5. Finally, we are big fans of the Disney Dining Plan. The way the plan works, if you are staying on Disney property, you have the ability to choose from several levels of the Dining Plan, basically pre-paying for nearly all of your meals. And with several choices (providing snack, counter service, or in some plans, table service meals) there is an option for nearly any budget. For our family, who like table service meals each night, we choose the Plus Disney Dining Plan and get one snack credit, one counter meal (entree, drink, and dessert), and one table service meal (entree, drink, and dessert) per person, per day. For us, the snacks generally work well most days for breakfast, and the others will be used for lunch and dinner each day. It is frankly more food per person than we can usually eat, and so we often take our dessert with us since we are so full! For this level, the cost per day for our family of 3 is less than we would have paid just for dinner, so we are saving quite a bit of money using the Disney Dining Plan.

With all the wonderful food our family eats while at Disney World, it is a good thing that there is so much walking involved! We have definitely found that by saving money on food, it has truly helped us to plan a fantastic affordable Disney vacation on a regular basis.

Nancy Bobby has been visiting Disney World for over a decade. Her top resource for saving money on a Disney vacation has been the Ultimate Disney World Savings Guide. Discover how to have your own affordable Disney vacation and receive her free Disney vacation guide at her blog www.theaffordablemouse.com